Pine Point School Summer Reading 2010, Middle School

Pine Point SchoolSummer Reading List Middle School, 2010

Pine Point SchoolStonington, CT

Pine Point SchoolSummer Reading ListMiddle School, 2010

Pine Point SchoolStonington, CT

Requirements.......................................DON’T READ list...................................Adventure & Survival Stories.................Animal stories......................................Biographies..........................................Coming of Age.....................................Family and Friends.............................Historical Fiction................................Humor................................................Love Stories.......................................Mystery and Horror Stories.................Nonfiction..........................................Nutmeg Nominees, Grades 4-6..........Nutmeg Nominees, Grades 7-8..........Science Fiction and Fantasy................Sports................................................

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Middle School SUMMER READING - 2010Pine Point School

Stonington, Connecticut

Requirements - Part One

ALL INCOMING MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO KEEP TRACK OF THEIR SUMMER READING ON THE PINE POINT SCHOOL SUMMER READING CALENDAR (attached). •Try to read an average of 5 days each week for at least 20 minutes each day.

• Write the titles and authors of materials read on the back of the calendar. • Make a mark on the calendar on each day that the you read for at least 20 minutes.• You must bring your filled-in calendar/list to school in September, signed by both you and your

parent(s). Should you fail to do so, you will receive one missed assignment for Semester I in English.

We encourage parents to read just as regularly, if possible, and we hope there will be much family discussion about what everyone has been reading. This year’s One Book One Region is A Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure, available at local book stores.

Requirements - Part Two

Students entering the 6th grade in September 2010 are expected to read at least three books over the summer. Try to read books from different genres. Be prepared to give a short, oral review of one of the books you read.

Students entering the 7th grade in September 2010 are expected to read as much as possible! In addition, they must choose their favorite book of the summer and write a one-page persuasive essay convincing their classmates to read the book as well. The essay should be brought to class the first day of school.

Students entering the 8th and 9th grades in September 2010 are expected to read at least three books of their choice. For each of the three books they read, students are required to complete a large (5x8) index card with the following information on it:

• Student name• Author• Title• One paragraph describing the main character• One paragraph summarizing the story

Students are required to bring the cards with them on the first day of school and will receive one missed assignment for Semester I in English if they fail to do so.

A full-color illustrated list of suggested titles may be accessed at our web page:www.pinepoint.org/summerreading

Categories and grade levels are included to help students and parents locate books that are best suited to each student’s interests. Many may be found in the Pine Point School Library and in public libraries as well. You arecertainly not restricted to this list - it is merely to get you started.

We have asked Scholastic to make as many titles as possible available at the Summer Reading Book Fair, to beheld in the library on June 7-10, 2010. Any additional titles that you find there are "approved summer reading" (provided, of course, that they are on your appropriate reading level; the object is to have a good time reading some good books!). You will need to find a time each day to read.

Middle School Summer Reading 2010, page 1Pine Point School Library, Stonington, CT

Middle School SUMMER READING LIST - 2010Pine Point School

Stonington, Connecticut

Please DON'T read - entering grade 6 -- will be read in class next year

Babbitt, Natalie Tuck Everlasting

Balliet, Blue Chasing Vermeer

Balliet, Blue The Wright Three

Bauer, Joan Hope Was Here

Buckley, Michael The Sisters Grimm series

Crowe, Chris Mississippi Trial, 1955

Curtis, Christopher The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963

Hiaasen, Carl Hoot

Holt, Kimberly Willis When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

Maas, Wendy Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Martin, Ann M. A Corner of the Universe

Paulsen, Gary Hatchet

Rawls, Wilson Where the Red Fern Grows

Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Ullman, James Ramsey Banner in the Sky

Please DON'T read - entering grade 7 -- will be read in class next year

Avi The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Card, Orson Scott Ender's Game

Cormier, Robert I Am the Cheese

Gordon, Sheila Waiting for the Rain

Lowry, Lois The Giver

Orwell, George Animal Farm

Peet, Mal Keeper

Pullman, Philip The Golden Compass

Middle School Summer Reading 2010, page 2Pine Point School Library, Stonington, CT

Pine Point School 2010 Summer Reading List - Middle SchoolAdventure & Survival Stories

Ivan and his sister are used to being left tofend for themselves while their dad makeshis living on a fishing boat for weeks at a time. This time, however, when Ivan friesthe batteries of their two-way radio, their only link to the outside world, they risk repeated trips over the bay into town to get it fixed. During one of the trips they find themselves right in the middle of a williwaw - one of Alaskaʼs notorious and treacherous storms.

Williwaw (5-7)Bodett, Tom

A Native American boy refuses to live by the white man's law.

When the Legends Die (7-12)Borland, Hal

In this true story, the author weathers tropical storms, near starvation and sharkattacks in a 5 and 1/2 foot rubber raft afterhis small sloop capsizes in the Caribbean.

Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost At Sea (8 and up)

Callahan, Steven

Katniss is sixteen years old when her littlesister draws the “winning ticket” to be oneof two participants from her village in the annual televised spectacle known as theHunger Games. Watched avidly by the whole country, the games are a kind of cross between Survivor and the Olympics.Knowing that the outcome of the Games is either victory or actual death, Katniss takes her little sisterʼs place. (For a podcast booktalk, go to http://tinyurl.com/hungergames).

The Hunger Games (6 and up)Collins, Suzanne

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 7 or 6 (will be read in 7th grade English class). A young boy desperately tries to unlock his past yet knows he musthide those memories if he is to remain alive.

I Am the Cheese (7-9)Cormier, Robert

Thirteen-year-old Sophie, her cousin andher two uncles attempt a cross-Atlantic trip in a sail boat. While there is no doubtthat this is a gripping (and sometimes terrifying) sailing adventure, thereʼs muchmore going on as well underneath the surface as the characters all try to come to terms with their own family issues.

Wanderer (6-9)Creech, Sharon

Adam Story is chosen as a player in the MVP challenge. To win the four million dollar prize, Adam must circle the world inforty days - no flying allowed. Competingagainst other players through time zonesand across continents, he faces danger and unknown risks. Get ready for the tripof a lifetime. Nutmeg winner for 2009.

MVP* Magellan Voyage Project (4-6)

Evans, Douglas

A group of teenagers have been sent outWest for a wilderness survival experienceafter various difficulties with families and the law. Led by one charismatic young man, they mutiny against the adult trip leader and abandon him, taking off down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon on a raft on their own.

Downriver (7 and up)Hobbs, Will

Pine Point School Library, Stonington, CTMiddle School Summer Reading 2010, page 3

When there is nowhere else to go, 13-year-old Artemis Slake finds refuge for 121 days in a hole in the subway wall.

Slake's Limbo (7-9)Holman, Felice

During a trip to the Oregon coastline, Kyle and his sister mustuse all of their wits to survive an earthquake, a tsunami, and a fire.

Escaping the Giant Wave (4-6)Kehret, Peg

Fourteen-year-old John Spencer survivesa shipwreck on the Cornwall Coast, and istaken in by a kindly Captain - or is he?? Things are not what they seem in this quiet village, and John finds himself running for his life, unsure of just whom hecan safely trust.

The Wreckers (6-9)Lawrence, Iain

Based on accounts of the true story of Shackletonʼs ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica. Their ship is frozen in the ice,and eventually crushed - but thatʼs just the beginning of their harrowing adventures. Personalities clash and troubles abound.This is “Survivor” for real!

Shackleton's Stowaway (7-9)McKernan, Victoria

While sailing in the Pacific Ocean, eleven–year-old Michael falls overboard and ends up stranded on a nearly deserted island. He is befriended by an old Japanese man, the islandʼs other inhabitant, in this exciting tale of friendshipand survival.

Kensukeʼs Kingdom (4-6)Morpurgo, Michael

The son of a missionary to China becomes lost in the mountains of Tibet after his village is bombed by the Japanese. He is rescued by a group of Yeti, ("abominable snowmen"), and soonadjusts to life among them, where he is seen as a sort of king.

