Brooklyn Prospect 2015 Summer Reading Guide for Rising 7th Graders

Dear Rising 7th Graders, We are looking forward to starting 7th grade with you in September 2015! Below is your Summer Reading Guide. These books have been selected by your librarian and your teachers and include a variety of subjects. We have a limited number of copies of these titles in our school library (so you can check them out for the summer), and they are also available at the Brooklyn Public Library and local bookstores.

You must read INSIDE OUT & BACK AGAIN, by Thanhha Lai. After you have finished reading the book, complete the text assignment. You will need to print out your answers and bring them to school on Monday, September, 14th, and give them to your ELA teacher.

You must read at least two of the other suggested books below (your choice). After you have finished reading these books, complete a project for each book. You can find our list of project options here. You will need to bring your projects to school on Monday, September 14th and give them to your ELA teacher.

Happy Summer & Happy Reading! Ms. Gallager, Librarian & The 7th Grade Team

REQUIRED BOOK: INSIDE OUT & BACK AGAIN By Thanhha Lai F&P W * 800L Inside Out and Back Again is a New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and a winner of the National Book Award. Inspired by the author's childhood experience of fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama, this coming­of­age debut novel told in verse has been celebrated for its touching child's­eye view of family and immigration. Book trailer “The Inside Story: Thanhha Lai”

SUGGESTED FICTION BOOKS: SHOOTING KABUL By N. H. Senzai F&P V * 800L In the summer of 2001, 12­year­old Fadi’s parents make the difficult decision to illegally leave Afghanistan and move the family to the U. S. When their underground transport arrives at the rendezvous point, chaos ensues, and Fadi is left dragging his younger sister Mariam through the crush of people. But Mariam accidentally lets go of his hand and becomes lost in the crowd, just as Fadi is snatched up into the truck. With Taliban soldiers closing in, the truck speeds away, leaving Mariam behind. Adjusting to life in the U. S. isn’t easy for Fadi’s family and as the events of September 11th unfold the prospects of locating Mariam in a war torn Afghanistan seem slim. When a photography competition with a grand prize trip to India is announced, Fadi sees his chance to return to Afghanistan and find his sister. If you like Shooting Kabul, check out the sequel, Saving Kabul Corner! NPR author interview * Author interview

THE FINAL FOUR By Paul Volponi 870L March Madness is in full swing, and there are only four teams let in the NCAA basketball championship. The heavily favored Michigan Spartans and the underdog Troy Trojans meet in the first game in the semi­finals, and it's there that the fates of Malcolm, Roko, Crispin, and M.J. intertwine. As the last moments tick down on the game clock, you'll learn how each player went from being a kid who loves to shoot hoops to a powerful force in one of the most important games of the year. Which team will leave the Superdome victorious? In the end it will come down to who has the most skill, the most drive, and the most heart. Read an excerpt of the book!

THE APOTHECARY By Maile Meloy F&P W * 740L A dose of magic could save the world...Fourteen­year­old Janie Scott is new to London and she's finding it dull, dreary and cold ­ until she meets Benjamin Burrows who dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father, the mysterious apothecary, is kidnapped he entrusts Janie and Benjamin with his sacred book, full of ancient spells and magical potions. Now the two new friends must uncover the book's secrets in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies ­ Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. If you like The Apothecary, check out the sequel, The Apprentices! Book trailer

THE WESTING GAME By Ellen Raskin F&P V * 740L A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game­loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, on things for sure: Sam Westing may be dead…but that won’t stop him from playing one last game! The Westing Game manuscript

A WISH AFTER MIDNIGHT By Zetta Elliott Genna is a fifteen­year­old girl who wants out of her tough Brooklyn neighborhood. But she gets more than she bargained for when a wish gone awry transports her back in time. Facing the perilous realities of Civil War–era Brooklyn, Genna must use all her wits to survive. In the tradition of Octavia Butler’s Kindred and Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, A Wish After Midnight is the affecting and inspiring tale of a fearless young woman’s fight to hold on to her individuality and her humanity in two different worlds. Author’s website

FEVER 1793 By Laurie Halse Anderson F&P Z * 580L During the summer of 1793, Mattie Cook lives above the family coffee shop with her widowed mother and grandfather. Mattie spends her days avoiding chores and making plans to turn the family business into the finest Philadelphia has ever seen. But then the fever breaks out. Disease sweeps the streets, destroying everything in its path and turning Mattie's world upside down. At her feverish mother's insistence, Mattie flees the city with her grandfather. But she soon discovers that the sickness is everywhere, and Mattie must learn quickly how to survive in a city turned frantic with disease.

OUT OF MY MIND By Sharon Draper F&P S * 700L Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom—the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged, because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she’s determined to let everyone know it…somehow. Book trailer

I LIVED ON BUTTERFLY HILL By Marjorie Agosin 770L Celeste Marconi lives peacefully among friends and neighbors and family in the idyllic town of Valparaiso, Chile—until the time comes when even Celeste, with her head in the clouds, can’t deny the political unrest that is sweeping through the country. Warships are spotted in the harbor and schoolmates disappear from class without a word. The country has been taken over by a government that declares artists, protesters, and anyone who helps the needy to be considered “subversive” and dangerous to Chile’s future. So Celeste’s parents—her educated, generous, kind parents—must go into hiding before they, too, “disappear.”

