Libraries
Summer Reading for Rising 6th Graders
2011
Dear Rising Sixth 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. 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 Flush by Carl Hiassen. It will give the sixth grade team a good jumping off point for your beginning unit on environmental studies. 2) You should read at least one book by our visiting author, Wendy Mass. She has written many books that you might enjoy. If you look further in this booklet you will find more information about her books. Reading one of her books should make our discussions with her in October really rich. Please do not read this book in June, as you will not remember much from it by the time the author visit in October rolls around. 3) Thirdly, you should read at least one additional book of your choice. At the end of this booklet is a list of my suggestions and some suggestions from current sixth graders if anyone is stuck for what to choose. When you return to school, you will be writing a review of your free choice book, to 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 1200 pages during the summer months, including the books required above. 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.
All rising sixth graders are asked to read: Flush by Carl Hiassen Noah’s dad sinks the Coral Queen, a casino boat, in protest of its illegal dumping of raw sewage into the ocean. He has no proof of the dumping and is put in jail. Noah and his sister do some amateur sleuthing to try to prove it. Will their mom continue to put up with their dad’s radical responses to environmental concerns? Can they stop the illegal dumping?
Read at least one book by Wendy Mass: Every Soul a Star The lives of Ally, Jack, and Bree intersect in anticipation of a total solar eclipse which can only be viewed from the Moon Shadow campground, which Ally’s parents run. She is homeschooled and her life has been a bit sheltered. Life becomes more interesting and complicated when Jack, an introverted artist who is obsessed with science fiction, and Bree, a popular extrovert who aspires to become a model, arrive at Moon Shadow. They each learn a great deal about themselves and each other during their time together. Science fans will appreciate the intriguing astronomy facts that are masterfully incorporated into the story. A Mango Shaped Space For Mia, the world is filled with a confusing, wonderful amount of colors. Every word and number has a distinct color for her. She tries to keep this a secret until some school subject become too muddled by the colors she is seeing. Math and foreign languages just don’t make sense with the colors in her head. She discovers all of these colors are caused by synesthesia and that some other people have this experience too. This is a fascinating look through Mia’s colorful eyes. The Candymakers Logan, Miles, Daisy and Philip are brought to the Life is Sweet Candy factory to develop their own “best new candy of the year” entries for a nationwide competition. They each have their own reason for needing to win; they are each hiding secrets. Can these “strangers” overcome their differences and come together to save the candy factory? Or is it one of them who is trying to destroy it? Finally Rory Swenson can’t wait to turn twelve. That’s when her parents will let her stay home alone, get her ears pierced and get a cell phone. Staying home alone is scarier than she thought. Getting her ears pierced reveals an allergy to gold. It’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life Jeremy finds a box engraved “the meaning of life: for Jeremy Fink on his thirteenth birthday.” He and his impulsive friend Lizzy go on a quest that takes them all over New York City to find the four missing keys that will open the box. 11 Birthdays If you think your birthday is a special day, try re-living the same one over and over until you get it right. That’s what happens to Amanda and Leo, friends (currently on the outs) who share a birthday. But what is going wrong? How do they fix it? How do they get out of this time trap?
Read at least one book of your choice: Here are some suggestions- you can read what you want to read. The point of summer reading is to enjoy it. Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements What would happen if you woke up and were invisible? What would you do? Fifteen yearold Bobby has to decide whether attend school and face all sorts of questions or to disappear from life to try to figure out what is happening to him.
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson Lonnie’s story is told through 60 poems, that he has written. While trying to express himself creatively, he gradually tells us about the fire that left him orphaned as well as his sister who has been adopted. Lonnie is still in foster care. If you have trouble writing poetry, you might identify with Lonnie as he struggles to convey his feelings.
Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg If you enjoy reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, you’ll love Milo. Not only does he deal with the day-to-day life of being a seventh grader, but also being without his mom, who died a few years before this story. The cartoon illustrations that are interspersed throughout the book are hilarious in their own right, not just illustrating the story. This is laugh-outloud funny. I loved it so much that I read it at the circulation desk in the library because I couldn’t put it down!
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau When the generators fail in the city of Ember, it is totally dark. The generators are failing more and more often and the city is running out of supplies. Lina and Doon team up to figure out what is happening to their city and to find out what is beyond the city limits. You will want to read the next in the series, too.
