SummerReads

Middle School Summer 2016

Reed Cahill Class of 2018

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Dear Middle School Families, Pike’s Middle School is a place where reading and discussing great books are a natural and welcome part of the day. Continuing this daily habit into the summer is extremely valuable for students. We ask that all children entering grades 3, 4 and 5 read at least four books of their choice this summer. Fran Mellin and Linda Spence have compiled a SummerReads list. This list is provided as a resource to help children choose books. The variety of genres and reading levels ensure that everyone will find some gems. Please be aware that books do not have to come from this list—it’s simply a resource for those wanting suggestions. Summer days are full of adventure and great books await us all. I hope you enjoy every moment. Have a wonderful summer! Marisa Librarians’ Footnotes

Welcome to this year’s edition of Pike's SummerReads, representing a wide variety of genres and formats chosen especially for our Middle School readers. We update SummerReads annually with the best new titles and a commitment to representing multicultural perspectives. In addition, award-winning titles from the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards are noted for your reference. For more information about the awards, visit www.ala.org. Visit the library’s website (pikeschool.org>Academics>Library) for the online version of SummerReads, additional reading lists, and links to our e-collections, available through the Massachusetts Library System, where you can set up an account and borrow digital audio and print books for all ages. News flash! Award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney will be visiting Pike next year! A sampling of her work is listed on the back page of this list.

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Recommended by Grade 5 Students!

This spring, grade 5 students explored the work of a children’s author in Language Arts. In library class, they chose a favorite title and wrote a book review. Here are some short snippets! Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez ~ review by Karla This is a tale about a girl realizing that she is brave and strong - that she can do whatever she puts her mind to. Aníta was born in the Dominican Republic and she wonders if her life will ever change. Suddenly, out of nowhere, her life changes for the better. Sophia’s War by Avi ~ review by Lakshmi It’s 1776. Sophia is a very smart girl that is offered a very dangerous job. If she succeeds, she might be able to turn the tables and help the Patriots win the war. If she gets caught…she will be hanged! March Toward the Thunder by Joseph Bruchac ~ review by Chase This is a book about a teenager in the American Civil War. Louis lives in Canada and is drafted into the army at just 15 years of age. Will he survive, or will he die like so many of his friends? Read the book to find out. Year of the Rat by Grace Lin ~ review by Ethan The author does a very nice job of helping you enter and experience a totally new life. In this book, you can really get a sense of other people’s lives. In addition, you can experience what it is like to live in a mixed race family! Heat by Mike Lupica ~ review by Rehan Michael Arroyo is an amazing pitcher from Cuba living in the United States without a birth certificate and no mother or father. Will he pitch his Little League team to the finals, or lose everything trying? Graceful by Wendy Mass ~ review by Nora J. I love the story because it had a lot of intense and exciting parts. I would recommend this book to someone who likes magic and who likes a lot of suspense and action. Count Karlstein by Philip Pullman ~ review by Jack The book is about two girls, Charlotte and Lucy, who with the help of their servant, Hildi, escape from their crazy uncle who wants to sacrifice them to a demon - Huntsman Zamiel. The suspense is too good to miss - you want to experience this! Paint the Wind by Pam Muñoz Ryan ~ review by Scarlett The author really brings the scenes to life, and keeps you up at night, thinking about it, craving for more. This book makes you cry during sad parts, and laugh during crazy parts. Dragons of Silk by Laurence Yep ~ review by Preston In this book, silk binds the lives of four girls. Each of them must sacrifice and fight for the survival of her family over a span of 176 years (1835-2011) in both China and America. Each girl must struggle with money, jobs, family, and even drugs. I like how the book is from different points of view, and from different times.

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New and Recommended Circus Mirandus Beasley Fantasy

Micah’s grandfather has a secret – the Lightbender promised to grant him a wish. Can Micah find the mysterious Circus Mirandus to get the much-needed promise before it’s too late? Read this if you liked Savvy and Doll Bones.

Serafina and the Black Cloak Beatty Fantasy Serafina lives on the Biltmore Estate where strange things are happening. Can she discover the Man in the Black Cloak’s identity before all the children disappear? The Nest Oppel Fantasy Steve’s new baby brother is sick – really sick. When a heartless queen wasp offers him a sinister solution, Steve must decide the right path. A creepy thriller, similar to The Graveyard Book.

Echo Ryan Fantasy Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. Description from the publisher. A 2016 Newbery Honor book.

The Marvels Selznick Historical Another epic family mystery from the author of Wonderstruck that combines images and narration to tell a compelling story of shipwrecks, the theater, family, and heartbreak.

I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937 Tarshis Historical For eleven-year-old Hugo Ballard, flying on the Hindenburg is a dream come true. But as the zeppelin gets ready to land, a blast rocks the Hindenburg and fire consumes the ship. The Hindenburg is doomed! Description from the publisher.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Jones Humor

Sophie and her parents have just inherited a farm. Why is someone trying to steal their chickens? Could it be because of their amazing superpowers?

Frank Einstein and the BrainTurbo Scieszka Humor Frank, kid inventor, has created a way for his friend Jane to boost her pitching and make the baseball team – but someone just might steal his invention!

Masterminds Korman Mystery Serenity is the perfect town…or is it? Eli can’t leave town without getting violently sick. When his best friend is sent away, Eli knows something is really wrong; can he find out the town’s secrets before he’s sent away, too?

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Fuzzy Mud Sachar Mystery Chad takes turns bullying Marshall and Tamara at their Pennsylvania private school. When they take a shortcut through the woods to avoid him, disaster strikes.

Murder is Bad Manners Stevens Mystery Hazel Wong, member of the Wells & Wong Detective Society, has a problem: she’s sure she saw Miss Bell’s mangled body in the school gymnasium, but it vanished as soon as she ran for help. Nothing for it but to get on the case!

Secret Coders Yang Mystery In this graphic novel, friends Hopper and Eni needs to use their programming skills to solve the strange happenings at their school.

Trombone Shorty Andrews Non-fiction This is the story of a talented trombone player and his drive to be heard. A 2016 Caldecott Honor book and Coretta Scott King Award winner.

Now You See Them, Now You Don’t: Poems About Creatures that Hide

Harrison Non-fiction

A series of poems illustrated with cut-paper collage. Can you find the hidden animals? This year’s visiting illustrator, Giles Laroche, showed us his original cut-paper collage for this book!

Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France

Rockliff Non-fiction

Dr. Mesmer and his “magic force” are challenged by Benjamin Franklin’s scientific mind.

High Tide for Horseshoe Crabs Schnell Non-fiction Take this book along with you to the beach and discover the history behind these fascinating ocean creatures.

Last Stop on Market Street de la Peña Realistic Follow a boy’s bus journey that has an unexpected ending and an uplifting message. The 2016 Newbery Award winner.

Roller Girl Jamieson Realistic Astrid discovers a new passion – roller derby skating – but her BFF Nicole is not impressed. Find out if their friendship survives in this wonderfully drawn graphic novel. A 2016 Newbery Honor book.

Listen, Slowly Lai Realistic Mai is not happy that her parents want her to learn more about her cultural heritage, but she finds surprises with Grandmother Bà in Vietnam.

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse Marshall Realistic Jimmy, a Lakota boy, and his grandfather take a road trip that follows the path of the great leader. Grandfather’s stories make Jimmy feel like he’s back in the past.

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Fiction

Fantasy The Enchanted Sisters series Allen The One and Only Ivan (2013 Newbery Medal winner) Applegate Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes Auxier The Magic Half Barrows The Graveyard Book (2009 Newbery Medal winner) Gaiman Handbook for Dragon Slayers (2014 Schneider Family Book

Award winner) Haskell

Redwall series Jacques The Magickeepers series Kirov Savvy (2009 Newbery Honor book) Law Starry River of the Sky Lin The Doll People series Martin Wildwood Meloy West of the Moon Preus Harry Potter series Rowling The Septimus Heap series Sage The Night Fairy Schlitz Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series Scott The Emerald Atlas Stephens Five Ancestors series Stone Breadcrumbs Ursu The Fairyland series Valente

Historical Fiction Curiosity Blackwood Sylvia and Aki Conkling Bud, Not Buddy (2000 Coretta Scott King Award winner) Curtis The Birchbark House Erdrich 90 Miles to Havana (2011 Pura Belpré Honor book) Flores-Galbis Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam Kadohata Inside Out & Back Again (2012 Newbery Honor book) Lai Mister Orange (2014 Mildred Batchelder Award winner) Matti A Soldier’s Secret: The Incredible True Story of Sarah

Edmonds, a Civil War Hero Moss

Heart of a Samurai: Based on the True Story of Nakahama Manjiro

Preus

P.S. Be Eleven (2014 Coretta Scott King Award winner) Williams-Garcia

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Humor

The Riot Brothers series Amato Origami Yoda series Angleberger Lowriders in Space Camper Ramona the Pest Cleary The Legend of Diamond Lil Cronin Dead End in Norvelt (2012 Newbery Medal winner) Gantos Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading Greenwalt 43 Old Cemetery Road series Klise The Grand Plan to Fix Everything Krishnaswami Platypus Police Squad series Krosocska Gum Girl: Chews Your Destiny Montijo The Hoboken Chicken Emergency Pinkwater Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians series Sanderson My Life as a … series Tashjian Hooey Higgins and the Shark Voake Little Wolf's Book of Badness Whybrow

Mystery and Adventure The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas Almond Chasing Vermeer Balliett The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes series Barrett Doll Bones (2014 Newbery Honor book) Black The Terces Society series Bosch The Eerie Elementary series Chabert Recipe for Adventure: Naples DeLaurentii Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Grabenstein Chet Gecko mysteries Hale Chomp Hiaasen Small as an Elephant Jacobsen Emma and the Rats in the Belfry Jonell The Willoughbys Lowry The Candymakers Mass Tiger Boy Perkins Nick and Tesla series Pflugfelder Deadweather and Sunrise Rodkey Riding Freedom Ryan

One Came Home (2014 Newbery Honor book) Timberlake

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Realistic

Dancing Home Ada Return to Sender (2010 Pura Belpré Award winner) Alvarez Because of Mr. Terupt (2013 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award winner)

Buyea

The Lemonade War series Davies Salsa Stories Delacre Out of My Mind (2014 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award winner) Draper Mikis and the Donkey (2015 Batchelder Award winner) Dumon Tak Operation Redwood French Dyamonde Daniel series Grimes Junonia Henkes The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher Levy Rain Reign (2015 Schneider Family Book Award winner) Martin The Turtle of Oman Nye Wonder Palacio Rickshaw Girl Perkins This Day in June (2015 Stonewall Book Award winner) Pittman Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet Salisbury Mamba Point Scaletta Wonderstruck (2012 Schneider Family Book Award winner) Selznick The Great Wall of Lucy Wu Shang Jake & Lily Spinelli When You Reach Me (2010 Newbery Medal winner) (2012 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award winner)

Stead

I Survived… series Tarshi Last Summer With Maizon Woodson

Summer’s Hot @ Your Public Library! Make sure you visit your local library this summer, either in person or online. Here is just a sampling of what you can do:

• Sign up for summer reading programs, sponsored by the Boston Bruins • Enjoy special concerts and activities • Borrow book club kits • Download e-books, audio books, and music • Borrow movies

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Science Fiction Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies Beaty Space Station Rat Daley Star Wars: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight DiTerlizzi City of Ember Duprau Sky Jumpers Eddleman Space Case Gibbs The Other Side of the Island Goodman Found (2010 Massachusetts Children's Book Award winner) Haddix Seven Wonders series Lerangis Space Taxi Mass Galaxy Zack series O’Ryan My Cousin, The Alien Service First Light Stead Zorgamazoo Weston

Classics The Wizard of Oz Baum Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Dahl Knight’s Castle Eager The Saturdays Enright Harriet the Spy Fitzhugh The Wind in the Willows Grahame Finn Family Moomintroll Jansson The Phantom Tollbooth Juster A Wrinkle in Time (1963 Newbery Medal winner) L’Engle The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit Lester The Chronicles of Narnia Lewis Pippi Longstocking stories Lindgren Five Children and It Nesbit The Borrowers Norton Tales of King Arthur Riordan The Cricket in Times Square (1961 Newbery Honor book) Selden The Rescuers Sharp Abel’s Island (1977 Newbery Honor book) Steig Treasure Island Stevenson Charlotte’s Web (1953 Newbery Honor book) White

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Graphic Novels, Graphic Non-fiction El Deafo (2015 Newbery Honor book) Bell Knights of the Lunch Table Cammuso Stone Rabbit series Craddock Fashion Kitty Harper Lunch Lady series Krosoczka Cleopatra in Space Maihack Around the World: Three Remarkable Journeys Phelan Big Fat Little Lit Puffin Books Sidekicks Santat LumberJanes series Stevenson Smile Talgemeier Amazing Greek Myths of Wonder and Blunders Townsend Robot Dreams Varon

Sports The Prince of Fenway Park Baggott The Soccer Machine Bedford Hoop Girlz Bledsoe The Warriors Bruchac World Cup Christopher The Girl Who Threw Butterflies Cochrane Football Genius Green Roberto and Me (Baseball Card Adventures series) Gutman Game Changer Haddix Slam Dunk Hirschfeld True Legend Lupica The Ghost of the Stanley Cup (Screech Owl Series) MacGregor The Home-run King McKissack Win or Lose Morgan Karate Kick Peters My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard Winkler Good Luck, Ivy Yee Arcady’s Goal Yelchin

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Non-Fiction Inside Dinosaurs Abramson ART2-D2’s Guide to Folding and Doodling Angleberger Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall

Gorilla Applegate

Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed the Earth Bang Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table Briggs The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus

(2015 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal winner) Bryant

The Ultimate Guide to Football Buckley Mummies (National Geographic Science Reader) Carney A Black Hole is Not a Hole DeChristofano The Story of Buildings: From the Pyramids to the Sydney

Opera House and Beyond Dillon

Grandfather Gandhi Gandhi Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing Janeczko The Animal Book: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest,

Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest – and Most Surprising – Animals on Earth

Jenkins

Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds McCallum Treasury of Egyptian Mythology Napoli Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans (2012 Coretta Scott King Award winner)

Nelson

Dog Heroes (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker) Osborne Inkblot: Drip, Splat, and Squish Your Way to Creativity Peot Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry Prelutsky A Boy and a Jaguar (2015 Schneider Family Award winner) Rabinowitz Comic Strips: Create Your Own Comic Strips From Start to

Finish Roche

Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands

Roy

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

Scieszka

Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem-Solving Tang Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s

Fight for Desegregation (2015 Pura Belpré Honor book) Tonatiuh

The Everything Kids’ Astronomy Book Wagner No Rouz: Our Persian New Year Zameen

Meet Andrea Davis Pinkney!

Ms. Pinkney will be visiting Pike this coming December, and we are thrilled to welcome this award-winning, dynamic author of over thirty books for children and young adults! Enjoy this small sampling of her work, which is frequently illustrated by her husband, Brian Pinkney.

A true story of activism in the 1960s.

Learn about the “First Lady of Swing.”

Dawnie is the first black student to attend a white school in 1955 Virginia.

Profiles of those who are working towards making the world a better place.

Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the rodeo!

A rousing introduction to the famous feminist.

Otis, Hibernia, and Willie become fast friends during the Great Depression.

Amira relates her struggles and triumphs in beautiful poetry.