Middle School Summer Work

The goal of summer reading for incoming sixth graders is for students to enjoy reading over the summer and for teachers to get to know students as readers. All sixth grade students are expected to read two books: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Reader’s Edition) by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer and one choice book from the list below. The books on the choice list meet the needs of students at a variety of reading levels and cover a wide range of topics. The opening weeks of school will feature class activities related to these texts, and students should read the books over the course of the summer and review them just prior to the start of school. Students should select books that they have not previously read. 

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Meg Murry, her extraordinary little brother Charles Wallace, and schoolmate Calvin O'Keefe make the acquaintance of eccentric Mrs. Whatsit and friends. Together they journey through a wrinkle in time to rescue the Murrys' missing father from an evil presence and a sinister brain called IT. 
 

Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard

Darkus Cuttle's dad mysteriously goes missing from his job as Director of Science at the Natural History Museum. So Darkus moves in with his eccentric Uncle Max and next door to Humphrey and Pickering, two lunatic cousins with an enormous beetle infestation. Darkus soon discovers that the beetles are anything but ordinary. They're an amazing, intelligent, super species and they're in danger of being exterminated. It's up to Darkus and his friends to save the beetles. But they're up against an even more terrifying villain — mad scientist of fashion, haute couture villainess Lucretia Cutter.
 

Belle Prater’s Boy by Ruth White

When Woodrow's mother suddenly disappears, he moves to his grandparents' home in a small Virginia town where he befriends his cousin. Together, they find the strength to face the terrible losses and fears in their lives. 
 

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Jack Gantos’ plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is “grounded for life” by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack’s way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. 
 

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.
 

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

At Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, thousands have gathered to catch a glimpse of a rare and extraordinary total eclipse of the sun. Told from three distinct voices and perspectives, Wendy Mass weaves an intricate and compelling story about strangers coming together, unlikely friendships, and finding one's place in the universe.
 

The Golden Acorn by Catherine Cooper

When Jack Brenin finds a golden acorn lying in the grass, little does he know that it is the beginning of a thrilling and magical adventure. Just an ordinary boy, Jack has been chosen for a hugely important task, and enters a world he believed only existed in legend.
 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place-he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade.
 

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

When homeschooled farm girl Piper McCloud reveals her ability to fly, she is quickly taken to a secret government facility to be trained with other exceptional children, but she soon realizes that something is very wrong and begins working with brilliant and wealthy Conrad to escape.
 

Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia

Delphine and her sisters head south to spend the summer with Big Ma and her mother, and the girls start finding out a whole lot about their family history. Can those bonds pull them together in the face of tragedy?
 

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present— and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parent's divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self pity, or despair— it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive.
 

Heat by Michael Lupica

Michael Arroyo's lightning fastball makes him the envy of all his teammates, but this speedy southpaw labors under a secret that allows him no rest. Soft spoken 12-year-old Cuban refugee Mike worries that he and his 17-year-old brother, Carlos, stand in danger of being separated, even deported.
 

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

Seventh grader Georges moves into a Brooklyn apartment building and meets Safer, a twelve-year-old self-appointed spy. Georges becomes Safer's first spy recruit. His assignment is to track the mysterious Mr. X, who lives in the apartment upstairs. As Safer becomes more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: what is a lie, and what is a game? How far is too far to go for your only friend? 
 

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

Mai, 12, travels to Vietnam to help her grandmother discover what happened to Mai’s grandfather during the war. Mai would rather be back in California on the beach, flirting with her new crush. But slowly, Mai begins to look outside of herself and find an understanding of her family and their cultural heritage.
 

The Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In an alternative ancient Rome, Nic, a slave, is forced to climb into a dangerous cave where he finds a bulla, a magical amulet thought to have given Caesar great power. Rather than turn it over to the power-hungry bad guy, he keeps it so he can save Rome. 
 

Masterminds by Gordon Korman

A group of middle school students living in a small, isolated, peaceful town, discover that they are part of an experiment. 
 

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Melody cannot walk or talk, but she is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and her classmates in her integrated classroom—the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy, and is determined to let everyone know it.
 

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor

Set in a small town in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this powerful, moving novel deals with issues of prejudice, courage, and self-respect. It is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. It is also the story of Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to her family. The racial tension and harrowing events experienced by young Cassie, her family, and her neighbors cause Cassie to grow up and discover the reality of her environment. 
 

