Libraries
Summer Reading for Rising 5th Graders
2012
Dear Rising Fifth Grader, It’s time to think about summer reading! I hope you have lots of time to read books this summer. We want you to read books that you will enjoy, so we’ve included a lot of choice in your requirements. I realize that this is the first time you have had required summer reading, but we try to keep it fun. Please keep a reading log this summer. There is an example at the end of this booklet. This allows you to record what you read over the summer. You will turn in your reading log in English class during the first week of classes. 1) Please read a book for our book discussion groups. You should have chosen one already and know what group you are in. 2)We enourage you to read a book by our visiting author, David Lubar. A list and description of some of his books are in this booklet. . 3)In all, you should read at least four books this summer- one for the discussion group and three others. One could be written by David Lubar. At the end of this booklet is a list of my suggestions if anyone is stuck for what to choose. When you return to school, you will be writing a review of your free choice book. This will be put in our library catalog so other students can see if they would be interested in reading the book that you read. On your reading log, you should make some notes so that it will be easier to write the review. Students will be able to check out books from the Faulkner Library for summer reading. Of course any books not returned in the fall will be billed. I look forward to reading your reviews in the fall. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me. Sincerely, Toni Vahlsing Director of Libraries Abington Friends School (215) 576-3976 tvahlsing@abingtonfriends.net Distinguished Summer Reading: For those of you who want an additional challenge, aim to become a “Distinguished Reader.” To earn this recognition, you must do the following: 1) Read 1000 pages during the summer months. 2) Write an additional review for our catalog in the fall. 3) Total the pages that you read on your reading log. Students who rise to this challenge will receive a notation on their official school transcript and will be recognized in other ways as well.
We highly suggest that you read one book by David Lubar.
If you like books that are funny, I think you will like his books. If you don’t like a book you are reading, choose a different book, but try to become familiar with some of Lubar’s work.
Books by David Lubar
Hidden Talents: Martin can’t seem to stay in any one school for very long because he seems to have a talent for making teachers angry. So he is shipped off to an alternative boarding school which seems to be the end of the line. There he finds some other boys who have talents that they won’t admit they have. A fun read. True Talents: A year after the end of Hidden Talents Martin and his friends are back home, trying to control their talents so they can go to high school and keep in touch with their friends. One of them gets in trouble and the other have to rally to save him. The Weenie Books: Lubar writes a collection of dark, but funny short stories in each of these books. If you like short stories and you like to know what inspired each story, try one of these. Dunk: Chad lives on the Jersey shore and is fascinated by Bozo the clown, who taunts people from a dunk tank. Chad wants to be Bozo, thinking he would be good at it. His dad has left, his friend has a serious illness, and there is a boarder living upstairs to complicate things. Despite all of this, a funny and hopeful book. My Rotten Life: The first in a series about a boy who accidentally becomes a zombie. Even though he enjoys some aspects of being halfdead, he wants to become human again. Will he find the cure?
Flip: Twins Ryan and Taylor find some disks that enable them to become famous people from history. If you could choose, who would you become? Punished!: Logan and his friend Benedict run into the wrong guy at the library. They are punished and have three days to finish tasks before the professor lifts the magical punishment that keeps getting them into more trouble. There are other books by David Lubar that you might also like to look at. When a visiting author comes, it helps to know something about the author’s books.
Read at least four books this summer. Here are some suggestions- you can read what you want to read. The point of summer reading is to enjoy it. Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen Nolan wears his pants too short and is good with computers. Bubba Bixby starts calling him “Nerd”. When Bubba Bixby tells people to do something, they do it. So everyone calls Nolan “Nerd”. Nolan sees Bubba bully almost everyone else and finds a way to call him out on his bullying. You will love Mr. Green, Nolan’s teacher and sidekick. You will love hating Bubba. You will want to read the rest of the series.
Close to Famous by Joan Bauer Foster and her mom are on the move and accidentally end up in a small town. Foster has never learned to read, a fact that she tries to hide. She dreams of one day having her own cooking show. The cast of characters that help Foster and her mom get back on their feet are truly memorable. Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan Rosalind is a British 15 year old, living in India, who was not packed off to England to go to boarding school like most other Brits. She is a really interesting character who does not do what is expected of her, but in a good way. Gandhi is a force in India at the time, and in Rosalind’s life. The book is almost too short, though it leaves me imagining what will happen to Rosalind next.