King of the Cloud Forests (6 and up)

Morpurgo, Michael

Ritchie Perry thinks that he's getting a desk job in Vietnam, but is sent "in country" where long days of boredom arepunctuated by brief, terrifying forays into the jungle, where no one wants to make friends with the new guys and where the body bags are stacked neatly in the supply tent.

Fallen Angels (8 and up)Myers, Walter Dean

Classic tale of the tyrannical Captain Blighand his rebellious crew. Based on an actual incident that took place in 1787.

Mutiny on the Bounty (7 and up)Nordhoff, Charles and Jason Hall


For the year since the bomb went off, AnnBurden thinks she is the last person on earth until a strange man arrives in her secluded valley. At first, she is thrilled tohave contact with another human, but gradually she begins to realize that something is not quite right...

Z for Zachariah (7-10)O'Brien, RobertC.

Karana and her brother are left behind when their people are taken from their island off the coast of California.

Island of the Blue Dolphins (6-7)O'Dell, Scott

During WWII a Jewish boy is left on his own for months in a ruined house in the Warsaw Ghetto, where he must learn all the tricks of survival under constantly life-threatening conditions.

The Island on Bird Street (6-7)Orlev, Uri

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6 (will be read in class next year).Surviving in the Canadian wilderness withno other tool but a hatchet is Brian's foremost concern after the plane crash.

Hatchet (6-7)Paulsen, Gary

If youʼre expecting a DiscWorld story, thisisnʼt it. In a departure from his usual, Pratchett spins a tale of destruction, survival, and cultural rebuidling on a remote Pacific atoll. Mau, an island boy sent out on his Coming of Age quest, findshimself caught in a tsunami and returns tohis island to find that all he knows is gone.One by one, survivors from nearby islandsappear, and Mau finds himself the unofficial unelected leader. He is joined byDaphne, a young girl from England, whose ship has wrecked on the island aswell.

Nation (6 and up)Pratchett, Terry

The Jewish author recalls her experiencewith her sister while hidden from the Nazisin an upstairs room of a Dutch farmhouse.

The Upstairs Room (6-7)Reiss, Johanna

Because Mafatu is afraid of the sea, the other islanders think he brings them bad luck. He flees to an uninhabited island.

Call it Courage (6-7)Sperry, Armstrong

Classic tale of treasure-hunter Jim Hawkins, seaman Billy Bones and notorious pirate, Long John Silver set in England and on the Spanish Main.

Treasure Island (6-9)Stevenson, Robert Louis


NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERINGGRADE 6 (will be read in class next year). "Fifteen years ago, Rudi Mattʼsfather died trying to climb the Citadel, the last unconquered summit in the Alps. Now, at 16, Rudi wants to placehis banner on the top to prove that it can be done.”

Banner in the Sky (6-7)Ullman, James Ramsey

A group of English children discover a German machine gun in a downed airplane.

The Machine Gunners (6-7)Westall, Robert

Ben is hired to help Madoc hunt bighorn sheep, but finds himself hunted instead.

Deathwatch (7 and up)White, Robb

Animal Stories

Fourteen-year-old Velvet Brown trains herwayward piebald horse to compete in theGrand National steeplechase.

National Velvet (7-10)Bagnold, Enid

Story of the loyalty and perseverance of acat and two dogs who travel hundreds ofmiles to find their original home.

The Incredible Journey (6-9)Burnford, Sheila

Lost on the Canadian prairie, six-year-oldBen MacDonald, who has an unusual ability to communicate with animals, is rescued and “adopted” by a wild badger for several weeks. Based on a true incident which took place in the 1870s.

Incident at Hawk's Hill (6-10)Eckert, Allan W.

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERINGGRADE 6 (will be read in class next year). Burrowing owls, pancake restaurants, truants with no shoes, and moving across the country. How can Roydeal with it all?

Hoot (7-8)Hiaasen, Carl


When John Thornton is killed, his dog Buck takes off for the wilderness and joinsa pack of wolves in this 1903 classic set inAlaska.

The Call of the Wild (7-12)London, Jack

Two little owls become pets in the Mowat family in Saskatchewan. Thereʼs a laugh aminute as the birds terrorize the timid family dog and the visiting minister, among others.

Owls in the Family (6-8)Mowat, Farley

Marty tries to save a neighbor's dog fromunspeakable cruelty, but itʼs not as easy as he would think. Right and wrong are not always black and white.

Shiloh (6-8)Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 7 or 6 (will be read in 7th grade English class). The animals, convinced they are being used and oppressed by thefarmer, rise up to take over the farm for themselves -- but the oppressed soon become the oppressors.

Animal Farm (7-9)Orwell, George

Jody and his parents live in the backwoods of Florida (beautifully described by Rawlings, a Florida native).His Dad is a tough man scratching out a living, and he is not too happy when Jodyfinds and raises a yearling fawn. Warning: a tear-jerker (a la Where the Red Fern Grows) -- but worth it.

The Yearling (7 and up)Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6 (will be read in class next year).Billy trains his two hound dogs to be the best hunters in the Ozark hills.

Where the Red Fern Grows (6-9)Rawls, Wilson

Maya lives secluded in her grandmotherʼsoverprotective care until an unexpected event sends her to Wyoming to meet hermotherʼs family. Maya learns about the mother she hardly remembers, and she encounters a wild herd of horses includinga mare that her mother once rode.

Paint the Wind (4-6)Ryan, Pam Munoz


Biographies

Berg was indeed all the things listed in this title. Berg played in the majors in the1920s and ʻ30s, spoke several languages,was easy-going and approachable, yet kept to himself. During WWII, after a crash course in nuclear physics, he was sent by the U.S. government to Germanyto discover whether or not the Third Reichhad the capability to produce a nuclear bomb.

The Amazing Life of Moe Berg: Catcher, Scholar, Spy (6-8)

Andryszewski, Tricia

Entertaining autobiography of the author'smisadventures growing up in England andNorway in the 1920s and 1930s.

Boy (7-12)Dahl, Roald

A compassionate story about the tortured life of Joseph Merrick, a man who sufferedwith severe physical deformity as a resultof neurofibromatosis in the 1890s.

The Elephant Man (7-9)Drimmer, Frederick

Whether or not youʼve read any of Fleischmanʼs books (the McBroom books, The Whipping Boy, The Ghost in the Noonday Sun), you should enjoy this autobiographical account of an author whose childhood goal was to become a magician.

Abracadabra Kid: A Writerʼs Life(7 and up)

Fleischman, Sid

The story of the Frank family told by the woman who helped hide them.

Anne Frank Remembered (7 and up)

Gies, Miep

In this newly revised edition, Jane Goodalltells her own story of her research, livingwith groups of chimpanzees in Africa.

My Life With the Chimpanzees (6and up)

Goodall, Jane

As a child, Lucy Grealy was treated for cancer and survived, but the surgery left her with a disfigured jaw. In her memoir, she tells of her trying to come to terms with her disfigurement in a world which often defines women by their looks alone.

Autobiography of a Face (8 and up)

Grealy, Lucy

Story of a Japanese-American family's three-and-a-half years behind barbed wireof the Manzanar internment camp duringWorld War II.

Farewell to Manzanar (7-10)Houston, JeanWakatsuki


Fascinating story of the author's triumph over blindness and deafness written in 1902 when she was a sophomore at Radcliffe College.

The Story of My Life (6 and up)Keller, Helen

Harry Houdini was a renowned magician and escape artist, yet he did not believe inparanormal phenomena at all. Read about his amazing escapes, his Broadwayand cinema careers, and his little-seen private life.

Spellbinder: the Life of Harry Houdini (6-7)

Lalicki, Tom

Family photographs and short autobiographical sketches by the author of The Giver and the Anastasia Krupnik books.

Looking Back: A Book of Memories(6 and up)

Lowry, Lois

Maya Lin was an undergraduate student at Yale when she entered the contest for the design for the new Vietnam VeteranʼsMemorial, never expecting to win. But winshe did, and it changed her life forever. Her design was not immediately accepted,and was even controversial for a time. Read the life story of an amazing young woman.