Amalee by Dar Williams Amalee has been raised by her father and his four friends from college. When Amalee’s father gets sick, it is his friends that help Amalee deal with her father’s sickness as well as the mean girls at school. You will cheer for Amalee as she navigates this difficult time in her life.
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke Meggie’s father is so good at reading books aloud that when he does, characters from the books appear in our world. Unfortunately a person from this world goes into the book to take that character’s place. Meggie’s mother has been missing for years. Guess where she is? In a book, that only has a few copies left in the world. Meggie’s father needs to find the book before someone else does.
Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli Did you enjoy reading Maniac McGee? If so, you will love Smiles to Go. Will Tuppence is a ninth grader in the middle of a love triangle. As he is grappling with this, something happens with his adorable five year old sister that puts his life into perspective. You will not forget Will or his sister anytime soon. The Secret of Platform 13 by Iva Ibbotson A doorway between two worlds only opens every nine years for nine days. A prince from one world has been lost in ours when he was a baby. The king and queen have had nine years to plan. Which magical creatures will they send? A very odd, but endearing rescue team is put together. Mistaken identity, magic, and friendship make this fantastical adventure a great read.
Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo Charlie Bone discovers that he has special powers and has to go to a special school. No, this is not Harry Potter, but if are a Harry Potter Fan, give this a try. Charlie, and the other children with special powers can each do one specific thing. Charlie can hear voices through paintings and photographs. There is a battle going on and Charlie lives at home on the weekend with family members taking different sides. The evil characters are pure evil, including one of Charlie’s grandmothers. I certainly wouldn’t want to live with her! This book starts a long series that you will continue to want to read.
Rules by Cynthi Lord (Anne’s class read this, but we reccommend it to Jane’s Class). Catherine has an autistic younger brother whom she loves, but sometimes feels embarrassed by his behavior. She makes rules for him, about who he should hug, about…. ,and other things “normal” people know. When Catherine gets to know a boy who communicates with a word board and is confined to a wheel chair defining “normal” is not important anymore.
The Boxes by William Sleator Annie’s mysterious Uncle Marco gives her two boxes for safekeeping, instructing Annie not to open them. Of course she does, and the consequenses are quite extreme. Time itself is not safe when the boxes are opened and near each other.
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart Put four very different, but brilliant, children together and you can conquer almost anything. That is the theory of Mr. Benedict, anyway. He gets a crack team of children to infiltrate a school that seems to be the center of evil. The testing that each child goes through is very strange. Once you read this one, you will want to finish the series to follow the further adventures of these endearing characters.
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko I know many of you read the first one of these when Gennifer Choldenko came to visit. If you haven’t read the second in this series, you should. You won’t be able to put it down, especially during the escape attempt by the inmates.
Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen Sammy lives illegally in a high rise apartment for seniors with her Grandmother. She also solves a lot of mysteries. The intersection of these two things makes her life interesting, i.e. she can’t let the police know where she lives. Sammy’s archenemy, Heather, and her brother (a romantic interest of Sammy’s) make her life really interesting.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (This was a read aloud in Jane’s class, but we reccomend it for Anne’s class.) Miranda finds notes that seem to be from someone who knows the future. Miranda tries to unravel the mystery of the notes that claim to want to save her life You need to pay close attention to this book because there are many clues you might miss. If you know the story of A Wrinkle in Time, you will find this book even richer.
These books are recommended by current 6th graders Title Elsewhere Ender’s Game Hunger Games Series of Unfortunate Events Crispin Percy Jackson and the Olympian Series Keeper The Schwa was Here Crash Locomotion (reviewed above) Inkheart (reviewed above) The Book Thief Princess Diaries Things Not Seen (reviewed above) When you Reach Me (reviewed above) Peak Shadow Children Series Palace of Mirrors Young Samurai series
Author Gabrielle Zevin Orson Scott Card Suzanne Collins Lemony Snickett Avi Rick Riordan Mal Peet Neal Shusterman Jerry Spinelli Jacqueline Woodson Cornelia Funke Marcus Zusak Meg Cabot Andrew Clements Rebecca Stead Roland Smith Margaret Peterson Haddix Margaret Peterson Haddix Chris Bradford
To sum up: 1)Read Flush by Carl Hiassen 2)Read a book by Wendy Mass 3)Read at least one other book of your choice. Keep a reading log.
This is a sample reading log. You can turn this in, or make your own.
Reading Log Title
Name_________________ Author
# pages
Total pages
Reviewed?