Middle School SummerReads

Natalie Lopez Class of 2013 The Pike School Summer 2012

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Dear Middle School Families, Recommending a good book is like sharing a piece of gold with a friend. The titles Fran Mellin and Linda Spence have compiled make SummerReads a treasure chest. The variety of genres and reading levels ensure that everyone will find some gems. All children entering grades 3, 4, and 5 should read at least four books this summer . One of these titles should be their Pike Reads Forward book described on the facing page. SummerReads is provided as a resource to help children choose books. The other three titles don’t have to come from this list—SummerReads is simply a resource for those wanting suggestions. Our goal for summer reading is much more than assigning homework or keeping skills honed. Our intent is to help children learn to love reading. Choosing engaging books sets them on their way. You can help your children deepen their passion for reading by:

• carving out daily reading time • reading with your children • talking about books everyone is reading.

I can’t wait to get started on my list. Have a wonderful, book-filled summer. Bo Baird

SummerReads is compiled by Pike librarians Mrs. Mellin and Ms. Spence All books are available in paperback unless noted.

This list is available online at www.pikeschool.org/home/library.

Log in to your portal and click the “library” tab to watch book trailers, read our blog, see

photos, and read student reviews posted on Alexandria, our online catalog.

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An All-School Summer Reading Experience

This summer, all Pike students, faculty, staff, and administrators will read a book that deepens their appreciation of the differences and similarities between people. “Forward” is the informal name of “Future With Diversity,” an Upper School diversity group. A small faculty group from Pike’s Diversity Committee reviewed many children’s and young adult novels and chose contemporary realistic fiction titles that touch on many aspects of diversity. In the fall, the entire Pike community will gather in small groups for book discussions led by adult facilitators. Middle School students will focus on understanding another’s perspective. To help students prepare for this meeting, questions to think about will be available later this summer on the library web site. Grade 3 All students entering grade 3 will read The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney. Grades 4 and 5 Students have indicated which title they have chosen on the list below.

How Tía Lola Came to Visit Stay Alvarez, Julia Kimchi and Calamari Kent, Rose Year of the Dog: A Novel Lin, Grace Truth and Salsa Lowery, Linda Last Summer with Maizon Woodson, Jacqueline

MCBA Nominations 2013!

The Massachusetts Childrens’ Book Awards are chosen by students across the state. The Middle School Book Squad will participate in the awards again this year. Here is the list of nominated titles for next year. Get a head start on reading over the summer, and join the “McBAD Edition” of Book Squad next year!

Bauer The Golden Ghost Malone The Sixty-Eight Rooms Buyea Because of Mr. Terupt Martin Everything For a Dog Dowell Falling In Mass The Candymakers Erskine Mockingbird Preus Heart of a Samurai French The Robe of Skulls Prineas The Magic Thief Gifford Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love

Practicing the Piano Scaletta Mamba Point

Grimes Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel

Schlitz The Night Fairy

Gutman Roberto and Me Senzai Shooting Kabul Holm Turtle in Paradise Stephens The Emerald Atlas Jennings Guinea Dog Tashjian My Life As a Book Law Scumble Williams- One Crazy Summer Lord Touch Blue Garcia Lupica Shoot-Out

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Fiction

Classics Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Dahl Half Magic Eager The Saturdays Enright Harriet the Spy Fitzhugh The Phantom Tollbooth Juster King Arthur (DK Classics) Kerven Just So Stories Kipling A Wrinkle in Time L’Engle Pippi Longstocking stories Lindgren Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle stories MacDonald Five Children and It Nesbit A Cricket in Times Square Selden The Rescuers Sharp Charlotte's Web White Little House series Wilder

Fantasy The Magic Half Barrows Inkheart trilogy Funke The Graveyard Book (2009 Newbery Medal winner) Gaiman The Lost Conspiracy Harding Redwall series Jacques Finn Family Moomintroll Jansson Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat Jonell Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass Kirov Savvy Law Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Lin 11 Birthdays (2011 Massachusetts Children's Book Award winner) Mass Harry Potter series Rowling My Haunted House: Araminta Spookie Sage The Night Fairy Schlitz Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series Scott Five Ancestors series Stone The Bartimaeus trilogy Stroud

Historical Fiction Iron Thunder Avi Baseball Card Adventures series Gutman The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Kelly The Year of the Bomb Kidd Abby Takes a Stand McKissack The Wednesday Wars Schmidt Moon Over Manifest (2011 Newbery Medal winner) Vanderpool Dragonwings Yep

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Humor The Riot Brothers series Amato The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity Barnett Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel Barshaw Cool Zone with the Pain and the Great One Blume No Talking! Clements The Joey Pigza stories Gantos Billy the Fish James 43 Old Cemetery Road series Klise Big Nate: In a Class by Himself Peirce Clementine series Pennypacker The Hoboken Chicken Emergency Pinkwater Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians Sanderson Mom, There’s a Dinosaur in Beeson’s Lake Trueit Little Wolf's Book of Badness Whybrow

Mystery and Adventure The Postcard Abbott Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop Allison The Calder Game Balliett The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes series Barrett The Potato Chip Puzzles Berlin The Terces Society series Bosch We the Children Clements The Gollywhopper Games Feldman Eleven Giff Tunnels series Gordon Chet Gecko mysteries Hale The Switch Horowitz Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series Jacques From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Konigsburg Danger in the Dark: A Houdini and Nate Mystery Lalicki The Willoughbys Lowry Capital Mysteries series Roy The Mysterious Benedict Society series Stewart

Science Fiction Whales on Stilts! Anderson, M.T. Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies Beaty Space Station Rat Daley City of Ember Duprau The 7 Professors of the Far North Fardell The Other Side of the Island Goodman Found (2010 Massachusetts Children's Book Award winner) Haddix My Cousin, The Alien Service Trash Crisis on Earth! Stadler First Light Stead

