Summer Reading
Adventure
Everett Public Schools
2017
Read to Cure the “Summer
Slide”
Studies show that the effect of reading four to five
books over the summer is enough to stop a
decline in reading achievement from spring to fall.
In a nutshell, if you don’t use it, you lose it. When
school starts in the fall, students who don’t read
over the summer “slide” backwards.
What should you do to be a
part of the program?
Read one book from your grade level list.
Select any of the activities listed in the brochure for each book
that you read:
• Three quotes representing the main character
• Draw an object symbolizing the theme
• Write a poem illustrating a conflict
• Create a comic strip
• Paragraph to parallel author’s experiences
• AR Test
Can I Read Other Books?
Of course! After you finish the required book,
read as many books as you can, and read any
book that interests you. You can complete other
activities to earn other incentives. Or just read for
fun!
We Beat the Street: How a Friendship Pact led to
Success by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Sharon M. Draper, Rameck Hunt
 Growing up on the rough streets of Newark, New
Jersey, Rameck, George, and Sampson could
easily have followed their childhood friends into
drug dealing, gangs, and prison. But when a
presentation at their school made the three boys
aware of the opportunities available to them in
the medical and dental professions, they made a
pact among themselves that they would become
doctors. It took a lot of determination—and a lot
of support from one another—but despite all the
hardships along the way, the three succeeded.
Retold with the help of an award-winning author,
this younger adaptation of the adult hit novel The
Pact is a hard-hitting, powerful, and inspirational
book that will speak to young readers
everywhere.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYn16nTQ5uI
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
 Jessica thinks her life is over when she
loses a leg in a car accident. She's not
comforted by the news that she'll be able
to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg.
Who cares about walking when you live to
run? As she struggles to cope with
crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic,
Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and
invisible. People, who don't know what to
say, act like she's not there. Which she
could handle better if she weren't now
keenly aware that she'd done the same
thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa.
A girl who is going to tutor her through the
math she's missed, a girl who sees right
into the heart of her. With the support of
family, friends, a coach, and her track
teammates, Jessica may actually be able to
run again. But that's not enough for her
now. She doesn't just want to cross finish
lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with
her.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uIA
W8G3LCU
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart
 In all the ways that matter, Mark is a
normal kid. He's got a dog named
Beau and a best friend, Jessie. He likes
to take photos and write haiku poems
in his notebook. He dreams of
climbing a mountain one day. But in
one important way, Mark is not like
other kids at all. Mark is sick, the kind
of sick that means hospitals, and
treatments. The kind of sick some
people never get better from. So Mark
runs away. He leaves home with his
camera, his notebook, his dog, and a
plan to reach the top of Mount
Rainier--even if it's the last thing he
ever does.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
dnyU1jiXQV8
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
 Humans and androids crowd the
raucous streets of New Beijing. A
deadly plague ravages the population.
From space, a ruthless lunar people
watch, waiting to make their move.
No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges
on one girl. Cinder, a gifted mechanic,
is a cyborg. She’s a second-class
citizen with a mysterious past, reviled
by her stepmother and blamed for her
stepsister’s illness. But when her life
becomes intertwined with the
handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly
finds herself at the center of an
intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden
attraction. Caught between duty and
freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she
must uncover secrets about her past
in order to protect her world’s future.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
pXrMAFGWyuE
Bystander by James Preller
 Eric is the new kid in seventh grade.
Griffin wants to be his friend. When
you’re new in town, it’s hard to know
who to hang out with—and who to
avoid. Griffin seems cool, confident,
and popular, but something isn't right
about Griffin. He always seems to be
in the middle of bad things, and if
Griffin doesn't like you, you'd better
watch your back. There might be a
target on it. As Eric gets drawn deeper
into Griffin’s dark world, he begins to
see the truth about Griffin. He’s a liar,
a bully, and a thief. Eric wants to break
away, do the right thing, but in one
shocking moment, he goes from being
a bystander to the bully’s next victim.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
0Vis3I_hXsY
Schooled by Gordon Korman
 Homeschooled by his hippie
grandmother, Capricorn (Cap)
Anderson has never watched
television, tasted a pizza, or even
heard of a wedgie. When his
grandmother lands in the
hospital, Cap is forced to move
in with a school counselor and
attend the local middle school.
While Cap knows a lot about tiedyeing and Zen Buddhism, no
education could prepare him for
the politics of public school.
The Boys in the Boat (young readers edition) by
Daniel James Brown
 Berlin, 1936. The Olympic finals of the
eight-oared rowing race. Germany,
Italy, USA. The American boat touches
the finish line first, beating all odds
and sending Hitler away in a silent
rage. In the midst of the Great
Depression, the nine rowers showed
the world what true grit really meant.
They were western, working-class
boys who never expected to beat the
elite teams of the East Coast and
Great Britain, yet they did. At the
center of the tale is Joe Rantz, whose
personal struggle—and ultimate
triumph—captures the spirit of his
generation, the one that would prove
in the coming years that the Nazis
could not prevail over American
determination and optimism.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n
58w0BctOvs
Where do I find books?
 The Gateway Library will be
closed due to construction this
year.
 Check out a summer reading
book at our Gateway Library
during the last week of school.
Take good care of it and return it
in the fall.
 Visit the UW Bookstore.
 Visit the Mill Creek Library.
When Should I Read and Complete
Activities?
• You should be reading in the summer—between the time
school gets out and starts again!
• Be aware that your activities need to be ready to be turned
in the first week of school.
• AR tests are only available July 1-August 31
Where can I go online?
 Visit the Gateway Library page for
updates and book ideas. Check
out the blog page and links to
great programs!
Visit the Gateway Middle School Facebook
page
 Like the page and look for
updates. Share what you are
reading. Be creative and show
book covers in vacation spots.
 Think about privacy, permission,
appropriateness.