NNPS 2014 Summer Reading for Middle School English We encourage our students to take some summer leisure time to read for fun. Students entering 6th, 7th, or 8th grade should read at least one book that they will discuss in September. Because students will write in the fall about what they have read, we encourage them to keep a log of their reading. The back page of this list includes some questions students will consider in their assignments. This list includes books from the Virginia Readers’ Choice program, sponsored by the Virginia Reading Association, and books recognized by our faculty and other teachers as meaningful reading choices for students of middle school age. See descriptions of the Virginia Readers’ Choice books at http://www.vsra.org/VRCindex.html. Middle school students may read books of their choice, including titles not listed here, magazines, or newspapers. Copies of these books are available in the schools, at public libraries, and at local bookstores.
Nonfiction Dreams from My Father Chew on This: Everything you Don’t Want to Know about Fast Food When the Wall Came Down: The Berlin Wall and the Fall of Communism Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow Before Hollywood: From Shadow Play to the Silver Screen Invisible Allies: Microbes That Shape Our Lives Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in America The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream
Barack Obama Eric Schlosser Charles Wilson Serge Schmemann Susan Campbell Bartoletti Paul Clee Jeanette Farrell America Deborah Hopkinson Davis, Jenkins & Hunt
Crittenden Middle School Summer Reading Project 2014 Crittenden students, entering the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades will read at least one book over the summer, before the start of the 2014-15 school year. Each student is responsible for completing any three activities from the following choices. Projects should be middle school presentation quality! Resources/examples are hyperlinked in the text, and printed on the back of this form. This assignment will be due during the first week of school! Scene It! Pick a pivotal scene from the novel to dramatize. Record the scene using digital technology. Props, musical instruments, prerecorded music, and costumes may be used. Performances should be no longer than five minutes.
Dear Diary! Pretend to be one of the main characters from your novel and write a diary entry from their point of view. Explain how this character is thinking/feeling about a pivotal event, major decision, etc. Reflect on what is happening as well as how the character may be changed. Can be completed digitally.
Book Trailer! Prepare a video trailer for your chosen novel. The trailer should be 2-4 minutes long, and a positive presentation of the subject. The trailer must contain original footage, or copyright free media.
ABC Book! For each letter of the alphabet, match up something from the story that begins with that letter, the letters “UVW” and “XYZ” are grouped together. You may use the characters’ names, setting elements, events in the story, etc. After matching each letter with a word dealing with the story, write a brief sentence about that word to explain how it relates to the story. This may be written / typed or completed digitally.
Author Inquiry! Write a letter to the author of your chosen novel. Explain what you liked and disliked, ask any questions that you have about the story/characters, explain what you would have changed if you were the author, and mention at least one thing that you will always remember about this novel and why. (Should be written in letter format!) Put the letter in an envelope and decorate it so it represents the novel
Poetry Corner! Write a poem or song lyrics that connect to your novel. You can focus on the plot (what happened), characters, or personal connections that you have with this novel. You may also write a Found Poem.
Artist Alley! Create a cartoon / story board / picture book (minimum of 6 panels) that is based on your novel. It may focus on a pivotal series of events or summarize the entire novel in chronological order. This activity may be hand drawn, or created digitally. Other digital resources can be found here, here, and here.
Alternate Timeline! Create an alternate timeline…change a major event/decision in the novel and explain how this change would have affected the characters and the plot. Would this have been a better direction for the novel to take? Why/Why not? This activity can be written, completed on a graphic organizer (here or here), or digitally.
Information Cube! Make an information cube (here or here-use the “create your own” option) about your book with the following on the 6 different sides of the cube: title/author, characters, setting(s), favorite part, theme (what lesson or truth is revealed in this novel), and an illustration of the novel’s resolution/ending.
