Summer Reading 2013

Eighth Grade

What do you think?In the newly formed Third Reich, Hitler's

initial political doctrine is filled with hopeful solutions for a country plagued with unemployment, poverty, and a post-World War I feeling of defeat. Propaganda and promises quickly turn to oppressive new laws including the required participation in the Hitler Youth. Helmuth Hübener enters the program and is at once impressed with the bravado, shiny uniforms, boots, and patriotic fever sweeping the country. But his Mormon-based teachings trigger questions in his mind about the reality behind the regime's invasions of neighboring countries, mistreatment of Jewish citizens, and closely controlled media.

He creates an underground newsletter with information gathered from BBC reports using an illegal shortwave radio. As he secretly distributes the flyers throughout the town, his boldness encourages him to gather several accomplices resulting in his arrest, trial, and execution. The novel opens as he is on death row, and the story is told as a series of flashbacks. Helmuth is portrayed as a brave, outspoken voice amid a family of brothers, mother, and new SS stepfather.

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

• 5 AR points• 192 pa• Historical fiction

What do you think?Being deaf has its benefits. On his first

day at Carbon High School, Will Halpin finds out about a party by reading lips on his bus. Other than adding to his ability to secretly gain information, though, his difference makes his transition into the public school from the high school for deaf students difficult. The only person willing to be his friend is not very popular himself, so Will must decide between Devon Smiley and the possibility of gaining some social standing.

Things turn dark on a class trip to the old coal mine, supposedly haunted by a ghost who shares Will's name. The star quarterback falls down a mine shaft, and the tragedy appears to be murder. Will and Smiley team up to solve the case but uncover even more mysteries than what they started with. Will has a strong sarcastic voice. He is not always likeable, but he is very human and entertaining.

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpinby Josh Berk

• 8 AR points• 250 pages• Teen fiction

What do you think?It’s seven in the morning. The

Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing an evening dress and heavy makeup, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?

The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple to solve the mystery . . . before tongues start to wag.

Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

• 8 AR points• 224 pages• mystery

What do you think?

Gregor and his two-year-old sister, Boots, take a magical trip to the Underland. This under world is a place full of fanciful characters like flying bats, giant cockroaches called Crawlers, huge spiders and the dreaded and vicious oversized rats.

Here in this fantasy world, Gregor comes to terms with his father's disappearance, and because of a mysterious prophesy, realizes he may be the next "Overland Warrior" of this mysterious world.

The author's ending is true to the fantasy she has created in the Underland, with hints regarding Gregor's next adventure there.

This book is recommended to the young reader who loves fantasy and mystical reading adventures.

Gregor the Overlanderby Suzanne Collins

• 8 AR points• 320 pages• fiction

What do you think?

The main character, Ashley , finds a doll in the garden of her new house and soon discovers that it belonged to a girl who is now dead. An old woman snatches the doll and soon afterwards Ashley finds that she is meeting the girl who owned the doll.

The most exciting part in the story is when Ashley suddenly travels back in time when she goes to a certain place in the garden. It's a good book because there also is a strange cat in the garden. It is a little scary and adventurous. This was a thrilling book.

The Doll in the Gardenby Mary Downing Hahn

• 3 AR points• 128 pages• Mystery, suspense

What do you think?Back in Florida, Jack decides that

becoming a writer will allow him to turn his worst experiences, and he has many, into money. He flubs his IQ test, nearly flunks wood shop, almost gets a date with a beautiful girl, visits a fortune teller, digs up his dead dog not once but twice, and copes with members of an off-kilter family who constantly remind him of his stupidity.

Through it all, Jack manages to barrel forward, self-esteem intact, with high expectations and crazy schemes. Based on Gantos's own trials and tribulations growing up in Barbados and Florida, the narrative sparkles with wit and, although exaggerated, rings with the authenticity of adolescent humor, embarrassment, and fascination with the absolutely gross. The dog coffin scenes, with maggots and rats, would no doubt sell the book to middle-grade boys.

Zany characters, good pacing, lots of humor, and a touch of romance make this a quick, fun read.

