Summer Reading 2013
Introduction
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The books that have been included in this year’s Summer Reading Program are divided into age and content appropriate levels. The lexile levels can vary significantly within each grouping since more often than not, nonfiction titles are more difficult to read. With that in mind, we have added “AD” next to titles that will need adult participation and direction. If you were wondering where to purchase the titles below, we recommend going to these websites, or checking at the public library: Open Trolley - http://opentrolley.com.sg/index.aspx Book Depository - http://www.bookdepository.co.uk FishPond - http://www.fishpond.com.sg Kinokuniya - http://www.kinokuniya.com/sg/
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Early Years (KG2-Grade 2)
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Brave girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel Describes how immigrant Clara Lemlich fought back against the poor treatment of her fellow factory workers and led the largest walkout of women workers in the country.
Eight days gone by Linda McReynolds illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke Colorful illustrations and rhyming text describe the eight-day mission to the moon of “Apollo 11” in 1969.
Lexile 830
Lexile 280 AD
by Brenda Z. Guiberson illustrated by Ed Young
Lexile 760 AD
Over and under the snow by Kate Messner with art by Christopher Silas Neal During a cross-country ski trip through the winter woods, adventurers can discover all sorts of animals living under the snow. Lexile 700 AD
Queen of the Falls
When Marian sang: the true recital of Marian Anderson the voice of a century / libretto by Pam Munoz Ryan staging by Brian Selznick An introduction to the life of Marian Anderson, extraordinary singer and civil rights activist, who was the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, whose life and career encouraged social change. Lexile 780
by Chris Van Allsburg Recounts the stunt performed by sixty-two-year-old retired charm school instructor Annie Edson Taylor, who went over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel in an effort to gain fame and fortune. Lexile 1060 AD
such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackie Robinson, and George Washington, and shares how children embody them.
Of thee I sing: a letter to my daughters by Barack Obama illustrated by Loren Long In a letter to his daughters, Barack Obama reflects on the traits of thirteen groundbreaking Americans,
Moon bear
An illustrated storybook that follows the daily routine of Southeast Asia’s endangered moon bears, describing how this particular species is threatened with extinction. Lexile 780 AD
The fabulous flying machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont by Victoria Griffith illustrations by Eva Montanari Discusses the achievements of Alberto SantosDumont, a Brazilian man who designed, built, and flew a personal flying machine, becoming the first pilot to lift off and land a completely self-propelled plane. Lexile 730
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Early Years (KG2-Grade 2) continued
While you are sleeping: a lift-the-flap book of time around the world by Durga Bernhard Readers must lift the flaps to compare the same moment of time in countries around the world. Includes a map and information about time zones.
How the dinosaur got to the museum
Noah Webster & his words
by Jessie Hartland
by Jeri Chase Ferris illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch
Describes how the bones of a diplodocus ended up in the Smithsonian Institution, from their discovery in Utah in 1923 to their assembly. Lexile 1280 AD
Lexile 240
An illustrated account of the life of Noah Webster, a Connecticut farm boy who spent twenty years writing what became the first American dictionary ever to be published. Lexile 820
Star of the sea: a day in the life of a starfish by Janet Halfmann illustrated by Joan Paley An ochre sea star hunts for shellfish along the rocky shore one morning, and when she takes too long, the tide flows back to the sea without her, making her an easy target for predators. Lexile 800 AD
Dolphin baby! by Nicola Davies illustrated by Brita Granstrom Lyrical text, illustrations, and facts describe the life of a baby dolphin, from being born to learning how to catch food and say its name. Lexile 860
Zero the hero by Joan Holub illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld Zero believes that he is a hero, but the counting numbers think he is worthless until they get into trouble with some Roman numerals, and only Zero can help. Lexile 450
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Swirl by swirl: spirals in nature
Whoever you are
An egg is quiet
by Joyce Sidman illustrated by Beth Krommes
by Mem Fox illustrated by Leslie Staub
by Diana Aston illustrated by Sylvia Long
An illustrated exploration of various examples of spirals appearing in nature, looking at snail shells, flower petals, elephant tusks, crashing waves, and more.