(Please direct any questions to Scott.Weisiger@nn.k12.va.us) Check out the CMS homepage, throughout the summer, for more info, links, and
This is a suggested summer reading list for middle school students and is not intended for elementary students. Some titles, however, will also be of interest to high school students. The recommended titles reflect the quality and complexity of the types of material middle school students should be reading both at school and outside of class. This list contains contemporary titles to create a more comprehensive list for expanding options for classroom teachers, librarians, students, and parents. Crittenden Middle School teachers believe that students should develop a love of reading and a responsibility to read in order to become lifelong learners. ALL students are encouraged to read at least two books over the summer months. The purpose of this list is to provide suggestions for literature with a wide appeal to middle school students. While this list is not intended to replace existing reading lists, classroom teachers, reading teachers, library information specialists, parents, and others should use this list to encourage their young people to read a wider variety of current literature.
Criteria used in the selection of books for this suggested reading list were: -
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Copyright date must be within five years from the current calendar date; Each title must have at least three favorable reviews from recognized review sources; Each title must be currently available in print; and The list must include the current year winners of the Virginia Readers’ Choice Award.
Since reading is the single most important factor attributed to school success, we hope that students will use the list as a starting point and choose other selections. This list will be updated annually to meet the selection criteria as outlined above. For more information about this middle school suggested reading list, please contact CMS librarian, Ms.Carnesi or CMS reading specialist Mr.Weisiger.
50+ Suggested Titles for Middle School Students Alphabetical by Author Author
Title
©Date
1. Abbott, Bud 2. Anderson, T. Neill 3. Applegate, Katherine 4. Armstrong, Kelly 5. Averett, Edward 6. Bauer, Joan 7. Blagden, Scott 8. Blythe, Caroline
Who’s on First - NF City of the Dead – NF (STEM Collection) The One and Only Ivan The Rising Cameron and the Girls Almost Home Dear Life, You Suck Revenge of the Not-So-Pretty Girl (The Marie Holland Collection)
2013 2013 2012 2013 2013 2012 2013 2013
9. Bolden, Tonya 10. Bow, Erin 11. Bragg, Georgia 12. Brown, Skila 13. Carter, Ally 14. Carter, M. Scott 15. Choldenko, Gennifer 16. Cody, Matthew 17. Cook, Trish & Halpin, Brendan 18. Condie, Ally 19. Crutcher, Chris 20. Cummings, Priscilla 21. Curtis, Christopher Paul 22. Dahl, Michael 23. Davies, Anna 24. Draper, Sharon 25. Eddleman, Peggy 26. Engle, Margarita 27. Ewing, Lynne 28. Fitzgerald, Laura Marx 29. Fleming, Candace
Searching for Sarah Rector – NF (The Marie Holland Collection) Sorrow’s Knot How They Croaked Caminar (The Marie Holland Collection) Perfect Scoundrels The Immortal Von B. (STEM Collection) Al Capone Does My Homework Powerless A Really Awesome Mess Reached (Matched #3) Period 8 Blindsided The Mighty Miss Malone Curtains! A High School Musical Mystery (graphic) Followers Panic (The Marie Holland Collection) Sky Jumpers (STEM Collection) The Wild Book The Lure: the Gang was her family…(The Marie Holland Collection) Under the Egg The Great and Only Barnum On the Day I Died Brendan Buckley’s 6th Grade Experiment (STEM Collection) Hidden If I Ever Get Out of Here Deadend in Norvelt Spy School Spy Camp (companion to spy School) In a Glass Grimmly Girls Like Us Eve & Adam (STEM Collection) The Fault in Our Stars Uh-oh, Cleo: I Barfed on Mrs. Kenly The Cydonian Pyramid (Klaatu Series #2) (STEM Collection) Moonbird: a Year in the Wind w/a Great Survivor One for the Murphys A Certain October (The Marie Holland Collection) The Girl from the Tar Paper School – NF (The Marie Holland Collection) Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, The