DRAMA By Raina Telgemeier 400L Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she's a terrible singer. Instead she's the set designer for the stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle­school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen, and when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier! Following the success of SMILE, Raina Telgemeier brings us another graphic novel featuring a diverse set of characters that humorously explores friendship, crushes, and all­around drama! Author’s website

RHYME SCHEMER By K. A. Holt Kevin has a bad attitude. He's the one who laughs when you trip and fall. In fact, he may have been the one who tripped you in the first place. He has a real knack for rubbing people the wrong way—and he's even figured out a secret way to do it with poems. But what happens when the tables are turned and he is the one getting picked on? Rhyme Schemer is a touching and hilarious middle­grade novel in verse about one seventh grader's journey from bully­er to bully­ee, as he learns about friendship, family, and the influence that words can have on people's lives. Author’s website

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE By Agatha Christie 570L The world’s best­selling mystery! Ten people, each with something to hide and something to fear, are invited to a lonely mansion on Indian Island by a host who, surprisingly, fails to appear. On the island they are cut off from everything but each other and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives. One by one, the guests share the darkest secrets of their wicked pasts. And one by one, they die…

GUYS READ: The Sports Pages Stories by Jon Scieszka, Gordon Korman, Chris Rylander, Dan Gutman, Anne Ursu, Tim Green, Joseph Bruchac, and Jacqueline Woodson 840L A lineman with something to prove A vendetta against a baseball legend The rise of a real­life NHL all­star The luckiest grapefruit in sports history Open up The Sports Pages, the third volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading, and you're in for all of this and more. From fiction to nonfiction, from baseball to mixed martial arts and everything in between, these are ten stories about the rush of victory and the crush of defeat on and off the field. Guysread.com

MONSTER By Walter Dean Myers F&P Z * 670L Sixteen­year­old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. A Harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that Steve served as the lookout. As a way of coping with the horrific events that entangle him, Steve, an amateur filmmaker, decides to transcribe his trial into a script, just like in the movies. He writes it all down, scene by scene, the story of how his whole life was turned around in an instant. But despite his efforts, reality is blurred and his vision obscured until he can no longer tell who he is or what is the truth.

YAQUI DELGADO WANTS TO KICK YOUR ASS By Meg Medina 670L One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck­up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? Author’s website

KAMPUNG BOY By Lat Kampung Boy is a favorite of millions of readers in Southeast Asia. With masterful economy worthy of Charles Schultz, Lat recounts the life of Mat, a Muslim boy growing up in rural Malaysia in the 1950s: his adventures and mischief­making, fishing trips, religious study, and work on his family's rubber plantation. Meanwhile, the traditional way of life in his village (or kampung) is steadily disappearing, with tin mines and factory jobs gradually replacing family farms and rubber small­holders. When Mat himself leaves for boarding school, he can only hope that his familiar kampung will still be there

when he returns. Kampung Boy is hilarious and affectionate, with brilliant, super­expressive artwork that opens a window into a world that has now nearly vanished. Author interview

I KILL THE MOCKINGBIRD By Paul Acampora HL640L When Lucy, Elena, and Michael receive their summer reading list, they are excited to see To Kill A Mockingbird included. But not everyone in their class shares the same enthusiasm. So they hatch a plot to get the entire town talking about the well­known Harper Lee classic. They plan controversial ways to get people to read the book, including re­shelving copies of the book in bookstores so that people think they are missing and starting a website committed to "destroying the mockingbird." Their efforts are successful when all of the hullabaloo starts to direct more people to the book. But soon, their exploits start to spin out of control and they unwittingly start a mini revolution in the name of books. Author’s website

SUGGESTED NONFICTION BOOKS: A GAME FOR SWALLOWS: To Die, to Leave, to Return By Zeina Abirached 680L When Zeina was born, the civil war in Lebanon had been going on for six years, so it's just a normal part of life for her and her parents and little brother. East Beirut is for Christians, and West Beirut is for Muslims. When Zeina's parents don't return from a visit to the other half of the city, and the bombing grows ever closer, the neighbors in her apartment house create a world indoors for Zeina and her brother, where they can share cooking lessons and games and gossip. Author interview

WITCH HUNT: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials By Marc Aronson F&P Z * 1180L In a plain meetinghouse a woman stands before her judges. The accusers, girls and young women, are fervent and overexcited.As the trial proceeds the girls begin to wail, tear their clothing, and scream that the woman is hurting them. Are they acting or are they really tormented by an unseen evil? Whatever the cause, the nightmare has begun: The witch trials will eventually claim twenty­five lives, shatter the community, and forever shape the American social conscience.