School of the Dead by Avi

For most of Tony Gilbert’s life, he has thought of his uncle as “Weird Uncle Charlie.” That is, until Uncle Charlie moves in with Tony and his family. Uncle Charlie is still odd, of course—talking about spirits and other supernatural stuff—but he and Tony become fast friends, and Tony ends up having a lot of fun with Uncle Charlie. When Uncle Charlie dies suddenly, Tony is devastated. The Penda School is eerie enough without his uncle’s ghost making it worse!
 

Shadows of Sherwood: A Robyn Hoodlum Adventure by Kekla Magoon

Twelve year-old Robyn fights to find her parents and right the wrongs of a future city taken over by a corrupt government leader. 
 

Slacker by Gordon Korman

Cameron Boxer is very happy to spend his life avoiding homework, hanging out with his friends, and gaming for hours in his basement. It's not too hard for him to get away with it . . . until he gets so caught up in one game that he almost lets his house burn down around him.  Oops. It's time for some serious damage control--so Cameron and his friends invent a fake school club that will make it seem like they're doing good deeds instead of slacking off. The guy who never cared about anything is now at the center of everything . . . and it's going to take all his slacker skills to win this round.
 

Theodore Boone: The Fugitive by John Grisham

While on the 8th grade trip to Washington DC, Theo spots Pete Duffy, who escaped custody while on trial for the murder of his wife. Theo is determined to have him recaptured and brought to trial.
 

The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Suzy and her best friend have drifted apart in middle school but after Franny dies in an accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting. As she withdraws into silence, she focuses on her research to prove her theory.
 

TombQuest Book 1: Book of the Dead by Michael Northrop 

The doctors say nothing can save Alex’s life, but his mom, an expert Egyptologist, knows that the Lost Spells of the Egyptian Book of the Dead can crack open a doro to the afterlife and save him. But when she uses the spells, five evil ancients-- the Death Walkers-- are also brought back to life.
 

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

As the only passenger and the only female on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, thirteen year-old Charlotte finds herself caught between a murderous captain and a mutinous crew. 
 

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

The struggle of thirteen year old Salamanca (Sal) to understand and deal with her mother's disappearance unfolds while on a cross-country trip with her eccentric grandparents. Sal tells them the story of her friend Phoebe whose mother has also left home, but in reality it is her own story. 
 

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park

Sun-hee and her older brother, Tae-yul, live in Korea with their parents. Because Korea is under Japanese occupation, the children study Japanese and speak it at school. When World War II comes to Korea, Sun-hee is surprised that the Japanese expect their Korean subjects to fight on their side. But the greatest shock of all comes when Tae-yul enlists in the Japanese army in an attempt to protect Uncle, who is suspected of aiding the Korean resistance. Sun-hee stays behind, entrusted with the life-and-death secrets of a family at war.
 

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1970s television game show, The $20,000 Pyramid, a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.
 

(Summaries from www.barnesandnoble.com)

The goal of summer reading for incoming seventh graders is for students to enjoy reading over the summer and for teachers to get to know students as readers. All seventh grade students are expected to read two books—On the Horizon by Lois Lowry and one choice book from the list below. The books on the choice list meet the needs of students at a variety of reading levels and cover a wide range of topics. The opening weeks of school will feature class activities related to these texts, and students should read the books over the course of the summer and review them just prior to the start of school.

Additionally, students are asked to bring in a poem that they feel best represents who they are. The poem can be from a published poet or one written by the student. This poem will be shared/discussed in the opening days of school. 

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits. And then she discovers something amazing-she is a "free agent," with latent magical power. Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But will it be enough to help them when they are asked to catch a career criminal who knows magic too?

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

Bridge is an accident survivor who’s wondering why she’s still alive. Emily has new curves and an almost-boyfriend who wants a certain kind of picture. Tabitha sees through everybody’s games—or so she tells the world. The three girls are best friends with one rule: No fighting. Can it get them through seventh grade? This year everything is different for Sherm Russo as he gets to know Bridge Barsamian. What does it mean to fall for a girl—as a friend? On Valentine’s Day, an unnamed high school girl struggles with a betrayal. How long can she hide in plain sight? Each memorable character navigates the challenges of love and change in this captivating novel.

