Middle School 2010

Required Reading List for Summer 2010

Sixth Grade

(subject area:  English)

Krumgold, Joseph  Onion John
Exciting, suspenseful, and humorous, Onion John tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy, Andy Rusch, Jr., his father, and his adult friend Onion John.  In exploring the development of Andy's relationship with his father, the novel develops themes of the awakening of self-awareness and of the need to accept persons with very different perceptions and opinions of life. The events in the book are realistic and believable, and the characters’ actions and thoughts will bring the reader directly into the plot, making the conflict come alive as a universal issue facing all youth.

Seventh Grade

(subject area:  English)

Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson doesn't make many friends and has a tough time in school.  Then he learns a surprising truth about his father.  This humorous, suspenseful, and action-packed fantasy adventure has all of the requirements to capture a reader's interest.  The gods of Mount Olympus, the battle between good and evil, and making the right choices are all part of Percy's quest.

Eighth Grade

(subject area:  history)

Rinaldi, Ann. The Coffin Quilt:  The Feud Between the Hatfields and the McCoys
Rinaldi writes from the perspective of the youngest member of the McCoy family in an attempt to uncover the mystery surrounding the most famous feud in American history.  This historically-based novel addresses the issues of the destructive nature of violence, Post-Civil War hatred, and the possible explanations for the beginning and sudden ending of the feud.  (Students need to read the Author's Note on page 219 before reading the book itself.)

Suggested Reading List

The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
Written in a simpler style than Mallory's chronicles of King Arthur or Tennyson's Idylls of the King, this book introduces the legend of King Arthur, the knights of the round table, the search for Holy Grail, and the battle between good and evil as evidenced by the struggle between Merlin and Moran Le Fey. The Arthurian legends serve as foundations of much of the literature in England for the next 1,000 years.

Aaron, H. I Had A Hammer
In more than a book about baseball, Hank Aaron tells about his accomplishments and the excitement of major league play and also writes about his family life and friendships, civil rights, and prejudice. He tells of the difficulties of being among the first African Americans to break the color barrier.

Abbott, E. Flatland
This mathematical satire entertains as it teaches the concept of multiple dimensions of space.

Adams, R. Watership Down
This allegorical novel about a group of rabbits' quest for a new home is full of analogies to human civilizations, including political ideology and power struggles.

Adamson, J. Born Free
For the animal lover, this story tells of the loving relationship between lions and humans.

Alcott, L. Little Women
Four sisters grow up in New England during the Civil War-a classic.

Alexander, L. The Book of Three
This is the first of five books set in the imaginary land of Prydain. The other books in the series are The Black Cauldron, The castle of Llyr, The High King, and Taran Wanderer.

Armstrong, W.H. Sounder
Set in the South in the late nineteenth century, this is the story of a courageous dog and his sharecropper's family.

Avi. Night Journeys
Twelve-year-old Peter York and his Quaker guardian join a search for escaped "bondsmen" who turn out to be mistreated children rather than the criminals they expect. This historical fiction adventure is set in 1767 in Pennsylvania.

Avi. True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Charlotte is the only young lady on a voyage across the Atlantic. She discovers that the captain is murderous and the crew is rebellious.

Bauer, M.D. On My Honor
Two Ten-year-old boys go swimming in a river they have been told to avoid. When tragedy occurs, one boy must understand the nature of his responsibility.

Beatty, P. Charlie Skedaddle
Charlie Quinn learns of selfless courage and honor after running to the Blue Ridge Mountains to escape the realities of the Civil War.

Beatty, P. Jayhawker
Elijah Tulley, 12, is forever committed to abolishing slavery after he meets John Brown.

Beatty, P. Turn Homeward Hanalee
Hanalee is a strong young girl working in Georgia during the Civil War. She and other mill workers are captured and relocated to Indiana.

Bishop, J. The Day Lincoln Was Shot
Hour by hour, the author details the movements of Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865.

Blos, J.W. A Gathering of Days
Thirteen-year-old Catherine Hall keeps a diary of her life on a New Hampshire farm in the 1830's.

Bodanis, D. The Secret Family: Twenty-four Hours Inside the Mysterious
World of Our Minds and Bodies
The unseen world around us and within our bodies is shown in vivid detail as the reader follows a typical family through their day.

Boreland, H. When the Legends Die
Thomas Black Bull is a young Ute forced into the white man's world. He becomes embittered and brutal before he finds his identity through acceptance of his Indian heritage.

Boston, L. The Children of Greene Knowe (series)
Tolly, from the present, and the ghost-children from the past share adventures in a time-free world.