Maya Lin: Architect and Artist(6 and up)

Malone, Mary

Surely youʼve learned about Rosa Parks, the African-American woman who is famous for not giving up her seat on the bus to a white man, and subsequently helping to get the Civil Rights movement rolling. Read her own story in her own words.

Rosa Parks: My Story (6-8)Parks, Rosa (w/Jim Haskins)

Gary Paulsenʼs sketches about sailing and survival at sea. (Who could pass upa book which contains sentences such as,“If given a chance a container of oatmealwill open, mix with a container of coffee grounds, further combine itself with eight or ten gallons of sea water and then find its way into your sleeping bag.”?)

Caught by the Sea (6-7)Paulsen, Gary

The author of books such as Stargirl andManiac Magee tells his own (often hilarious) life story.

Knots in My Yo-Yo String (7-9)Spinelli, Jerry


Coming of Age

Alexieʼs autobiographically based novel tells a story that is in turn stark and bleak,and hilarious and hopeful. Junior, a Spokane Indian, is growing up on The Rez. One September as school starts, heopens one of his “new” textbooks to find that his mother had used the exact samecopy. In fury, he decides to make the 20-mile trip into town each day to attend the public high school, where the only other Indian is the schoolʼs mascot.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian (7 and up)

Alexie, Sherman

Events get out of control when a teenagerbreaks a school rule.

Nothing But the Truth (6-9)Avi

Seventeen-year-old Josh Arnold and his brother move from Mobile, Alabama to Sagrado, New Mexico in this honest and funny novel set during World War II.

Red Sky at Morning (7-12)Bradford, Richard

Celine adjusts to life with her new, youngstep-mom, babysits for the lonely, seven-year-old boy across the hall and strugglesto define herself as an artist in this novel set in contemporary Chicago.

Celine (8-10)Cole, Brock

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6 (will be read in class next year). A young man and his family from a Chicago suburb go on a vacation to visit family in Alabama. They find themselves in the middle of the racial unrest of the 1960s, and are changed forever by the tragic events there.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 (6-9)

Curtis, Christopher

Luther is only fourteen -- but a very worldly-wise fourteen. His mother (The Sarge) is willing to do just about anything to ensure the continued success of her real estate deals and her home for disabled and elderly folks, including dishonest business practices. (For example, she gets Luther a fake driverʼs license so he can transport The Guys to their day care center). Fresh and funny, by the author of Bud Not Buddy.

Bucking the Sarge (8-9)Curtis, Christopher Paul

Victorian classic featuring Pip the orphanboy, Estella the cruel young woman, Magwitch the runaway convict and Miss Havisham, who stopped the clock when she was jilted on her wedding day.

Great Expectations (8-12)Dickens, Charles

Life at the new high school has to be better for Elliot. He is going to do his bestnot to become a victim of bullies. Ironically, Elliot does attract attention froma sinister gang, but they want Elliot to become one of them.

Inventing Elliot (7-8)Gardner, Graham


An autobiographical novel about Hickam and his “geek” buddies, some of whom really did grow up to be rocket scientists.(The basis for the movie October Skies).The descriptions of their crude attempts atrocket production are in turn hilarious, hair-raising, and inspiring.

Rocket Boys (7-12)Hickam, Homer

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6 (will be read in class next year).During the summer of 1971 in a small Texas town, thirteen-year-old Toby and his best friend Cal meet the star of a sideshow act, 600-pound Zachary, the fattest boy in the world.

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town 6-8

Holt, Kimberly Willis

After being mercilessly harassed by her bunkmates,twelve-year-old Margaret Rose Kane gets kicked out of summer camp for refusing to participate in camp activities. She goes to stay with her eccentric uncleswhere she spearheads a battle to save the unusual wind chime towers they have been building in their backyard for over forty years.

Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place (6-9)

Konigsburg, E. L.

The year is 1926 and Dave, a young Jewish orphan, finds himself placed in anorphanage in Harlem. The hardhearted superintendent confiscates all his personal belongings, including a woodencarving that is very special to him. Dave begins to make secret trips out at night where he meets an African-American girlhis own age and her well-to-do family. Heis introduced to fabulous food, interestingconversations, and a new kind of music during the Harlem Renaissance.

Dave at Night (5-9)Levine, Gail Carson

Several books follow Alice McKinley and her two best friends as they make their way from the sixth through the ninth grades. Alice, who is being raised by herwidower father and her older brother, Lester, is a bright, funny young lady who is trying to come to terms with just who she is. These books are a laugh a minute, but they also bring up serious issues which concern most teenagers sooner or later.

Alice in Agony (and others in series) (6-9)

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds

Fifteen-year-old Esperanza Ortega comesfrom a privileged and wealthy family in Mexico. However, when her father is killed, she and her mother must flee to California where they face prejudice and hardship working in the fields with other migrant workers. Set during the Great Depression.

Esperanza Rising (5-7)Ryan, Pam Munoz

Stanley Yelnats is sent to a juvenile corrections camp in the middle of the Texas desert for a crime he never committed. Each day, each camper is required to dig a hole measuring five cubicfeet, supposedly as punishment, but the wicked Warden has ulterior motives. Read the book that inspired the movie.

Holes (6-9)Sachar, Louis

Classic novel of life in the tenements of Brooklyn in the early 1900s as seen through the eyes of Francie Nolan.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (8 and up)

Smith, Betty


What is the most annoying thing in the world? For Steven, the answer is obvious; his little brother Jeffrey. When Steven finds out that Jeffrey is sick, however, he must use all of his skills as adrum-playing, girl-crushing, friend-finding,parent-manipulating teenager to help his family keep laughing through this heartbreaking year.

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie (6-9)

Sonneblick, Jordan

Hypocrisy and prejudice twist events in such a way as to implicate two children, one from a prominent white family and theother an Afro-American, in a murder.

Dangerous Skies (6-7)Staples, Suzanne Fisher

Classic American novel involving irrepressible Tom, self-reliant Huck, prettyBecky Thatcher, and upright Aunt Polly inthe sleepy town of St. Petersburg on theMississippi River.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer(7-12)

Twain, Mark

Although arranged marriages in India maybe common, thirteen-year-old Koly discovers nothing is as she expects whenshe moves in with her young husband andhis family. Widowed before the marriage truly begins, Koly finds herself left to live with her unhappy and unwelcoming in-laws. Eventually, she leaves them and is faced with the prospect of making a new life for herself.

Homeless Bird (6-8)Whelan, Gloria

This novel asks the question: what happens to us after we die? When Liz Halldies at fifteen, she discovers Elsewhere, an afterlife where people and animals agebackwards until they are reborn again. ButLiz desperately wants to grow up, fall in love, and get her driver's license, not rewind to fourteen! 2009 Teen Nutmeg Award Winner.

Elsewhere (7-9)Zevin, Gabrielle

Family and Friends

Classic story of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and the adventures they have growing up in NewEngland of the 1860's.

Little Women (6-10)Alcott, Louisa May

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6 (will be read in class next year).Everyone wants to live forever, right? Butdid you ever stop to think about what thatwould really mean? Read the book (itʼs almost always better than the movie!).

Tuck Everlasting (6-7)Babbitt, Natalie


NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6 (will be read in class next year).When sixteen-year-old Hope and the auntwho has raised her move from Brooklyn toMulhoney, Wisconsin, to work as waitressand cook in the Welcome Stairways diner,they become involved with the diner owner's political campaign to oust the town's corrupt mayor.

Hope Was Here (6-9)Bauer, Joan

The kids in Vern's gritty neighborhood delight in taunting crazy bag-lady Maxine,and her mentally challenged son, Ronald;but as Tony comes to know them, he becomes one of their biggest advocates and friends.

Crazy Lady (6-8)Conley, Jane Leslie

Jerry, a new student at a private school, refuses to give into peer pressure.

The Chocolate War (7-12)Cormier, Robert

Mix a little bit of wisdom, a ton of love, anda pinch of friendship. Thatʼs how Granny Torrelli and twelve-year-old Rosie cook adelicious soup that proves life tastes good.

Grannie Torrelli Makes Soup (4-6)Creech, Sharon

Dallas and Florida know that they are not loved or wanted by anyone. But one day an old, eccentric couple invite them on anadventure that starts in a magical place called Ruby Holler. Whose lives will change the most?

