Sam the Minuteman (Benchley) **REQUIRED An …school.blessedsacrament.org/Websites/bssnew/files/Content/5125713/... · new "thrill-a-delic" plan has her racing ... Hachiko faithfully

Blessed Sacrament School 3rd Grade Summer Reading 2015

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CHAPTER BOOKS AND SERIES

Sam the Minuteman (Benchley) **REQUIRED An account of Sam and his father fighting as minutemen against the British in the Battle of Lexington.

George, the Drummer Boy (Benchley) **REQUIRED A view of the incidents at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, which were the start of the American Revolution, as seen by a British drummer boy.

The Hundred Dresses (Estes) In winning a medal she is no longer there to receive, a tight-lipped little Polish girl teaches her classmates a lesson.

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (and others in series by McCarthy) Judy's big plans for the summer seem ruined when two of her best friends go away, and then her parents leave her and Stink with Aunt Opal, but a new "thrill-a-delic" plan has her racing toward fun.

Super Fudge (and others in series by Blume) Peter describes the highs and lows of life with his younger brother, Fudge.

Hachiko Waits (Newman) Professor Ueno's loyal Akita, Hachiko, waits for him at the train station every afternoon, and even after the professor has a fatal heart attack while at work, Hachiko faithfully continues to await his return until the day the dog dies. Based on a true story.

Knights of the Kitchen Table (and others in series by Scieszka) Joe, Fred, and Sam are sent back in time by a magic book, and find themselves face-to-face with giants, dragons, wizards, and the Knights of the Round Table.

Geronimo Stilton: The discovery of America Geronimo Stilton travels back in time to join Christopher Columbus on his voyage from Italy to America in 1492 in order to stop the Pirate Cats from becoming supreme rulers of Mouse Island.


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Toys Go Out (and others in series by Jenkins) These six linked stories showcase the unforgettable adventures—and misadventures—of three extraordinary friends, who happen to be toys.

Flight of the Blue Serpent (Abbott) Eric and his friends set out to uncover the secret of the treasure of the Orkins, a silver snowflake with magical powers; but their enemies will stop at nothing to get the treasure for themselves.

Revolutionary War on Wednesday (and others in series by Osborne) Using their magic tree house, Jack and Annie travel back to the time of the American Revolution and help General George Washington during his famous crossing of the Delaware River.

The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot (and others in series by Greenburg) After hearing stories that a Bigfoot-like monster is haunting Camp Weno-wanna-getta-wedgee, ten-year-old Zack begins to find evidence that the legend may be true.

Stuey Lewis Against All Odds : stories from the third grade (Schoenberg) Stuey Lewis has conquered second grade, but third grade's no piece of cake, either. Can he figure out how to transport his whole class to outer space, navigate a first airplane trip disaster, celebrate the best Mother's Day ever, and find a cool enough pet for the class's pet show?

Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Carnival Prize (Adler) When fifth-grader Cam notices that the prizes for a game at the school carnival are disappearing, she uses her photographic memory to investigate.

Catwings (Le Guin) Four young cats with wings leave the city slums in search of a safe place to live, finally meeting two children with kind hands.

Marty McGuire Digs Worms (Messner) With help from her Grandma Barb, Marty builds a habitat for worms in her school cafeteria as part of the Save the Earth Project.


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Ruby Lu, Brave and True (and others in series by Look) Ruby Lu spends time with her baby brother, goes to Chinese school, performs magic tricks and learns to drive, and has adventures with both old and new friends.

Friend or Fiend? with the Pain and the Great One (and others in the series by Blume) A reading circle mishap convinces Jake that he never wants to speak during class again and Abigale loses her trust in one of her best friends, but they both have to deal with their fiendish cousins from New York.

The Pinstripe Ghost (and other books in the Ballpark Mysteries series by Kelly) While visiting New York's Yankee Stadium with Kate's mother, cousins Mike and Kate decide to investigate the rumor that the ghost of Babe Ruth is haunting the stadium.

I, Amber Brown (Danziger) Because her divorced parents share joint custody of her, nine-year-old Amber suffers from lack of self-esteem and feels that she is a piece of jointly-owned property.

The Maze of Bones (by Riordan, and others in 39 Clues series) Amy and Dan, members of the powerful Cahill family, try to uncover the thirty-nine clues which will reveal the secrets of their lineage and find out what really happened to their parents.

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians (and other graphic novels in the series by Krosoczka) The school lunch lady, a secret crime fighter, sets out to stop a group of librarians bent on destroying a shipment of video game systems, while a group of students known as the Breakfast Bunch provides backup.

