Libraries
Summer Reading for Rising 8th Graders
2011
Dear Rising Eighth Grader, It’s time to think about summer reading! I hope you have lots of time to read books this summer. 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 Mango Shaped Space 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. 2) Please read Tangerine by Eward Bloor. You will be discussing this book at the beginning of the school year. 3) You should also read at least two additional books of your choice. The next page is a list of my suggestions if you need ideas. For these two 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 2400 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.
Please read these two books this summer: Tangerine by Edward Bloor Although legally blind, Paul Fisher is a great soccer player. When he moves from Texas to Florida, he can finally play on a team. More than just a sports book, this book is about family relationships, the environment, and has some mystery. What accident caused Paul’s vision loss, and why can’t he remember it? Why are there underground fires burning for years? Why does lightening keep striking the same place?
A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass 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 subjects 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.
Read at least two 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. Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass 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 by Wendy Mass 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.
Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick Amber’s only home is the school bus her mother drives, Hello Yellow. Amber still manages to do lots of good in the world, befriending a loveable, but strange cast of characters along the way. She teaches English to a church group of Korean women, befriends a Vietnam Vet who writes poetry and works in a nursing home as well as dealing with the life of being a teenager who needs to find a place to take a shower. When tragedy strikes Amber is sent into a downward spiral. The cast of characters that she has been helping turns around to help her.
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco S. Stork Marcelo has attended a special school for years, and he’d like to work with his beloved horses over the summer at his school. His father has other ideas. He wants him to get a job in the “real world”. Marcelo doesn’t think he can do it. Marcelo is charming, but his Asperger-like condition gets in the way of his new job in his father’s law firm mailroom. He is faced with ethical dilemmas and the complications of making new friends.
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.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card Ender has been bred to be a leader in the war against the buggers, an alien race that wants to take over the earth. He is sent to battle school at a much younger age than usual and is smaller than the other officers in training. You will enjoy reading about training at this off-planet battle school. This gets the Toni award for the best ending ever.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins If you haven’t yet read this series, and can stomach some violence in a book, then you should. Set in the future in Panem, a country with 13 districts. One of the ways the capitol keeps control of the districts is to force them to send tributes to the Hunger Games. Tributes are young people between the ages of 12 and 18, and they are taken by lottery. Once chosen, they fight to the death on national television that everyone is required to watch. After the games begin, you won’t be able to put this book down.
Unwind by Neil Shusterman This is also set in the future in the USA after a civil war over the issue of abortion. There has been a truce in which no fetuses or children may be killed until they turn 12 years old. Then they may be “unwound” and all of their body parts given to someone who needs them. There are all sorts of unintended consequences from this compromise like an underground of children who escape from being unwound and babies being left on doorsteps. You’ll never know what to expect in this adventure. 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 Adventures of Blue Avenger by Norma Howe On his 16th birthday, David legally changes his name to Blue Avenger. In addition, he sets some very odd assortment of goals for himself, like abolishing handguns as well as creating the perfect lemon meringue pie and winning the heart of the new girl in school. Along the way, he lives up to his superhero name. This is one of those book where all of the pieces fit together in the end.
Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah Australian eleventh grader Amal is a devout Muslim who decides to wear the hijab, or head covering, full time. Get an interesting peak into life in an Australian private school through Amal’s eyes. Her sense of humor keeps it light, but the things she discovers about herself are anything but. Anahita’s Woven Riddle by Megan Nuttail Sayres Anahita lives in Persia in the early 20th century. She has been promised to the khan of her tribe, whose previous three wives have died mysteriously. Anahita convinces her father to let her weave a riddle into a rug. Whichever man can solve her riddle will be the one she will marry. Along the way, you’ll meet many of the men who will try to solve the riddle. Their stories are skillfully woven into Anahita’s. I was as confused as Anahita about which suitor to cheer for. (Anybody but the khan, anybody but the khan, anybody but the khan….) Childhood friend? Intriguing new suitor? Who will win? What will it mean for Anahita’s life? Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock D.J. Schwenks’ family doesn’t talk much. They don’t talk about the fact that D.J. is doing most of the work on the family’s dairy farm since her dad got hurt and her older brothers went off to college. They don’t talk about the fact the D.J. is training (and crushing on) the rival team’s quarterback. When D.J. tries out for her high school’s football team, that gets everyone talking.
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen Auden decides to escape her control-freak mom by spending the summer with her dad, his new wife, and their baby. Along the way she helps manage her step-mother’s store, learns to ride a bike, and has a complicated romance.
Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer This is the first in a series that I compare to potato chips. You can’t read just one. I have to know what happens next to this orphan girl who escapes every possible scrape by crossdressing as a boy, fighting, or using her considerable wits and luck. Most of her escapades happen at sea on various kinds of sailing vessels. Lots of fun.
Someone Like Summer by M.E. Kerr Tall, blue-eyed Annabel is in love with Esteban, who turns out to be an undocumented worker from Columbia. Racial tensions and prejudices run wild in the town. Annabel’s father, who will employ undocumented workers because he can pay them less, won’t let his daughter date one. Esteban’s brother calls Annabel flour-face and thinks all white girls are loose. This is an intense romance with today’s issues.
Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen Holly has run away from an abusive foster family. She writes in a journal as she struggles everyday to find food, shelter, and warmth. We follow her five month long journey to Los Angeles. After reading this book, you will never look at the issue of homelessness in the same way.
The Last Shot: a Final Four mystery by John Feinstein Two students win a journalism contest and win a trip to the Final Four in New Orleans. When 8th graders Susan and Thomas are touring the Superdome, they overhear someone being blackmailed into deliberately losing a game. Basketball, journalism, and action are all packed into this awesome mystery. Ironman by Chris Crutcher Bo Brewster has been placed in Anger Management class, and what a cast of characters he meets there. Bo attempts to compete in an ironman competition, trying to win in three sports. If you like this one, you will want to read all of Crutcher’s other books.
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.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie Agatha Christie is the master of mystery telling. This mystery seems impossible to solve even though it is about a murder that has taken place on a train. There aren’t that many suspects and they are all stuck on the train. Luckily, the brilliant detective Hercules Perot is on board, too. You will be amazed at the solution to this one.
The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Katherine Jinks Nina Harrison has been 15 years old since 1973. That’s because she is a vampire. She makes her living making up glamorous vampire books, but her life is anything but glamorous. She is trapped by her inability to go out during the day. She attends the reformed vampire support group meeting. These vampires survive on the blood of guinea pigs that they breed to eat. It is not a pretty sight. When one member of their group is found with a silver bullet in him and a stake through the heart, the group thinks there might be someone hunting them. It takes Nina a lot of courage to leave home to investigate. When she does, she goes on the biggest adventure of her life.
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.
Monster by Walter Dean Myers Was Steve Harmon really the lookout for a convenience store robbery, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Now he’s in prison, on trial for murder because the store owner was killed. Steve is an aspiring film-maker and he tells his story in a screenplay format.
Mismatch by Lensey Namioka When Sue, a Chinese American, and Andy, a Japanese American meet in orchestra and start dating, the rest of the orchestra members think it is a perfect match. Are all Asians the same? At home, it’s a different matter. Sue’s grandmother won’t forgive the Japanese for invading China and Andy’s father has prejudices about the “dirty back-water” Chinese.
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 Tangerine. 2)Read A Mango-Shaped Space. 3)Read at least two other books of your choice. 4)Keep a reading log.