GUINEA PIG SCIENTISTS Bold Self­Experimenters in Science and Medicine By Mel Boring & Leslie Dendy F&P Z * 1100L Who are these "guinea pig scientists"? Searching for clues to some of science's and medicine's bigger (and sometimes stranger) questions, they are all the men and women who devoted their lives to help find the answers. Spanning from the 1770s to the present­and uncovering the science behind digestion, the spread of yellow fever, the development of the first heart catheter, and more­their ten stories are at once scientifically detailed and fascinatingly personal.

THE NOTORIOUS BENEDICT ARNOLD: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery By Steve Sheinkin F&P Y * 990L Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America’s first, most notorious traitor. Few know that he was also one of its greatest war heroes. This accessible biography introduces young readers to the real Arnold: reckless, heroic, and driven. Packed with first­person accounts, astonishing battle scenes, and surprising twists, this is a gripping and true adventure tale. Winner of the 2011 Boston Globe­Horn Book Award for Nonfiction.

STOLEN INTO SLAVERY: The True Story of Solomon Northup By Judith Bloom Fradin F&P Y * 1060L Solomon Northup awoke in the middle of the night with his body trembling. Slowly, he realized that he was handcuffed in a dark room and his feet were chained to the floor. He managed to slip his hand into his pocket to look for his free papers that proved he was one of 400,000 free blacks in a nation where 2.5 million other African Americans were slaves. They were gone. This remarkable story follows Northup through his 12 years of bondage as a man kidnapped into slavery, enduring the hardships of slave life in Louisiana. But the tale also has a remarkable ending. Northup is rescued from his master's cotton plantation in the deep South by friends in New York. Movie trailer

WHEELS OF CHANGE: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) By Sue Macy 1280L Take a lively look at women's history from aboard a bicycle, which granted females the freedom of mobility and helped empower women's liberation. Through vintage photographs, advertisements, cartoons, and songs, Wheels of Change transports young readers to bygone eras to see how women used the bicycle to improve their lives. Witty in tone and scrapbook­like in presentation, the book deftly covers early (and comical) objections, influence on fashion, and impact on social change inspired by the bicycle, which, according to Susan B. Anthony, "has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world." Author’s website

LEWIS & CLARK By Nick Bertozzi 620L In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark departed St. Louis, Missouri, for one of the greatest adventures this nation has ever known. Appointed and funded by President Jefferson himself, and led by a cadre of experts (including the famous Sacajawea), the expedition was considered a success almost before it had begun. From the start, the journey was plagued with illness, bad luck, unfriendly Indians, Lewis’s chronic depression, and, to top it all, the shattering surprise of the towering Rocky Mountains and the continental divide. But despite crippling setbacks, overwhelming doubts, and the bare facts of geography itself, Lewis and Clark made it to the Pacific in 1806.Bertozzi’s graphic novel brings this momentous journey alive.

BABE CONQUERS THE WORLD The Legendary Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias By Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace 930L Babe Didrikson Zaharias had one driving goal: to become the greatest athlete who ever lived. And she made good on that promise with a meteoric rise to famed basketball player, Olympic medalist, and top female golfer. But there was more to Babe than just sports. Noted novelists and sportswriters Rich and Sandra Wallace expose the many controversies surrounding this famous female athlete—her upbringing, personality, marriage, and even her early death.

SHACKLETON: Antarctic Odyssey By Nick Bertozzi Ernest Shackleton was one of the last great Antarctic explorers, and he led one of the most ambitious Antarctic expeditions ever undertaken. This is his story, and the story of the dozens of men who threw in their lot with him ­ many of whom nearly died in the unimaginably harsh conditions of the journey. It's an astonishing feat ­ and was unprecedented at the time ­ that all the men in the expedition survived. Shackleton's expedition marked the end of a period of romantic exploration of the Arctic and the Antarctic, and this is as much a graphic novel about the encroaching modern world as it is about travel.

SCHOOLS OF HOPE: How Julius Rosenwald Helped Change African American Education By Norman H. Finkelstein 1180L When Booker T. Washington, the famed African American educator, asked Julius Rosenwald, the wealthy president of Sears, Roebuck and Company and noted philanthropist, to help him build well­designed and fully equipped schools for black children, the face of education in the South changed for the better. It was the early 1900s, a time of discrimination, racial segregation, and inadequate education for African Americans. Rosenwald created a special fund that in just twenty years built more than 5,300 schools attended by 600,000 black students.

THROW LIKE A GIRL: How to Dream Big & Believe in Yourself By Jennie Finch 850L The evidence is overwhelming: sports help girls grow into strong women. Both scientific studies and anecdotal evidence confirm that athletic girls not only grow up to be healthier; they learn teamwork, gain inner confidence, and grow into society's leaders. Sports help preteen and teenage girls make the right choices in a society that is sending them incredibly mixed messages about who they are supposed to be. Yet no one is speaking directly to these girls. Jennie fills the role of girlfriend, big sister, team captain, and mentor. A smart, credible, and accomplished voice from an athlete who is strong and feminine, fiercely competitive, and fashionably cool, Jennie is someone young women will listen to and take to heart. Jennie's message: Believe in yourself. Go for it, girls. Author’s website