Ruby Holler (5-7)Creech, Sharon

Sal's mother walks out on her husband and daughter one day, in need of some time to herself. When she doesn't return,Sal goes to stay with her somewhat eccentric grandparents. Eventually the three set out on a search for the missingwoman, but only Sal reaches the final destination, where she must come to terms with the truth, alone.

Walk Two Moons (7 and up)Creech, Sharon

Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni and her father, “The Preacher,” are new in town.Opal finds a stray dog getting himself intotrouble in the aisle of the Winn-Dixie grocery store, and claims her as her own in order to keep him out of the pound. Other new friends she makes that summer include Gloria Dump, (a women reputed to be a witch) Miss Franny Block (the town librarian, who once had a bear come into the library), and Otis, the shy pet store employee who wears cowboy boots, plays his guitar for the animals, andonce did time in prison.

Because of Winn-Dixie (4-9)DiCamillo, Kate

Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortablebecause her skin is extremely dark, meetsa new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like.

The Skin Iʼm In (6-7)Flake, Sharon G.


Los Angeles is a glittery place to live. ButArturo doesnʼt live in Hollywood, he lives in the barrio. Sometimes it is a place of drugs, gangs and guns. But mostly it is aplace of family, friends and goodness.

Any Small Goodness (5-7)Johnston, Tony

If you have to tell your autistic brother “tokeep his pants on in public,” how can youhope for a normal life? Catherine discovers that her own behavior with newneighbor Kristi and wheelchair-bound Jason make her look again at what “normal” really means.

Rules (4-6)Lord, Cynthia

Meg's life is changed forever when her popular older sister, Molly, becomes terminally ill.

A Summer to Die (7-10)Lowry, Lois

When Edward is born, his 3-year-old brother Jake takes a special interest in him. Edward is a special kid; among othercharacteristics, he seems to be able to see into the future. The two brothers share an extra close bond. Then tragedy strikes the family and they must all learn to cope with a heart-wrenching loss. A sadbut hopeful story, beautifully written by theauthor of Sarah Plain and Tall and Baby.

Edwardʼs Eyes (5-8)MacLachlan, Patricia

Winner of the 2009 Printz Award (the YAequivalent of the Newbery Award). TaylorMarkham was abandoned by her substance-abusing mother several yearsago near the boarding school she currently attends. Haunted by dreams andpartial memories of her past, she tries to uncover the truth about herself, her friends, and the aunt who has been raising her. Meanwhile, she has the girls in her House to look after, as well as the unofficial long-standing war between her school, the townies, and the military school students camping out nearby.

Jellicoe Road (8-10)Marchetta, Melina

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6 (will be read in class next year).The summer that Hattie turns twelve, shemeets the childlike uncle she never knewand becomes friends with a girl who worksat the carnival that comes to Hattie's smalltown.

A Corner of the Universe (6-8)Martin, Ann M.

Jamal is expected to get involved with a gang when his brother is imprisoned.

Scorpions (7-9)Myers, Walter Dean

Louise envies her beautiful and accomplished twin sister.

Jacob Have I Loved (7-10)Paterson, Katherine


Rob's life on a Vermont farm in the 1920sinvolves raising his beloved pet pig, Pinky,struggling with English grammar at schooland learning about the sacrifices that sometimes have to be made in this earthyand often very funny novel.

A Day No Pigs Would Die (7-9)Peck, Robert Newton

Danny and Reuven, students at rival Jewish schools, become friends after a ferocious baseball game, but must combatthe opposition of Danny's father in this novel set in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in the 1940s.

The Chosen (8 and up)Potok, Chaim

Summer, an orphan, has lived with her Uncle Ob and Aunt May for six years when May dies. With the help of crazy olʼCletus, a seventh-grade classmate of Summerʼs, she and Ob begin to come to terms with life without May.

Missing May (6-9)Rylant, Cynthia

Calvin Schwa is one of those kids that noone ever really notices. Then along comesAntsy Bonana who starts experimenting tosee just how “invisible” Calvin really is. When one of his experiments backfires, Antsy and Calvin find themselves runningerrands for a crotchety, wheelchair-boundold man. Life gets even more complicatedwhen both boys become interested in theold manʼs beautiful and, it turns out, blindgranddaughter. “Blind” and “invisible” become relative terms in a story thatʼs both amusing and moving.

The Schwa Was Here (7-9)Shusterman, Neal

Donald Zinkoff is just like all the other kids; he loves snow and enjoys his bike. But he can also be a little different, which leads the other kids to call him a differentname. Loser. But sometimes being different is what it takes to be a hero.

Loser (5-7)Spinelli, Jerry

Ninth-grader Will Tuppence leads a fairly typical and predictable life, and he likes it that way. In life, as in the game of chess,Will carefully plans his moves several steps ahead, despite his pesky little sisterʼs attempts to derail his plans. Thenone day, as he learns that even protons decay, predictability goes out the window,and self-doubt and questions come flooding in. His adventures with his best friends BT and Mi-Su are in turn funny, tender, and touching. Vintage Spinelli.

Smiles to Go (6 and up)Spinelli, Jerry

Fourth-grader Nolan finds a creative way to embarrass and get even with the schoolbully. First in the Shredderman series.

Shredderman: Secret Identity (4-6)

Van Draanen, Wendelin

Thirteen-year-old Dicey shepherds her brothers and sister from Massachusetts toMaryland when her mother abandons them in a shopping mall parking lot. Firstof seven novels about the Tillerman family.

Homecoming (6-9)Voigt, Cynthia


Nine-year-old Ruby Lavenderʼs best friendis her grandmother, Miss Eula. When Miss Eula announces that she will be going to Hawaii for the summer, Ruby hasto figure out how to cope without her. Shehas to learn to get along with the awful Melba Jane, and get over her disappointment about not having her grandmother there to share her excitement when her chicks hatch.

Love, Ruby Lavender (5-8)Wiles, Deborah

Historical Fiction

Set in Philadelphia during the yellow feverepidemic of 1793, this story follows the lifeof teenager Mattie as, one-by-one, friendsand family members around her succumbto the horrors of the fever.

Fever 1793 (5-9)Anderson, LaurieHalse

Volumes I and II of the “Octavian Nothing,Traitor to a Nation” series. Anderson presents a point of view on the AmericanRevolution not often seen -- that of AfricanAmericans. When Octavian finds out thathis upbringing as an educated young manwas simply an experiment by local “philosophers” to prove whether or not hewas the mental equal of Caucasions, he runs away. Initially he ends up with the Patriots, but he later ends up with the British troops. Both sides promise freedom, but ultimately neither side makesgood on its promises.

The Pox Party; Kingdom on the Waves (7 and up)

Anderson, M.T.

Mairhe lives in an Irish slum in Washington, D.C. in the 1860s. She struggles throughout the book to come to terms with the impact that the war has onher family. (Sequel is Mairhe Mehan Awake).

The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan (7 and up)

Armstrong, Jennifer

Follows the parallel adventures and trialsof two poor Irish immigrant children and awealthy English Lordʼs son running away from home. The three meet up and attempt to make their way to America, butitʼs difficult to tell which of the adults they can truly trust.

Beyond the Western Sea: EscapeFrom Home (7 and up)

Avi

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 7 or 6 (will be read in 7th grade English class). Thirteen-year-old Charlotte crosses the Atlantic on a ship that no other civilian will board and whosecrew will eventually accuse her of murder.

The True Confessions of CharlotteDoyle (6-9)

Avi

Suzanne just wants to focus on her wish to become an opera star, but when Nazi troops invade, she decides to become a spy for the Allies.

For Freedom (7-8)Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker


Living on the Connecticut shoreline duringthe Revolutionary War, fourteen-year-oldNathan secretly helps his cousin, inventorDavid Bushnell, build the first submarine.Nathan travels to New York harbor wherehe must overcome his fears and Tory spies to help the Patriots fight the British.