Despite the differences between people around the world, there are similarities that join us together, such as joy, pain, and love.
Describes many different kinds of eggs and how they support the lives growing inside of them.
Lexile 330
Step gently out
Lexile 670
Lexile 280 AD
Tarra & Bella: the elephant and dog who became best friends
How I learned geography by Uri Shulevitz
Examines nature through lyrical text and close-up photography.
Recounts the true story of Tarra, an elephant who befriended a stray dog named Bella at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.
As he spends hours studying his father’s world map, a young boy escapes the hunger and misery of refugee life. Based on the author’s childhood in Kazakhstan, where he lived as a Polish refugee during World War II.
Reading level 2.4
Lexile 990 AD
Lexile 660 AD
poem by Helen Frost photographs by Rick Lieder
text and photography by Carol Buckley
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Younger Readers (Grades 3-5)
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The mighty Mars rovers: the incredible adventures of Spirit and Opportunity by Elizabeth Rusch The story of the two robot vehicles, Spirit and Opportunity, that were sent to explore Mars, lasting far past their projected lives of three months and sending back invaluable images of the environmentally hostile planet.
Beatrice’s dream: a story of Kibera slum
The beetle book
by Karen Lynn Williams
by Steve Jenkins
Beatrice, a thirteen-year-old orphan, describes her life in the Kibera, Nairobi, one of the biggest slums in Africa, and tells how she is able to put her fears aside while she is at school.
An illustrated introduction to a variety of beetle species with information on unique characteristics and how these insects have adapted to survive.
Lexile 950
The red piano Miss Moore thought otherwise - how Anne Carroll Moore created libraries for children by Jan Pinborough illustrated by Debby Atwell Once upon a time, American children couldn’t borrow library books. Reading wasn’t all that important for children, many thought. Luckily Miss Anne Carroll Moore thought otherwise! This is the true story of how Miss Moore created the first children’s room at the New York Public Library, a bright, warm room filled with artwork, window seats, and most important of all, borrowing privileges to the world’s best children’s books in many different languages.
Reading level 6.4
Reading level 4.9
by Andre Leblanc illustrated by Barroux English translation, Justine Werner A young girl, sent to Zhangjake Camp 46-19 on China’s border with Inner Mongolia during Chairman Mao’s cultural revolution, manages to sneak off to the home of Mother Han where she practices the piano in secret until being discovered by the guards.
Celebritrees: historic & famous trees of the world by Margi Preus illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon Profiles fourteen trees from around the world that are significant in history or legend, such as the Bodhi Tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment and the Boab Prison Tree which was used to hold Aboriginal prisoners. Lexile 1020
Lexile 720
Lexile 770
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Younger Readers (Grades 3-5) continued
Look up!: Henrietta Leavitt, pioneering woman astronomer by Robert Burleigh illustrated by Raul Colon An illustrated biography of the pioneering woman astronomer Henrietta Leavitt.
One giant leap by Robert Burleigh paintings by Mike Wimmer An illustrated retelling of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s lunar landing in 1969. Lexile 470
Lexile 600 AD
A full moon is rising: poems
by Susan L. Roth and Karen Leggett Abouraya collages by Susan L. Roth Text and illustrations describe how Egypt’s students, librarians, and demonstrators gathered around the Library of Alexandria in January of 2011 amidst turmoil to protect the building which stood as a representation of freedom.
Night flight: Amelia Earhart crosses the Atlantic
by Marilyn Singer pictures by Julia Cairns
Reading level 4.2
by Robert Burleigh paintings by Wendell Minor
A collection of illustrated poems about events and beliefs involving the full moon.
