Summer Reading Suggestions for Rising 7 Graders, the Mellon
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
th Summer Reading Suggestions for Rising 7 Graders, The Mellon Library, 2012 RECENTLY PUBLISHED Atkinson, E. J. I, Emma Freke. (2010) Growing up near Boston with her free-spirited mother and old-world grandfather, Emma has always felt out of place but when she attends the family reunion her father's family holds annually in Wisconsin, she is in for some surprises. Erskine, Kathryn. The Absolute Value of Mike. (2011) Mike, whose father is a brilliant mathematician but who has no math aptitude himself, spends the summer in rural Pennsylvania with his elderly and eccentric relatives Moo and Poppy, helping the townspeople raise money to adopt a Romanian orphan. Galante, Cecilia. The Summer of May. (2011) An angry May, and her hated English teacher, spend a summer school class together, learning surprising things about each other. Grimes, Nikki. Planet Middle School. (2011) A series of poems describes all the baffling changes at home and at school in Joylin's transition from tomboy basketball player to not-quite-girly girl. Hartnett, Sonya. The Midnight Zoo. (2010) Andrej, his younger brother Tomas, and their baby sister Wilma flee their Romany encampment when it is attacked by Germans during World War II, and in an abandoned town they find a zoo where the animals tell their stories, helping the children understand what has become of their lives and what it means to be free. House, Silas. Same Sun Here. (2011) An Indian immigrant in New York City and a Kentucky coal miner's son become pen pals, and eventually best friends, through a series of revealing letters exploring such topics as environmental activism, immigration, and racism. Kessler, Liz. A Year Without Autumn. (2011) On her way to visit her best friend, Autumn, Jenni suddenly finds she's been transported exactly one year forward in time. Tragedy has struck and her friendship with Autumn will never be the same again. But what caused the tragedy? Lewis, Gill. Sky Hawk. (2011) There is a secret hidden in the forest above the dark waters of the Scottish loch. Callum and Iona share the secret, form a deep bond of friendship and make a promise to keep their secret safe. It is a promise that will change Callum's world forever . Paulsen, Gary. Liar, Liar : the Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Deception. (2011) Fourteen-year-old Kevin is very good at lying and doing so makes life easier, but when he finds himself in big trouble with his friends, family, and teachers, he must find a way to end his lies forever. Senzai, N. H. Shooting Kabul. (2010) Escaping from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the summer of 2001, Fadi and his family immigrate to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Fadi schemes to return to the Pakistani refugee camp where his little sister was accidentally left behind. Sheth, Kashmira. Boys Without Names. (2010) Gopal and his family leave their rural Indian village to live with his uncle in Mumbai, but when they arrive his father goes missing and Gopal ends up locked in a sweatshop from which there is no escape. Shreve, Susan Richards. The Lovely Shoes. (2011) Franny, embarrassed by a birth defect that causes her right foot to curl in, and by her beautiful, flamboyant mother, Margaret, has a life-changing experience when Margaret announces she is taking Franny to Italy to have Salvatore Ferragamo sculpt her a special pair of shoes. OLD FAVORITES Bond, Nancy. A String in the Harp (1976) Relates what happens to three American children, unwillingly transplanted to Wales for one year, when one of them finds an ancient harp-tuning key that takes him back to the time of the great sixth-century bard Taliesin. Cooney, Caroline B. Face on the Milk Carton. (1990) *also a series A photograph of a missing girl on a milk carton leads Janie on a search for her real identity. Cushman, Karen. The Midwife’s Apprentice. (1995) In a small village in medieval England, a young homeless girl acquires a home and a new career when she becomes the apprentice to a sharp-tempered midwife. Fox, Paula. The Slave Dancer: A Novel. (1973) Kidnapped by the crew of an Africa-bound ship, a thirteen-year-old boy discovers to his horror that he is on a slaver and his job is to play music for the exercise periods of the human cargo. Gray, Elizabeth Jane. Adam of the Road. (1962) The adventures of eleven-year-old Adam as he travels the open roads of thirteenth-century England searching for his missing father, a minstrel, and his stolen red spaniel, Nick. Mikaelsen, Ben. Petey. (1998) In 1922 Petey, who has cerebral palsy, is misdiagnosed as an "idiot" and institutionalized; sixty years later, still