Attack of the Turtle (4-6)Carlson, Drew

Moose struggles with resisting the schemes of a troublemaking young lady, providing care for his sister, (who has special needs), and handling family life onthe island prison of Alcatraz in the 1930ʼs.

Al Capone Does My Shirts (7-9)Choldenko, Gennifer

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6 (will be read in class next year). In Mississippi in 1955, a sixteen-year-old finds himself at odds with his grandfatherover issues surrounding the kidnapping and murder of a fourteen-year-old AfricanAmerican from Chicago.

Mississippi Trial, 1955 (6-9)Crowe, Chris

This may not be the Middle Ages of your dreams! In her down-to-earth diary, Birdydescribes cold drafty rooms, head lice, drudgery, and her impending betrothal toan ugly old suitor. Who can blame her foroccasionally throwing her needlework down the privy in protest?

Catherine, Called Birdy (6 and up)Cushman, Karen

Johnny Tremain becomes involved in events leading up to the Boston Tea Party.

Johnny Tremain (6-7)Forbes, Esther

Esther remembers her exiled family's difficult time in Siberia.

The Endless Steppe (7-12)Hautzig, Esther

A young woman describes the disruption,upheaval and heartache she suffers whenher mother is accused of being a witch inSalem during the famous trials.

Beyond the Burning Time (7-9)Lasky, Kathryn

Husbands and wives were torn apart, young children were separated from theirparents, and lifelong friendships were instantly ended. Over the course of threedays in 1859, more than 400 slaves weresold to pay one man's gambling debts. The story is told in alternating voices, including the slave owner and his two young daughters. Based on a true incident.

Day of Tears (7-9)Lester, Julius


When her mother leaves, thirteen-year-oldLyddie must care for the family farm and then find work in the textile mills of Lowell,Massachusetts in the 1840s.

Lyddie (7 and up)Paterson, Katherine

Eager to enlist, fifteen-year-old Charley has a change of heart after experiencing both the physical horrors and the mental anguish of the Civil War.

Soldierʼs Heart (6-8)Paulsen, Gary

In 1862 eleven-year-old Summer and her thirteen-year-old brother Rosco take turnsdescribing how life on the quiet Virginia plantation where they live is affected by the Civil War.

Silent Thunder: a Civil War Story (6-8)

Pinkney, AndreaDavis

A young girl gets a deeper understandingof the horrors of war as she makes friendswith a young wounded veteran of World War I.

After the Dancing Days (6-9)Rostkowski, Margaret

It is 1941. Eddy Okubo is 16 years old, a Japanese American, and enlists in the USArmy to protect the country he loves. TheJapanese bomb Pearl Harbor, and suddenly Eddy is the enemy. He and 24 other Japanese American soldiers are sent on a terrifying secret mission that willtest their loyalty and courage.

Eyes of the Emperor (6-9)Salisbury, Graham

Kit Tyler is believed to be a witch in colonial Connecticut.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond (6-9)Speare, Elizabeth George

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6 (will be read in class next year).A black family living in Mississippi during the Depression of the 1930s is faced withprejudice and discrimination which its children do not understand.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (6-8)Taylor, Mildred

Hannah resents the traditions of her Jewish heritage until time travel places her in the middle of a small Jewish villagein Nazi-occupied Poland.

The Devilʼs Arithmetic (6-7)Yolen, Jane


An unusual, thought-provoking book, narrated by Death between his endless trips carrying off the souls of the World War II dead. Liesel loses her mother andbrother and is delivered to a German couple who take her in. As they take in and hide a Jew, they must all walk the tightrope between survival and not giving in to the Nazis.

The Book Thief (8 and up)Zusak, Markus

Humor

If you think Arthur Dentʼs adventures being zapped from one part of the universe to another instantaneously are highly improbable, youʼre exactly right! The “Improbability Drive” is a major playerin Adamsʼs universe. There are now at least five books in this “trilogy.” Think “Monty Python” in space.

The Hitchhikerʼs Guide to the Galaxy (6 and up)

Adams, Douglas

History through the author's unique perspective. Barry has many other great titles as well.

Dave Barry Slept Here (7-adult)Barry, Dave

Bryson describes his attempt at hiking theAppalachian Trail along with his overweight and out-of-shape partner, Katz. Youʼll probably find yourself chuckling as Katz pitches out anything hecan get his hands on (including--Heaven forbid!--the coffee filters) in an attempt to lighten his pack. Or later on, when he clandestinely removes the laces from theboots of some obnoxious and rude hikersthey meet on the trail.

A Walk in the Woods (8 and up)Bryson, Bill

The narrator of this book is ten-year-old Will. Through his eyes we see the quiet little town of Cold Sassy scandalized when Willʼs grandmother dies and his grandfather marries a much younger woman.

Cold Sassy Tree (8 and up)Burns, Olive A.

Gerald Durrell, world famous naturalist, tells funny, gentle stories of his rather wacky family and the summers they spenton the Greek island of Corfu.

My Family and Other Animals(7-12)

Durrell, Gerald

Follow the trials and tribulations of Jack through his junior high school years. Especially good for those who enjoy theirhumor a bit on the dark side.

Jackʼs Black Book (and others) (7-9)

Gantos, Jack


The true story of a family of twelve children whose father runs their household like a business.

Cheaper by the Dozen (6-10)Gilbreth, Frank B., Jr. and Ernestine Autobiographical tales of a country

veterinarian in Yorkshire in the days when“miracle drugs” like penicillin were brand new. Herriotʼs descriptions of the villagersare sometimes funnier than those of the animals he treats.

All Creature Great and Small (7-9)Herriot, James

In this semi-autobiographical story, Paulsen recounts the hilarious adventureshe had under the wing of his cousin Harrisduring his summer on their farm. A cast of characters, both human and animal, notto be missed.

Harris and Me (6 and up)Paulsen, Gary

Pullman has shifted gears since his high-intensity “His Dark Materials” series and written this amusing tale of a young boy who suddenly appears out of nowhere, claiming he has just been transformed from a rat.

I Was a Rat (6 and up)Pullman, Philip

Jon Scieszka, author of the “Time Warp Trio” series and The Stinky Cheese Man,was one of six brothers who grew up doing all kinds of SGS (”Stupid Guy Stuff”)which you should NOT try to duplicate at home. However, you ARE free to read about them, in this hilarious memoir. I dare you to read this without laughing aloud at least once!

Knucklehead (6 and up)Scieszka, Jon

The first of a series of books about the Beaudelaire orphans. The three children lose their parents and home in the first few pages, and things only get worse in these parodies of Victorian page-turners.

Bad Beginning (6-8)Snicket, Lemony

Jason learns about middle school life thehard way.

Space Station Seventh Grade (6-8)

Spinelli, Jerry

Stories, cartoons and other oddities from the great American humorist. Contains one of the funniest short stories of all time,"The Night the Bed Fell.”

The Thurber Carnival (8 and up)Thurber, James


Did you ever see the “Fractured Fairy Tales” on the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show? (no? - ask your parents, then). Here are thirteen wacky send-ups of familiar fairy tales such as Rumplestiltskin, Beauty andthe Beast, and Hansel and Gretel.

Tales From the Brothers Grimm & the Sisters Weird (6 and up)

Vande Velde, Vivian

Love Stories

Classic novel of manners and the marriage game as played by the five Bennett sisters in regency England.

Pride and Prejudice (8 and up)Austen, Jane

Orphaned Jane Eyre works as a governess in the home of mysterious Mr.Rochester, grows to love him during their frequent evening conversations and leaves him when she learns his terrible secret.

Jane Eyre (8-12)Bronte, Charlotte

Heathcliff and Cathy are the passionate lovers in this nineteenth-century tale of rage, ghosts, betrayal, and undying love set in the Yorkshire moors.

Wuthering Heights (8 and up)Bronte, Emily

When his super-powerful telescope allowsChristian a glimpse of faraway Princess Marigold, he decides to become her friend. A carrier pigeon (deliverer of “p-mail”), an untouchable princess, and a troll for a dad... Christian's life couldn't bemore weird. Or could it?

Once Upon a Marigold (4-6)Ferris, Jean

Patty learns about prejudices (her own and othersʼ) when she helps hide an escaped German prisoner-of-war in her small Arkansas town and ends up falling in love with him.