Monsieur Marceau
An account of Amelia Earhart’s dangerous 1932 flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to Ireland, in which she survived bad weather and a malfunctioning airplane. Includes a brief biography of the aviator. Lexile 500
Reading level 3.1
Rosa’s bus by Jo S. Kittinger illustrated by Steven Walker Follows the history of the bus Rosa Parks was riding on when she refused to give up her seat to a white man from the streets of Montgomery, Alabama, to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Lexile 840
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Hands around the library: protecting Egypt’s treasured books
by Leda Schubert illustrated by Gerard DuBois An illustrated biography of the famous French mime, Marcel Marceau. Lexile 740
Crocodile’s tears
Nasty bugs: poems
by Alex Beard
selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins illustrated by Will Terry
Introduces readers to endangered animals with an illustrated story that follows Black Rhino and Tickbird as they consult with other animals about why their friend Crocodile is crying.
Contains sixteen children’s poems involving bugs, and includes facts about the featured creatures.
of New Zealand, and looks at how the country’s National Kakapo Recovery Team is working to save the kakapos, whose population numbers less than one hundred. Lexile 950
Lexile 870
Reading level 2.2
Sea clocks: the story of longitude The great divide by Suzanne Slade illustrated by Erin E. Hunter Uses groups of animals to introduce children to division. Lexile 640
Water sings blue ocean poems by Kate Coombs illustrated by Meilo So A collection of poems about the sea, accompanied by watercolors by artist Meilo So. Reading level 4.3
by Louise Borden illustrated by Erik Blegvad Presents an illustrated account of eighteenthcentury Englishman John Harrison’s forty-year quest to create a perfectly accurate sea clock that would allow sailors to measure longitude.
North: the amazing story of Arctic migration by Nick Dowson illustrated by Patrick Benson Celebrates the migration of millions of animals to the Arctic tundra. Lexile 920
Lexile 910
Kakapo rescue: saving the world’s strangest parrot text by Sy Montgomery photographs by Nic Bishop Provides an introduction to the kakapo parrot, a flightless bird found on Codfish Island off the coast
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Older Readers (Grades 6-8)
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Courage has no color: the true story of the Triple Nickles: America’s first black paratroopers by Tanya Lee Stone Tells the story of America’s first black paratroopers during World War II.
Titanic: voices from the disaster
Drawing from memory
by Deborah Hopkinson
by Allen Say
Draws on stories from survivors and archival photographs to describe the history of the “Titanic” from its launch to its sinking.
Caldecott medalist, Allen Say, chronicles his experiences as an artist during World War II, and describes his relationship with his mentor Noro Shinpei, Japan’s leading cartoonist.
Lexile 1040
Lexile 560
Reading level 7.0
The price of freedom: how one town stood up to slavery by Judith Bloom Fradin Documents the efforts of an Ohio community to secure the freedom of escaped slave John Price, examining various aspects of Price’s escape from Kentucky, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and the heroic showdown. Lexile 940
Electric Ben: the amazing life and times of Benjamin Franklin
Beyond courage: the untold story of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport Provides detailed accounts of twenty-one acts of defiance committed against Nazis in Nazi-occupied countries during World War II. Lexile 1030
Temple Grandin: how the girl who loved cows embraced autism and changed the world by Sy Montgomery
An illustrated biography of Founding Father and inventor Benjamin Franklin.
Examines the life and accomplishments of Temple Grandin, whose childhood diagnosis of autism and love of cows led her to revolutionize the livestock industry.
Reading level 8.0
Lexile 960
by Robert Byrd
This child, every child: a book about the world’s children by David J. Smith illustrated by Shelagh Looks at how children live in countries around the world, discusses whether their basic needs for clean air and water, adequate food, health care, and education are being met, and shares stories of individual children. Lexile 1020
A black hole is not a hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano illustrated by Michael Carroll An examination of black holes that discusses what they are, what causes them, how they are discovered, and more. Lexile 900
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Older Readers (Grades 6-8) continued
Alicia Alonso: prima ballerina
The adventures of Mark Twain
by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand illustrated by Raul Colon
by Huckleberry Finn with considerable help from Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Barry Blitt
An illustrated overview of the life of Cuban prima ballerina Alicia Alonso, who was afflicted with an eye defect which caused her to be partially blind; presented in verse. Lexile 590
Lexile 750
Titanic sinks!
