Good Hope Country Day School Summer Reading 2015

GOOD HOPE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL SUMMER READING 2015 Third Grade

All Students must have a copy of Where on Earth to be used as a resource throughout third grade. They should also read three additional books from list that follows. The Magic Tree House set counts as one book. Third grade will begin with discussions and activities based on these summer reading books. Enjoy!! A wonderful source for more books is the American Library Association’s Annual List of Notable books: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb.

Where on Earth? Where on Earth? brings an instant understanding to a wealth of subjects, stimulating interest in the world around us and drawing young readers into the topic. From physical geography, habitats of big cats, the Seven Wonders of the World, Olympic cities, shipwreck sites, and more, every map contains fact panels that provide additional information and useful statistics, while focus features pull out and explain the most interesting facets for an even richer experience.

The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1, Tony DiTerlizzi The first book in a beautifully produced series of five, The Field Guide sets up the story of the Grace children--13- year-old Mallory and 9-year-old twins Jared and Simon--who with their mother move into the dilapidated Spiderwick Estate only to quickly find themselves sucked into a dark and fascinating world of faeries.

Magic Tree House #51: High Time for Heroes and Magic Tree House Fact Tracker Heroes for All Times A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #51: High Time for Heroes, Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce. If kids get hooked on Magic Tree House, they're hooked on reading! This is one series that kids, teachers, librarians, and parents all agree on. It’s a perfect blend of magic, adventure, history, science, danger and cuteness. Jack and Annie must find another secret of greatness for Merlin the magician. Their mission takes them time-travelling to the Nile River in the mid -1800’s. They are looking for an unusual hero in history. A strange turn of events, a baby baboon and a few acts of heroism unravel the mystery. When Jack and Annie return from the adventure in Magic Tree House #51: High Time for Heroes they ask a lot of very interesting questions! Jack and Annie track down amazing facts about six of the greatest heroes of all time who changed history by being brave and never giving up.

These Magic Tree House Fact Finders and their companion books

will coincide with themes throughout the year.

Kenny and the Dragon, Tony DiTerlizzi

Kenny is a little rabbit with a very big problem. His two best friends are heading into a battle of legendary proportions-with each other! In one corner there’s Graeme, a well-read and cultured dragon with sophisticated tastes. In the other there’s George, a retired knight and dragon slayer who would be content to spend the rest of his days in his bookshop. Neither really wants to fight, but the village townsfolk are set on removing Graeme from their midst and calling George out of retirement. Can Kenny avert disaster?

Clementine, Sara Pennypacker

In this the first book of the series, Clementine tries to help out her friend Margaret, but ends up in a lot of trouble for it. Things get worse each day of the week, until finally she's worried that Margaret is right: Clementine's parents might consider her "the hard one" in the family. They're up to something mysterious...are they thinking they'd be better off if they only had her little vegetable-named brother..."the easy one"?

Tales from the Odyssey, Mary Pope Osborne

Part One - In this beginning saga the reader encounter giants, cannibals, witches, and marvelous wonders plus one brave Odysseus. Odysseus finds himself far from home, tossed and blown on a tempestuous sea and cursed by an angry one-eyed giant. He desperately wants to return home but this journey will be the ultimate test of strength and courage.

Part Two – It has been twenty years of fighting monsters, angering the gods and goddesses, and surviving against all odds. There is still one more strange land to explore before Odysseus can return home. Upon his return home he will still have new dangerous enemies to face.

Wings of Fire, The Dragonet Prophecy, Tui T. Sutherland

This is the first book in a thrilling new dragon saga. Clay and his four friends, dragonets, have grown up under a mountain. They have been raised to fulfill a mysterious prophecy – to end the war that has been raging between the tribes of Pyrrhia. None of the dragonets understands how they will accomplish this. When one of the dragonets is threatened the others decide to escape. Could they possibly do the impossible - break free and end the war at the same time? This series has dramatic battle scenes, double-crosses and one seriously deranged queen.

The Year of the Dog, by Grace Lin In this delightful story readers meet Grace and her family. Her parents came from Taiwan, so that makes Grace Taiwanese-American. She even has two names. At school she is Grace while at home she in Pacy. This year is the Chinese Year of the Dog. It symbolizes friends, family and finding out about oneself. Grace is determined to find new talents this year and hopefully decide what she wants to be when she grows up. A new girl joins to her class, Melody who is also Taiwanese-American. They quickly become fast friends. The girls learn through their culture they have many things in common. Both girls eat Taiwanese foods, Melody’s family indulgences in healthier meals while Grace’s family eats traditional candy with a side of M&M’s. The girls involve themselves in many school activities. As The Year of the Dog is quickly coming to a close, Grace is no closer to learning what she wants to be when she grows up. But she does know what she doesn’t want to be. Can she find some answers before it is too late?