Miami Christian School

Summer Reading List

Dear Parents: June 2014

At Miami Christian School, we value literature and encourage our students to read for information

and academic success. Even more importantly, we urge students to read for enjoyment. When students

enjoy reading, they become readers for a lifetime and not just a school year.

We know that you also value reading and want your child to establish good reading skills and

habits. Please give us your help and support during the summer when your child will have more time at

home for recreational reading. Below is a list of some recommended as well as required reading for the

summer. Children entering Kindergarten-5 and first grade may have the required books read to them.

Please complete a Reading Record for the books your children have read or heard. You may click on the

Reading Record link on our website for the blank form.

Students entering 3rd – 5th grade have required reading assignments that will be graded in the Fall.

Teachers will explain assignments during the first week of school. Students entering 6th-8th will be required

to write a book report using the sample format provided on our website. Rising 9th

to 12th

graders will be

required to complete a journal with 8-10 entries. The sample format will be provided on our website.

Check the reading criteria under each grade level. Please help us by making a special trip to the

library several times this summer to see that your child is able to accomplish his or her required reading.

Cordially in Christ,

Lorena Morrison, Ed.D.

School Head

Elementary

Students entering Kindergarten-5 should read (or have read to them): Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Day - Judith Viorst

Are You My Mother? - P.D. Eastman

Dr. Seuss Books (Cat in the Hat, Hop on Pop, etc.)

Dr. Seuss Noah’s Ark - Peter Spier

Peter’s Chair - Ezra Jack Keats

Random House Book of Mother Goose: A Treasury

The Runaway Bunny - Margaret Wise Brown

Swimmy Leo - Lionni

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle

Students entering First Grade should read (or have read to them):

Any book from the “I Can Read” or “Beginner Reader” series

Curious George books - H.A. Rey

Frog and Toad books - Arnold Lobel

The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie books - Laura Numeroff

The Little Engine that Could - Watty Piper

Leo the Late Bloomer - Robert Kraus

The Princess and the Pea - Hans Christian Anderson

Skippyjonjones books - Judy Schachner

There’s an Alligator Under My Bed - Mercer Mayer

Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak

Students entering Second Grade should read (or have read to them): Abuela – Arthur Dorros

Amber Brown series – Paula Danziger

Amelia Bedelia stories – Peggy Parish

A Chair for My Mother – Vera B. Williams

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – Judi Barrett

The Dog that Pitched a No Hitter – Matt Christopher

Frances books – Russell Hoban

Junie B. Jones books – Barbara Park

Madeleine in London – Ludwig Bemelmans

Miss Nelson is Missing – Harry Allard

Nate the Great books – Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Stone Soup – Marcia Brown

Students entering Third Grade should read one of the following: The Velveteen Rabbit – Margery Williams

A to Z Mystery series – Ron Roy

Clementine books – Sara Pennypacker

The Geronimo Stilton series – Geronimo Stilton

The Hundred Dresses – Eleanor Estes

Molly’s Pilgrim – Barbara Cohen

My Father’s Dragon – Ruth Stiles Gannett

James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, or The B.F.G. – Roald Dahl

The Stories Julian Tells – Ann Cameron

Students entering Fourth Grade should read one of the following:

The Family Under the Bridge - Natalie Savage Carlson

The Whipping Boy - Sid Fleischman

How to Eat Fried Worms - Thomas Rockwell

Mr. Popper’s Penguins - Richard Atwater

There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom - Louis Sachar

James in the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl

Ramona Series - Beverly Cleary

Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher - Bruce Coville

Judy Blume Books

Students entering Fifth Grade should read one of the following:

REQUIRED READING:

The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia series) - C.S. Lewis

(expect a quiz on the required reading during the first week of school)

RECOMMENDED READING:

Snow Treasure - Marie Mcswiggan

The Indian in the Cupboard - Lynne Reid Banks

Baseball in April and Other Stories - Gary Soto

Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson

Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt

Frindle - Andrew Clements

Dear America series - various authors

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key - Jack Gantos

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh - Robert C. O’Brien

Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer

Middle School Students entering Sixth Grade: REQUIRED READING (Regular & Honors):

Heat by Mike Lupica

Students entering Seventh Grade: REQUIRED READING (Regular & Honors):

City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau

Students entering Eighth Grade:

REQUIRED READING (Regular):

Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli.