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass Two former best friends share the same birthday and have celebrated the first 10 of them together. After a fight, they are having separate 11th birthdays. When each wakes up the next day, it is still their birthday. They have to relive their birthdays until they do something right, but they don’t know what to do differently. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos Joey can’t keep still. He can’t help it that he does whatever pops into his head, especially when his meds aren’t working. Whether getting into mischief on his school field trip or swallowing his house key, Joey can’t seem to get it right. His teachers are threatening to send him to the special ed school in the middle of town.
Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen Francis Tucket is on a wagon train headed west when he gets a rifle for his birthday. He wanders too far from the wagon train and gets captured by Pawnees. It takes wild horses, hostile tribes, and a mysterious one armed-man to save him. What an adventure!
How Tia Lola came to Stay by Julia Alvarez Miguel has to move to Vermont when his parents split. Then his aunt, who might have magical powers, arrives from the Dominican Republic to help out. This is a funny book that illustrates what it is like to live between two cultures.
Lost and Found by Andrew Clements If you haven’t read anything by Andrew Clements, I highly recommend his books, especially Frindle. If you’ve read Frindle, read Lost and Found where twin brothers get a chance to find out what it is like to not be a twin. Through a mistake, their new school only knows about one of the boys.The boys take turns going to school while the other hides at home. Things get really complicated, especially with friendships and because each of the boys are good at different things. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine Don’t judge a book by its movie! This book is fantastic, while the movie is not. Ella is cursed by a fairy as a baby to always do as she is told. Wisely, Ella keeps this a secret so other people will not exploit her. Her stepsister finds out eventually and keeps commanding her to do worse and worse things. How can Ella break the spell?
Heartbeat by Sharon Creech Like Love that Dog and Hate that Cat, this is a novel told in free verse. The main character is a runner and the rhythm of some of the poems reflect that. If you haven’t read anything by Sharon Creech, try it, you’ll like it!
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix Luke has never been to school because he is never allowed out of his house. No one must know that Luke is alive. He is a third child and families are only allowed to have two children. Luke thinks he sees the signs of another third child in the new housing development next door. Does he dare try to contact her? As Simple as it Seems by Sarah Weeks Verbena makes the shocking discovery that she is not the biological child of the people who raised her. The more she finds out about her biological parents, the more she does not want to be like them. It’s summer and her best friend is gone. A new boy moves in next door, but Verbena can’t seem to do anything right when he is around.
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell Emmy’s life changes dramatically when her loving parents suddenly inherit a great deal of money and leave her with the dreaded nanny, Miss Barmy. To make matters worse, Emmy feels invisible at school until...she is bitten by the class rat and can suddenly understand everything he says. Then she discovers that Joe, the cool kid, is in the same boat. These two embark on an adventure filled with mystery, suspense, and lots of humor. Once you are done, you can enjoy the next two books in the series. The Penderwicks: a Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall It is hard not to fall in love with the Penderwick sisters. After losing their mother to cancer, their father takes them on a summer adventure where they meet the incredibly interesting Jeffrey. You’ll laugh as you read about their escapades as they attempt to evade Jeffrey’s tyrannical mother. Curl up with a glass of lemonade on the hammock and enjoy this great summer read. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick Two stories; One told in words, one completely in pictures. They are set in two different time periods, so you might wonder how the stories will connect, but they do! Mystery, adventure, friendship, exploring a museum, plus great illustrations. What could be better?
Million Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica Nate Brody has a great arm. He is an 8th grade quarterback who wins the chance to win a million dollars. Unfortunately, just when he needs it, his arm starts to fail him. His dad loses his job, and his best friend Abby is going blind. All Nate feels is a lot of pressure. Will he be able to make the throw? I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson Emma, has a really unfortunate name. As she says, her mother didn’t say it aloud before naming her. She is super tall, really pale, and nothing like her mother’s Italian family, the only family she knows. Emma gets an invitation to her father’s family reunion in Wisconsin. She never met her father, and he is not there, but she finds a lot about herself in her adventure to get to the reunion on her own.
Did you know that if you sign up for your public library’s summer reading program, you can win prizes for bringing them a reading log? You can also get a free book from Barnes and Noble!
This is a sample reading log. You can turn this in, or make your own. If you read eight books this summer and fill out a log from Barnes and Noble, you can get a free book at B&N. You can make a copy of that form to count as your reading log. Reading Log Title
Author
Name_________________
# pages
Date completed
Total pages
To sum up: 1) Read a book for our book discussion groups. 2)Read at least three other books of your choice, we suggest one could be written by David Lubar. 3) Keep a reading log.