Gooney Bird on the Map (and others in series by Lowry) When her second-grade classmates are envious of the three students who are going away on winter vacation, the creative and ingenious Gooney Bird Greene thinks of a geography activity to cheer them all up.

Underpants on My Head (and others in series by Harper) When Cleo and her family go on vacation, they experience a freak August snow storm while hiking on Mt. Baldy.


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Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All (and others in the series by Rylant) Henry and his big dog Mudge celebrate Henry's birthday with a pinata, a lively birthday party, and a cake shaped like a fish tank, making May first the best day ever.

Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig (and others in series by DiCamillo) Two sisters move in next door to where Mercy the pig lives, and frustrated when Mercy continues to eat their flowers decide to call for the help of an Animal Control Officer, Francine Poulet, to handle the case.

Mallory’s Super Sleepover (and others in series by Krauss) When Mallory plans a sleepover to celebrate her tenth birthday, she has a hard time pleasing both her friends and her parents.

Piper Reed Gets a Job (and others in the series by Holt) When she discovers the price of the coveted clubhouse, ten-year-old Piper and her fellow Gypsy Club members try to earn the money by creating a birthday-party-planning business.

Commander Toad and the Space Pirates (and others in series by Yolen) Commander Salamander and his band of pirates capture the "Star Warts" spaceship, and Commander Toad is forced to hop the plank.

Ivy and Bean Take Care of the Babysitter (and others in series by Barrows) Bean, left in the care of her mean older sister Nancy for the afternoon, enlists her best friend Ivy in a plot to prove Nancy is the worst babysitter ever.

Just Grace and Walks the Dog (and others in series by Harper) Eight-year-old Just Grace and her best friend Mimi embark on a campaign to convince Grace's parents that they are responsible and dependable enough to get a dog.

The Talented Clementine (and others in the series by Pennypacker) Eight-year-old Clementine, convinced that she has no talents, tries to find a way to avoid participating in the class talent show.


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The Spiderwick Chronicles (and others in series by DiTerlizzi) After finding a mysterious field guide in the attic of an old mansion they’ve just moved into, Jared, Simon, and Mallory discover that there’s a magical and maybe dangerous world existing parallel to our own—the world of faerie.

The Deadly Dungeon (and other in A to Z Mysteries by Roy) While visiting Wallis's castle, Dink and his friends investigate strange noises that lead them to a dangerous secret.

The Soccer Mystery (and others in the Boxcar Children series by Warner) The Aldens are excited to be playing in their summer soccer league, until someone begins sabotaging the teams.

Pinky and Rex and the Double-Dad Weekend (and others in the series by Howe) Pinky and Rex share a weekend with their fathers camping indoors due to rain.

Attaboy Sam (also All About Sam by Lowry) Sam is able to help his sister Anastasia with the poem she is writing for their mother's birthday, but his own efforts to create a special perfume are disastrous.

The Chocolate Touch (Catling) A boy acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch into chocolate.

Dessert First (Durand) Third-grader Dessert's love of treats leads to a change in her large family's dinner routine, then an awful mistake, and later a true sacrifice after her teacher, Mrs. Howdy Doody, urges students to march to the beat of their own drums.

Ms. Hannah is Bananas (and others from My Weird School Daze series by Gutman) A.J. and his friends in the second grade learn that art can be made out of anything, even garbage.


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The Crazy Case of Missing Thunder (and others in series by Abbott) Self-proclaimed goofballs Jeff, Brian, Mara, and Kelly investigate the disappearance of rich Randall Crandall's horse, Thunder.

The 18 Penny Goose (Walker) Eight-year-old Letty attempts to save her pet goose from marauding British soldiers in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War.

How to Eat Fried Worms (Rockwell) Tells a story about a boy who sets out to eat fifteen worms in fifteen days in order to win a bet.

Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express (Coerr) Sixteen-year-old Bill finds adventure when he becomes a rider for the Pony Express though his letters home never hint at the dangers he encounters.

Clara and the Bookwagon (Levinson) Clara's dream of enriching her rough life on the family farm is fulfilled when a horse-drawn book wagon visits with the country's first traveling library.

George Washington’s Breakfast (Fritz) Having the same name and birthday as George Washington, a young boy wants everything else in his life just as Washington had it, but he cannot find out what Washington ate for breakfast.

The Dunderheads (Fleischman) When Miss Breakbone confiscates Junkyard's crucial find, Wheels, Pencil, Spider, and the rest of the Dunderheads plot to teach her a lesson.

The Million Dollar Shot (Gutman) Eleven-year-old Eddie gets a chance to win a million dollars by sinking a foul shot at the National Basketball Association finals.


