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WellesleyMiddleSchool

Entering7thGrade

2010/2011

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Entering7thGradeCoreSummerReadingBook

ALLSTUDENTSAREREQUIREDTOREADTHISBOOK

Korman,Gordan.SchooledAllCapknowsistheisolatedfarmcommunewherejustheandhisgrandmother,

Rain,live.WhenRainishospitalized,Capistakeninbyasocialworkerandsent

to a publicmiddle school. Smart and capable, innocent and inexperienced (he

learnedtodriveonthefarm,buthehasneverwatchedtelevision),longhaired

Cap finds it hard to fit in. Fromchapter to chapter, the firstpersonnarrative

switchesfromeveryonefromCaphimself,tohissocialworker,toherdaughter,

to thecoolest kid in school, and so on. Throughall their storieswe see Caps

uniquewayofdealingwithhisveryuniquesituation.

Allstudentsarerequiredtoreadthe7thGradeCoreSummerReadingBook

aswellasoneotherbookonthelistbelow.

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Carter,Ally.HeistSociety

FifteenyearoldKatschemesherwayintothebestboardingschool, hoping to leave the thieving antics of her family

behind her, but Hal, a former coconspirator, appears on

campus to tell Kat that a powerful mobster believes her

father stole art from a priceless collection, and in order to

savehim,Katwillhavetorecoverthepaintings.

Collins,Suzanne.HungerGamesSeries

Sixteenyearold Katniss Everdeen accidentally becomes a

contenderintheannualHungerGames,agravecompetition

hostedbytheCapitolwhereyoungboysandgirlsarepitted

against one another in a televised fight to the death. The

sequel isCatching Fire and the third, and final book in the

trilogyMockingjayisdueoutinAugust.

Couloumbis, Audrey.WarGames :a novelbasedon atrue

story

In1941,whenGermansoccupy their smallGreek town and

the commandant comes to live in their house, 12yearold

PetrosandhisfamilyhidetheirAmericanconnectionsandan

escaping Greek resistance fighter as well. Based on Akila

Couloumbis's wartime recollections, this novel is a grand

read:anadventurefulloftheparticularsofboys'play,andan

unusualperspectiveonWorldWarIIlives.

Dashner,James.TheMazeRunnerSixteenyearold Thomas wakesup withnomemory in the

middle of a maze and real izes he must work with the

communityinwhichhefindshimselfifheistoescape.

Avi.TheTrueConfessionsofCharlotteDoyle

Thirteenyearold Charlotte Doyle, the only passenger on a

voyagefromEnglandtoAmericain 1832,musttakeserious

mattersintoherownhandswhenshelearnsthatthecaptain

ismurderous.

Curtis,ChristopherPaul.TheWatsonsGotoBirmingham

The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the

Watsons,anAfricanAmericanfamilylivinginFlint,Michigan,

are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in

Alabamainthesummerof1963.

DeFelice,CynthiaC.Signal

AftermovingwithhisemotionallydistantfathertotheFinge

Lakes region of upstate New York, twelveyearold Owen

facesalonelysummeruntilhemeetsanabusedgirlwhoma

beaspacealien.

McCaughrean,Geraldine.TheDeathdefyingPepperRoux

PepperRouxdecidestotestfateandembarksonajourney

thedaybeforeheturnsfourteen,whichisalsothedayheis

expectedto die,meetingoutrageous friendsand dangerou

enemiesalongtheway.

Ryan,PamMunoz.TheDreamer

A fictionalizedbiographyof theNobel PrizewinningChilean

poet Pablo Neruda, who grew up a painfully shy childridiculedbyhis overbearing father,butwhobecame oneof

themostwidelyreadpoetsintheworld.

Tarshis,Lauren.EmmaJeanLazarusFellOutofaTree (series)

AquirkyandutterlylogicalseventhgradegirlnamedEmma

JeanLazarusdiscoverssomeinterestingresultswhenshegets

involvedinthemessyeverydayproblemsofherpeers.