Bradbury, R. Fahrenheit 451
A man in the future learns to love books in an age of censorship and persecution of learning.

Brooks, P.S. Beyond the Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc
This is a challenging, but outstanding, history of the life of Joan of Arc.

Burnette, F.H. The Secret Garden
Mary Lennox is a spoiled orphan sent to live on her guardian's estate in the Yorkshire moors. She finds a secret garden and a special companion.

Burnford, S. Incredible Journey
In order to return to their home, a young Labrador retriever, an old bull terrier, and a Siamese cat journey through the Canadian wilderness.

Burns, M. I Hate Mathematics Book
This book is full of activities that show how we use math.

Byars, B. Summer of the Swans
A teenage girl gains new insight into herself and her family when her mentally handicapped younger brother gets lost.

Cameron, E. Court of the Stone Children
Nina visits the French museum and meets Dominique who has traveled through time from the courts of Napoleon. Together they try to solve a mystery that has lasted two centuries.

Cather, W. The Song of the Lark
Thea Kronborg, a young woman and singer with a passion for life, is eager to escape the conventional life into which she was born. She struggles to redefine herself.

Cisneros, S. The House On Mango Street
Growing up in the Latino section of Chicago, Esperanza (Hope) is determined not to live down to everyone's low expectations for her.

Cleary, B. A Girl from Yamhill: A Memoir
Cleary shares her childhood experiences with the reader and discusses how she became interested in writing.

Coerr. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Sadako is a young girl from Hiroshima who is hospitalized with leukemia, the "atom bomb disease."

Collier. My Brother Sam Is Dead
This is the story of the Meeker family during the Revolution. One son joins the rebel forces while the other family members attempt to stay neutral.

Cooper, S. Dark is Rising series; Over Sea; Greenwitch; The Grey King;
Silver on the Tree; The Dark is Rising
Will Stanton discovers a special fact: he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from the domination of the forces of evil. The series tells of his adventures as he quests for the six magical signs that will aid the Old Ones in the final battle between the Dark and the Light.

Cormier, R. The Chocolate War
A fund-raiser in a boys' prep school leads to violence because the participants are motivated by cruelty, greed, and conformity.

Curtis, C. Bud, Not Buddy
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression, exscapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father.

Curtis, C. The Watsons Go To Birmingham
Kevin Watson, age 10, tells this story of a family's strength and of southern racism. In 1963, the Watson family moves to Alabama, hoping to remove their oldest son from the negative influences of his city life.

Cushman, K. Catherine, Called Birdy
Catherine's diary is filled with historic details of life on a manor in late thirteenth century England. This is a spirited account of adolescence in medieval England.

Cushman, K. The Ballad of Lucy Whipple
Twelve-year-old Lucy Whipple moves from Massachusetts to a California mining town.

Cushman, K. The Midwife's Apprentice
A young, homeless girl is taken in by an unpleasant midwife and uses her circumstances to improve her life.

Dahl, R. Boy
This is an autobiographical account of the author's childhood dramas and traumas.

Dash, J. The Triumph of Discovery: Four Nobel Women
This is a collection of stories about four women who have won the Nobel Prize in science.

DeAngeli, M. The Door in the Wall
Robin, son of Sir John de Bureford, overcomes illness and abandonment to become a hero of the castle of Lindsay.

DeFoe, D. Robinson Crusoe
A young merchant seaman is cast ashore on an uninhabited tropical island, destined to spend twenty-four years in isolated loneliness.

Demi. One Grain of Rice
This book teaches students about the power of exponents with the story of Rani, a clever young woman who uses her skill in mathematical thinking to outwit a self-indulgent raja and secure food for her starving people.

Dickens, C. Great Expectations
An orphan boy named Pip has "great expectations" for his life. A dangerous convict, an odd benefactress, and a beautiful young woman are a few of the characters who help to dash and realize these expectations.

Doyle, A.C. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
These are the tales of the articulate sleuth Mr. Holmes and his loveable and practical assistant, Dr. Watson.

DuBois, W.P. The Twenty-One Balloons
Professor Sherman's tale of life on Krakatoa is based on scientific fact-and absolute nonsense.

DuMaurier, D. Rebecca
In this suspenseful novel, a young woman marries a widower and moves to Manderley, his country home in Cornwall, England. There, she must come to terms with sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, and the haunting presence of his first wife.

Durrell, G. My Family and Other Animals
Set in Corfu between the two World Wars, this is a great book of animals, insects, and the author's crazy family.

Evslin, B. Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths
If you would like to know the many characters and stories of Ancient Greece, read this book for a little while each day during the summer.

