St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School
Summer Reading List for Rising 5th graders: 3 Books minimum.
***Required Reading: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli……….AR book level 4.7***
Choose 2 books from the following: (The following list is only a suggestion. Other books at or above the 4.0 AR
Book level are permitted)
Gorillas of Gill Park by Amy Gordon………….AR 4.7
Go Big or Go Home by Will Hobbs………………..AR Book level 4.7
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall…..AR Book level 4.7 and up (depending on the book in the series)
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls……….AR 4.9
The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis………AR Book level 5.0
Bud, not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis……..AR Book level 5.0
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare………………..AR Book level 5.0
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George………………..AR Book level 5.2
The Sixty Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone…….AR Book level 5.2
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan…………AR Book Level 5.3
Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper……….AR 5.4
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper………..AR 5.4
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell……..AR 5.4
Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Stewart AR Book Level 5.6
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis………………..AR Book level 5.7
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George………………… AR Book level 5.8
Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen………………..AR Book level 5.9
Dolphin’s Song by Lauren St. John……………..AR Book Level 6.6
The Last Leopard, or The Elephant’s Tale by Lauren St. John…..AR 6.1, 10 points
The following website will help keep you engaged in the books you are reading:
http://bookadventure.com
***Use www.arbookfinder.com to find out about book levels and quiz availability of other titles you may want
to read over summer.***
Rising 5th Graders Novel Choice Board
Complete one activity of your choice for Maniac Magee and one other activity for one of
the other books from the choices below that will be turned in at the beginning of the
2015-16 school year. You will also be expected to take an AR test on the three books
you read for the summer. An average of this will be taken as your first Reading test grade.
Collage
Create a collage using pictures.
Put the main character’s name
in the middle of the poster.
Find and/or draw pictures that
represent the person and/or
events in the book. Please have
at least five pictures. Write a
sentence under each entry
explaining how the picture
relates to the story.
Design a Book Jacket
Create a new cover for the
front of the book. Include a
scene or scenes from the book
that are significant to the story.
Be sure to put your name as
the illustrator of the new cover.
Include the original title of the
book on your cover.
Conflict Resolution
Identify at least 5 different
conflicts in the story. Write
who is involved in the conflict,
and describe how each conflict
is resolved. Then give your
advice to the characters
involved in how not to have
this type of problem again.
Letter to Character
Write a letter to your favorite
character in the book. Tell
him/her what you like about
him/her, ask questions about
events in the book, and make a
self-to-text connection with
the character.
Change the Ending
Write a different ending to the
story.
1) Write a paragraph telling
how the book really
ended.
2) Write a new ending to
the story in at least one paragraph.
Timeline
Book Review
Create a timeline about the life
of the main character. It
should depict events
throughout the story. Please
include at least ten events.
Write a book review about the
novel. In your review, state and
explain your point of view about
the quality of the novel and provide
specific details about why you
would or would not recommend
this novel to
other students your age.
Draw Favorite Scene
Five Words
Draw your very favorite scene
in the book. Write a brief
description, of at least five
sentences, about the scene and
tell why you liked it so much!
Identify and connect at least five
words from the novel.
Explain why you think the author
chose these words when writing?
Why did you choose these words?
Similes
Write examples of at least five
similes found in the book.
Illustrate or write a description
for each.
Meaningful Quotes
Vivid Descriptions
Choose five quotes from the
story that you think hold a lot
of meaning. Write the quotes
and explain why you think
they are so meaningful.
Pick three parts of the book that
were especially graphic in your
mind and explain “why?” What
mental picture did you get as you
read? Draw the vivid image or write
a description using vivid language.
SUMMER READING LOG
Due date: August 13, 2015 (first day of school)
Name……………………………………………………………..Grade…………………
Title of book
Author
Parent Signature
1. ________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________________
6. ________________________________________________________________
7. ________________________________________________________________
8. ________________________________________________________________
9. ________________________________________________________________
10.________________________________________________________________
Note: Reading logs and assignments will be collected by homeroom teachers. Students
who read more than 10 books including books from the given list will be recognized by
the media center.