WilliamsGarcia,Rita.OneCrazySummer

Inthesummerof1968,aftertravelingfromBrooklynto

Oakland,California,tospendamonthwiththemotherthey

barelyknow,elevenyearoldDelphineandhertwoyounger

sistersarrivetoacoldwelcomeastheydiscoverthattheir

mother,adedicatedpoetandprinter,isresentfulofthe

intrusionoftheirvisitandwantsthemtoattendanearby

BlackPanthersummercamp.

Cushman,Karen.TheMidwifesApprentice

MegMurryandher friendsbecomeinvolvedwithunearthly

strangersandasearchforMeg'sfather,whohasdisappeared

whileengagedinsecretworkforthegovernment.

L'Engle,Madeleine.AWrinkleinTime

MegMurryandher friendsbecomeinvolvedwithunearthly

strangersandasearchforMeg'sfather,whohasdisappeared

whileengagedinsecretworkforthegovernment.

LatestandGreatest(newreleases)

IfYouMissed(classics)

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Lipsyte,Robert.TheContender

AHarlemhighschooldropoutescapesfromagangof punks

intoaboxinggym,wherehelearnsthatbeingacontenderis

hard andoftendiscouragingwork,but thatyou don't know

anythinguntilyoutry.

Taylor,Mildren.RollofThunder,HearMyCry

An AfricanAmerican family living in Mississippi during the

Depression of the 1930s is faced with prejudice and

discriminationwhichitschildrendonotunderstand.

Freedman, Russell. Freedom Walkers: The Story of the

MontgomeryBusBoycott

Drawing on the best of the personal stories and historic

accountsofthetriumphantMontgomeryBusBoycottofthe

Civil Rights era, Freedman, in this photo essay, allows the

reader to understand what it was like to be there, on the

streetandonthebus.

Giblin, JamesCross.When PlagueStrikes:The BlackDeath,

Smallpox,Aids

WhiletheBlackDeath,smallpox,andAIDSmayseemtohave

little incommon, Giblindraws parallels between themthat

are fascinating.TheBlackDeathwasoftenblamedon Jews,

leading to hatred and violence against them. In the same

way, many people have blamed AIDS on homosexuals. The

authortracesthemedicalcommunity'sfearfulandconfused

reactionstothesediseases.

Nelson,Peter.LeftforDead

WhenelevenyearoldHunterScottbeginstoinvestigatethe

WorldWarII sinkingofthe USS Indianapolis,hediscoversa

shocking,heartbreakingstorybehindwhatshouldhavebeen

a tale of heroismandpatriotism. Torpedoedby a Japanese

submarine, the Indianapolis went down in minutes, taking

more than800sailorswithit.Severalhundredsurvived,butonly after spending days in the open sea with sharks

diminishingtheirnumbershourly.Then inanefforttomake

an example of the ship's captain, and in order to deflect

blamefromitself,theU.S. Navyunfairlycourtmartialedthe

captain,painfullychangingthelivesofallthemeninvolved.

Yolen,Jane.TheDevilsArithmetic

Hannah resents the traditions of her Jewish heritage unt

timetravelplacesher inthemiddleof asmall Jewishvillage

inNazioccupiedPoland.

Rubel,David. IfIHadaHammer: building homesandhope

withHabitatforHumanity

TheauthordescribeshisexperiencesworkingwithHabitatfo

Humanity,anonprofitorganizationthatbuildshousingwith

volunteerlaborers.

Silverstein,Ken.RadioactiveBoyScout:TheFrighteningTrue

StoryofaWhizKidandhisHomemadeNuclearReactor

Growingup insuburbanDetroit, DavidHahnwasfascinated

byscience.WhilehewasworkingonhisAtomicEnergybadge

for the Boy Scouts, David began building a model nuclea

reactorinhisbackyardgardenshed.Thistruestoryreadslike

afirstratethriller.