Fast, H. April Morning
The story of Lexington and Concord is related by fifteen-year-old Adam Cooper, son of a Massachusetts farmer.

Filipovic, Z. Zlata's Diary
This is the diary of thirteen-year-old Zlata Filipovic who recounts the horror she witnesses as her home, Sarajevo, dissolves into ethnic conflict.

Fleischman, P. Saturnalia
Saturnalia is a festival celebrated by the Romans and here transported by Paul Fleischman to Boston in the Seventeenth century. One day of the year, masters and servants trade places, and everyone watches the fun and chaos.

Forbes, E. Johnny Tremain
Set in Boston in 1775, this is the classic story of a young man who becomes involved in the events leading to the American Revolution.

Fox, P. One Eyed Cat
Ned believes he has shot the eye out of a wildcat and tries to reconcile himself to what he thinks he has done.

Fox, P. The Slave Dancer
A boy is press-ganged aboard a slave ship and finds solace in his music.

Frank, A. Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank was barely thirteen years old when she and her family went into hiding in Amsterdam to escape the Nazis. This is her account of growing up under extraordinary conditions.

Freedman, R. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery
Eleanor Roosevelt's accomplishments are even more impressive when students understand her lack of confidence as a young woman, as well as the restraints that were placed on women of her time.

Freedman, R. Lincoln: A Photobiography
The photographs, cartoons, documents, and posters pictured here draw the reader into this vivid portrayal of Lincoln and clear explanations of significant events in his life.

Fritz, J. The Case of Benedict Arnold; The Great Little Madison; Stonewall; Traitor
These are biographies of men who shaped our country.

Gaines, E. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
This is a fictional account of the life of a Black woman from the end of slavery to the 1900's.

Gipson, F. Old Yeller
Set in the late 1860's, this is the story of a fourteen-year-old Texas boy and his big yellow dog.

Greene, B. Morning Is A Long Time Coming
In this sequel to Summer of My German Soldier, Patty travels to Europe to meet Anton's parents.

Hamilton, E. Mythology
The legends, tales, and myths of Ancient Greece come to life in this collection of famous stories.

Hamilton, V. The House of Dies Drear; The Mystery of Drear House
These historical mystery novels tell the story of a family who inherits the spirit and spirits of an Ohio house that was once a stop on the Underground Railway.

Herriot, J. The Lord God Made Them All; All Creatures Great and Small;
All Things Bright and Beautiful; All Things Wise and Wonderful
A Scottish veterinarian cares for the creatures with whom we inhabit the earth.

Hersey, J. Hiroshima
Six survivors tell their stories of the bombing of Hiroshima and its horrible aftermath.

Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders
This novel tells the tale of the members of a city gang and their relations to each other and to the "outsiders."

Ho, M. The Clay Marble
Twelve-year-old Dara lives in a refugee camp on the border of Cambodia and Thailand and has witnessed the horrors of war.

Hobbs, W. Bearstone
A troubled Indian teen is given a last chance to turn his life around when he is sent to live with an elderly rancher whose caring ways provide the boy with understanding and guidance.

Houston, J.W. Farewell to Manzanar
In this story of loss, adjustment, and renewal, a young girl is taken to a Japanese relocation camp during World War II.

Hunt, I. Across Five Aprils
Jethro, 9, lives in the border state of Illinois during the Civil War and grows up rapidly over the next four years.

Hunt, I. Up a Road Slowly
This story follows Julie Trilling from her mother's death when Julie was a child to her high school graduation.

Isdell, W. A Gebra Named Al
Julie hates algebra-until she meets a gebra named Al.

Juster, N. The Phantom Tollbooth
A boy puts a coin in a mysterious tollbooth and goes on equally mysterious adventures.

Keene, A. Earthkeepers
This is a collective biography of people whose work has increased our knowledge about and concern for the preservation of nature.

Keith, H. Rifles for Waite
Jeff Bussy faces adversity on his 300-mile escape route during the Civil War.

Keller, H. The Story of My Life
An extraordinary woman who is deaf, dumb, and blind becomes one of the great figures of our time.

Keyes, D. Flowers for Algernon
Mentally retarded Charlie tells, in his own words, how experimental brain surgery gives him superior intelligence-and how the experiment begins to fail.

Koch, K. & Farrell, K. Talking to the Sun
This is one of the best anthologies of poetry for middle school students.

Konigsburg, E.L. The View from Saturday
Four students develop a special bond and are chosen to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.

Lansing, A. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctica Expedition
Polar explorer Ernest Shackleton attempts to cross Antarctica in 1914.