Summer of My German Soldier(7-9)

Greene, Bette

Short, homely Tycho and tall, beautiful Angela have been fast friends ever sincehe lent her his felt-tip pens in kindergarten. They discuss romantic notions, scientific theories and gossip about their friends--everything except the fact that Tycho wants more than friendship from Angela.

The Catalogue of the Universe(8-12)

Mahy, Margaret


Romantic novel-length retelling of Beautyand the Beast.

Beauty (7-10)McKinley, Robin

Motown lives in abandoned buildings andgets by doing odd jobs; Didi lives with herailing mother and drug-addict brother anddreams of going to college. Can their lovethrive in the sometimes grim world of Harlem?

Motown and Didi: A Love Story(7-9)

Myers, Walter Dean

In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High Schoolforever.

Stargirl (6-9)Spinelli, Jerry

Teenage Sarah Barker falls in love with Brother Abel in their Shaker community where all residents believe in religious ecstasy and complete celibacy.

The Gift of Sarah Barker (7-10)Yolen, Jane

Mystery and Horror Stories

Ingrid Levin-Hill is a Connecticut teenagerwho inadvertently ends up involved in themurder of “Cracked Up Katie,” a local character in her town. She also ends up getting “involved” with Joey, whose Dad isthe Chief of Police - the tricky part is, Ingrid herself holds information and evidence which she hasnʼt shared with anyone, and if she does, it could make her a suspect.

Down the Rabbit Hole (7-9)Abrahams, Peter

Andy's life becomes a nightmare when hereceives a crank call from a man who says heʼs just killed someone.

Wolf Rider (7-9)Avi

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6 (will be read in class next year). When strange and seemingly unrelated events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.

Chasing Vermeer (6-8)Balliet, Blue

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 6; WILL BE READ IN CLASS. Inthe midst of a series of unexplained accidents and mysterious coincidences, sixth-graders Calder, Petra, and Tommy lead their classmates in an attempt to keep Frank Lloyd Wright's famous RobieHouse from being demolished.

The Wright Three (6-8)Balliet, Blue


In this edge-of-your-seat story, National Park ranger Anna Pigeon is called to Lechuguilla Cave, an un- developed cavern in the Carlsbad area. A good friend has been injured in the cave and has asked for Anna to come help with therescue mission. As it turns out, Anna is severely claustrophobic, and when she finally does reach her friend, she is told that the accident was no accident at all -one of the caving party is an attempted murderer.

Blind Descent (8 and up)Barr, Nevada

When Hero starts sixth grade at a new school, she meets Danny Cardova, the most popular boy. They work together to solve the mystery of the missing million dollar diamond that's hidden somewhere in Hero's house.

Shakespeareʼs Secret (4-6)Broach, Elise

NOTE: DO NOT READING IF ENTERINGGRADE 6 (will be read in class). The Grimm sisters solve a series of mysteries in this entertaining series.

Sisters Grimm series (4-6)Buckley, Michael

10 guests arrive on a deserted island andone by one they are murdered.

And Then There Were None (7 and up)

Christie, Agatha

While completing his infectious disease report for science class, Mitty fears he may have contracted the untreatable andhighly contagious disease, smallpox. Searching the internet for information about this disease, he inadvertently alertsa terrorist group who then kidnaps him, hoping to use him as a biological weaponto infect the whole city of New York.

Code Orange (6-9)Cooney, Caroline

Classic stories of devilish mysteries solved by the eccentric musician and logician Sherlock Holmes and his amiableassistant, Dr. Watson.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (7 and up)

Doyle, Sir ArthurConan

Insecure second wife of the dashing Maxim DeWinter is haunted by the presence of his first wife, the beautiful anddead, Rebecca.

Rebecca (8 and up)DuMaurier, Daphne

Friends try to hide a crime in which they were involved.

I Know What You Did Last Summer(7-10)

Duncan, Lois


Imamu Jones must prove his innocence when his foster mother's daughter disappears.

The Disappearance (7-10)Guy, Rosa

Twelve-year-old juror Lily Watson puzzlesthrough the case of Perry Keet, a boy whohas disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Will she crack the case? Newspaper articles, illustrations, and courtdocuments provide the clues in this clevermystery.

Trial by Journal (4-6)Klise, Kate andSarah

When Stephanieʼs uncle dies and includesher in his will, she meets Skulduggery Pleasant and quickly enters a world of secrets, magic, and danger. Can Stephanie and Skulduggery work togetherto defeat the evil powers of Serpine?

Skulduggery Pleasant (6-9)Landy, Derek

The murderer is watching...and getting a little too close to the truth!

The Stalker (7-10)Nixon, Joan Lowery

Classic stories from a master.

Tales of Mystery and Terror (7 andup)

Poe, Edgar Allen

Upon her return from India, sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart accidentally kills a manin this mystery set on the wharves and in the opium dens of nineteenth century London.

The Ruby in the Smoke (8-10)Pullman, Philip

Darryl, video game whiz, is drawn into a high-tech program where kids compete tobe the best video gamers. However, Darryl discovers the ultimate prize may bewinning his survival and that of his friends.

Brainboy and the Deathmaster(4-6)

Seidler, Tor

Where would Bella and Edward be without Dracula? Why not try reading the Granddaddy vampire tale of them all?

Dracula (7 and up)Stoker, Bram


Sammy is a savvy seventh-grader who has to live on the sly with her Grandmother in elderly housing, becauseher mother had gone off to Hollywood to become a star. One day Sammy is looking into the hotel across the street through her binoculars when she witnesses a break-in. The thief sees her at the same time, and the race is on to see who catches whom first.

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief(6-9)

Van Draanen, Wendelin

Nonfiction

An account of the Donner party which suffered horrible misfortune on its wagon train journey west, eventually resorting tocannibalism to survive.

The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party (7 and up)

Calabro, Marion

Drimmer writes with compassion, not voyeurism, as he describes the lives of people such as Chang and Eng Bunker (“Siamese twins”), Joseph Merrick (“The elephant man”), and Robert Wadlow (the tallest man in the world).

Born Different (6 and up)Drimmer, Frederick

Gary Paulsen explains, in sometimes gorydetail, some of his own wilderness survival experiences which he drew upon in writing Hatchet and its sequels.

Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet... (6 and up)

Paulsen, Gary

True account of the author's experience as a participant in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

Woodsong (7-12)Paulsen, Gary

An account of the story of the whaleship Essex and its crew, who were left afloat insmall whaleboats after the main ship wasstove in by an angry whale. The episodeprovided inspiration for Melville when writing Moby Dick. A gripping story of survival and horror, as the crew eventuallyhad to resort to cannibalism to survive.

In the Heart of the Sea: the Tragedy of the... Essex (8 and up)

Philbrick, Nathaniel

Sacks is the clinical neurologist who wasportrayed by Robert DeNiro in the movie Awakenings. This is his first book in which he sketches the lives of patients who have suffered various brain injuries, some of which might seem relatively minor, but changed these peopleʼs lives profoundly. Written with sympathy and agreat appreciation for the complexity of the human brain.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife fora Hat (8 and up)

Sacks, Oliver


A fascinating account of the life and timesof Mr. Minor (whose family was one of thefounding families of Stonington). Apparently not mentally stable to start with, Minor truly became unhinged when he served as a surgeon during the Civil War. He then went to England, where hemurdered an innocent man and ended upin an insane asylum. There, he began a correspondence with the editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, and became amajor contributor to this monumental reference work.

The Professor and the Madman(8 and up)

Winchester, Simon

Nutmeg Nominees, Grades 4-6

Losing a hand doesn't mean losing Norman's dreams. It just means it will takehard work and humor to succeed at everything from everyday tasks to playingbaseball.

One-Handed Catch (4-6)Auch, M.J.

Thirteen-year-old Tom Carroll finds work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on a secret project that may benefit the Northern armies during the Civil War. Pursued by spies from the South, he ends up in the middle of a sea battle. Will he find the courage to survive?

