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The 2011/2012 Entering Sixth Grade Core Summer Reading Book is:ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO READ THIS BOOK

Heads or TailsBy Jack Gantos

Written in diary format, Jack's diary helps him deal with his problems which include dog-

eating alligators, having a terror for an older sister, having a younger brother who keeps

breaking parts of himself, and next-door neighbors who are really weird. It includes the

stories: Copycat, My Brother's Finger, Candy Itani, Rabies, Donna Lowry, Death and

Taxes, My Brother's Arm, and Cocoa Beach. Youre guaranteed to laugh!

And be sure to keep track of your questions and thoughts for when the author comes to

visit in the fall!

All students are required to read the 6th Grade Core Summer Reading Book

as well as one other book on the list below.

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I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth AtkinsonGrowing up near Boston with her free-spirited mother and

old-world grandfather, twelve-year-old Emma has always felt

out of place. When she attends the family reunion herestranged father's family holds annually in Wisconsin, she is

in for some surprises.

Anything But Typicalby Nora Raleigh BaskinIt's hard enough to be twelve when you're a typical kid, but

for Jason, who is a high-functioning autistic, navigating the

tough terrain of middle school proves very challenging. He

finds solace in writing stories and posting them online. It is

through this forum that he makes a real friend. He worries

that if he meets her in "real life" she will only see his autism,

like everyone else, and not see the real Jason.

Because of Mr. Teruptby Rob BuyeaIt is the beginning of fifth grade, and Mr. Terupt is a brand

new teacher. He has his hands full with seven distinctive

voices in his class. Only Mr. Teruptseems able to reach hisstudents, and things are beginning to look up for each of

them until a fateful winter day when an accident occurs that

will change everything and everyone.

No Passengers Beyond This Pointby Gennifer

CholdenkoWith their house in foreclosure, sisters India and Mouse and

brother Finn are sent to stay with an uncle in Colorado until

their mother can join them. When the plane lands, the

children are welcomed by cheering crowds to a strange placewhere each of them has a perfect house and a clock that is

ticking down the time.One Crazy Summerby Rita Williams-GarciaIn the summer of 1968 eleven-year-old Delphine and her two

younger sisters go to spend a month with the mother they

barely know. They arrive to a cold welcome as they discover

that their mother is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and

wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamilloTen-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in

the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that

happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live

with a lonely middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince

Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible

impression on everyone around her.

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds NaylorMarty finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia

home, and tries to hide it from his family and the dog's rea

owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out oseason and to mistreat his dogs.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder A year in the life of two young girls growing up on th

Wisconsin frontier, as they help their mother with the daily

chores, enjoy their father's stories and singing, and share

special occasions when they get together with relatives o

neighbors.

Phineas Gage by John FleischmanPhineas Gage was truly a man with a hole in his head. A

railroad construction foreman, Phineas was blasting rock

when a thirteen-pound iron rod was shot through his brain

Miraculously, he survived another eleven years. But he was

forever changed by the accident. What happened inside his

brain will tell you a lot about how your brain works and what

makes us who we are.

Escape! by Sid FleischmanIn this biography, Fleischman introduces readers to the

amazing Houdini magician, ghost chaser, daredevil, pionee

aviator, and king of escape artists. No jail cell or straitjacke

could hold him!

Christo and Jeanne-Claude by Jan GreenbergExamines the lives and work of the Christo and Jeanne-

Claude, a couple who create environmental art installations

and features "The Gates," which was on displayed in New

York City's Central Park in the winter of 2005. Oh, Rats! by Albert Marrin

Describes rat behavior and survival skills and aspects of theirrelationship with humans, including disease, rats as food, rats

as pests, and the training of rats as rescuers.

Six-Million Paperclips by Peter W. Schroeder &

Dagmar Schoeder-HildebrandIn rural Whitwell, Tennessee, the community middle schoo

decided to teach diversity by focusing on the Holocaust. To

help them grasp the numbers of people who died, they

collected 11 million paper clips, which they placed in a

memorial made from a German World War II railcar.

