Summer Reading List 2013
Incoming Grade 6
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
Your teachers have selected high interest books at all levels for summer reading options.
The following list, organized from least challenging to most challenging books, features middle
school favorites from recognizable authors. You may make additional optional reading
selections from these recommended texts, but you are required to read only one
book from this list by the time you return to school in September.
This is the reading work your teachers would like you to complete and bring with you in September:
1.
Please record three, one-page entries in your reader’s notebook as you read the book of your
choice. You may begin a fresh reader’s notebook for these entries, and then use the notebook
for the rest of next school year – bring the notebook with you to school in September! Your
first entry should be written after you read two or three chapters of our book, the second
entry when you come to the middle of the book, and your third entry when you finish the book.
Entries should reflect work you have done and strategies you have learned in your IRLA
classes. You may choose one of the prompts OR questions listed below to push your thinking
about your reading:
You can begin your notebook entries with these three prompts Notebook entry #1: “This is giving me the idea that…”
Notebook entry #2 : “I used to think…but now I’m realizing…”
Notebook entry #3 : “In the beginning…then later...finally…”
OR
You can do your three notebook entries by writing in response to three of these questions –
“What is really important about this story?”
“What does this text say about the world?”
“What does this text say about life?”
“What is the point of this text for me?”
“What is the story underneath the story?”
“What does the author want me to think about when I am reading this story?”
“Does it matter if people read this story? Why should or shouldn’t they?”
2. You do not need to write an essay or any other assignments during the summer – just your
notebook entries.
3. In September, with your reader’s notebook in hand, you will form small groups with your
classmates and discuss the book you have read. A whole class share-out will follow.
4. After you have the chance to discuss the book you have read, you will be asked to write an ondemand piece - in class - about that book.
Incoming sixth graders are required to read at least one book from this list by September:
1) Avi. The Secret School. In 1925, a fourteen-year-old secretly takes over the school when the
teacher leaves unexpectedly.
2) Riordan, Rick. The Percy Jackson Series. Throughout the series, Percy embarks on several
quests to save his friends and, ultimately, the gods of Mount Olympus.
3) Riordan, Rick and Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman. The
39 Clues. A series of adventure books, combining reading, online gaming, and card
collection.
4) Avi. The Man Who Was Poe. In 1848, Edgar A. Poe reluctantly investigates the mysterious
problems of eleven-year old Edmund, whose family has mysteriously disappeared.
5) Blackwood, Gary. The Shakespeare Stealer. A historical fiction novel that takes place in
Elizabethan England.
6) Creech, Sharon. Replay. In this humorous, character-driven novel, Leo thinks about how
people change as they grow up.
7) DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux. This tale of mice and men explores the “powerful,
wonderful, and ridiculous” nature of love, hope, and forgiveness.
8) Van Draanen, Wendelin. Flipped. Two teenagers describe how their feelings about
themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years.
9) Creech, Sharon. The Wanderer. A beautifully written and imaginatively constructed novel
that speaks to the power of survival and the delicacy of grief.
10) Montgomery, Lucy Maud. Anne of Green Gables. Eleven-year-old Anne earns the love of
her foster parents on a Prince Edward farm.
11) London, Jack: The Call of the Wild. The story of a sled dog that roams the Alaskan
wilderness.
12) Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker. When fourteen-year-old Alex learns of the death of
his uncle in a deadly car crash, he becomes suspicious and decides to investigate
Summer Reading List 2013
Incoming Grade 7
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
Your teachers have selected high interest books at all levels for summer reading options.
The following list, organized from least challenging to most challenging books, features middle
school favorites from recognizable authors. You may make additional optional reading
selections from these recommended texts, but you are required to read only one
book from this list by the time you return to school in September.
This is the reading work your teachers would like you to complete and bring with you in September:
1.
Please record three, one-page entries in your reader’s notebook as you read the book of your
choice. You may begin a fresh reader’s notebook for these entries, and then use the notebook
for the rest of next school year – bring the notebook with you to school in September! Your
first entry should be written after you read two or three chapters of our book, the second
entry when you come to the middle of the book, and your third entry when you finish the book.
Entries should reflect work you have done and strategies you have learned in your IRLA
classes. You may choose one of the prompts OR questions listed below to push your thinking
about your reading:
You can begin your notebook entries with these three prompts Notebook entry #1: “This is giving me the idea that…”
Notebook entry #2 : “I used to think…but now I’m realizing…”
Notebook entry #3 : “In the beginning…then later...finally…”
OR
You can do your three notebook entries by writing in response to three of these questions –
“What is really important about this story?”
“What does this text say about the world?”
“What does this text say about life?”
“What is the point of this text for me?”
“What is the story underneath the story?”
“What does the author want me to think about when I am reading this story?”