The mighty Mars rovers: the incredible adventures of Spirit and Opportunity
by Barry Denenberg Retells the events surrounding the sinking of the RMS “Titanic,” describing the ship’s construction and launch, and featuring authentic photographs and illustrations from the period. Reading level 8.6
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An illustrated biography of American author Mark Twain, presented from the perspective of the Twain’s famous literary character Huckleberry Finn.
by Elizabeth Rusch
Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: the story behind an American friendship by Russell Freedman Looks at the lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, including their friendship and their affect on Emancipation and the Civil War. Lexile 1110
Blizzard of glass: the Halifax explosion of 1917 by Sally M. Walker
The story of the two robot vehicles, Spirit and Opportunity, that were sent to explore Mars, lasting far past their projected lives of three months and sending back invaluable images of the environmentally hostile planet.
Provides an account of the disaster that occurred on December 6, 1917, when two ships carrying munitions and relief supplies to Europe collided, causing an explosion that leveled the towns of Halifax and Dartmouth and resulted in the deaths of nearly two thousand people.
Lexile 950
Lexile 1100
Project seahorse by Pamela S. Turner photographs by Scott Tuason
Last airlift: a Vietnamese orphan’s rescue from war
Facing the lion: growing up Maasai on the African savanna
by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton with Herman Viola
Photographs and text show how conservationists and community members worked together to restore the damaged coral reef in the town of Handumon in the Philippines, and protect the reef’s resident seahorses.
Tells Tuyet’s story of when she was an orphan in Vietnam during the war and when Saigon was taken over orphans were airlifted and brought to Canada, and recounts her first few days with her new family.
Lexile 1010
Lexile 680
The impossible rescue: the true story of an amazing Arctic adventure
The voice that challenged a nation: Marian Anderson and the struggle for equal rights
by Martin W. Sandler
by Russell Freedman
Presents the true story of three men sent by President McKinley in 1897 to drive two herds of reindeer across parts of Alaska to feed stranded whalers whose ships were trapped in ice.
Tells the life story of singer Marian Anderson, describing her famous 1939 Lincoln Memorial performance and explaining how she helped end segregation in the American arts after being refused the right to perform at Washington’s Constitution Hall because of the color of her skin.
Lexile 1270
A member of the Masai people describes his life as he grew up in a northern Kenya village, traveled to America to attend college, and became an elementary school teacher in Virginia. Lexile 720
Lexile 1180
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Mature Readers (Grades 9-10)
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Moonbird: a year on the wind with the great survivor B95 by Phillip M. Hoose
Hitler Youth: growing up in Hitler’s shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Beyond bullets: a photo journal of Afghanistan by Rafal Gerszak with Dawn Hunter
Chronicles a year in the life of rufa red knot B95, also called Moonbird, following him through his migration pattern and discussing the environmental problems that caused the rufa population to collapse by nearly eighty percent.
A photo-illustrated look at the youth organizations Adolf Hitler founded and used to meet his sociopolitical and military ends; includes profiles of individual Hitler Youth members as well as young people who opposed the Nazis, such as Hans and Sophie Scholl.
Lexile 1150
Lexile 1050
Reading level 7.1
Bomb: the race to build and steal the world’s most dangerous weapon
Witches!: the absolutely true tale of disaster in Salem
Five thousand years of slavery
by Steve Sheinkin
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Examines the history of the atomic bomb, discussing the discovery of the behavior of uranium when placed next to radioactive material, the race to build a bomb, and the impact of the weapon on societies around the world.
An illustrated history of the witch hunts that took place in colonial-era Salem, Massachusetts, featuring primary source accounts, and describing the victims, accused witches, corrupt officials, and impact of the events on society.