Jack’s Black Bookby Jack Gantos

• 6 AR points• 176 points• Realistic fiction, humor

What do you think?In the first book in the Genius Files series,

"almost-teenager" twins Coke and Pepsi get caught up in a secret society of brilliant kids chosen to save the nation from terrorists.

Gutman unfolds his story quickly, and, within pages, readers will be invested in the twins' adventures. After learning someone wants to kill them, they set out on a cross-country RV trip with their parents, receiving death threats, meeting bad guys, and thwarting every evil plan, while making pit stops at such quirky (real) destinations as a Pez museum in Burlingame, Calif., and two gigantic balls of twine in Kansas and Minnesota.

Coke and Pepsi are amusing heroes, and their parents are the perfect parody of clueless, overenthusiastic grownups.

Mission Unstoppableby Dan Gutman

• 8 AR points• 304 pages• fiction

What do you think?Tessa lives in a depressing world that

appears to have been at war for more than seventy-five years.

Gideon, a childhood acquaintance, rejects being honored as a war hero, which makes Tessa curious about the nature of the war itself.

She, Gideon, and the younger Dek, steal a plane and fly it into enemy territory. There, they discover that the war is not real. Two computers, remains of the actual war, have combined to save mankind by feeding false information to each side. The middle of the country is no longer controlled by either side, but both Eastam and Westam think they are still at war. Each side makes arms and endures hardships, but the war and its very real devastation have been over for many years.

The Always Warby Margaret Peterson Haddix

• 6 AR points• 224 pages• Science fiction

What do you think?

Ever since Mark's parents died, he has been living with Bryon. The boys are more like brothers than mere friends. They've been inseparable--until recently. Something seems to be changing between them, and Bryon can't figure it out. Is it Cathy, Bryon's new girlfriend? Is Mark jealous?

Bryon is also tired of the street fighting, but Mark seems unable to quit. And where is Mark getting all of that money? In That Was Then, This Is Now, one of her most admired novels, S. E. Hinton paints a richly textured portrait of two boys at a crossroads in their friendship.

With careful, intimate strokes, Hinton reveals a boy struggling over whether to protect his best friend or whether to follow his own beliefs about right and wrong. The ending will surprise readers, challenging them to puzzle over Bryon's dilemma in their own hearts.

That Was Then, This Is Nowby S.E. Hinton

• 6 AR points• 160 pages• Realistic fiction

What do you think?An overnight camp out at the zoo turns into a

nightmare for Ellen and her little brother Corey when an escaped prisoner also takes refuge there. Through a series of mostly implausible coincidences, they find themselves locked in the zoo grounds with a dangerous and desperate man who plans to hold them for ransom.

Each of the several adults responsible for the children thinks someone else is with them, so no one comes to their rescue. Several pursuit scenes through the ominous dark lead the siblings to the Elephant Forest, where Ellen communicates telepathically with the elephants, spurring her favorite one to attack the man. The last minute arrival of the children's parents and a security guard prevents any blood from being shed.

This adventure will appeal to animal lovers looking for a spooky story. There is plenty of suspense, as the children are never sure around which dark corner the criminal lurks. A baby monkey and, of course, the heroic elephants add color to the story.

Terror at the Zooby Peggy Kehret

• 5 AR points• 144 pages• Mystery, suspense

What do you think?It's Rafe Khatchadorian's first day at Hills

Village Middle School, and it's shaping up to be the worst year ever. He has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix, but luckily he's got an ace plan for the best year ever--if only he can pull it off. With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to break every rule in his school's oppressive Code of Conduct. Chewing gum in class--5,000 points! Running in the hallway--10,000 points! Pulling the fire alarm--50,000 points!

But not everyone thinks Rafe's plan is a good idea, especially not the teachers, parents, and bullies who keep getting in his way. Will Rafe decide that winning is the only thing that matters? Are things about to go from magic to tragic?

Middle School: The Worst YearsJames Patterson

• 4 AR points• 336 pages• Realistic Humor

What do you think? Homeschooled on an isolated

"alternate farm commune" that has dwindled since the 1960s to 2 members, 13-year-old Cap has always lived with his grandmother, Rain. When she is hospitalized, Cap is taken in by a social worker and sent—like a lamb to slaughter—to middle school. Smart and capable, innocent and inexperienced (he learned to drive on the farm, but he has never watched television), long-haired Cap soon becomes the butt of pranks. He reacts in unexpected ways and, in the end, elevates those around him to higher ground.