2014 2014 2011 VRC 2014 2014 2013 2012 2013 2009 2013 2012 2013 2010 2012 2009 2014 2013 2013 2012 2014 2014 2009 2012 VRC 2014 2013 2011 2013 2011 2012 VRC 2014 2013 2012 2014 2012 2012 2010 2013 2012 2012 VRC 2014 2012 2014 2009
30. Frazier, Sundee T. 31. Frost, Helen 32. Gansworth, Eric 33. Gantos, Jack 34. Gibbs, Stuart 35. Gidwitz, Adam 36. Giles, Gail 37. Grant, Michael 38. Green, John 40. Harper, Jessica 41. Hautman, Pete 42. Hoose, Phillip M. 43. Hunt, Lynda Mullaly 44. Johnson, Angela 45. Kanefield, Teri 46. Kelly, Jacqueline
Author
Title
©Date
47. Konigsberg, Bill 48. Korman, Gordon
Openly Straight Pop Ungifted Hattie Ever After Agency, The: A Spy in the House (also available as ebook) The Lions of Little Rock (The Marie Holland Collection) We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March- NF Year of Goodbyes, The Inside Out and Back Again A Snicker of Magic Son (The Giver #4) Big Field, The Camo Girl Every Soul a Star At the Edge The Apprentices (STEM Collection) Discovering Wes Moore (The Marie Holland Collection) The Prince of Venice Beach Cinder (STEM Collection) Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #20 Wonder A Long Walk to Water: a novel I Even Funnier Homeroom Diaries Boy 21 (The Marie Holland Collection) Reggie 12 – GF The Cosmic Bio of SUN RA (The Marie Holland Collection) After Eli Feral Okay for Now Endangered Wonderstruck: a novel in words & pictures Bomb (STEM Collection) Unwholly (Unwind #3) Unsouled The Awesome Almost 100% True Adventures of Matt & Craz Counting by 7s (STEM) When Did You See Her Last Storm Runners The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared - NF Golden Boy (The Marie Holland Collection) Drama Sisters Separate is Never Equal - NF (The Marie Holland Collection) Three Times Lucky Next (The Marie Holland Collection) Countdown One Crazy Summer P.S. be Eleven (sequel to “One Crazy Summer”)
2013 2009 2012 VRC 2014 2013 2010 2012 2012 2010 2011 VRC 2014 2014 2012 2008 2011 2009 2013 2013 2012 2014 2012 VRC 2014 2013 2012 2010 2013 2014 JUL 2012 2013 2014 2012 2014 AUG 26 2012 2012 VRC 2014 2011 2012 VRC 2014 2012 2013 2013 2013 2013 2011 2012 2009 2013 2012 VRC 2014 2014 AUG 26 2014 2012 2014 2010 2010 2013
49. Larson, Kirby 50. Lee, Y. S. 51. Levine, Kristin 52. Levinson, Cynthia 53. Levy, Debbie 54. Lia, Thanna 55. Lloyd, Natalie 56. Lowry, Lois 57. Lupica, Mike 58. Magoon, Kekla 59. Mass, Wendy 60. Mcclintock, Norah 61. Meloy, Maile 62. Moore, Wes 63. Nelson, Blake 64. Meyer, Marissa 65. Palacio, R.J. 66. Park, Linda Sue 67. Patterson, James 68. Quick, Matthew 69. Ralph, Brian 70. Raschka, Chris 71. Rupp, Rebecca 72. Schindler, Holly 73. Schmidt, Gary D. 74. Schrefer, Eliot 75. Selznick, Brian 76. Sheinkin, Steve 77. Shusterman, Neal 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85.
Silverberg, Alan Sloan, Holly Goldberg Snicket, Lemony Smith, Roland Stiefvator, Maggie Stone, Tanya Lee Sullivan, Tara Telgemeier, Raina
86. Tonatiuh, Duncan 87. Turnage, Sheila 88. Waltman, Kevin 89. Wiles, Deborah 90. Williams, Rita Garcia
Enjoy your summer! Email me if you wanna blog about a book you’ve read!
Miss Marie’s 2014 Suggested Summer Reading List