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Mowat Middle School: Summer Reading 2014
*Almost Home, (Author: Joan Bauer)
When twelve-year-old Sugar's grandfather dies and her gambling father takes off yet again, Sugar and her mother lose
their home in Missouri. They head to Chicago for a fresh start, only to discover that fresh starts aren't so easy to come
by for the homeless. Nevertheless, Sugar's mother has taught her to be grateful no matter what, so Sugar does her best.
With the help of a rescue dog, Shush; a foster family; a supportive teacher; a love of poetry; and her own grace and good
humor, Sugar comes to understand that while she can't control the hand life deals her, she can control how she
responds. (240 pages, Lexile Level: 590, Readability Level: 3.3)
*Wild Life, (Author: Cynthia DeFelice)
Erik is preparing for his first-ever hunting trip when he learns that his parents are being deployed to Iraq. A few days
later, Erik is shipped off to North Dakota to live with Big Darrell and Oma, grandparents he barely knows. When Erik
rescues a dog that's been stuck by a porcupine, Big Darrell says Erik can't keep him. But Erik has already named her Quill
and can't bear to give her up. He decides to run away, taking the dog and a shotgun, certain that they can make it on
their own out on the prairie. In this story of adventure and survival, Erik learns about the challenges and satisfaction of
living off the land, the power of family secrets, and the pain of losing what you love. (192 pages, Lexile Level: 860,
Readability Level: 5.6)
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25, (Author: Richard Evans)
Fourteen-year-old Michael discovers he has special electrical powers. With the help of his best friends, he becomes
aware that there are other teens with similar powers, but something or someone is hunting them. After Michael's
mother is kidnapped, he realizes he needs to rely on his powers and friends to rescue his mom, protect himself, and save
the others. (326 pages, Lexile Level: 500, Readability Level: 3.5)
*Turtle in Paradise, (Author: Jennifer Holm)
Life isn't like the movies, and 11-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple. She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the
world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935, and jobs, money, and sometimes even dreams are scarce.
But when Turtle's mama gets a housekeeping job for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle is forced to head off to Key
West, Florida, to stay with relatives she's never met. Florida is like nothing Turtle has ever seen: hot, strange, and full of
wild, ragtag boy cousins...and even secret treasure. Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out
of the shell she has spent her life building. Her world begins to open up in the most unexpected ways. (177 pages,
Lexile Level: 610, Readability Level: 3.4)
*^^The Lions of Little Rock, (Author: Kristen Levine)
Twelve-year-old Marlee develops a strong friendship with Liz, the new girl in school. When Liz suddenly stops attending
school and Marlee hears a rumor that her friend is actually an African American girl passing herself off as white, the two
young girls must decide whether their friendship is worth taking on integration and the dangers it could bring to their
families. (298 pages, Lexile Level: 630, Readability Level: 3.5)
*^^Ungifted, (Author: Gordon Korman)
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman comes a hilarious and heartfelt novel in which one middle-
school troublemaker accidentally moves into the gifted and talented program—and changes everything. For fans of
Louis Sachar and Jack Gantos, this funny and touching underdog story is a lovable and goofy adventure with robot fights,
middle-school dances, live experiments, and statue-toppling pranks! When Donovan Curtis pulls a major prank at his
middle school, he thinks he's finally gone too far. Thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in
trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students.
Although it wasn't exactly what Donovan had intended, the ASD couldn't be a more perfectly unexpected hideout for
someone like him. But as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or
science (or just about anything), he shows that his gifts may be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.
(288 pages, Lexile Level: 730, Readability Level: 4.5)
^^The Apothecary, (Author: Maile Meloy)
It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious
apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows - a fascinating boy who's not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of
becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's
sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies - Russian
spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and
Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster. (362 pages, Lexile Level:
740, Readability Level: 4.5)
*The Summer I Learned to Fly, (Author: Dana Reinhardt)
Drew's a bit of a loner. She has a pet rat, her dead dad's Book of Lists, an encyclopedic knowledge of cheese from
working at her mom's cheese shop, and a crush on Nick, the surf bum who works behind the counter. It's the summer
before eighth grade and Drew's days seem like business as usual, until one night after closing time, when she meets a
strange boy in the alley named Emmett Crane. Questions like “who is he?”, “why is he there?”, “where did the cut on
his cheek come from?”, and his bottomless knowledge of rats are all mysteries Drew will untangle as they are drawn
closer together. Drew enters into the first true friendship and adventure of her life. (224 pages, Lexile Level: 750,
Readability Level: 4.6)
Shooting Kabul, (Author: N. H. Senzai)
Fadi never imagined he’d start middle school in Fremont, California, thousands of miles away from home in Kabul. But,
here he was, half a world apart from his missing six year old sister who’d been lost because of him, as they'd fled
Afghanistan. Adjusting to life in the United States isn’t easy for Fadi’s family and as the events of September 11th unfold
and the prospects of locating Mariam in a war torn Afghanistan seem slim to impossible. Desperate, Fadi tries every
crazy scheme he can think of to find her. 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. Can one photo really bring Mariam home? (272 pages,
Lexile Level: 800, Readability Level: 5.3)
*Storm Runners, (Author: Roland Smith)
Chase Masters and his father are "storm runners” racing across the country in pursuit of hurricanes, tornadoes, and
floods. Anywhere bad weather strikes, they are not far behind. Chase is learning more on the road than he ever would
just sitting in a classroom. When the hurricane of the century hits, he will be tested in ways he never could have
imagined. (160 pages, Lexile Level: 700, Readability Level: 4.3)
*Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift’s “Chocolate Pilot”, (Author: Michael Tunnell)
After World War II the United States and Britain airlifted food and supplies into Russian-blockaded West Berlin. US Air
Force Lieutenant, Gail S. Halvorsen, knew the children of the city were suffering. To lift their spirits, he began dropping
chocolate and gum by parachute. Michael O. Tunnell tells an inspiring tale of candy and courage, illustrated with Lt.
Halvorsen's personal photographs, as well as letters and drawings from the children of Berlin to their beloved "Uncle
Wiggly Wings." (120 pages, Lexile Level: 1130, Readability Level: 10.7)
*The Running Dream, (Author: Wendelin Van Draanen)
Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able
to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run? As she struggles to cope with
crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly in the spotlight and invisible at the same time. People, who
don't know what to say, act like she's not there. She could handle that better if she weren't now keenly aware that
she'd done the same thing herself to Rosa, a girl with Cerebral Palsy. Rosa is a girl who is going to tutor her on the math
she's missed. She sees right into the heart of Jessica. With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track
teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross
finish lines herself--she wants to take Rosa with her. (332 pages, Lexile Level: 650, Readability Level: 4.7)
* Available now or will be available on Overdrive digital library
^^ Sunshine State Young Reader for 2014-2015
(Mowat utilizes the Scholastic Reading Counts Program. These books are assigned a Lexile Level to assist students in
selecting books that are appropriate to their reading level. (“Lexile” is a term used to determine a readability level)
Students can test on these books and earn points. These points are used as part of our reading reward program.
Throughout the year, activities or trips are planned for students who earn the required points which are determined by
the Reading or Language Arts teacher).