Warren,Andrea.SurvivingHitler:ABoyintheNaziDeath

Camps

Through the words and memories of Jack Mandelbaum

Warren presents a harrowing account of a Jewish boy's

experience in Nazi prison camps. Mandelbaum had lived a

comfortable life with his family inGdynia,Poland,until the

Germaninvasionforcedthemtofleetoarelative'svillagein

1939. Later, when the Jews were sent to concentration

camps,the12yearoldbecameseparatedfromtherestofhis

familyandwoundupintheBlechhammercamp.

classics(continued)

ForReal(nonfiction)

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Connor,Leslie.WaitingforNormal

TwelveyearoldAddietriestocopewithhermother'serratic

behavior and being separated fromher beloved stepfather

andhalfsisterswhensheandhermothergotoliveinasmall

trailerbytherailroadtracksontheoutskirtsofSchenectady,

NewYork.

Draper,Sharon.RomietteandJulio

InthismodernretellingoftheRomeoandJulietstory,sixteen

yearoldJulioMontague'sparentshavemovedtheirfamilyto

Cincinnati,OH,inordertogettheirsonoutofhisgangridden

high school in Texas. Romiette Cappelle, also 16, is the

daughter of successful AfricanAmerican parents and the

granddaughterofcollegeprofessors.Whenthesetwoyoung

peoplebeginaromance,theymustdealnotonlywiththeir

parents'prejudicesbutalsowiththethreatsofalocalgang.

Joseph,Lynn.TheColorofMyWords

TwelveyearoldAnaRosaisa blossomingwritergrowingup

intheDominicanRepublic,acountrywherewordsarefeared.

Yetthereissomuchinspirationallaroundherwatchingher

brothersearchforfuture,learningtodanceandtolove,and

findingoutwhatitmeanstobepartofacommunitythatAna

mustwriteitalldown.Asshestrugglestofindherownvoice

andawaytomakeitheard,AnaRosarealizesthepowerof

herwordstotransformtheworldaroundher.

Na,An.AStepfromHeaven

Atagefour,YoungJu isnothappy tobe leavingher Korean

home and loving Halmoni (grandmother) tomovewith her

parents to Mi Gook (America), believed to be the land of

greatpromise.ThroughYoungJu'sexperiences,listenershear

thefamilyunravelasdifficultiesmountforthemintheStates.

Osa,Nancy.Cuba15

Violet Paz, growing up in suburban Chicago, barely knows

Spanish,andherdadrefusestotalkabouthisCubanroots,so

it's a real surprise when Abuela insists that Violet have a

grand quinceanero, the traditional Latina fifteenthyear

comingofage ceremony. But Violet insists that she is anAmerican and she wouldn't becaught dead in any onstage

ceremonywearingaruffledpinkdressandatiara.

Park,Barbara.TheGraduationofJakeMoon

Jake Moon used to love the time he spent with his

grandfather,Skelly,butthatwasbeforeSkellygotAlzheimer's

disease.Allofasudden,it'sasifSkellyisthekid,andJakehas

to be the grownup. Much of Skelly's care becomes Jake's

responsibility,andthatdoesn'tleavemuchtimefor alifeof

his own. Then, one day Jake rebels, and the unthinkable

happens. Has Jake discovered too late how much his

grandfatherstillmeanstohim?

Pearsall,Shelley.AlloftheAbove

Everyone knows that Washington Middle School is a dead

end and its studentshave nofuture. Then,Mr. Collins, the

seventhgrademathteacher,inadvertentlychallengessevera

studentstobuilda tetrahedron(a 3Dmultiplanestructureto break the Guinness world record. The students feign

disinterest, but gradually the idea takes hold, ultimately

drawing in troublemakers and wellbehaved kids, parents

relatives, and community members alike. Based on a rea

eventin2002,this isadelightfulstoryaboutthepowerofa

visionandtheimportanceofagoal.

Sonnenblink,Jordan.Drums,GirlsandDangerousPie

Thirteenyearold Steven has a totallynormal life: he play

drumsintheAllStarJazzband,hasacrushonthehottestgir

intheschool,andisconstantlyannoyedbyhisfiveyearold

brother,Jeffrey.ButwhenJeffreyisdiagnosedwithleukemia

Steven's world isturnedupsidedown.Heis forcedto dea

with hisbrother's illnessandhisparents' attempts to keep

thefamilyinonepiece.Saltedwithhumorandpepperedwith

devastatingrealities,thisisaheartwarmingjourneythrough

ayearinthelifeofafamilyincrisis.