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds 

Ali’s got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now there’s a dude looking for trouble—and, somehow, it’s always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guy’s gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, it’s all small potatoes; it’s not like anyone’s getting hurt.And then there’s Needles. Needles is Noodles’s brother. He’s got a syndrome, and gets these ticks and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. It’s cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesn’t mean anything by it. Yeah, it’s cool…until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to be…somewhere they never should've been—where the people aren’t so friendly, and even less forgiving.

With the Fire on High  by Elizabeth Acevedo 

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

This New York Times bestselling novel and National Book Award nominee from acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial. Presented as a screenplay of Steve's own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one single decision can change our whole lives.
 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines—puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
 

Rescued by Eliot Schrefer 

Raja has been raised in captivity. Not behind the bars of a zoo, but within the confines of an American home. He was stolen when he was young to be someone's pet. Now he's grown up…and is about to be sent away again, to a place from which there will be no return. John grew up with Raja. The orangutan was his friend, his brother—never his pet. But when John's parents split up and he moved across the country, he left Raja behind. Now Raja is suffering. There's one last chance to save Raja—a chance that will force John to confront his fractured family and the captivity he's imposed on himself all of these years.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman 

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
 

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

It's 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders.Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn't know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it's too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can't imagine losing her homeland, too. But even if her country has been ripped apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together.

Told through Nisha's letters to her mother, The Night Diary is a heartfelt story of one girl's search for home, for her own identity...and for a hopeful future.

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon 

What if you couldn’t touch anything in the outside world? Never breathe in the fresh air, feel the sun warm your face . . . or kiss the boy next door? In Everything, Everything, Maddy is a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world, and Olly is the boy who moves in next door . . . and becomes the greatest risk she’s ever taken. Everything, Everything will make you laugh, cry, and feel everything in between. It's an innovative,  inspiring, and heartbreakingly romantic debut novel that unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, illustrations, and more. 
 

Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds 

This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy—Talking about boogers, stealing pocket change, skateboarding, wiping out, braving up, executing complicated handshakes, planning an escape, making jokes, lotioning up, finding comfort. But mostly, too busy walking home. Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.
 

The Girl Who Drank the Moon  by Kelly Barnhill

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. 
 

The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead 

After her parents' divorce, Bea's life became different in many ways. But she can always look back at the list she keeps in her green notebook to remember the things that will stay the same. The first and most important: Mom and Dad will always love Bea, and each other. When Dad tells Bea that he and his boyfriend, Jesse, are getting married, Bea is thrilled. Bea loves Jesse, and when he and Dad get married, she'll finally (finally!) have what she's always wanted--a sister. Even though she's never met Jesse's daughter, Sonia, Bea is sure that they'll be "just like sisters anywhere." As the wedding day approaches, Bea will learn that making a new family brings questions, surprises and joy.

 

The Children of Blood and Bone by Toni Adeyemi

They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us. Now we rise. Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.
 

Milkweed  by Jerry Spinelli 

He's a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Filthy son of Abraham.He's a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He's a boy who steals food for himself, and the other orphans. He's a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels. He's a boy who wants to be a Nazi, with tall, shiny jackboots of his own-until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind. And when the trains come to empty the Jews from the ghetto of the damned, he's a boy who realizes it's safest of all to be nobody.Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable-Nazi-occupied Warsaw during World War II-and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young Holocaust orphan.
 

*** summaries from amazon.com 

The goal of summer reading for incoming eighth graders is for students to enjoy reading over the summer and for teachers to get to know students as readers. All eighth grade students must read either Swing or Clap When You Land. The opening weeks of school will feature class activities related to these texts.

Swing by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess 

Walt is convinced junior year is their year, and he has a plan to help them woo the girls of their dreams and become amazing athletes. Never mind that he and Noah failed to make the high school baseball team yet again, and Noah’s love interest since third grade, Sam, doesn’t feel the same way. Noah soon finds himself navigating the worlds of jazz, batting cages, the strange advice of Walt’s Dairy Queen-employed cousin, as well as Walt’s “Hug Life” mentality. Status quo seems inevitable until Noah stumbles on a stash of old love letters. Each page contains the words he’s always wanted to say to Sam, and he begins secretly creating artwork using the lines that speak his heart. But when his private artwork becomes public, Noah has a decision to make: continue his life in the dugout and possibly lose the girl forever, or take a swing and finally speak out? As the personal- and social tensions increase around them, Noah and Walt must decide what is really true when it comes to love, friendship, sacrifice, and fate.

- OR -

Clap When you Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people.In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.