From chapter to chapter, the first-person narrative shifts among certain characters: Cap, a social worker (who takes him into her home), her daughter (who resents his presence there), an A-list bully, a Z-list victim, a popular girl, the school principal, and a football player (who unintentionally decks Cap twice in one day).

Schooledby Gordan Korman

• 8 AR points• 224 pages• Realistic fiction, humor

What do you think?

A wonderful story of triumph over imperfection, shame, and loss. Large, awkward, learning-disabled Maxwell Kane, whose father is in prison for murdering his mother, and crippled, undersized Kevin are both mocked by their peers; the cruel taunting they endure is all too realistic and believable. The boys establish a friendship-and a partnership. Kevin defends them with his intelligence, while Max is his friend's "legs," affording him a chance to participate in the larger world.

Inspired by tales of King Arthur, they become knights fighting for good and true causes.The author writes with empathy, honoring the possibilities of even peripheral characters; Kevin and Max are memorable and luminous.

Freak the Mightyby Rodman Philbrick

• 6 AR points• 192 pages• Realistic fiction

What do you think?Zach Granger has to tell many lies; for

one, his name is really Jack Osborne, and for another his parents aren't divorced rather, his father, a pilot, is in prison for transporting drugs for a ruthless cartel. When his father agrees to cooperate with the DEA, his family goes into a witness protection program, with new names and a new home in Elko, Nev. Will they be safe from the cartel?

Smith paints a realistic picture of Zach's complicated emotions: he misses his father and his old life, he's nervous about making a mistake and he is uncomfortable lying, especially to his new girlfriend, Catalin. He also takes to his new surroundings, especially Catalin's grandfather's sheep camp in the mountains, and the friendly hotel that's home to Sam, the warm and wise custodian of Zach's school. Smith keeps the tensions high: readers will suspect right away that the detailed journals Zach keeps are going to lead to trouble, and will understand the hero's anxiety when lines from it begin to appear on his classroom's chalkboard.

Zach’s Lieby Roland Smith

• 7 AR points• 224 pages• Realistic fiction

What do you think?After drinking some vodka and taking his

mom's car for a spin to his father's girlfriend's house, who just happens to be his former third-grade teacher, 16-year-old Alex Gregory finds himself on his neighbors' lawn with police yelling at him and a broken gnome under his car. It is hard to believe that Alex would do anything like this; most of the time he hangs out with his friend Laurie, a sassy petite karate expert, and plays guitar in the school jazz band. He is also trying to get over his parents' recent split.

For drinking and driving, Alex is sentenced to 100 hours of community service at a nursing home with Solomon Lewis. Sol is a difficult, crotchety, eccentric old man with emphysema who lashes out at Alex in strange Yiddish phrases. Soon Alex grows found of Sol, who teaches him something about the guitar, respecting the elderly, and taking responsibility for his actions. Alex's voice is fresh and funny, but doesn't downplay the serious situations.

Notes From the Midnight Driverby Jordan Sonnenblick

• 7 AR points• 288 pages• Humor, realistic fiction

What do you think?Will Tuppence is a sensible kid, good at

science, with an average social life and a loud-mouthed little sister, Tabby, whom he does his very best to avoid. But when he learns that scientists have recorded the first instance of proton decay, his logical mind goes into free fall contemplating the implications. When, soon after, he catches his friends Mi-Su and BT kissing, his confusion skyrockets. Does he like Mi-Su himself? Would Mi-Su kiss him? Does it even matter now that all protons in the universe are impermanent?

But the point of the story is not proton decay; nor is it the uncertainty that the phenomenon represents—as manifested in Will's life via the love triangle. The story ultimately hinges on Tabby, and Will's relationship with her. With narrative that is fast moving and often laugh-out-loud funny, this book would make an excellent addition to any collection.

Smiles to goby Jerry Spinelli

• 5 AR points• 272 pages• Realistic fiction, humor

References

• Pictures:www.barnesandnoble.com

and Google images

• Reviews:www.amazon.com