Woodson,Jacqueline.IfYouComeSoftly

After meeting at their private school in New York, fifteen

yearold Jeremiah, who is black and whose parents are

separated, and Ellie, who is white and whose mother ha

twiceabandonedher, fall inloveandthen tryto copewith

peoplesreactions.

ItCouldHappentoYou(realisticfiction)

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Curtis,ChristopherPaul.ElijahofBuxton

In 1859, elevenyearold Elijah Freeman, the first free born

child inBuxton,Canada,which isa haven for slaves fleeing

theAmericansouth,useshiswitsandskillstotrytobringto

justicethelyingpreacherwhohasstolenmoneythatwasto

beusedtobuyafamily'sfreedom.

Cushman,Karen.TheLoudSilenceofFrancineGreen

SetinLosAngelesin1949,thisnovelcapturestheterrorsand

confusions of the McCarthy era. Eighthgrader Francine

admiresheroutspokenfriendSophie,whowaskickedoutof

public schoolforpainting "Thereisnofree speechhere" on

thegymnasiumfloor.Francinefeelsmuzzledathomeandat

herrigidCatholicschool.HerworriesescalateasCommunist

scares in Hollywood grow, and Sophie and her playwrightfatherfallundersuspicion.

Ketchum,Lisa.Newsgirl

Twelveyearold Amelia Forrester arrives in San Francisco

withherfamilyin1851anddresseslikeaboyinthemostly

male town, cuttingherhairandwearinga cap toworkasa

newsboyinordertosellEasternnewspapersandparticipate

inthebiggeststoriesoftheday.

Paterson,Katherine.BreadandRoses,Too

Patersonhasdrawnuponthefactsofthefamous1912Bread

and Roses strike in the mills of Lawrence, MA, and the

sympathetic responseofthecitizensofBarre,VT,to tellthe

storyoftwochildrenenmeshedincomplexevents.

Paulsen,Gary.ASoldier'sHeart

Based onthe lifeof a real boy, it tells the story ofCharley

Goddard,wholieshiswayintotheUnionArmyattheageof

15.Charleythinkswarwouldbeagreatadventure.Anditis

atfirstashisregimentmarchesoffthroughcheeringcrowds.

Butthencomesthebattle.Charleycantbelievethatanything

sohorriblecouldbereal.Paulsenisunsparinginthedetailsof

whatactuallyhappensonthebattlefield.

Allison, Jennifer. Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator (series)

Ever since her father died, quirky Gilda Joyce has been

determinedtocommunicatewithspiritsandbecomeacrack

investigator of spooky, twisted mysteries. Hairraising and

hilarious, this is a behindthescenes, tellall account of her

veryfirstcase.

Pullman,Phillip.RubyintheSmoke (series)

In1872England, recently orphanedSally Lockhartis looking

forfactsaboutdeathofherFatherandbecomesinvolvedin

deadlysearchforamysteriousruby.

Rinaldi,Ann.ComeJuneteenth

Two years after Lincoln issued his Emancipation

Proclamation, Texas slaves finally learned that they were

free.RinaldipersonalizestheshockingReconstructionhistory

in this gripping novel that focuses on two young Texas

women.

Schmidt,Gary.TheWednesdayWars

Duringthe1967schoolyear,onWednesdayafternoonswhe

all hisclassmatesgo to eitherCatechismorHebrewschoolseventhgrader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's

classroomwheretheyreadtheplaysofWilliamShakespeare

andHollinglearnsmuchofvalueabouttheworldhelivesin.

Taylor,Mildred.TheLand

LikeTaylor'sNewberyMedalbook,RollofThunder,HearMy

Cry(1976),thispowerfulhistoricalnovel,aprequeltoRollof

Thunder,refusesto"whitewash"history.Astheauthornotes

in her afterward, the language was painful and life was

painful for many African Americans, including her family

Drawingdirectlyonherfamilyhistory,shegoesbacktothe

time of Reconstruction to tell a searing story of cruelty

racism, andbetrayal. She also tells a thrilling comingofage

storyaboutfriendship,hope,andfamilystrength.