Lexile 920
Lexile 1190
Forensic identification: putting a name and face on death by Elizabeth A. Murray Describes the techniques and technologies used in forensic sciences to identify bodies. Lexile 1240
Requiem: poems of the Terezin ghetto by Paul B. Janeczko Collects poems in which Paul B. Janeczko describes the experiences of prisoners of the Czechoslovakian concentration camp Terezin; and includes illustrations by inmates. Reading level 4.8
Shares journal entries and photographs that document everyday life in Afghanistan, taken by Rafal Gerszak while he was embedded with the American military in Afghanistan, and later when he returned to the country on his own.
by Marjorie Gann and Janet Willen Chronicles the history of slavery around the world over the course of five thousand years, and includes personal accounts, photographs, maps, and suggestions for further reading. Lexile 1150
Faces from the past: forgotten people of North America by James M. Deem Describes the discovery of bodies in North America from fifteen to twenty thousand years ago, and discusses the evidence their remains reveal about themselves and the civilizations in which they lived. Lexile 1190
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Mature Readers (Grades 9-10) continued
The warrior’s heart: becoming a man of compassion and courage
His name was Raoul Wallenberg: courage, rescue, and mystery during World War II
The race to save the Lord God Bird
by Eric Greitens
by Louise Borden
Eric Greitens shares his life journey from being an average kid to working to make a difference in the world’s trouble spots and joining the Navy SEALS to protect the weak, and encourages readers to reflect on the power of choice and acts of courage.
Chronicles the life of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swede, who at the end of World War II was able to save thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazi concentration camps.
Tells the story of the ivory-billed woodpecker’s extinction in the United States, describing the encounters between this species and humans, and discussing what these encounters have taught us about preserving endangered creatures.
Lexile 1080
Lexile 1160
Outcasts united: the story of a refugee soccer team that changed a town
Sugar changed the world: a story of magic, spice, slavery, freedom, and science
by Warren St. John
by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos
American-educated Jordanian Luma Mufleh founds a youth soccer team comprised of children from Liberia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkan states, and elsewhere in the refugee settlement town of Clarkston, Georgia, bringing the children together to discover their common bonds as they adjust to life in a new homeland.
Songs, oral histories, maps, and more than eighty archival illustrations help trace the history of sugar and the sugar trade.
by Phillip Hoose
Reading level 6.3
Frozen planet: a world beyond imagination by Alastair Fothergill and Vanessa Berlowitz foreword by David Attenborough Documents the behavior of the unique animals that make the poles their home, with color photographs of vast frozen landscapes, the remote interior of the Antarctic continent, the migration of the whales to the polar regions, the heart of the glaciers, and inside volcanic ice-crystal caves.
Lexile 980
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Lexile 1130
They called themselves the K.K.K.: the birth of an American terrorist group
Elephant talk: the surprising science of elephant communication
Chew on this: everything you don’t want to know about fast food
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
by Ann Downer
by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson
Documents the history and origin of the Ku Klux Klan from its beginning in Pulaski, Tennessee, and provides personal accounts, congressional documents, diaries, and more.
Photographs and text examine the nonverbal communication of elephants, covering both Asian and African elephants, and discussing threats to the survival of elephants.
A look at fast food, what’s in it, how it’s made, and what it does to our bodies.
Lexile 1180
Lexile 1220
First they killed my father: a daughter of Cambodia remembers
Iceberg, right ahead!: the tragedy of the Titanic
by Loung Ung
by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
Loung Ung, one of seven children of a high-ranking government official in Phnom Penh, tells of her experiences after her family was forced to flee from Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge army, discussing her training as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, and telling of how her surviving siblings were eventually reunited.
Explores the lasting legacy of the “Titanic” tragedy, discussing how the sinking of the ship led to new regulations and the formation of an ice patrol that later became the U.S. Coast Guard, earned the “New York Times” a lasting reputation for news, caused a Senate inquiry, destroyed the lives of several survivors, and fascinated people around the world for a century.
Lexile 920
Lexile 1110
Lexile 1070
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Stamford American International School 279 Upper Serangoon Road Singapore 347691 www.sais.edu.sg