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Realistic Home of the Brave Applegate Anything But Typical Baskin The Penderwicks Birdsall Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls series Cabot Chasing Redbird Creech The Lemonade War Davies Operation Redwood French Junonia Henkes Hoot Hiaasen The Year of the Dog Lin Boys VS the Girls series Naylor Rickshaw Girl Perkins Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet Salisbury When You Reach Me (2012 Mass. Children’s Book Award winner) (2010 Newbery Medal winner)

Stead

Sports Soccer Team Upset Bowen The Warriors Bruchac Long-arm Quarterback Christopher The Black Stallion series Farley Slam Dunk Hirschfeld Million-dollar Throw Lupica The Ghost of the Stanley Cup (Screech Owl Series) MacGregor Karate Kick Peters Six Innings Preller Hothead Ripkin, Jr. My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard Winkler Good Luck, Ivy Yee

Graphic Novels , Graphic Non-fiction Knights of the Lunch Table Cammuso Snowboard Standoff Ciencin Stone Rabbit series Craddock Fashion Kitty Harper Zita the Spacegirl Hatke Lunch Lady series Krosoczka Big Fat Little Lit Puffin Books Sidekicks Santat Bone series Smith Amazing Greek Myths of Wonder and Blunders Townsend Robot Dreams Varon

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New and Recommended

Wonderstruck (hardcover) Selznick

Brian Selznick defies genres again! This is the story of Ben and Rose, who live 50 years apart, but whose lives are interconnected through words and pictures.

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure: A Progressive Story Game Played

Adventure

A who’s who of authors contributed to this outrageous adventure of twins who go on a quest to save their parents and encounter a talking pig, mad scientists, and other dastardly and hysterical villains!

Chomp! (hardcover) Hiaasen Adventure A ridiculous reality-TV star gets lost in the Everglades, and it’s up to two kids to save him – if the wildlife doesn’t get him first!

Attack of the Shark-headed Zombie Doyle Fantasy Henry and Keats need a job, but they get more than they bargained for when they show up at Mr. Cigam’s mansion. Non-stop action in this short chapter book!

The Apothecary (hardcover) Meloy Fantasy It’s 1952 and Janie and her family move to London from California to escape anti-Communist feelings. Soon she’s involved with Russian spies who are trying to get their hands on The Pharmacopoeia – a book filled with magical secrets.

Secrets at Sea (hardcover) Peck Fantasy Helena is responsible for her mice siblings, so her only choice when the humans upstairs sail for Europe is to have them face “all that water.” Will they survive?

Breadcrumbs (hardcover) Ursu Fantasy Poisoned by a piece of enchanted glass, Jack disappears and it’s up to his ex-best friend Hazel to find him in this story inspired by Andersen’s “The Snow Queen.”

Phantoms in the Snow (hardcover) Duble Historical Fiction Noah, recently orphaned, has been sent to his uncle, who is training for a special mission during World War II. Should he join this corps of mountain fighters?

Inside Out and Back Again (hardcover) Lai Historical Fiction Beautiful poetry tells the heartbreaking and inspiring story of a young girl who must leave her Vietnam village when Saigon falls to the Communists. Based on events in the author’s life.

Dead End in Norvelt (hardcover) Gantos Humor Jack’s grounded for the summer, but things get more interesting when his dad acquires a World War II plane and a woman who could be a zombie. The 2012 Newbery Award winner.

Charlie Joe Jackson ’s Guide to Not Reading Greenwalt Humor Read this book if you don’t like to read! You’ll get some great tips from Charlie as he recounts his hilarious (and unsuccessful) schemes to avoid schoolwork.

My Life As a Stuntboy (hardcover) Tashjian Humor Derek has been discovered! He’ll be a skateboarding stunt artist in a new movie with a famous teen actress. It only takes a few hours, though, for everything to fall apart.

The Bell Bandit (hardcover) Davies Mystery The third volume in the Lemonade War series finds the Treski family getting ready for their New Year’s Eve celebration, but the town’s bell has disappeared!

The Fenway Foul-up Kelly Mystery Mike and Kate are on the trail of a Red Sox player’s missing bat. Will they find it in time for his big game?

Great Moments in the Summer Olympics Christopher Non-fiction The Olympics are happening this summer! Read up on all the events before July 27.

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans (hardcover)

Nelson Non-fiction

A beautifully illustrated history of ordinary people and important leaders. The Summer Before Boys Baskin Realistic

Julia’s mom has just been deployed to Iraq and Julia worries about her all the time. At least she’s got her best friend Eliza – that is, until Michael comes along.

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Non-Fiction Inside Dinosaurs Abramson The Ultimate Guide to Football Buckley Mummies (National Geographic Science Reader) Carney Great Moments in the Summer Olympics Christopher A Black Hole is Not a Hole (hardcover) DeChristofano See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and

the Race to the White House Goodman

A Practical Guide to Wizardry (hardcover) Hess Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing Janeczko Stink-o-pedia, Volume 2: More Stink-y Stuff from A to Z MacDonald Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds McCallum Iceberg, Right Ahead! The Tragedy of the Titanic (hardcover) McPherson Dog Heroes (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker) Osborne Inkblot: Drip, Splat, and Squish Your Way to Creativity Peot Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry Prelutsky Lady Liberty: A Biography Rappaport Comic Strips: Create Your Own Comic Strips From Start to

Finish Roche

Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories about Growing Up Scieszka

Scieszka

Extraordinary Endangered Animals (hardcover) Silhol The Everything Kids’ Astronomy Book Wagner Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story (hardcover) Yezerski

Books I Might Want to Read

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Visit your local public library this summer and enjoy their fun activities and programs!