Whelan,Gloria.ListeningforLions

Left an orphan after the influenza epidemic in British Eas

Africa in 1919, thirteenyearold Rachel is tricked into

assumingadeceasedneighbor'sidentitytotraveltoEngland

whereheronlydreamistoreturntoAfricaandrebuildher

parents'missionhospital.

Abrahams,Peter.BehindtheCurtain(EchoFallsMystery

series)

AnavidSherlockHolmesfan,eighthgraderIngridLevinHilli

kidnappedwhile investigatingmysterioushappeningsin he

hometown.

ItHappenedBackThen(historicalfiction)

EdgeofYourSeat(action/adventure)

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Dowd,Siobhan.LondonEyeMystery

WhenTedandKat'scousinSalimdisappearsfromtheLondon

Eye ferris wheel, the two siblingsmust work togetherTed

withhisbrainthatis"wireddifferently"andimpatientKatto

trytosolvethemysteryofwhathappenedtoSalim.

Golding,Julia.DiamondofDruryLane

Orphan Catherine "Cat" Royal, l iving at the Drury Lane

Theater in 1790s London, tries to find the "diamond"

supposedly hidden in the theater, which unmasks a

treasonouspoliticalcartoonist,andinvolvesherinthestreet

gangsofCoventGardenandtheworldofnobility.

Hale,ShannonandDean.Rapunzel'sRevenge

Rapunzel, raised in a grand villa surrounded by towering

walls,dreamsofadifferentmotherthanGothel,thewoman

shecallsMother.Sheclimbsoverthewallandfindsoutthe

truth.Herrealmother,Kate,isaslaveinGothel'sgoldmine.

InthisOldWest retelling,Rapunzel usesher hair asa lasso

andtotakeonoutlawsincludingGothel.

Cabot,Meg.Volume1,TheMerlinProphecy (series)

AgraphicnovelcontinuationofthebookAvalonHighbyMeg

Cabot.Ellie,whoisnewtoAvalonHigh,triestoconvinceher

boyfriendWill,theallegedreincarnationofKingArthur,tofix

hisrelationshipwithhisparentsandbelieveinhimself

Feinstein,John.Coverup(series)

More than95 million fanswill bewatching theSuperbowl,

butSteveThomasandSusanCarolAndersonknowthatwhat

they'll be watching is a lie. They know that the entireoffensive line of the California Dreams failed their doping

tests and that the Dreams' owneris trying tocover upthe

testresults.Thesetwoteensaresittingonthebiggestsports

scandalofthedecade.Howcantheyproveit?

Murdock,CatherineGilbert.DairyQueen(series)

After spending her summer running the family farm and

training thequarterbackforher school's rivalfootballteam,

sixteenyearoldD.J.decidesto goout forthesportherself,

notanticipatingthereactionsofthosearoundher.

Smelcer,John.TheTrap

In alternating chapters, seventeenyearold Johnny Least

Weasel,whoisbetterknownforbrainsthanbrawn,worries

about his missing grandfather, and the grandfather, Albert

LeastWeasel, struggles to survive, caught in his own stee

trapintheAlaskanwinter.

Smith,Roland.Peak

AfterPeakisarrestedforscalingaNewYorkCityskyscraper,

he'sleftwithtwochoices:witherawayinJuvenileDetention

or go live with his longlost father, who runs a climbing

companyinThailand.ButPeakquicklylearns thathisfathe

wantsPeakto bethe youngestperson to reach theEveres

summit.ForaclimbingaddictlikePeak,tacklingEverestisthe

challengeofalifetime,achallengethatcouldcosthimhislife.

Petersen,David.MouseGuard(series)

AgraphiccomicabouttheworldofMouseGuard,micewith

capes and swords defending themselves against thei

enemiesasiftheywereKnightsoftheRoundTable.