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Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (and others in series by Cleary) When all the kids in Stephanie's class keep copying her hairstyles by making ponytails of their own, she threatens to shave her hair off.

The Littles Go Exploring (and others in series by Peterson) The Little family--the biggest person is just six inches tall--explores beyond the Dark Woods.

S.O.R. Losers (Avi) Each member of the South Orange River seventh-grade soccer team has qualities of excellence, but not on the soccer field.

The Great Quarterback Switch (and others in series by Christopher) Twelve-year-old Michael, confined to a wheelchair after an accident, uses mental telepathy to communicate football plays to his quarterback twin brother Tom, then suddenly finds himself on the field in his brother's place.

Kate Larkin the Bone Expert (Tate) When Kate breaks her arm, she learns all about bones, from how x-rays work to how bones heal, and by the time she gets her cast removed at the end of the summer, she is an expert.

The Girl with 500 Middle Names (Haddix) Janie's parents move to the suburbs so she can go to a better school, but when she discovers that all the other students are richer than she is, she feels out of place--until she realizes that there are more important things than money.

Toliver’s Secret (Brady) During the Revolutionary War, a ten-year-old girl crosses enemy lines to deliver a loaf of bread containing a message for the patriots.

Stink and the Incredible Super-galactic Jawbreaker (and others by McDonald) Stink, having discovered that he can get free samples by writing letters of complaint to companies, gets so caught up in his letter writing campaign that he misses his best friend's birthday.


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NONFICTION

Two Bobbies : a true story of Hurricane Katrina, friendship, and survival (Larson) Tells the true story of Bobbie the dog and Bob Cat, two pets who bonded together and were able to survive the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Nic Bishop Marsupials (and other animal books by Bishop) Presents photographs and discussions of the diversity, beauty, habits, and life cycle of various marsupials from Australia, including quolls, quokkas, potoroos, and pademelons.

Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins (Kerley) The true story of Victorian artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who built life-sized models of dinosaurs in the hope of educating the world about what these awe-inspiring ancient animals were like.

Balloons Over Broadway: the true story of the puppeteer of Macy’s parade (Sweet) Tells the story of puppeteer Tony Sarg, the man who first invented the helium balloons that have become the trademark of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Queen of the Falls (Van Allsburg) Recounts the stunt performed by sixty-two-year-old retired charm school instructor Annie Edson Taylor, who went over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel in an effort to gain fame and fortune.

Seabiscuit: The Wonder Horse (McCarthy) Seabiscuit, a funny looking horse with a losing streak, is bought and given a second chance by Charles Howard, and after new training and a loving jockey, Seabiscuit starts winning more races.

There Goes Ted Williams (Tavares) Chronicles the life of Ted Williams, who spent his entire career in major league baseball as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox.

Thunder Rose (Nolen) Unusual from the day she is born, Thunder Rose performs all sorts of amazing feats, including building metal structures, taming a stampeding herd of steers, capturing a gang of rustlers, and turning aside a tornado.

A Picture Book of Paul Revere (and others in series by Adler) A biography of the great Boston silversmith and patriot of the American Revolution, who helped his country win independence.


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NONFICTION

Castle: how it works (Macaulay) Provides an introduction to a medieval castle, showing how people lived inside and how castles’ defenses worked to protect them from their enemies.

Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the true story of an American feud (Jurmain) Describes how their different political views caused friends Thomas Jefferson and John Adams to become rivals, until they learned to set aside their differences for the sake of their friendship.

Rapunzel (Zelinsky) A retelling of a folktale in which a beautiful girl with long golden hair is kept imprisoned in a lonely tower by a sorceress.

Here Come the Girl Scouts! (Corey) Introduces Juliette Gordon Low to readers and describes how her life-long love of the outdoors led her to found the Girl Scouts.

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry Beautiful full-color photographs accompany two hundred poems about animals.

Ocean Sunlight: how tiny plants feed the seas (Bang) Acclaimed Caldecott artist Molly Bang paints a stunning, sweeping view of our ever-changing oceans.

Redwoods (Chin) While reading a book about redwood trees on the subway, a young boy travels as he learns, all the way to the forests of California.

I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus (or any poetry book by Prelutsky) A collection of more than one hundred children's poems by Jack Prelutksy, accompanied by black-and-white illustrations.

Night Flight: Amelia Earhart crosses the Atlantic (Burleigh) An account of Amelia Earhart's dangerous 1932 flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to Ireland, in which she survived bad weather and a malfunctioning airplane. Includes a brief biography of the aviator.


