MPCS MIDDLE SCHOOL SUMMER READING

In order to promote an authentic love of reading and to encourage students to develop a life-long habit of literacy, students will read a minimum of two books from a grade-level list. Students should choose books that interest them and be prepared to do a project on their books when they return to school in August.

These selections have been made based on content, reading level, and genre variety. Choices have been screened through www.commonsensemedia.com when available; however your family is encouraged to do additional research on a book’s content to determine appropriateness and fit for your child. As our students continue to grow and mature through middle school, they will likely be introduced to some mature content and are encouraged to have healthy, Biblically-based conversations with parents, teachers, and school leaders. Lexile Levels have been included to aid in choosing a reading-level appropriate novel. For more information on Lexile Levels, use this LINK. Note: Lexile Level “NP” indicates books that are non-prose. These books can be more challenging because of their unique structure.

Students in Advanced classes should consider books marked with an *asterisk before the title in each list.

Rising Sixth Grade Summer Reading: Choose at least two books from the list below that you have not read previously.

Sixth Grade Student Choice Reading Selections

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Calling All Minds; How to Think *The Whiz Mob and the This Side of Wild: Mutts, Weeks and Create Like an Inventor by Grenadine Kid by Colin Mares, and Laughing Lexile Level: 780 Temple Grandin Meloy Dinosaurs by Gary Paulsen Lexile Level: 1060L Lexile Level: 840L Lexile Level: 1150L

Rebound by Kwame *Amal Unbound by Aisha *Roll of Thunder, Hear My Heaven is for Real by Todd Alexander Saeed Cry by Mildred D. Taylor Burpo and Lynn Vincent Lexile Level: 780L Lexile Level: 600L Lexile Level: 920L Lexile Level: Not available

*The Ethan I Was Before by nine, ten by Nora Raleigh City of Ember by Jeanne The Magician’s Nephew by Ali Standish Baskin Duprau C.S. Lewis Lexile Level: 730L Lexile Level: 730L Lexile Level: 680L Lexile Level: 790L

Shoe Dog (Young Reader’s Gregor the Overlander, book 1 The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth *Stella by Starlight by Sharon Edition) by Phil Knight by Suzanne Collins George Spear M. Draper Lexile Level: 830L Lexile Level: 690L Lexile Level: 760L Lexile Level: 740L

Making Bombs for Hitler by Anne of Green Gables by L.N. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Merci Suarez Changes Gears Marsha Skrypuch Montgomery Vanderpool by Meg Medina Lexile Level: 760L Lexile Level: 990L Lexile Level: 800L Lexile Level: 700L

Tim Tebow: Shaken by Tim The Worst Class Trip Ever by City of Orphans by AVI *Bud, Not Buddy by Tebow Dave Berry Lexile Level: 570L Christopher Paul Curtis Lexile Level: 740L Lexile Level: 770L Lexile Level: 950L

My Side of the Mountain by *Invisible Men: Life in Baseball’s *Shipwreck at the Bottom of the King of the Mound: My Jean Craighead George Negro League by Donn Rogosin World by Jennifer Armstrong Summer with Satchel Paige by Lexile Level: 810L Lexile Level: NP Lexile Level: 1090L Wes Tooke Lexile Level: 900L

Soul Surfer by Bethany Paper Wishes by Lois Mockingbird by Kathryn Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Hamilton Sepahaban Erskine Anderson Lexile Level: 960L Lexile Level: 550L Lexile Level: 630L Lexile Level: 580L

Salt by Helen Frost *Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan Hoot by Carl Hiaasen City of Orphans by AVI Lexile Level: NP Lexile Level: 680L Lexile Level: 760L Lexile Level: 570L Rising Seventh Grade Summer Reading: Seventh-grade students are required to read a minimum of two books over the summer. Students will read one book of their choice from the Historical Fiction Reading Selections and a second book of their choice from the Student Choice Reading Selections lists below. Choose books from the lists that you have not previously read.

Seventh Grade Historical Fiction Reading Selections (Choose at least one from this list)

Woods Runner by Gary The True Confessions of Making Bombs for Hitler Calico Girl By Jerdine Paulsen Charlotte Doyle by AVI by Marsha Skrypuch Nolen Lexile Level: 870L Lexile Level: 740L Lexile Level: 760L Lexile Level: 720L

Esperanza Rising by Pam The Shakespeare Stealer by White Bird by R.J. Palacio The Length of a String by Munoz Ryan Gary L. Blackwood Lexile Level: Graphic Elissa Brent Weissman Lexile Level:750L Lexile Level: 840L Novel 440L Lexile Level: 730L

Refugee by Alan Gratz Rescue by Jennifer Nielsen Wolf Hollow by Lauren Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Lexile Level: 800L Lexile Level: 740L Wolk Eugene Yelchin Lexile Level: 800L Lexile Level: 670L

Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz *Inside Out and Back The Invisible Thread by *The Journey of Little Lexile Level: 780L Again by Thanhha Lai Charlie by Christopher Paul Lexile Level: 800L Lexile Level: 1060L Curtis Lexile Level: 930L

Walk Two Moons by The Book Thief by Markus *Out of the Dust by Karen *Johnny Tremain by Esther Sharon Creech Zusak Hesse Forbes Lexile Level: 770L Lexile Level: 730L Lexile Level: NP Lexile Level: 840L

Seventh Grade Student Choice Reading Selections (Choose at least one from this list)

Counting by 7’s by Holly Shouting at the Rain by *Far North by Will Hobbs A Drop of Hope by Keith Goldberg Sloan Lynda Mullaly Hunt Lexile Level: 820L Calabrese Lexile Level: 770L Lexile Level: 560L Lexile Level: 810L

Short by Holly Goldberg Gifted Hands by Ben As Easy as Falling Off the *Brown Girl Dreaming by Sloan Carson Face of the Earth by Lynne Jacqueline Woodson Lexile Level: 810L Lexile Level: 950L Rae Perkins Lexile Level: 990L Lexile Level: 730L

The Elephant Whisperer The Red Bandana (Young *The Voyage of the Dawn Misty Copeland: Life in (Young Readers Reader’s Edition) by Tom Treader by C. S. Lewis Motion (Young Reader’s Adaptation) by Lawrence Rinaldi Lexile Level: 970L Edition) by Misty Copeland Anthony Lexile Level: 980L Lexile Level: 890L Lexile Level: 840L

*Treasure Island by Robert *And Then There Were John Lincoln Clem: Civil Chasing Space (Young Louis Stevenson None by Agatha Christie War Drummer Boy by E.F. Reader’s Edition) by Lexile Level: 1070L Lexile Level: 570L Abbott Leland Melvin Lexile Level: 680L Lexile Level: 1020L Rising Eighth Grade Required Reading:

Eighth-grade students are required to read a minimum of two books over the summer from the list below. Students should choose one book that has an historical connection, which is denoted in BOLD. Choose books from the list that you have not previously read.

Eighth Grade Student Choice Reading Selections: Non-Fiction, Fiction, and Historical Fiction Choose at least one that is denoted as Historical (in bold) and choose another from the list.

Irena’s Children (Young *The Hobbit by J.R.R. *The Lord of the Flies by Choosing Courage by Reader’s Edition) by Tilar Tolkien William Golding Peter Collier Mazzeo Lexile Level: 1000L Lexile Level: 770L Lexile Level: 1150L Lexile Level: 1000L

*Chasing King’s Killer by The Invisible Thread by March Books 1, 2 & 3 by by Cynthia James L. Swanson Yoshiko Uchida John Lewis Kadohata Lexile Level: 1010L Lexile Level: 1060L Lexile Level: 760L-850L Lexile Level: 750L

Unbroken (Young *Boys in the Boat (Young *Little Women (Unabridged I am Malala (Young Reader’s Edition) by Reader’s Edition) by Classic) by Louisa May Reader’s Edition) by Laura Hillenbrand Daniel James Brown Alcott Malala Yousafzai Lexile Level: 850L Lexile Level: 1000L Lexile Level: 1090L Lexile Level:830L

The Making of a Navy Seal Bread and Roses, too by The Shakespeare Stealer Ashes by Laurie Halse by Brandon Webb Katherine Patterson by Gary L. Blackwood Anderson Lexile Level: 1020L Lexile Level: 810L Lexile Level: 840L Lexile Level: 820L

The Devil’s Arithmetic by *Out of the Dust by The Last Cherry Blossom Far North by Will Hobbs Jane Yolen Karen Hesse by Kathleen Birkenshaw Lexile Level: 820L Lexile Level: 730L Lexile Level: NP Lexile Level: 750L

Flags of Our Fathers *Farewell to by *Corrie ten Boom: The Faithful Spy: (Young Reader’s Edition) Jeanne Wakatsuki Keeper of the Angel’s Den Dietrich Bonhoeffer and by James Bradley Houston by Janet and Geoff Benge the Plot to Kill Hitler by Lexile Level: 950L Lexile Level:1040L Lexile Level: NP John Hendrix Lexile Level: 980L

Outrun the Moon by Echo Mountain by Lauren Pay Attention Carter Jones Threads and Flames by Stacey Lee Wolk by Gary Schmidt Esther Friesner Lexile Level: 780L Lexile Level: 690L Lexile Level: 840L Lexile Level: 840L

*Bound by Ice by Rich Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Fly Girls (Young Reader’s Watership Down by Wallace Defoe Edition) by Keith O’Brien Richard Adams Lexile Level: 1050L Lexile Level: 1270L Lexile Level: 910L Lexile Level: 880L

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Lexile Level: 970L