L'Engle, M. The Arm of the Starfish; The Young Unicorns, any of the Time Trilogy
These are many positive books with themes of good overcoming evil, acceptance, and the power of love.

Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia)
This series of books chronicles the adventures of several children in the land of Narnia.

London, J. Call of the Wild
Stolen by greedy men from his home and forced to labor in the harsh Arctic wilderness pulling sleds during the Yukon gold rush, a dog quickly learns the law of he land: survival of the fittest.

Lowry, L. The Giver
Set apart by his appointment as "the Giver," twelve-year-old Jonas faces loneliness and a desperate struggle with evil disguised as sameness.

Lowry, L. Number the Stars
A brave, non-Jewish family helps a family of Jews escape to Sweden during World War II.

Macaulay, D. The Way Things Work
From levers and pulleys to x-rays and computers, the author explains how things work.

McCullers, C. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter
The characters in this complex novel include a young girl coming of age in a small southern town, a disillusioned African-American doctor, and a mute man.

McLean, A. Ice Station Zebra
An American nuclear submarine crew attempts to rescue a British meteorological team trapped on a polar ice cap.

McPhee, J. In Suspect Terrain
McPhee describes the geologic features that reveal the history of the Appalachians.

Meltzer, M. The American Revolutionaries: A History in Their Own Words,
1750-1800
Excerpts from letters, journals, diaries, and newspapers give a clear picture of life in America at this time.

Mitchell, M. Gone With the Wind
This epic novel of the South during the Civil War describes the exploits of Scarlett O'Hara and the end of the plantation as a way of life.

Montomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables
Anne, an orphan, is mistakenly sent to live with a middle-aged brother and sister on a farm.

Myers, W.D. Fallen Angels
Written in memory of his brother who died in Vietnam, this novel tells the story of the plight of African-Americans in the Vietnam War.

Norton, M. The Borrowers; The Borrowers Afloat; The Borrowers Avenged; The
Borrowers Aloft
The Borrowers are miniature people who inhabit old houses and live by borrowing. If they are discovered they must move.

O'Brian, R. Mrs. Frisby and Rats of NIMH
Mrs. Frisby, a mouse, seeks help from highly intelligent, trained rats who have escaped from the NIMH. She, in turn, is able to help them evade capture.

O'Dell, S. Island of the Blue Dolphins
A young girl survives alone for 18 years when she is accidentally left on an island.

O'Dell, S. Streams to the River, River to the Sea
This is the story of Sacagawea who served as interpreter to the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Paterson, K. Bridge to Terabithia
A friendship develops between Leslie, and imaginative, headstrong young lady, and Jess, a boy with a good heart.

Paterson, K. Lyddie
A young girl of the mid-nineteenth century, Lyddie Worthen, must earn enough money to reunite her family.

Paulsen, G. Hatchet
Brian, a thirteen-year-old, spends fifty-four days alone in the wilderness and must learn to survive.

Peavy, L. and Smith, U. Dreams into Deeds: Nine Women Who Dared
These are the stories of nine women who made a difference. They are Jane Addams, Marian Anderson, Rachel Carson, Alice Hamilton, Mother Jones, Juliette Gordon Low, Margaret Mead, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Babe Didrikson.

Peck, R.N. A Day No Pigs Would Die
This is the story of a boy growing up on Vermont farm, his relationship with his father, and an important decision.

Petroski, H. Invention By Design: How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing
Using examples from paper clips to monumental bridges, Petroski shows how engineers work.

Petry, A. Harriet Tubman: Conductor of the Underground Railroad
This is a biography of Harriet Tubman.

Raskin, E. The Westing Game
Sixteen heirs of an eccentric millionaire are gathered for a hunt for their inheritance.

Rawlings, M.K. The Yearling
In the harsh life of the Florida backwoods, a young boy finds solace in his attachment to a fawn.

Rawls, W. Summer of the Monkeys
This is a heartwarming story of growing up in the frontier-like wilds of turn-of-the-century Oklahoma.

Reeder, C. Shades of Gray
An orphan, Will is forced to live with his Uncle Jed, a coward who has refused to fight for the Confederacy.

Reiss, J. The Upstairs Room
Johanna Reiss and her sister lived hidden away for more than two years during World War II.

Richter, C. The Light in the Forest
An adolescent boy is caught between two cultures: the white civilization into which he was born, and the Native American tribe which has raised him since the age of four.