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NONFICTION

The Boy Who Drew Birds (Davies) John James Audubon, living in Pennsylvania far from his home and father in France, continues his obsession with birds, and comes up with the idea of banding the legs of his pewee bird friends to see if they will return in the spring to the nests they abandoned in the fall.

And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? (Fritz) Describes some of the well-known as well as the lesser-known details of Paul Revere's life and exciting ride.

Who Was Walt Disney? (Stewart) An illustrated biography of Walt Disney, covering his childhood, fondness for drawing, and work in various fields before creating the Mickey Mouse character and starting his own company. If you enjoy biographies there are so many famous people written about in the “Who Was” series.

Gods and Goddesses of Olympus (Aliki) Brings to life the mighty Olympians with illustrations and the retelling of their stories or myths.

George Washington’s Teeth (Chandra) A rollicking rhyme portrays George Washington's lifelong struggle with bad teeth. A timeline taken from diary entries and other nonfiction sources follows.

Sarah Morton’s Day: a day in the life of a Pilgrim girl (Waters) Text and photographs of Plimoth Plantation follow a pilgrim girl through a typical day as she milks the goats, cooks and serves meals, learns her letters, and adjusts to her new stepfather.

Those Rebels, John and Tom (Kerley) Includes bibliographical references. Introduces children to the lives and accomplishments of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

What’s the Big Idea Ben Franklin? (Fritz) A brief biography of the eighteenth-century printer, inventor, and statesman who played an influential role in the early history of the United States.

Can You Find It? (Cressy) Presents a diverse collection of well-known paintings which show how, through the centuries, artists have hidden small details to be discovered by curious eyes.


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PICTURE BOOKS

Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken (DiCamillo) Longing for adventure, intrepid Louise leaves her comfortable nest and goes to sea.

Stellaluna (Cannon) After she falls headfirst into a bird's nest, a baby bat is raised like a bird until she is reunited with her mother.

Two Bad Ants (Van Allsburg) When two bad ants desert from their colony, they experience a dangerous adventure that convinces them to return to their former safety.

Won Ton: a cat tale told in haiku (Wardlaw) A cat arrives at a shelter, arranges to go home with a good family, and settles in with them, all the while letting them know who is boss and, finally, sharing his real name.

The Raft (LaMarche) Reluctant Nicky spends a wonderful summer with Grandma who introduces him to the joy of rafting down the river near her home and watching the animals along the banks.

How I Learned Geography (Shulevitz) As he spends hours studying his father's world map, a young boy escapes the hunger and misery of refugee life. 'Based on the author's childhood in Kazakhstan, where he lived as a Polish refugee during World War II.

How My Parents Learned to Eat (Friedman) An American sailor courts a Japanese girl and each tries, in secret, to learn the other's way of eating.

Game Day (Barber) Brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber, two NFL superstars, tell their story and how loyalty, determination, and the power of teamwork help all succeed. Another great read is By My Brother’s Side, also by the Barber brothers.

The Quiltmaker’s Journey (Brumbeau) The quiltmaker grows up wealthy and sheltered, but radically changes her life after she discovers the poverty and need outside her town. Sequel to The Quiltmaker’s Gift.


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PICTURE BOOKS

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man (Chabon) A young superhero describes his awesome powers, which he then demonstrates as various foes arrive on the scene.

First Peas to the Table: how Thomas Jefferson inspired a school garden (Grigsby) Maya and other students in Ms. Hopkins class study techniques used by Thomas Jefferson as they grow pea plants and compete to see whose will produce a bowl full of peas first.

John, Paul, George, and Ben (Smith) A humorous look at the early lives of five founding fathers of the United States, including George Washington, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man (Chabon) A young superhero describes his awesome powers, which he then demonstrates as various foes arrive on the scene.

Thank you, Mr. Falker (Polacco) At first, Trisha loves school, but her difficulty learning to read makes her feel dumb, until, in the fifth grade, a new teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem.

The Scrambled States of America (Keller) The states decide to change places for a while because they became bored with their positions on the map, and also includes interesting facts about the states.

H.O.R.S.E. : a game of basketball and imagination (Myers) Two friends try to outdo each other on the basketball court in an out-of-this-world game of H.O.R.S.E

Enigma: a magical mystery (Base) When Bertie the badger visits his grandfather at a retirement home for magicians, he learns that his grandfather's rabbit, Enigma, has disappeared along with everyone's magical things, and the reader is invited to help break a code to find the items hidden throughout the book.

Documents

Sam the Minuteman (Benchley) **REQUIRED An …school.blessedsacrament.org/Websites/bssnew/files/Content/5125713/... · new "thrill-a-delic" plan has her racing ... Hachiko faithfully