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The Watsons go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul

Curtis The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the

Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan,are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in

Alabama in the summer of 1963.

Nory Ryans Song by Patricia Reilly GiffWhen a terrible blight attacks Ireland's potato crop in 1845,

twelve-year-old Nory Ryan's courage and ingenuity help her

family and neighbors survive.

Green Glass Sea by Ellen KlagesWhile her father works on the Manhattan Project, eleven-

year-old gadget lover and outcast Dewey Kerrigan lives in

Los Alamos Camp, and becomes friends with Suze, another

young girl who is shunned by her peers. (sequel: WhiteSands, Red Menace)

Number the Stars by Lois LowryIn 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year

old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when

she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.

Second Fiddle by Roseanne ParrySix months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, three eighth-grade

girls living on an American military base with their families in

Berlin try to save a Russian soldier, who has been beaten and

left for dead, by smuggling him to Paris, where they are going

to perform in a music competition.

Out of my Mindby Sharon DraperEleven-year-old Melody is one of the smartest people around,

but nobody knows it. Melody has cerebral palsy and can't

talk, can't walk, can't write. When she discovers somethingthat will allow her to speak for the first time ever, at last

Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready

to hear it.

Middle School is Worse than Meatloafby Jennifer HolmGinny makes a to do list for her seventh grade year, which

includes landing a role in the school play, trying to make

friends, ignoring her horoscope, and going to see her

grandpa Joe in Florida; but she always seems to come up

short in accomplishing any of it.

The Misfits by James HoweFour students who do not fit in at their small-town middle

school decide to create a third party for the student counc

elections to represent all students who have ever been called

names.

Saffys Angelby Hillary McKay (series)Meet the Cassons, an artistic and eccentric family, whose

ups and downs are charmingly told in the four books of this

series. Saffys Angel, the first in the series, tells of SaffronCassons quest to find her real parents once she finds out

that unlike her brother and sisters, she is adopted.

Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz RyanWhen Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naom

runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and

younger brother in search of her father.

Keeperby Kathi Appelt Ten-year-old Keeper heads to a sandbar in a small boa

along with her dog BD and a seagull named Captain in orde

to find her mother, a mermaid who left her when Keeper was

only three.

Secondhand Charm by Julie BerryOn her journey to the royal university to become a doctor

fifteen-year-old Evie, wearing potent gypsy charms, learns o

her monstrous inheritance.

Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation by Matt MykluschTwelve-year-old Jack, freed from a dismal orphanage, makes

his way to the elusive and impossible Imagine Nation, where

a mentor saves him from dissection and trains him to use his

superpower, despite the virus he carries that makes him a

threat.

Simon Bloom: the gravity keeperby Michael ReismanSixth-grader Simon Bloom finds a book that enables him to

control the laws of physics; but when two thugs come after

him, he needs the formulas in the book to save himself.

Heroes of the Valleyby Jonathan StroudHalli Sveinsson, a mischievous young man who does not fit in

with his peers and siblings, plays a trick on Ragnor that goes

too far, forcing him to embark on a hero's quest in which he

will face highway robbers, monsters, an intriguing girl, and

truths about his family and the legends he grew up with.

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Science Fairby Dave BarryThe president of Kprshtskan is plotting to infiltrate the science

fair at Hubble Middle School in Maryland in order to take over

the United States government, but when Toby Harbinger, anordinary student, makes up his mind finally to win the fair, the

terrorists' plans go awry.

School of Fearby Gitty Daneshvari Twelve-year-olds Madeleine, Theo, and Lulu, and thirteen-

year-old Garrison, are sent to a remote Massachusetts

school to overcome their phobias, but tragedy strikes and the

quartet must work together with no adult assistance to

face their fears.

Guys Read: Funny Business by multiple authors A collection of humorous stories featuring a teenaged

mummy, a homicidal turkey, and the world's largest pool ofchocolate milk.

Leon and the Champion Chip by Allen KurzweilPotato chip collector Leon is excited when the new science

teacher announces they'll be using Leon's favorite snack

food as the basis for the year's curriculum. In order to earn

money, Leon enters an international potato chip competition.

