Madison County School District SEVENTH GRADE Summer Reading List May 2012

Choose one of the following books (near your Lexile Level) to read by the time school begins in August.

 The Hobbit by J. R. Tolkien Lexile 1000 “If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler.” So Tolkien begins The Hobbit, the great epic adventure which precedes the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

 Heat by Mike Puica Lexile 940 Michael, an unusually talented 12-year-old pitcher on his Little League team, has a lot going on at home that only his best friend Manny and the kindly lady upstairs in his apartment building, Mrs. C., know about. Born in Cuba, Michael lost his mother to cancer when he was very young. His father brought Michael and his brother Carlos to America with the hope of seeing Michael pitch in the Little League World Series. Now his father is dead too, and he and Carlos are trying to keep it a secret until Carlos, just months shy of his 18th birthday, can legally assume custody of Michael. But Children's Services are getting suspicious, and a rival coach and player have accused Michael of being older than he claims, causing him to be suspended until he can find proof. Something needs to go right -- and soon.

• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor Lexile 920 The Logan family tried hard to keep their four hundred acres of land. Papa Logan must work half the year on the railroad far away to pay for it. Meanwhile, Mr. Granger, whose family owned the land during slavery times, wants to buy it back and constantly threatens to take it from them. The family endures many racial injustices. The Logans value their land and are determined not to lose it. They learn of the high price they must pay to fight injustice and to hold on not only to the land but the independence it represents.

• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Lexile 850 When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, send for a boy orphan to help them out at the farm, they are in no way prepared for the error that will change their lives. The mistake takes the shape of Anne Shirley, a redheaded 11-year-old girl who can talk anyone under the table. Fortunately, her sunny nature and quirky imagination quickly win over her reluctant foster parents.

 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Lexile 790 This novel tells the much-beloved story of the four March girls, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, as they grow to adulthood in 19th-century New England. Money is tight, and what they do have the family shares with their even poorer neighbors. But the girls are resourceful, and they can never be really poor when they have each other. The girls all experience social triumphs and disasters as they try to find their place in the world.

 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech Lexile 770 This is a story about journeys, family love, and commitment. Salamanca Hiddle and her Gram and Gramps are on a cross-country trip to Idaho to see Sal’s mother. As they travel, Sal tells her grandparents about her friend Phoebe Winterbottom, whose mother mysteriously left the family, just as strange messages began appearing anonymously on the Winterbottoms’ porch. At the same time, Sal thinks about her own past with her parents, including her mother’s mysterious reasons for leaving her husband and daughter to take a bus to Idaho. These two stories unfold simultaneously as Sal continues the journey westward with her colorful, storytelling grandparents.

 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin Lexile 750 Sixteen individuals who are mysteriously chosen to live in the Sunset Towers apartment building on the shore of Lake Michigan come together to hear the will of the self-made millionaire, Samuel W. Westing. The will takes the form of a puzzle, dividing the sixteen heirs into eight pairs, giving each pair a different set of clues, and challenging them to solve the mystery of who killed Sam Westing. As an incentive, each heir is given $10,000 to play the game. Whoever solves the mystery will inherit Sam Westing's 200 million dollar fortune.

 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle Lexile 740 Meg's father, an eminent physicist, has been missing for two years. One night a strange old woman, Mrs. Whatsit, appears, "blown off course" while she, along with Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, was tessering, or taking a shorcut through time and space. They take Meg, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their new friend Calvin, to rescue Dr. Murray, who is a prisoner on a planet ruled by IT, a giant pulsating brain that controls the minds of everyone on the planet. Charles Wallace also falls under IT's control, and when Meg finds her father, she discovers that he is not the invincible protector she thought he was. She must not only come to terms with this realization, but find a way to rescue them both.

• Money Hungry by Sharon G. Flake Lexile 650 Thirteen-year-old Raspherry Hill will do just about anything legal to get her hand son money. Memories of being homeless haunt her. But even money can’t answer the questions that keep Raspberry awake at night. Will she and her mother every move out of the projects? What did her friend Ja’nae do with the $200 Raspberry loaned her?

 The Amanda Project: Invisible i by Amanda Valentino Lexile Not Recorded

Callie Leary has exactly one thing, and one thing only, in common with Nia Rivera and Hal Bennett: They were each chosen by Amanda to be her guide. When Amanda arrived at Endeavor High, she told Callie she moves around a lot and always picks one person to help her navigate the choppy waters of a new school. Why did Amanda lie?Following a course that they suspect Amanda deliberately plotted, Callie, Nia, and Hal piece together some cryptic clues. But they find more questions that answers and quickly realize that before they can figure out what happened to Amanda—the girl who changed their lives—they'll need to solve the most important mystery of all: WHO IS AMANDA VALENTINO?