Sala,Richard.CatBurglarBlack

K.WestreearrivesatBellsongAcademy,whereshehopesto

leaveherpastasacatburglarbehind,butshequicklylearns

thattheschoolcontainsahiddentreasureleftbyitsfounder

and as she resumes her old habits, she starts to question

whethershereallywantsanormallife.

Sturm,James.SatchelPage:StrikingOutJim

AgraphicnovelaccountofthecareerofNegroLeaguepitche

Satchel Paige, discussing the show he put on as a popula

player, as well as the respect he demanded as anAfrican

American.

Myers,WalterDean.Game

DrewLawsonknowsbasketballistakinghimplaces.Ithasto

becausehisgradescertainlyaren't.Butlatelyhisplanhasru

squarelyintoapick.Coach'snewoffensehasmadeanothe

playerastar,andDrewwon'tletanyonedisrespecthisgame

Justashisteammakestheplayoffs,Drewmustcomeupwith

somethingbigtosavehisfadingcollegeprospects.

PictureThis(graphicnovels)

action/adventure(continued)

HomeRun!(sports)

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Bauer,Joan.Squashed

WhileEllietriestogetherpotentiallyprizewinningpumpkin

toputontwohundredmorepounds,shestruggleswithher

own weight, using her sense of humor to get through the

strugglesoflife.

Korman,Gordon.NoMoreDeadDogs

Eighthgrade football heroWallaceWallace is sentenced to

detentionattending rehearsals of theschoolplaywhere, in

spiteof himself, hebecomeswrappedup inthe production

andbeginstosuggestchangesthatimprovenotonlytheplay

buthislifeaswell.

Peck, Richard. The Teachers Funeral: A Comedy in Three

Parts

School is the only thing standing between fifteenyear oldRussell and his dream of joining a team of harvesters. But

when the teacher dies and Russells sister takes over

teaching,hisworstnightmarecomestrue.

Booraem, Ellen. The Unnameables

Onan island inwhose strict society only useful objects are

namedandtheunnamedareignoredorforbidden,thirteen

yearold Medford encounters an unusual and powerfulcreature, halfman, halfgoat, and together they attempt to

bringsomechangestothecommunity.

LeGuin,Ursula.TheWizardofEarthsea(EarthseaTrilogy)

Sparrowhawk, with the potential to become the greatest

sorcererinEarthsea,isaheadstrongyouthhungryforpower

and knowledge. He behaves recklessly and unleashes a

terribleevilshadowupontheworld

Marsh,Katherine.TheNightTourist

AfterfourteenyearoldclassicsprodigyJackPerduhasanear

fatalaccident,hemeetsEuri,a youngghostwhointroduceshimtoNewYork'sUnderworld.WhenJackrealizesthosewho

died in New York reside in this Underworld until they are

readytomoveon,hevowstofindhisdeadmotherthere.

Scieszka,Jon.GuysWriteforGuysRead

This collection contains most of the best guys writing fo

teenstoday.There'ssomethingforeveryguyinthiscollection

ofstories,minimemoirs,advice,poems,comicsanddrawing

chosenbyreadersontheGuysReadwebsite.

Soto,Gary.CrazyWeekend

Seventhgrader Hectors andMandosvisit to Uncle Julio in

Fresnoturnsunexpectedlyexcitingwhentheirphotographo

arobberyispublishedinthenewspaperandtheyarepursued

bythehilariouslyineptthugs.

Murdock,CatherineGilbert.PrincessBen

A girl is transformed, through instruction in life at court

determination,andmagic,fromsullen,pudgy,gracelessBen

intoaCrownPrincess,afitrulerofthekindgomofMontagne

asitfaceswarwithneighboringDrachensbett.

Zahn,Timothy.DragonandThief:TheFirstDragonback

Adventure(series)

Fourteenyear old orphan Jack Morgan is hiding out in a

spaceship when hemeets battleweary Dragon, a creature

whoexistsinmorethanonedimension.Falselyaccusedofa

crime, Jack escapes with Dragons help to a remote and

uninhabitedplanet.

LaughOutLoud(humor)

ImagineThat(fantasy/scifi)

Documents

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