Iron Thunder (4-6)Avi

How will the teachers and principal reactwhen a normally way-too-talkative class nicknamed the "unshushables" suddenly becomes SILENT? Is it because of a student rebellion? A strange disease? Or is it just the result of a contest between the boys and girls?

No Talking (4-6)Clements, Andrew

When Evan's sister Jessie skips 3rd gradeand ends up in his 4th grade class, he isworried she will embarrass him with her school smarts. To settle the question of who is smarter, he challenges Jessie to a lemonade war. Which sibling can run themost successful lemonade stand in a fiveday competition?

The Lemonade War (4-6)Davies, Jacqueline

Just before his eleventh birthday, Sam discovers his own picture in a mysteriousnewspaper article in his grandfather's attic. Although gifted with woodworking skills, Sam can't read, so he enlists the help of a new girl at school to solve the puzzle of who he really is and where he came from.

Eleven (4-6)Giff, Patricia Reilly

Everything is a challenge for Georgie, a 42 inch dwarf, including school furniture, running track, and playing an instrument.To add to his worries, his mother is expecting a new baby, he has a fight withhis best friend, and he gets paired with "Jeanie the Meanie" for a school project.Can anything else go wrong?

The Thing About Georgie (4-6)Graff, Lisa


When an unscrupulous adult swindles Griffin Bing out of what turns out to be anextremely valuable baseball card, Griffin assembles a team of teens, each with their own special “talents” to break into themanʼs heavily protected property and stealback the card.

Swindle (4-6)Korman, Gordon

Based on actual events, this tells the storyof a Boy Scout troop on the Big Island ofHawaii who set out for a weekend overnight on the rugged seashore just below Kilueau, the islandʼs active volcano.Followed from a distance by a pair of wilddogs, they become uneasy when the dogsbegin to howl for no apparent reason. It turns out they are sensing the coming of an earthquake, which is soon followed bya vast, deadly tsunami.

Night of the Howling Dogs (4-6)Salisbury, Graham

Nick Freestone is trying to escape Nazi bombs in London when his mother sendshim to stay with his father on a teak plantation in Burma. Unfortunately, he arrives in Burma just as the Japanese invade the country and take his father prisoner. Can he and his new friend, Mya,risk their lives to help POWs escape on elephant back?

Elephant Run (4-6)Smith, Roland

Seven generations ago, a group of peoplehunted as witches escaped to a sanctuarybeneath Greenland's ice cap. When Peterarrives in Greenland with his scientist parents, he discovers Thea and a passage to an underground city. Togetherthe two teenagers must save the underground community and in doing so,discover their hidden connection.

First Light (4-6)Stead, Rebecca

Nutmeg Nominees, Grades 7-8

Isabel and her sister Ruth were supposedto be granted freedom upon the death of their master. Instead they become the property of a powerful Loyalist family in New York City at the beginning of the American Revolution. A fellow slave encourages Isabel to spy on her master inexchange for the promise of freedom. Butwho has her best interests at heart?

Chains (7-9)Anderson, LaurieHalse

Kek has traveled from his family home inAfrica to a new life in the U.S. As Kek awaits word of his mother's fate, he weathers the tough Minnesota winter by finding warmth in friendships, strength in his memories, and belief in his new country - America.

Home of the Brave (7-9)Applegate, Katherine

Addie wants a normal life. But living in a trailer while her mom disappears for daysat a time is anything but normal. Addie dreams of living with her half sisters as adisaster alters her future.

Waiting for Normal (7-9)Connor, Leslie

Imagine being sent into the unknown where magic, elves, dragons, trolls and humans co-exist. Imagine if you were the last of your kind. Imagine if your name was Yorshkrunsquarklijolnerstrink. Get ready for hardships, unlikely friendships, humor, and love as Yorsh the elf tries to find the last dragon.

The Last Dragon (7-9)de Mari, Silvana


When his cousin Salim rides the London Eye observation wheel and disappears, aperplexed Ted partners with his crabby teenage sister, Kat, to investigate the mystery. With his uniquely brilliant mind, can Ted convince his parents and his auntGloria that he can find Salim before it is too late?

The London Eye Mystery (7-9)Dowd, Siobhan

Mitra and her little brother, Babak, are beggars in the city of Rhagae, but they are not what they seem. They are of royalblood, exiled in poverty. Babak's propheticvisions attract the attention of Mechior thewizard who kidnaps the boy so Babak candream exclusively for him. Can Mitra saveher little brother as they cross the Persiandesert?

Alphabet of Dreams (7-9)Fletcher, Susan

Spunky boarding-school sophomore Frances "Frankie" Landau-Banks is tired of being under-estimated by the men in her life, including her boyfriend Matthew and his wittier-than-thou friends. She discovers Matthew's secret male club, and, unbeknownst to them, begins orchestrating their elaborate pranks.

The Disreputable History of FrankieLandau-Banks (7-9)

Lockhart, E.

James, Rhondell, Sharice, and Marcel attend the same inner-city school. Their teacher Mr. Collins challenges these diverse students to build the world's biggest Sierpinski tetrahedron in an after-school club. Based on a true story.

All of the Above (7-9(Pearsall, Shelley

Holling Hoodhood is sure his 7th grade teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him. After all, she is forced to supervise him while his Catholic and Jewish classmates attend religious education. Worse yet, she makeshim read Shakespeare's plays. Holling realistically and sensitively depicts the confusion of adolescence during the turbulent 1960s.

The Wednesday Wars (7-9)Schmidt, Gary

In this futuristic novel, set after the Second Civil War (between the Pro-Life and Pro- Choice armies), three teens are trying to escape the Harvest Camp in which teens can be "unwound" and used for transplants and plastic surgery upgrades.

Unwind (7-9)Shusterman, Neil

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Theo, Dr. Absalom and Mickle join forcesagainst the treacherous Cabbarus in this high adventure set in the kingdom of Westmark. First of a trilogy.

Westmark (7-10)Alexander, Lloyd

A medical team is miniaturized and injected into the bloodstream of a wounded scientist in order to save his life...and the world.

Fantastic Voyage (7 and up)Asimov, Isaac


A thought-provoking novel about the future of individual freedoms to read and to express ourselves. In this story, booksare dangerous things which the government has decreed must be burned(hence the title, the temperature at whichpaper burns). Are ideas really dangerous?

Fahrenheit 451 (6 and up)Bradbury, Ray

A collection of science fiction short storiesset on earth and Mars.

The Martian Chronicles (8 and up)Bradbury, Ray

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 7 or 6 (will be read in 7th grade English class). Edgar Wiggins is a geniusat games, but his playtime is over when he's trained to use his skills in the real game of survival in this riveting and morally complex tale.

Ender's Game (8 and up)Card, Orson Scott

Two boys witness the landing of an alien craft and the subsequent torture of the inhabitants of the farm it lands on. Withina few months, some subtle brainwashingbegins to take place (with the help of a mysterious new television program). Soon, people are lining up to be “capped”with permanent mind controlling headgear. Can the boys get anyone to listen to them? First of the Tripod Series.

The White Mountains (6 and up)Christopher, John

When Boots and Gregor fall through a vent in the laundry room, they find themselves in an underland full of giant bugs and creepy creatures that help in thequest to fulfill an ancient prophecy.

Gregor the Overlander (4-6)Collins, Suzanne

Tom, the seventh son of a seventh son, has been apprenticed to The Spook to learn to protect the villagers from the evil creatures that lurk nearby. After a strangegirl named Alice rescues him from some village bullies, she demands his help - butwhose side is she really on? First book inthe “Last Apprentice” series.

Revenge of the Witch (7-9)Delaney, Joseph

Can Lina and Doon save their beloved cityfrom impending darkness?

The City of Ember (4-6)DuPrau, Jeanne

This book feels like a cross between Harry Potter and the Golden Compass. Three regular kids, seven professors, (sixof whom are “good guys” and one of whom has gone bad), evil experiments involving children in the far north, wild inventions (including a whole invisible underground travel network)... But itʼs stillfresh and original, with humor, suspense, fun and adventure.

The 7 Professors of the Far North(4-8)

Fardell, John


Matteo Alacran knows he is a clone; no one lets him forget for even a moment.