Leon and his friends are also trying to tame the class bully.

The Fourth Stallby Chris RylanderSixth-graders Mac and Vince operate a business charging

schoolmates for protection from bullies and for help to

negotiate conflicts peacefully, with amazing challenges and

results.

Belly Up by Stuart GibbsTwelve-year-old Teddy's life is somewhat unconventional, as

he lives on a theme park/zoo where both of his parents work.

When the park's mascot, Henry the Hippo, goes belly up, Teddy suspects foul play. It turns out the list of suspects

who might have wanted him dead is long. The search for

Henry's killer heats up as Teddy starts to fear for his own life!

Pish Posh by Ellen PotterEleven-year-old Clara Frankofile sits in her parents' elegant

New York City restaurant, Pish Posh, and passes judgment

on each customer as a Somebody or a Nobody, but her all-

seeing eyes fail to observe the mysterious events occurring

right under her nose.

Half-Minute Horrors by multiple authors

An anthology of very short, scary stories by an assortment o

authors and illustrators including Chris Raschka, Joyce Caro

Oates, Neil Gaiman, Jack Gantos, and Lane Smith.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire bring

together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncove

the circumstances of his death before they can claim their

inheritance.

The View from the Cherry Treeby Willo Davis RobertsRob's family is pre-occupied with his sisters upcoming

wedding. Rob stays out of their way, up in his favorite spot

his cherry tree where he sees old Mrs. Calloway ge

murdered. No one likes the old woman, and everyone seems

to think it was an accident. But Rob knows it wasn't and hel

prove it too.

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett

KrosoczkaThe school lunch lady, a secret crime fighter, uncovers an evil

plot to replace all the popular teachers with robots.

Smile by Raina TelgemeierThe author relates, in graphic form, her experiences after she

injured her two front teeth and had to have surgeries and

wear embarrassing braces and headgear, all while also

dealing with the trials and tribulations of middle school.

The Lost Keyby Melinda Thielbar (Math Manga series)Joy, Sam, and their friends from the kung fu school use thei

knowledge of mathematics and whole numbers to discove

who stole the keys to the school and used them to steal al

the kung fu equipment.

Lost and Foundby Shaun TanCollects three stories by Shaun Tan that explore how people

lose and find what matters most to them, as a girl finds a

bright spot in a dark world, a boy leads a strange, lost being

home, and a group of peaceful creatures loses its home tocruel invaders.

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon This wordless graphic novel depicts an enduring friendshi

between a dog and his robot. Dog wants a friend, so he

orders and constructs a mail-order robot. The two are the

best of friends until a rust-inducing trip to the beach. Afte

that fateful visit, dog and robot are able to see what true

friendship it.

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Million Dollar Shotby Dan GutmanEddie Ball has the chance of a lifetime: to win a million dollars

by sinking a foul shot during halftime at the NBA finals, but

someone really wants Eddie to shoot an air ball on the bigday and will do anything to sabotage the million dollar shot.

Stumptown Kidby Carol GormanIn a small Iowa town in 1952, eleven-year-old Charlie

Nebraska, whose father died in the Korean War, learns the

meaning of both racism and heroism when he befriends

Luther Peale, a young man who once played for the old

Negro Baseball League.

Two Hot Dogs with Everything by Paul Haven Although everyone credits him and his superstitions for the

Sluggers first winning streak in 108 baseball seasons,

eleven-year-old Danny Gurkin believes that his discovery of asecret from the team's past may be the real reason behind

the ball club's success.

Travel Team by Mike LupicaDanny Walker is crushed when he doesn't make the seventh

grade basketball team because he is too short; he suspects

that the real reason has something to do with a feud between

his father and the father of the team's best player. Then

Danny's father announces that he is starting his own youth

team, but unexpected setbacks sideline his dad and the

team.

Madcatby Kathy MackelFast-pitch softball catcher MadCat Campione's love for the

sport is strained when her team competes on a national level

and her best pal Jess puts the game before her friends.