REQUIRED READING (8H):

Touching Spirit Bear & Ghost of Spirit Bear – Ben Mikaelsen

All Middle School Honors Track Students are also required to choose a second book from the

Middle School Recommended Reading List, or another book written by an author on the list.

MIDDLE SCHOOL RECOMMENDED READING:

Alex Rider Adventures - Anthony Horowitz

Among the Hidden - Margaret Peterson Haddix

Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery

Black Boy - Richard Wright

The City of Ember - J. DuPrau

Crispin: The Cross of Lead - Avi

D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths - Ingri & Edgar D’Aulaire

Eragon series - Christopher Paolini

Esperanza Rising - Pam Munoz Ryan

Eyes of the Emperor - Graham Salisbury

Fever, 1793 - Laurie Halse Anderson

Hatchet - Gary Paulsen

Heat - Mike Lupica

Inkheart series - Cornelia Funke

The Invention of Hugo Cabret - David Selznick

Island of the Blue Dolphin - Scott O’Dell

The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan

The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The Magician’s Elephant - Kate DiCamillo

Maniac McGee - Jerry Spinelli

Maximum Ride books - James Patterson

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - Sheila Burnford

Penny from Heaven - Jennifer Holm

The Pigman - Paul Zindel

Princess Academy - Shannon Hale

Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 - Andrea White

Sword of the Rightful King - Jane Yolen

Things Not Seen - Andrew Clements

Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawles

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L’Engle

High School Students entering Ninth Grade: REQUIRED READING for Regular and Honors

students:

Speak- Laurie Halse Anderson

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READING for Honors students: One book from the

recommended list

RECOMMENDED READING:

13 Little Blue Envelopes - Maureen Johnson

Animal Farm - George Orwell

Cupid - Julius Lester

Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card

Hero - S.L. Rottman

The House of the Scorpion - Nancy Farmer

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

The Man in the Iron Mask - Alexandre Dumas

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens - Franklin Covey

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series - Ann Brashares

Tears of a Tiger - Sharon Draper

This Present Darkness - Frank Peretti

Three - Ted Dekker

The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen

Students entering Tenth Grade: REQUIRED READING for Regular and Honors students:

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READING for Honors students:

The Good Thief – Hannah Tinti

RECOMMENDED READING:

The Circle Trilogy (Black, Red, White) - Ted Dekker

The Color of Water - James McBride

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

Cut - Patricia McCormick

Feed - M.T. Anderson

Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team and a Dream - H.G. Bissinger

In the Time of the Butterflies - Julia Alvarez

The Life of Pi: A Novel - Yann Martel

Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog - John Grogan

Native Son - Richard Wright

The Once and Future King - T.H. White

Rebecca - Daphne DuMaurier

Selected Tales - Edgar Allan Poe

Students entering Eleventh Grade: REQUIRED READING for Regular and Honors students:

Leviathan – Scott Westerfield

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READING for Honors students:

Blink of an Eye – Ted Dekker

RECOMMENDED READING:

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Digging to America - Anne Tyler

Lost Horizon - James Hilton

My Antonia - Willa Cather

The Nick Adams Stories - Ernest Hemingway

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

A Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry

Skin - Ted Dekker

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See

The Testament - John Grisham

Till We Have Faces - C.S. Lewis

Uncle Tom’s Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe

Walden - Henry David Thoreau

Students entering Twelfth Grade:

REQUIRED READING for Regular and Honors students:

Frankenstein – Mary Shelley

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READING FOR HONORS STUDENTS:

Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte OR

Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe

RECOMMENDED READING:

Adam - Ted Dekker

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

Digging to America - Anne Tyler

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

Lord of the Rings trilogy - J.R.R. Tolkein

The Nine Tailors - Dorothy L. Sayers

Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - Alexander Solzhenitsyn

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

Shadow Divers - Robert Kurson

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield

Three Cups of Tea: A Novel - Mortenson & Relin

Water for Elephants: A Novel - Sara Gruen

Zorro - Isabel Allende

JOURNAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

You are required to turn in journal entries for each book at the start of the school year. Entries should be

TYPED and kept in a Duo-tang folder. You are required to keep a minimum of EIGHT (8) entries if you

are scheduled for a REGULAR class and TEN (10) for HONORS. Each entry should be written in a well-

developed paragraph (7 sentences) and you should also record the date and the number of pages read (see

sample below).

Absence of Nectar by Kathy Hepinstall June 21 Pages 52-67 I was surprised when Simon threw the food that was poisoned, out to the dog. It made me angry that someone would do that to an innocent animal. Why would a person do that? There is no excuse for at, no matter how bad his childhood had been when he was younger. Simon is a callused, irresponsible, individual with only selfish motives. This book made me realize…

Suggestions for ways to vary your entries:

DO NOT SUMMARIZE. Explain your thinking and/or respond to what you read.

When I started reading the book I thought…

My favorite part was…

I liked the way the writer…

The tone of this section was…

I agree or disagree with the writer/character when…

I think the main message the writer was trying to send was…

A better title for this book would be… because…

This book reminded me of…

This book made me feel…

The most important part was…

In my opinion, the most important moment was when…

My favorite or least favorite character was… because…

While I was reading, I pictured…

My reaction to the end of the book was

HIGH SCHOOL AP ENGLISH STUDENTS: Complete all three assignments listed below:

Assignment #1 - Article Analysis:

Select and read TEN editorial articles from city or national newspapers such

as The Miami Herald, The New York Times or The Washington Post.

Cut and paste all the articles on to a piece of plain paper or print the

electronic version of the complete article. Be sure to include a variety of

authors.

Annotate (take notes) on each article.

Of the TEN choose FIVE to write a response in which you briefly summarize

the article and challenge, defend or qualify the author’s argument. You

MUST comment on the author’s diction (language use) and tone. At least one

response must be a challenge (a counter or disagreement) of the argument.

Qualify, in this context, means to agree with some points and disagree with

others the author is making. Make sure that in all of your responses your

position is clear.

Assignment #2 - Summer Reading:

Choose one non-fiction book from the following list. A little blurb about each one is

available on Barnesandnoble.com or Amazon.com. As you read your selected books,

highlight AND take notes within the book regarding the important aspects present.

Paula by Isabel Allende

It’s Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

The Nazi Officer’s Wife by Edith Hahn Beer

Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire

Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy

All But My Life by Gerda Klein

Lone Survivor by Luttrell and Robison

The Color of Water by James McBride

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

Red Azalea by Anchee Min

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

Beyond Band of Brothers by Winters and Kingseed

Black Boy by Richard Wright

Assignment #3 - Summer Writing:

The summer writing assignments do not specially correlate to your selected summer

reading, but if you find examples from your reading to support your position use it.

For the summer writing section, write a separate essay response for one of the two

Essay prompts. Be sure to also follow the 3 steps below.

Essays must be typed!

Staple each with the typed essay on top of the prompt.

Bring both to class in a file folder.

Essay Prompt No. 1.

The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings. "The

writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from their readers

are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy

ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events -- a marriage or a last minute rescue

from death -- but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even

with the self, even at death."

Choose a novel or play that has the kind of ending Weldon describes. In a well-

written essay, identify the "spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation"

evident in the ending and explain its significance in the work as a whole.

Essay Prompt No. 2.

Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures --

national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call a

character's sense of identity into question.

Select a novel or play in which a character responds to such a cultural collision.

Then write a well-organized essay in which you describe the character's response

and explain its relevance to the work as a whole.