Libraries
Summer Reading for Rising 7th Graders
2011
Dear rising seventh 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. 1) 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. 2) Please read one book by Wendy Mass, who will be our visiting author for the middle school in October. If you look further in this booklet you will find more information about her books. 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. If you do read it early, you may want to refresh your memory in the fall. 3) You should also read at least three additional books of your choice. The next pages contain a list of my suggestions if you need ideas. For these three books, you should be prepared to write a brief review of the book for our new library catalog. Other students will be able to read your reviews. We will write the reviews in the fall, but you may want to write some notes on your reading log for the summer, so you have an easier time remembering what happened in the book.
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. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me by email. 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 2000 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.
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? Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall Sixteen-year-old Tessa wakes up after a gym class accident in what she thinks is heaven, but looks a lot like her hometown mall. In order to get back from where this accident has taken her, Tessa needs to face the reality of her life and the role she has played in making it that way. Leap Day Josie celebrates her fourth birthday by taking her driver’s test. That’s because she is a leap day baby and is actually 16 years old. During the twelve hours that this book takes place in, we get glimpses into the other characters points of view and learn some of their secrets, too.
Read at least three additional books of your choice: Here are some suggestions- you can read what you want to read. The point of summer reading is to enjoy it. Numbers by Rachel Ward Jem has the unique ability of seeing a number whenever she looks into another human’s eyes. It is the date of their death that she sees. When visiting the London Eye, she notices that everyone around here has today’s date in their eyes. She panics and runs away. Of course, there is a terrorist attack at the Eye, and now Jem is a suspect. She and her friend Spider are on the run.
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Sophie Hatter is resigned to a boring life running a hat shop, when the wicked Witch of the Waste puts a curse on her, aging her and making it impossible to tell anyone about the curse. Sophie ends up taking refuge in Howl’s moving castle. If you’ve seen the movie, read the book. It’s even better. If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, do both.
Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg If you enojoy 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!
Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter Old Doc Altenheimer promised not to sell his orchard that includes the town’s baseball field, if the rag-tag baseball team can beat the team from the posh town next door. Enter Cruz de la Cruz with a bat in his saddlebags and a computer program to help the team with their batting. Tom, the benchwarmer, may just have to save the day.
The Skin I’m in by Sharon Flake Maleeka is relentlessly teased at school, not only for her good grades and her hand-made clothes, but for the darkness of her skin. When a new teacher arrives at school who has a white birthmark across her dark skin, Maleeka is sure there will be trouble for her, too. She is surprised by Miss Saunders’ attitude. Can Maleeka be proud of the skin she’s in, like Miss Saunders?
The Schwa was Here by Neil Shusterman Did you ever know a kid so quiet that you didn’t know he was there? The Schwa is like that. Anthony is his friend who starts to take advantage of the fact that the Schwa is practically invisible. Add in a blind girlfriend and an old man with lots of crazy dogs and you’ll find this cast of characters irresistable.
The Angel Experiment (or other Maximum Ride Books) by James Patterson Angel and her family are hybrid bird people. They have hollow bones and can fly. They’ve escaped from the lab which created them and are usually trying to hide from everyone so they don’t get studied again (and kept in dog crates.) This fantastic series will always keep you on your toes as this adventure is full of surprises and action.
Toby Wheeler, 8th grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring Toby plays a lot of basketball at the rec center. He thinks he’s really good at basketball, until he tries out for his school’s team. He’s the 12th man in, putting him firmly on the bench for most games. His relationship with his new coach is made more complicated by the friendship (or is it more?) with the coach’s daughter.
The Lighthouse Land by Adrian McKinty Jamie and his mother have inherited a whole island in Ireland. They leave New York City to go live there. Jamie has been mute since he lost his left arm to bone cancer, but befriends talkative Ramsey in Ireland. Jamie discovers that the lighthouse is a portal to another world, one that is dying out. Many adventures, and a love interest keep this fantasy series interesting.
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko Told in two voices, this book explores that cruelties of middle school. Kirsten in an overweight girl who has lost her best friends. Walker is an African American boy who is new to a mostly white private school. They discover a secret that rocks them to the core.
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt Wednesday afternoons are a time for religious instruction in the late 1970s. Kids either go to the Catholic church for instruction or to the synagog. If you are the only protestant in your grade, like Holling Hoodhood, you are stuck in class by yourself. You and your teacher. Holling is convinced that she hates him. Especially when she starts assigning him Shakespeare for their Wednesday afternoon sessions!
Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney What would happen if you turned over your milk carton and saw your face there? Janey had been kidnapped when she was young and did not know it. Her whole world is turned upside down. Warning: make sure you get the second book in this series because this ends in a cliffhanger.
Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan Maya lives like a captive with her grandmother who lies to her about her mother. When her grandmother dies, Maya moves to Wyoming to be with her mother’s family that Maya did not know existed. Suddenly her life is so different, filled with horses and freedom.
The Fold by An Na Joyce’s image-obsessed, rich aunt offers to pay for plastic surgery for Joyce to make her Asian eyes look more Western by adding a fold. If you’ve ever thought about a change you would like to make to your body, you will enjoy reading about Joyce’s struggle with this issue.
Nation by Terry Pratchett A tsunami has wiped out everyone on Mau’s island except him. The same tsunami maroons a ship leaving one girl, Daphne, as the only survivor of the ship. Refugees from other islands arrive and Daphne and Mau help them. When raiders arrive, Mau must use all of his ingenuity to outsmart their leader.
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman Enter another world, where all humans have an animal companion, a daemon. Humans and daemons are tethered together. In this world, a war is brewing, bigger than humans. This is the first of a trilogy. If you like the first one, you will need to read all three.
Beauty Shop for Rent by Laura Bowers Abbey and her great-grandmother have been running a beauty shop together, but Granny Po wants to retire, renting out her shop. When Gena arrives and turns it into a day spa, at first Abbey is reluctant, but then starts earning more money. Abbey’s mom, who has a history of substance abuse, shows up and Abbey gives her mom her hard-earned savings so they can get a house and live together. Of course, things don’t turn out the way you’d want them to.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson Jenna Fox wakes after more than a year in a coma, confused. Why did her family move across the county, leaving all of her pesonal belongings behind? Why does she not remember anything about her life? As she watches videos of her childhood, she realizes a horrible secret is being kept from her.
Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix At age 100, Melly and other resisdents of her old age home are given the chance to get a shot that will “unage” them. When they reach the ideal age, they can get another shot to stop the process. That shot kills the people who get it, so Melly and her friend Anny Beth are forced to get younger until they reach zero. This makes for all sorts of interesting circumstances, like finding parents from themselves, and losing driving priveleges when then turn 15. A great science fiction tale.
The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier Set in a fantastical world of mages, dragons, and islands that float above the sea, this book is told from alternating viewpoints. Trei is a boy who has lost his family suddenly and comes to the islands to find his uncle. He wants to become a kajutaihi, a man who can fly. His cousin, Araene, longs for the freedom that boys have in her world. Her resolve to get some of this freedom is tempered by a great loss. This seat-gripping adventure deals with themes of loyalty and belonging.
This is a sample reading log. You can turn this in, or make your own.
Reading Log Title
Name_________________ Author
# pages
Reviewed?
Total pages
To sum up: 1)Read a book by Wendy Mass 2)Read at least three other books of your choice. 3)Keep a reading log.