“Does it matter if people read this story? Why should or shouldn’t they?”
2. You do not need to write an essay or any other assignments during the summer – just your
notebook entries.
3. In September, with your reader’s notebook in hand, you will form small groups with your
classmates and discuss the book you have read. A whole class share-out will follow.
4. After you have the chance to discuss the book you have read, you will be asked to write an ondemand piece - in class - about that book.
Incoming seventh graders are required to read at least one book from this list by September:
1) Balliett, Blue. Chasing Vermeer. A suspenseful, exciting art mystery.
2) Du Prau, Jeanne. The City of Ember. A fantasy tale depicting characters with a strong sense of
bravery and ingenuity. “Is there something beyond the endless darkness?” Sequel The People of
Sparks.
3) Konigsburg, E. L. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place. This tale of twelve-year-old Margaret
combines a strong sense of individuality and interconnectedness.
4) Creech, Sharon. Heartbeat. A novel in poetic form tells the story of a young girl who discovers the
rhythms of life and the many changes life has to offer.
5) Ferris, Jean. Once Upon a Marigold. A combination of comedy, fantasy, romance, and comingof-age story creates a novel with strong, compelling characters and a multi-layered plot.
6) Lupica, Mike. Travel Team. An inspirational basketball tale with drama and suspense.
7) Yolen, Jane. Sword of the Rightful King. Magic and trickery abound to re-imagine the days of
King Arthur’s Court.
8) Jacques, Brian. Redwall. Book one in the series. Animals represent humans in a story of medieval
warfare to defend good against evil.
9) Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Betrayed. Thirteen-year-old Nina is imprisoned by the
Population Police, who give her the option of turning in other “third children.” Also Among the
Imposters, Among the Barons.
10) Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. An innkeeper’s son discovers a treasure map that leads
to a pirate’s buried fortune.
Summer Reading List 2013
Incoming Grade 8
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
Your teachers have selected high interest books at all levels for summer reading options.
The following list, organized from least challenging to most challenging books, features middle
school favorites from recognizable authors. You may make additional optional reading
selections from these recommended texts, but you are required to read only one
book from this list by the time you return to school in September.
This is the reading work your teachers would like you to complete and bring with you in September:
1.
Please record three, one-page entries in your reader’s notebook as you read the book of your
choice. You may begin a fresh reader’s notebook for these entries, and then use the notebook
for the rest of next school year – bring the notebook with you to school in September! Your
first entry should be written after you read two or three chapters of our book, the second
entry when you come to the middle of the book, and your third entry when you finish the book.
Entries should reflect work you have done and strategies you have learned in your IRLA
classes. You may choose one of the prompts OR questions listed below to push your thinking
about your reading:
You can begin your notebook entries with these three prompts Notebook entry #1: “This is giving me the idea that…”
Notebook entry #2 : “I used to think…but now I’m realizing…”
Notebook entry #3 : “In the beginning…then later...finally…”
OR
You can do your three notebook entries by writing in response to three of these questions –
“What is really important about this story?”
“What does this text say about the world?”
“What does this text say about life?”
“What is the point of this text for me?”
“What is the story underneath the story?”
“What does the author want me to think about when I am reading this story?”
“Does it matter if people read this story? Why should or shouldn’t they?”
2. You do not need to write an essay or any other assignments during the summer – just your
notebook entries.
3. In September, with your reader’s notebook in hand, you will form small groups with your
classmates and discuss the book you have read. A whole class share-out will follow.
4. After you have the chance to discuss the book you have read, you will be asked to write an ondemand piece - in class - about that book.
Incoming eighth graders are required to read at least one book from this list by September:
1) Christie, Agatha. And Then There Were None. Ten strangers mysteriously meet on an Indian
Island.
2) Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen. When a boy wakes up and finds he is invisible, his family
and a blind friend try to reverse his condition.
3) Farmer, Nancy. The House of the Scorpion. Futuristic tale in which a young clone struggles for
acceptance in his tumultuous, sheltered world.
4) Lubar, David. Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie. An engaging and humorous perspective of life as a
freshman in high school.
5) Wells, H. G. The Time Machine. Classic science fiction about time travel.
6) Lupica, Mike. Million Dollar Throw. Eighth-grade quarterback Nate Brodie will win a million
dollars - if he can throw a pass through a target at an upcoming NFL game.
7) Dashnew, James. The Maze Runner. Thomas wakes up to find himself in an elevator
which brings him to the top where he is greeted by a group of boys who pull him out into
their surroundings.
8) Riordan, Rick. Red Pyramid. The adventures of modern day fourteen-year-old Carter Kane
and his twelve-year-old sister Sadie Kane, as they discover that they are descended from
the ancient Egyptian pharaohs.
Relevant books - variety, related to themes studied in class,