Rinaldi, A. Wolf by the Ears
Rinaldi is an excellent writer of historical fiction. This novel is about the daughter of Sally Hemmings who, after her marriage, leaves the sheltered world of Monticello and makes the difficult decision to "pass" as a white woman.

Schaefer, J. Shane
Shane is about a gunman struggling to overcome his past. It is also about friendship, love, work, selflessness, and loyalty.

Scieszka, J. and Smith, L. Math Curse
Math problems show the value of mathematical thinking.

Smith, B. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
This classic coming-of-age novel is about Francie Nolan who grows up in a poor family in Brooklyn.

Snyder, Z. The Egypt Game
Two friends in California find themselves playing a real-life game.

Speare, E. Sign of the Beaver
Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth century Maine, a boy is taught survival skills by local Indians.

Speare E. Witch of Blackbird Pond
Kit Tyler's unconventional upbringing brings her into serious conflict with her Puritan relatives, and she finds herself accused of witchcraft.

Spinelli, J. Maniac Magee
Orphaned and homeless, Jeffrey Magee sees beauty in others, regardless of color or station.

Staples, S.F. Shabanu
Strong-willed, independent Shabanu resists the constraints imposed on her freedom as a Muslim girl growing up in the desert in Pakistan.

Steig, W. Abel's Island
Abel, a mouse, is washed up on a deserted island where he overcomes hardships and survives.

Steinbeck, J. The Pearl
Pearl fishing is a hard and dangerous trade, a lesson that the young diver Kino already knew. Kino also knew that if he was ever to give his wife and child the clothes, food, and house he wanted for them, he must find a big pearl, a truly big pearl.

Steinbeck, J. The Red Pony
This is a story about Jody, his love for a pony, and his feelings toward a remote father and a sympathetic ranch hand.

Steinbeck, J. Travels with Charley
In 1960, at the age of sixty, Steinbeck, with a poodle named Charley, rediscovers his native land by traveling the length and breadth of the United States.

Stevenson, R.L. Kidnapped
The uncle of David Balfour, a young Scottish boy, has him kidnapped and shipped aboard the brig Covenant to prevent him from discovering that the uncle's estate is really his own.

Stowe, H.B. Uncle Tom's Cabin
This novel helped to crystallize northern sentiment on the issue of slavery.

Taylor, M. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Cassie Logan, a young African-American girl lives in the segregated South.

Taylor, T. The Cay
During World War II, a blinded twelve-year-old boy and an old black man are stranded on a small desert island in the Caribbean after a German submarine torpedoes the freighter on which they are passengers.

Tolkein, J.R.R. The Hobbitt; The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The
Return of the King
Follow the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and Frodo, his nephew.

Twain, M. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
A nineteenth century Connecticut Yankee mechanic suffers a blow to the head and wakes up in King Arthur's Britain.

Twain, M. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer is the story of a young, mischievous, courageous boy growing up during this country's period of greatest expansion.

Verne, J. Around the World in Eighty Days
In 1872 Phileas Fogg wins a bet by traveling around the world in seventy-nine days, twenty-three hours, and fifty-seven seconds.

Verne, J. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Captain Nemo, who loves the ocean and hates the world of men, takes amazing voyages around the world in his submarine.

Watson, J. The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of DNA

Wells, H.G. The War of the Worlds
A superior race from Mars invades Earth with plans to make slaves of all human beings.

Wharton, E. The Age of Innocence
This novel portrays New York society in the 1870's.

White, T.H. The Once and Future King
A fantasy on the life of King Arthur, this book is humorous, elegant, and detailed.

Wiesel, E. Night
This fictionalized retelling of the author's struggle to survive during Hitler's reign of persecution is a gripping story of a Jewish boy's bravery and determination.

Yep, L. Dragonwings
At the turn of the century, a young Chinese boy in San Francisco becomes an aviation pioneer.

Yep, L. Mountain Light
Continuing Yep's saga begun in The Serpent's Children, Squeaky Lau, a young man in China around the turn of the century, determines to join the "noble" revolution against the Manchu Dynasty and is disappointed to find only flea-bitten, quarreling looters.

Yolen, J. Briar Rose
Rebecca is disturbed by her grandmother's unique version of the story of Sleeping Beauty and strives to uncover the truth behind this version of the fairy tale.

Yolen, J. Devil's Arithmetic
This is an account of individual suffering and sacrifice resulting from the Holocaust.

Yolen, J. The Gift of Sarah Barker
Abel and Sarah, two Shaker children, learn the rules of their community and their love for each other.

Zindel, P. The Pigman
This novel takes a serious look at relations between young and old as two teenagers befriend an old man and then wreck his home while he is in the hospital.