House of the Scorpion (7-8)Farmer, Nancy

Jackʼs little sister can be a real annoyance. She doesnʼt know when to keep her mouth shut, and that leads to thetwo of them being kidnapped when their village is ransacked by invaders (the Viking Berserkers). They are taken acrossthe sea, and Jack ultimately has to travel to the Land of the Trolls and face the Mountain Queen and her harem of “fourteen louts” in order to save his sisterʼs life.

The Sea of Trolls (7-9)Farmer, Nancy

Would you like to live in the future where robots do all the work? All Gavin and Fleur wanted was a normal robot. Insteadthey have Eager, who creates more problems than he solves.

Eager (4-6)Fox, Helen

What would you do if your parents dropped you off at an unknown auntʼs house in the middle of the night, in an unknown town, where everyone you met looked at you as if they had just seen a ghost? This is Bethanyʼs living nightmare,and it takes all her courage to slowly unravel the truth.

Double Identity (4-6)Haddix, Margaret Peterson

The first in the series, this is an epic tale of good versus evil, as the peaceful miceof Redwall Abbey and their friends are besieged by Cluny the Scourge - as crueland tyrannical a leader as ever there was.

Redwall (6 and up)Jacques, Brain

When the Witch of the Waste turns Sophie into an old lady, she begins her battle of wits with the eccentric Wizard Howl in this magical fantasy.

Howl's Moving Castle (7-12)Jones, Diana Wynne

Epic is a fantasy role-playing game that ismore than just a game—itʼs New Earthʼs government and economy. Everyone hasalways played Epic the same way, by slowly accumulating wealth, but no one can rival the Committee, the worldʼs tyrannical ruling group. But Erik, a risk taker, thinks he and his friends may be able to change all that.

Epic (7-9)Kostick, Conor

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 7 or 6 (will be read in 7th grade English class). At age twelve, Jonas is assigned his lifeʼs job: he is to receive thememories of the Community from The Giver. With these memories come some shocking discoveries about his world.

The Giver (6 and up)Lowry, Lois


Laura must become a white witch to saveher little brother from an evil lemur in thissupernatural romance.

The Changeover (8-10)Mahy, Margaret

Matt and Kate embark on a quest to provethat cloud cats--large, flying, leopard-like creatures--really exist, but evil pirates attack their airship. Can they survive the battle?

Airborn (7-8)Oppel, Kenneth

Miranda, a sixteen year old high school sophomore, is looking forward to getting her license, junior year, and just being a teenager. She doesnʼt give a second thought to the news of a meteor speedingtowards the moon, until it hits. Life as sheknew it will never return.

Life as We Knew It (6-9)Pfeffer, Susan Beth

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 7 or 6 (will be read in 7th grade English class). This story, set in a worldmuch like (yet not quite) our own 18th century England, will leave you desperateto read the sequel (The Subtle Knife). Though she does not know it, Lyra holds the world's future in her hands, as she becomes tangled up in a cruel plot whichuses innocent children for experimentation.

The Golden Compass (7 and up)Pullman, Philip

Codyʼs dreary, new high school is a drag. His grades are bad, and he has trouble making friends. Everything becomes more interesting when Codyrealizes he is in a school full of vampires! A lighter, more humorous “mirror image” of Twilight.

Vampire High (7-8)Rees, Douglas

Welcome to a distant world where cities search out and consume smaller towns. Four people try to stop the carnage…andstay alive.

Mortal Engines (7-8)Reeve, Philip

Winner of both the Intermediate and TeenNutmeg Awards for 2007, this is the first book in the Percy Jackson series. Percy had always wondered about his little “spells;” heʼd lose his temper and the nextthing he knew, his tormentors would be beaten, embarrassed, and usually, wet. Then he discovers that his mystery birth father is actually Poseidon, God of the Seas. Percy and his new “half-blood” friends are soon on an epic quest full of danger and adventure. Hard to put down!

The Lightning Thief (7-9)Riordan, Rick

Harry Potter, an orphan living with his nasty and unimaginative aunt, uncle and cousin, is actually a magician - but he doesn't know it until he is invited to attendHogwarts School on his eleventh birthday.At Hogwarts he has adventures both hair-raising and humorous; Roald Dahl fans should enjoy this story.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (6 and up)

Rowling, J. K.


Bilbo Baggins (a hobbit) sets off with a band of dwarfs to capture the treasure stolen by Smaug the Dragon.

The Hobbit (8-9)Tolkien, J.R.R.

When Theodore, a teen from the distant future (complete with a talking coat and light-up, color-changing hair), drops into the lives of Jules and Gen, life gets a lot more complicated.

Jumpman Rule #1: Donʼt Touch Anything (7-8)

Valentine, James

Jules Verne foresaw the invention of the submarine in this 1870 novel of the adventures of Captain Nemo and his crewin the submarine, Nautilus.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (7-12)

Verne, Jules

16-year-old Gwyn helps the poor in this Robin Hood-style tale, set in the Middle Ages.

Jackaroo (8-10)Voigt, Cynthia

When Tally turns sixteen, she will transition from an Ugly to a Pretty, receiving society's mandated plastic surgery to look like everyone else; modelbeautiful. But before her birthday, she meets some Uglies who have never had the surgery. And they have a secret to share with her ...

Uglies (7-9)Westerfeld, Scott

Jakkin trains his dragon hatchling to fight in the gaming pits in order to win money for his freedom.

Dragon's Blood (7-12)Yolen, Jane

Sports

Armstrong tells his story of his battle against cancer, his recuperation, and his eventual victory in the Tour de France bicycle race.

Itʼs Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life (8 and up)

Armstrong, Lance

Blais follows the high school girlsʼ basketball team in Amherst, Massachusetts as they make their way tothe state championships.

In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle (8 and up)

Blais, Madeleine


Jerome Foxworth, the first black student at Chestnut Street Junior High, befriendsbasketball ace Bix River, whose refusal tolearn any fake moves, in basketball or in life, causes trouble.

The Moves Make the Man (7-9)Brooks, Bruce

Four friends sign up for a taxing swimmingprogram run by their coach.

Stotan! (8-12)Crutcher, Chris

Story of Alex's preparation for and experience on the New Zealand swim team that went to the Rome Olympics of 1960.

In Lane Three, Alex Archer (6-9)Duder, Tessa

Twelve-year-old Michael Arroyo and his 17-year-old brother are living in the shadow of Yankee Stadium and trying to hide the fact that their Dad has died - at least until Carlos turns 18 and can be Michaelʼs legal guardian. Michael is a gifted pitcher, and it looks like he will leadhis team to the Little League World Series, until a spoiled and vindictive pitcher from an opposing team challengeshis age. Unfortunately, Michael has no way of getting his birth certificate without revealing the fact of his fatherʼs death.

Heat (7-9)Lupica, Mike

Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court--but don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. Butnone of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same teamhis father led to national prominence as aboy. Danny's father, still smarting from hisown troubles, knows Danny isn't the onlykid who was cut for the wrong reason, andtogether, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured.

Travel Team (8 and up)Lupica, Mike

A classic story of the baseball player whoannounced his desire to be “the best.” Things donʼt go exactly the way he planned, however...

The Natural (7 and up)Malamud, Bernard

Lonnie's one shot at a college scholarshipis in performing well at the city basketball tournament. Can he trust his coach, an alcoholic former pro-ball player, to help him achieve his goal?

Hoops (7-10)Myers, Walter Dean

NOTE: DO NOT READ IF ENTERING GRADE 7 or 6 (will be read in 7th grade English class). Fictional account of a World Cup soccer star, his upbringing in the South American rain forest, and his eventual rise to soccer stardom.

Keeper (8-12)Peet, Mal


Can an average boy, an ornery old baseball star, and one last game save Tomʼs small, California town from destruction by a developer?

The Boy Who Saved Baseball (4-6)

Ritter, John H.

1940 novel about pitching ace Roy Tuckerand his baseball career.

The Kid from Tomkinsville (6-9)Tunis, John


Documents

Pine Point School Summer Reading 2010, Middle School