in the institution, he befriends a boy and shares with him the joy of life. O’Brien, Robert. Z for Zachariah. (1975) Seemingly the only person left alive after a nuclear war, a sixteen-year-old girl is relieved to see a man arrive into her valley until she realizes that he is a tyrant and she must somehow escape. Peck, Richard. A Long Way from Chicago. (1998) A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister during the Great Depression to visit their larger-than-life grandmother. Philbrick, Rodman. Freak the Mighty. (Blue Sky Press, 1993) At the beginning of eighth grade, learning-disabled Max and his new friend, Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his brilliant mind, find that when they combine forces, they make a powerful team. Spinelli, Jerry. Space Station Seventh Grade. (1982) Seventh-grader Jason narrates the events of his year, from school, hair, and pimples, to mothers, little brothers, and a girl. Whelan, Gloria. Homeless Bird. (2000) Thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage and must either suffer a destiny dictated by India's customs or find the courage to oppose tradition. Zindel, Paul. The Pigman. (1968) Two high school sophomores from unhappy homes form a close friendship with a lonely old man who has a terrible secret. CLASSICS Bradbury, Ray. Something Wicked This Way Comes. (1962) Two boys, best friends in a small midwestern town, finally come to understand that of all the terrors threatening them from Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show the greatest menace exists within themselves. Burnett, Frances Hodgson. Little Lord Fauntleroy. (1886) An American boy goes to live with his grandfather in England where he becomes heir to a title and a fortune. Cooper, James Fenimore. The Last of the Mohicans. (1826) During the fierce French and Indian wars, an adroit scout named Hawkeye and his companion Chingachgook weave through the spectacular and dangerous wilderness of upstate New York, fighting to save the beautiful Munro sisters from the Huron renegade Magua. Dodge, Mary Mapes. The Silver Skates or Hans Brinker. (1865) A Dutch brother and sister work toward two goals--finding the doctor who can restore their father's memory and winning the competition for the silver skates. Doyle, Arthur Conan. Hound of the Baskervilles. (1902) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes mystery, "The Hound of the Baskervilles," about a legendary monster that haunts the moor. Gipson, Fred. Old Yeller. (1956) Set in the rugged landscape of early frontier Texas, a tale of love and hardship emerges as fourteen-year-old Travis is faced with taking over his family's farm and making a painful, important decision. Keller, Helen. Story of My Life. (1903) Presents a chronology of the life and works of Helen Keller where she describes the challenges of being both deaf and blind and the many obstacles she had to overcome London, Jack. White Fang. (1906) The adventures in the northern wilderness of a dog who is part wolf and how he comes to make his peace with man. Mitchell, Margaret. Gone with the Wind. (May 1936) After the Civil War sweeps away the luxurious life to which she has been accustomed, Scarlett O'Hara sets about salvaging her plantation home. Steinbeck, John. The Red Pony. (1933) This is the tragic story of Jody, a young farm boy, and his red pony. As he meets disaster with brave acceptance, his knowledge of life matures. Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. (1886) A London lawyer investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll and the misanthropic Edward Hyde. Verne, Jules. Journey to the Center of the Earth. (1864) After discovering a strange parchment in Iceland, Professor Harry and his guide, Hans, embark on a treacherous journey complete with a cave man and prehistoric monsters. SERIES Avi. Crispin: the Cross of Lead. (Series: Crispin) Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger- than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret. Beil, Michael D. The Ring of Rocamadour. (Series: Red Blazer Girls) Catholic-schooled seventh-graders Sophie, Margaret, Rebecca, and Leigh Ann help an elderly neighbor solve a puzzle her father left for her estranged daughter twenty years ago. Cassidy, Cathy. Cherry Crush. (Series: Chocolate Box Girls) Cherry and her dad are moving to Somerset where a new mum and a bunch of brand-new sisters await. On Cherry's first day she meets Shay Fletcher but Shay already has a girlfriend, Cherry's new stepsister, Honey- a sure sign of trouble! Cooper, Susan. Dark is Rising. (Series: Dark is Rising Sequence) On his eleventh birthday Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical Signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark.