Back to Requirements Book List in Word Summer Reading Log for Additional Summer Reading
Social Studies Related Reading Biography/Non-Fiction Classics/Fantasy/Sci-Fi Historical Poetry Contemporary Fiction Series Reading Across RI Recommendation Guys Graphic Novels Mature
Social Studies Related Readings
Dear America Series
Choose any related to the Civil War or Western Expansion.
980L Grade 6 Social Studies related reading
Man Who Was Poe Avi
In Providence, RI, in 1848, Edgar Allen Poe reluctantly investigates the problems of eleven year old Edmund, whose family has mysteriously disappeared and whose story suggest a new Poe tale with a ghastly final twist. 600L Grade 6 Social Studies related reading
Walking the Road to Freedom Ferris, Jeri
This is the important and inspiring story of a woman who called herself Sojourner Truth. Using only the power of her voice, she spoke out against slavery throughout New England and the Midwest. 820L Grade 6 Social Studies related reading
Mara, Daughter of the Nile McGraw, Eloise
The adventures of an ingenious Egyptian slave girl who undertakes a dangerous assignment as a spy in the royal palace of Thebes, in the days when Queen Hatshepsut ruled. 910L Grade 7 & 8 Social Studies related reading
My Name is Not Angelica O'Dell, Scott
A historical novel set in the Virgin Islands of 1733. Taisha escapes from her Dutch “owners” in time to witness the mass suicide of her fellow slaves, who prefer death to recapture. 750L Grade 6 Social Studies related reading
Soldier's Heart Paulsen, Gary
he nightmare of the Civil War comes to the pages in this novel from Paulsen . . . based on the real-life experiences of a young enlistee. 1000L Grade 6 Social Studies related reading
The Lightning Thief Riordan, Rick
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. Living with ADHD, he finds meaning behind his difficulties at last—he’s really a half-blood offspring to Poseidon. It’s not long before he’s sent on a quest to retrieve Zeus’s thunderbolt from Hades (located naturally in L.A.) The book is packed with humorous allusions to Greek mythology and clever updates of the old stories, along with rip-snorting action sequences. (Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians)
740L Grades 7&8 Social Studies related reading
Bury the Dead: Corpses, Skeletons, Mummies, Tombs Sloan, Christopher and Bruno Frohlich
Examines the customs and practices related to burial that have existed from ancient times to the present. Grade 7 & 8 Social Studies related reading
The Egypt Game Snyder, Zilpha
Two girls get involved in an elaborate "Egypt game," a fantasy game that soon leads to strange, unexplainable happenings. PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY called the characters in Snyder's Newbery Honor winner "true originals." 1010L Grade 7 & 8 Social Studies related reading
Detectives in Togas Winterfield, Henry
In an effort to save a boy wrongly accused, a group of young friends living in ancient Rome search for the culprit who scrawled graffiti on the temple wall.
700L Grade 7 & 8 Social Studies related reading
My Name is Sally Little Song Woods, Brenda
Can Sally and her family escape slavery and the slave hunters to find safety with the Seminole Indians in Florida? 780 L Grade 6 Social Studies related reading
Jason and the Gorgon's Blood Yolen, Jane
In another thrilling adventure that imagines Greek heroes as young men and women, Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris explore the early years of Jason, before he led the Argonauts on one of the most famous quests in Greek mythology.
Grade 7 & 8 Social Studies related reading
Other Summer Reading Texts
Autobiography/Biography/Nonfiction
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World Armstrong, Jennifer
One of the most extraordinary adventure stories in history. Armstrong narrates this story with vigor, an eye for detail and an appreciation of the leadership that brought each of Shakelton’s men back alive. 1090L
Flags of Our Fathers Bradley, James and Ron Powers
Presents an account of the Marines who came together during the battle of Iwo Jima to raise the American flag in a moment that has been immortalized in one of the most famous photographs of World War II. 950L
Jim Thorpe’s Bright Plan Bruchac, Joseph
Native American Jim Thorpe survived a tragic childhood to become one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story Fleischman, John
Phineas Gage was truly a man with a hole in his head. Phineas, a railroad construction foreman, was blasting rock near Cavendish, Vermont, in 1848 when a thirteen-pound iron rod was shot through his brain. Miraculously, he survived and became a textbook case in brain science. 1030L
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board Hamilton, Bethany
On one ordinary day, Bethany and her friends went surfing. That day she lost her arm and foot, but was lucky to be alive. This is her comeback story. 960L
The Red Scarf Girl Jiang, Ji-Li
This is a rare personal glimpse of the upheaval China suffered during the 1960s, and twelve-year-old Ji-li's point of view is firmly maintained-the point of self-dramatization.
780L
Who Moved My Cheese? For Teens an Amazing Way to Change and Win
Johnson, Spencer 880L
Bad Boy: A Memoir Myers, Walter Dean
Myers paints a picture of his childhood growing up in Harlem in the 1940's. While the facts make his life seem a tale of hoodlum turned writer, the truth is that the writer was there all along--and his fists struck out to protect him. 970L
The Greatest: Muhammad Ali Myers, Walter Dean
Author presents the amazing story of Muhammad Ali’s childhood, his rise as a champion, his politics, and his battles against Parkinson’s disease. 1030L
My Life in Dog Years Paulsen, Gary
An autobiographical account of the author's relationships to his dogs over his lifetime. 1150L
Within Reach: My Everest Story Pfetzer, Mark and Jack Galvin
Suspenseful first-person narrative, sixteen year old Mark Pfetzer relates his experiences as the youngest climber to attempt Everest. 970L
The Upstairs Room Reiss, Johanna
A Dutch Jewish girl describes the two-and-one-half years she spent in hiding in the upstairs bedroom of a farmer's house during World War II. 380L
Are We Alone Skurzynski, Gloria
Describes the efforts of scientists around the world to answer the question,” Are we alone?” By showing the interconnectedness of the many scientific disciplines that have come together in the search for life beyond our world, the author makes a case for extraterrestrial study. It is a glimpse into the lives of committed scientists filled with superhuman amounts of tenacity, patience, hope, and vision. 1170L
A Summer Life Soto, Gary
A collection of essays and short stories that detail Soto's boyhood mischief and silly sense of humor.990L
Martin Luther King Patterson, Lillie 890L
Classics, Adventure and Fantasy Return
Little Women Alcott, Louisa May
In picturesque nineteenth-century New England, tomboyish Jo, beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy come of age while their father is off to war. 1210L
Never Mind Avi & Rachel Vail
Edward and Meg are like night and day, oil and water. Meg zigs while Edward zags. How could two such different people be twins? Well, they are, but they don't have to like it -- or each other. 620L
The Secret Garden Burnett, Frances Hodgson
Classic about a ten year old girl named Mary, orphaned by a cholera outbreak, who comes to live at a lonely house on the Yorkshire Moors and discovers Colin, her invalid cousin, and the mysteries of a locked garden. 820L
Ender’s Game Card, Orson Scott
Ender, who is the result of genetic experimentation, may be the military genius Earth needs in its war against an alien enemy. 780L
Tale of Despereaux Di Camillo, Kate
A novel that explores the “powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous” nature of love, hope and forgiveness. This is an old-fashioned story and dark story, narrated “Dear Reader” style. The protagonist of the story is a mouse, a somewhat different mouse from all other mice. 670L
Ear, The Eye and
the Arm
Farmer, Nancy
In 2194 in Zimbabwe, General Matsika's three children are kidnapped and put to
work in a plastic mine while three mutant detectives use their special powers to
search for them. 660L
House of the
Scorpion
Farmer, Nancy
Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patrón, lord
of a country called Opium -a strip of poppy fields lying between the United
States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided
inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow. He is a boy now,
but most consider him a monster -except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as
he loves himself, because Matt is himself. 660L
Dragon Rider Funke, Cornelia
Aimed at slightly younger readers than her previous novels, despite its massive five hundred pages, Dragon Rider is about a brave young dragon called Firedrake who embarks upon a dangerous journey to the Rim of Heaven in the Himalayas--a magical place where silver dragons can rest easy, free from the threat of destruction by mankind and their only hope of sanctuary. 710L
Thief Lord Funke, Cornelia
You will be drawn toward the enchanting and breathtaking pages by Cornelia Funke that hopefully will be sitting in front of you very soon. Join five homeless children under the protection of the “Thief Lord” as they go on an exciting, yet dangerous mission to retrieve something magical that has been missing for hundreds of years. (Soleil R. 7th grade FRMS) 770L
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Twain, Mark
The adventures and pranks of a mischievous boy growing up in a Mississippi River town in the early nineteenth century. 950L
Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 White, Andrea
This is the world five young people find themselves in during the year 2083. All five fourteen year olds can’t pay their own way through high school and college. So, they decide to participate in the latest survival show, Historical Antarctica Survivor. The kids must survive natural and orchestrated calamities in order to make it to the end of the game. 670L
Around the World in Eighty Days Verne, Jules
In 1872, Phileas Fogg wins a bet by traveling around the world in seventy-nine days, twenty-three hours, and fifty-seven minutes. 1080L
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Verne, Jules
An American frigate tracks down a ship-sinking submarine commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo. 1030L
Elsewhere Zevin, Gabrielle 720L
Zevin presents an intriguing concept of the afterlife in her first novel for young adults.
Historical Fiction Return
Fever 1793 Anderson, Laurie Halse
Against the backdrop of 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak in Philadelphia, fourteen-year old Matilda struggles to keep herself and those she loves alive. 580L
Anne Frank and Me Bennet, Cherrie & Jeff Gottesfeld
Suffering a concussion on a class trip to a Holocaust exhibit, Nicole finds herself living the life a Jewish teenager in Nazi occupied Paris during WWII. Nicole is forced into hiding, and begins a struggle for survival that brings her face to face with Anne Frank. 550L
Al Capone Does My Shirts Choldenko, Gennifer
Twelve-year old Moose moves to Alcatraz in 1935 so his father can work as a prison guard and his younger, autistic sister, Natalie, can attend a special school in San Francisco. It is a time when the federal prison is home to notorious criminals like gangster Al Capone. Depressed about having to leave his friends and winning baseball team behind, Moose finds little to be happy about on Alcatraz. Things look up for Moose when he befriends the irresistible Piper, the warden’s daughter, who has a knack for getting Moose into embarrassing but harmless trouble. 600L
The Breadwinner Ellis, Deborah
Imagine living in a country in which women and girls are not allowed to leave the house without a man. Imagine having to wear clothes that cover every part of your body, including your face, whenever you go out. In this realistic tale of life in Kabul, Afghanistan. 11 year old Parvana transforms herself into a boy and must become the breadwinner for the family. 630L
Nory Ryan's Song Giff, Patricia Reilly
When a terrible blight attacks Ireland’s potato crop in 1845, 12-year old Nory Ryan’s courage and ingenuity help her family and neighbors survive. 720L
Maggie's Door Sequel to Nory Ryan’s Song 650L
Lily’s Crossing Giff, Patricia Reilly
During a summer spent at Rockaway Beach in 1944, Lily’s friendship with a young Hungarian refugee causes her to see the war and her own world differently. 720L
The Blood Red Horse Grant, K. M. You need three things to become a brave and noble knight: a warhorse, a fair maiden, and a just cause. Will has a horse. Ellie is a fair maiden, but she’s supposed to marry Will’s older brother, Gavin. And as for the cause, King Richard is calling for a Crusade. Will and Gavin will go? Blood will be shed. Lives will be taken. But through it all, two things will be constant—Ellie, and a blood-red horse called Hosanna. 930L
Pictures, 1918 Ingold, Jeanette
Coming of age in a rural Texas community in 1918, fifteen-year-old Asia assists in the local war effort, contemplates romance with a local boy, and expands her horizons through photography. 730L
The Art of Keeping Cool Lisle, Janet Taylor
In 1942, Robert and his cousin Elliot uncover long-hidden family secrets while staying in their grandparents’ Rhode Island town, where they also become involved with a German artist who is suspected of being a spy. 730L
Black Duck Lisle, Janet Taylor
David, a 14-year-old aspiring journalist, suspects that his elderly neighbor, Ruben, has a story to tell about Prohibition in their Rhode Island town, and he wonders "how to pry it out of the geezer." Surprisingly, Ruben opens up, and his chapter-length recollections of "rumrunners and highjackers, fast boats and dark nights," form the bulk of this gripping, layered mystery, which begins with young Ruben's discovery of a dead body. 790L
Autumn Street Lowry, Lois
When her father goes to fight in World War II, Elizabeth goes with her mother and sister to her grandfather's house where she learns to face up to the puzzling and cruel realities of the adult world.. 870L
When My Name was Keoko Park, Linda Sue
With national pride and occasional fear, a brother and sister face the increasingly oppressive occupation of Korea by Japan during WWII. 610L
Soldier X
Wulffson, Don L.
Based upon
a true story, sixteen-year-old Erik Brandt barely knows what Germany is fighting
for when he is drafted into Hitler's army in 1944. Sent to the killing fields of
the Eastern Front, he is surrounded by unimaginable, horrific sights. It's kill
or be killed, and Erik's days are numbered. Until, seriously injured, he
conceives of another way to survive. Soldier X will change the way every
reader thinks about the reality of war. 740L
The Star Fisher Yep, Laurence
“A forceful picture of prejudice and persecution and a story of pride and courage.” 850L
Poetry Return
Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems George, Kristine O'Connell
The first year of middle school brings an array of challenges: making new friends, moving from class to class, tests and homework, changing for PE, gossip, school dances, and, of course, budding romance. Short, accessible poems in a variety of forms, but all in a single voice—that of a new middle schooler—evoke the memorable moments of the school year.
Love That Dog Creech, Sharon
Who said boys don’t love poetry?
Something About America Testa, Marie
Inspired by true events, the thirteen-year-old from Kosova thinks of herself as a typical American schoolgirl. But for her parents, moving to Maine was just a sad necessity, a way to escape from war and find medical care for a daughter scarred up to her chin. But then a hateful event changes everything — forcing residents old and new to reexamine what it means to be an American.
Contemporary Fiction Return
Down the Rabbit Hole Abrahams, Peter
Ingrid is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or at least her shoes are. And getting them back will mean getting tangled up in a murder investigation. With soccer practice, schoolwork, and the lead role in her town's production of Alice in Wonderland, Ingrid is swamped. But as things keep getting curiouser and curiouser, Ingrid realizes she must solve the murder on her own -- before it's too late! 680L
Maya Running Banerjee, Anjali
Maya, a Canadian of East Indian descent, struggles with her ethnic identity, infatuation with a classmate, and the presence of her beautiful Bengali cousin, Pinky, who comes for a visit bearing a powerful statue of the god Ganesh, the Hindu elephant boy. Grade 6-8
Eddie and the Jets Attanas, John
The life of a sixth grader spirals out of control when his football team breaks up, his father moves out, and he starts crushing on his best friend's twin sister. Taking a cue from the real-life New York Jets, Eddie decides to start a new squad, replacing two longtime players in an effort to turn around his team's losing record. 630L
Rules of the Road Bauer, Joan. This fast and funny tale of one big-boned (and big-hearted) gal's summer as a shoe store spy, follows Jenna as she joins her crusty employer on an eye-opening adventure that will teach them both the rules of the road and of life. 850L
Hope was Here Bauer, Joan Sixteen-year-old Hope and the aunt who has raised her move from Brooklyn to Mulhoney, Wisconsin, to work as a waitress and cook in the Welcome Stairways diner. They become involved with the diner owner's political campaign to oust the town's corrupt mayor. 710L
Everywhere Brooks, Bruce
The deep bond between a 9-year old and his grandfather saved the old man after his near fatal heart attack. First the boy must overcome his feelings of helplessness and guilt. With the imaginative assistance from a local nurse and a mysterious ritual called “soul switching”, the boy finds the miraculous, healing power of love. 880L
The 18th Emergency Byars, Betsy
A tale of one boy's struggle with a school bully. 750L
What Jamie Saw Coman, Carolyn
Having fled to a family friend's hillside trailer after his mother’s boyfriend tried to throw his baby sister against a wall, nine year old Jamie finds himself living an existence full of uncertainty and fear. 1010L
Family Reunion Cooney, Caroline
In this funny and poignant novel by Caroline B. Cooney, Shelley learns to appreciate all the members of her unusual family—including herself!—in ways she never anticipated. And she discovers things are often not as perfect as they seem. 840L
Absolutely Normal Chaos Creech, Sharon
Thirteen year old Mary Lou grows up quickly during the summer while learning about romance, homesickness, death, and her cousin’s search for his biological father. 900L
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup Creech, Sharon
With the help of her wise old grandmother, 12 year old Rosie manages to work out her problems with her best friend, Bailey, the boy next door. 810L
Bloomability Creech, Sharon
When 13-year-old Dinnie Doone is plucked out of her troubled life by her aunt and uncle and whisked away to an international school in Switzerland, her world is turned upside down. Suddenly surrounded by different cultures, languages, and beliefs, Dinnie struggles to hold on to her past life. Through friendships and experiences she could have nowhere else, she learns to trust herself and discovers beautiful "bloomabilities." 850L
Walk Two Moons
Creech, Sharon.
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her
grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. 770L
Saving Grace Cummings, Priscilla
When Grace's family is evicted from their Washington, D.C., apartment just before Christmas 1932, and she and her younger brothers are sent to the Mission, Grace wonders what will become of her sick older brother, her pregnant mother, and her out-of-work father. Inspired by a true story, this novel is about a family hard hit by the Great Depression. 710L
Finding Stinko De Guzman, Michael
Newboy hasn’t spoken in three years. After running away form his foster home, he discovers Stinko—a broken ventriloquist dummy who gives him back his voice– and he finds help in other unexpected places as he makes his way in the city on his own. Grades 5-6
The Skin I'm In Flake, Sharon
Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark, meets a new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like. 670L
Seedfolks Fleischman, Paul
One by one, a number of people of varying ages and backgrounds transform a trash-filled, inner-city lot into a productive and beautiful garden, and, in doing so, the gardeners are themselves transformed. 710L
Pictures of Hollis Woods Giff, Patricia Reilly
A troublesome twelve-year-old orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her. 650L
Deep and Dark and Dangerous: A Ghost Story Hahn, Mary Downing
A shadowy figure haunts a 13 year-old girl at her aunt’s summer cottage. Is this gigure connected with the secret that has haunted her aunt and mother for 30 years? 650L
Flush Hiassen, Carl
Noah’s dad tried to stop the owner of the Coral Queen casino boat from flushing raw sewage into the harbor…by sinking his boat! Now, Noah’s dad’s in jail, and it’s up to Noah to prove that the Coral Queen is dumping illegally—and flush the crook out into the open! 830L
Deliver Us From Normal Klise, Kate
Charles is obsessed with the idea that he is strange and can't fit in with the sixth grade in Normal, IL. He feels that he possesses a special talent, the ability to know what people are really saying and thinking. He is especially embarrassed by his family. When his older sister's campaign posters for seventh-grade class president are defaced by clique leaders, the parents leave town and buy an Alabama houseboat - a decision that leads danger. 690L
Silent to the Bone Konisburg, E.L.
When he is wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half-sister, thirteen-year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend Connor is able to reach him and uncover the truth about what really happened. 810L
Necessary Roughness Lee, Marie G.
Sixteen-year-old Korean American Chan moves from Los Angeles to a small town in Minnesota, where he must cope not only with racism on the football team but also with the tensions in his relationship with his strict father. 750L
Rules Lord, Cynthia 850L
This sensitive story is about being different, feeling different, and finding acceptance.
Touching Spirit Bear Mikaelsen, Ben
After his anger erupts into violence, Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life. 670L
Petey Mikaelsen, Ben
(STORY BASED ON A TRUE ACCOUNT) In 1922 Petey, who has cerebral palsy, is misdiagnosed as an idiot and institutionalized; sixty years later, still in the institution, he befriends a boy and shares with him the joy of life. 740L
Riding Freedom Munoz-Ryan, Pam 720L
This is a fictionalized biography of equestrian Charlotte "Charley" Parkhurst who lived her life disguised as a man and was the first woman voter in the U.S.A an "ebullient and tautly structured novel that moves along at a gallop."
Shiloh Season Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds
Sequel to Shiloh. When mean and angry Judd, who has never known kindness, takes to drinking and mistreats his dogs, Marty discovers how deep a hurt can go and how long it takes to hear. 860L
How to Steal a Dog O’Connor, Barbara
Nobody knows, not even her best friend , that Georgina, her mother and brother got kicked out of their apartment and must live in their car. Georgina sees an old poster offering $500 for the return of a dog—if she could only get $500 for a month’s rent—but how? Could she really steal a dog? 700L
The Same Stuff as Stars Paterson, Katherine
Compelling story of values. When Angela’s self-absorbed mother leaves her and her younger brother with their poor great-grandmother, the eleven-year old girl worries not only about her mother and brother, her imprisoned father, and the frail old woman, but also about a mysterious man who begins sharing with her the wonder of the stars. 670L
Where the Red Fern Grows Rawls, Wilson
A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters. 700L
Missing May Rylant, Cynthia
Life’s lessons and friendship. 980L
The Schwa Was Here Shusterman, Neal
Shusterman has written a true-to-life book about the fact that we can look right through certain people and not even see them. Calvin Schwa is one of those people and the only person who really sees Calvin is Antsy Bonano. Antsy tells us the story of “the Schwa” and how he came to be, why no one sees him (not even his father), and how he can walk into rooms—even the girls' locker rooms or the principal's office—and not be seen. 790L
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree Tarshis, Lauren
Emma-Jean is both a quirky and logical seventh grader who lacks people skills. She has no need for friends, but after stumbling upon a classmate sobbing in the girl’s restroom, Emma-Jean uses her problem-solving ability to help, leading to some rather interesting results. 830L
Surviving the Applewhites Tolan, Stephanie S.
Jake Semple is notorious. Rumor has it he burned down his old school and got kicked out of every school in his home state. Only one place will take him now, and that's a home school run by the Applewhites, a chaotic and hilarious family of artists. The only one who doesn't fit the Applewhite mold is E.D. -- a smart, sensible girl who immediately clashes with the unruly Jake. Jake thinks surviving this one will be a breeze . . . but is he really as tough or as bad as he seems? 820L
How I Survived Being a Girl Van Draanen, Wendelin
This episodic novel relies heavily on descriptions of qualities or habits children would call "gross": fatness, baldness, sweat, huge bellybuttons, disgusting eating habits. The narrator, 12-year-old Carolyn, identifies with boys and despises most females, young and old. She hates being a girl mainly because boys would rather play with other boys. The chatty narrative expresses her thoughts about life and describes the mild trouble she and her brothers get into. 960L
Flipped Van Draanen, Wendelin 720L
In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years.
So B. It Weeks, Sarah
Heidi, the 13-year-old heroine in this beautiful novel, narrates the story of her and her mother's (named So B. It) mysterious life. The account begins when 1-week-old Heidi and So B. It arrive on the doorstep of their future neighbor and caretaker, Bernadette. Heidi's mother can speak only 23 words—each the title of a chapter in the book. When Heidi discovers a key to her past—an old camera with undeveloped photos—she departs on a quest that will inevitably change her life. 860L
The Revealers Wilhelm, Doug
Tired of being bullied and picked on, three seventh-grade outcasts join forces and, using scientific methods and the power of the Internet, begin to create a new atmosphere at Parkland Middle School. 580L
Series Return
The Princess Diaries Cabot, Meg
A teenager living in modern-day Greenwich Village in New York City discovers that she is now the heir apparent to the throne in a European country. 920L
Bloodline Cary, Kate
When nineteen-year-old John Shaw returns from the trenches of World War I, he is haunted by nightmares—not only of the battlefield, but of the strange, cruel and impossible feats of his regiment’s commander, Quincey Harker. Harker’s ferocity knows no limits, and his strength is superhuman. When Harker appears in England and begins wooing John’s sister, John must confront the truth—and stop Harker from continuing Dracula’s bloodline. Grade 7-10
Sequel: Reckoning
Things Not Seen Clements, Andrew
Fifteen year old Bobby wakes up invisible one day. Doing his best to adapt after convincing his parents of his problem, he tries to resume a normal life. 690L
Sequel: Things Hoped For
Artemis Fowl Series Colfer, Eoin
Artemis Fowl is one of the greatest criminal minds the world has ever seen. He is heir to the Fowl family empire—a centuries old clan of international underworld figures and con artists. He is arguably the most cunning Fowl of all. He is also twelve years old. 600L
The Fire Within, Icefire, Fire Star D’Lacey, Chris
David lives in a house filled with clay dragons. But can these dragons really come to life—and help him solve a mystery? Scholastic Book Clubs 630L
The City of Ember , The People of Sparks & Prophet of Yonwood DuPrau, Jeanne
The city of Ember has no natural light, and the blackouts of its antiquated electrical grid are coming more and more frequently. So thinks Doon and his spirited schoolmate Lina who are determined to save the city. 680L
Inkheart or Inkspell Funke, Cornelia
Yet another amazing novel by Cornelia Funke! Join Meggie as she survives in a world of untold secrets, deception, and mystery. You yourself will want to be there with her every step of the way and encounter the same difficulties she must overcome on her journey. (Soleil R. 7th grade) 780L
My Side of the Mountain George,Jean Craighead
Every kid thinks about running away at one point or another; few get farther than the end of the block. Young Sam Gribley gets to the end of the block and keeps going--all the way to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. There he sets up house in a huge hollowed-out tree, with a falcon and a weasel for companions and his wits as his tool for survival. In a spellbinding, touching, funny account, Sam learns to live off the land, and grows up a little in the process. 810L
Sequel On the Far Side of the Mountain
Shadow Children Series: Among the Hidden, Among the Impostors, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Suspenseful tales of a futuristic world that is both scary and plausible. 650L-800L
Clique Series Harrision, Lisa
Massie Block always gets what she wants, or does she? When Nina arrives and starts flirting with all the boys, Massie has one chance to reclaim her place as queen of the clique! 790L
Warriors (series) Hunter, Erin 840-900L
Warrior cats face peril that threatens the whole forest in these exciting adventures.
Stormbreaker (Alex Rider Adventures) Horowitz, Anthony
In the first of his adventures. Alex discovers his guardian and uncle murdered. Alex makes one discovery after another and is sucked into his uncle’s undercover world. 680L
Chasing the
Falconer's
Korman, Gordon
After their parents' conviction for treason in a high-profile case, Aiden and
Meg Falconer were given a different last name and placed at a juvenile
corrections facility in Nebraska. They remain convinced of their parents'
innocence. At the first opportunity, they escape. With little chance of evading
detection, the children do whatever it takes to remain free and gather evidence
that might overturn their parents' conviction. 680L
Dive Korman, Gordan 600-750L
Island Korman, Gordan 600-750L
Six kids. One shipwreck. One deserted island. They didn't want to be on the boat in the first place. They were sent there as punishment, or as a character-building experience. Now the adults are gone, and the quest for survival has begun.
Guardians of Ga'hoole (series) Lasky, Catherine 800L
This much loved author brings an owl world to life.
Pendragon (series)
MacHale, D. J.
Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. But there is
something very special about Bobby. He is going to save the world. Bobby is
slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought
it was. Before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as
Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant,
and plagued by dangerous revolution. 660L
Twilight (series) Myers, Stephanie 720L
Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful vampire story, Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse capture the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires .
Charlie Bone
(series)
Nimmo, Jenny 590-720L
The Charlie Bone, and to some of the children he met behind the grim, gray walls
of Bloor's Academy have fabulous powers of the Red King that were passed down
through his descendants. Charlie discovers an unusual gift—he can hear people in
photographs talking! His scheming aunts send him to Bloor Academy, a school for
genius's where he uses his gifts to discover the truth despite all the
dangers.
Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr Paolini, Christopher
In the first of the Inheritance series, Eragon finds a dragon egg, fated to be hatched. After his parents are killed, he discovers that he is the last of the Dragon Riders. 710L
Maximum Ride (series)Patterson, James
When a band of genetically engineered kids—who are 98% human , 2% bird—discover that one of their own has been kidnapped, they take on a rescue mission that pits them against a gang of bloodthirsty mangwolves. 700L
The Golden Compass, The Amber Spy Glass, The Subtle Knife Pullman, Phillip
In the epic trilogy His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman unlocks the door to worlds parallel to our own. 890-950L
Larklight, Starcross Reeve, Phillip 1170L
Art Mumsby and his irritating sister Myrtle live with their father in a huge and rambling house called Larklight…that just happens to be traveling through outer space. When Mr. Webster arrives for a visit, it is far from an innocent social call. Before long Art and Myrtle are off on an adventure to the furthest reaches of space, where they will do battle with evil forces in order to save each other—and the universe.
Deltora Quest
(series)
Rodda, Emily 720-980L
The evil Shadow Lord has been banished, but famine still stalks Deltora, and
only monsters thrive. Lief, Jasmine and Barda discover a terrible secret. The
Enemy left the seeds of death behind him. Four vile creations of sorcery called
the Four Sisters are hidden and are slowly killing the land. The Shadow Lord
gloats, awaiting his triumphant return. The companions must find the deadly
Sisters and destroy them. Their only hope of help lies with 7 unlikely allies -
the last of Deltora's dragons.
Rowan of Rin
(series)
Rodda, Emily
Because only he can read the magical map, young, weak, and timid Rowan joins
six other villagers to climb a mountain and try to restore their water supply,
as fears of a dragon and other horrors threaten to drive them back. 660L
Dark Fusion: Dreadlocks (series) Shusterman, Neil 710L
Fourteen-year-old Parker is a spoiled, bored, rich kid who is fascinated by the new girl next door. Tara is British, with thick curling, golden hair like glowing dreadlocks, and she always wears sunglasses. Those who take an interest in her fall ill with a strange sickness: their skin and eyes go grey and their limbs turn to stone. Tara, or shall we say Medusa, wants to give Parker a Gorgon’s gifts. Will he take them?
Uglies Westerfield, Scott
UGLIES trilogy follows the high-tech adventures of Tally Youngblood. As an ugly, then a pretty, and finally a special, Tally works to take down a society created to function with perfect-looking people who never have a chance to think for themselves. . 770L
Pretties, Specials Sequels 860-880L
Read Across Rhode Island-2008 Children and Young Adult Titles
which correspond with Water for Elephants Return
Jumbo Blumberg, Rhoda With his friend and trainer Jumbo, the giant African elephant, leaves his home at the London Zoo and becomes part of the P.T. Barnum circus. (non-fiction)
Bud, Not Buddy Curtis, Christopher Paul
Motherless Bud shares his amusingly astute rules of life as he hits the road to find the jazz musician he believes is his father. A medley of characters brings Depression-era Michigan to life. 950L
Children of the Great Depression Freedman, Russell 1170L Drawing on memoirs, diaries, letters and other first-hand accounts, Freedman takes a close look at the lives of young Americans during the Great Depression.
Out of the Dust Hesse, Karen In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family’s wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression.
Worlds Afire Janeczko, Paul J.
This story, written in narrative verse, is a powerful account of the 1944 Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus fire in Hartford, Connecticut. The fictitious voices of circus personnel, parents, children, police, firefighters, and neighbors meticulously detail this disaster, which was fueled by the paraffin and gasoline that waterproofed the canvas tent. These personal tales of triumph and defeat will haunt the reader long after turning the last page.
Guys Read: Connecting Boys to Books (Girls may enjoy these too!) Return
Drive: The Story of My Life Bird, Larry 900L
Tangerine Bloor, Edward
Paul Fisher, a star soccer player despite being legally blind, finally comes into his own when his family moves to the strange town of Tangerine, Florida. 680L
The Edge Bo, Ben 740L
A teenaged gang member accused of various crimes finds redemption working and snowboarding at a ski lodge in the mountains surrounding Canada’s Glacier National Park.
The Moves Make
the Man
Brooks,Bruce
Jerome Foxworthy -- the Jayfox to his friends -- likes to think he can handle
anything. He handled growing up without a father. He handled being the first
black kid in school. And he sure can handle a basketball. Then Jerome meets Bix
Rivers -- mysterious and moody, but a great athlete. So Jerome decides to teach
Bix his game. All he's got to do is learn the right moves.... 1150L
Center Court Sting Christopher, Matt
Daren’s tendency to blame everyone but himself when anything goes wrong causes problems with his best friend, with a young neighbor who idolizes him, and with one of his basketball teammates. 570L
Supercharged Infield Christopher, Matt
Captain and third baseman Penny is amazed by the sudden change in her teammates on the Hawks softball team. Worried about her friends, Penny vows to get to the bottom of this dilemma. 760L
Run, Billy, Run Christopher, Matt 790L
Running has always been the fastest way for Billy Chekko to get around. Now that he is on the track team, running has a whole new meaning. When a bully goads Billy into a race he stands little chance of winning, he’s faced with the greatest challenge of his life.
Night Hoops
Deuker, Carl
While trying to prove that he is good enough to be on his high school’s varsity
basketball team, Nick must also deal with his parents’ divorce and the erratic
behavior of a troubled classmate who lives across the street. 630L
Forward Pass
When Kevin replaces the quarterback, a football hero who suffers a knee
injurythe second stringer needs to prove that he can do the job and is not just
a substitute. 940L
Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery Feinstein, John 760L
Action packed mystery is set at the NCAA Final Four men’s basketball tournament. Main characters are two students who win a trip to the Superdome games and an opportunity to cover the games.
The Million Dollar Shot Gutman, Dan 680L
Eddie Ball has the chance of a lifetime: to win a million dollars by sinking a foul shot during halftime at the NBA finals. A million dollars would mean the end to his and his mother’s problems. But someone will do anything to sabotage the million dollar shot.
Tony Hawke Professional Skater Hawke, Tony
Travel Team
Lupica, Mike 930L
Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball
court--but don't tell him that. No one plays with more heart or court sense.
But he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to
national prominence as a boy. Danny's father knows Danny isn't the only kid who
was cut for the wrong reason, and together, with a bunch of never-say-die kids
prove that the heart cannot be measured.
Pinned Martino, Alfred C.
Ivan and Bobby couldn't be more different--they come from different backgrounds, different lifestyles, and they have very different values and ways of dealing with people. Yet they both have the drive, determination, and commitment to self-sacrifice to become a champion. In the end, only one will stand in the center of the mat in victory. 670L
In the Land of the Lawn Weenies, Invasion of the Road Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales and The Curse of the Campfire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales Lubar, David
Lubar delivers a
series of funny, often surreal short stories. In one of the selections, a boy's
trip with his dad and younger brother to Take Your Child to Work Day ends
disastrously when some copy-machine pranks erase a face. All of the stories are
fun. 570L
Hoops Myers, Walter Dean
A teenage basketball player from Harlem is befriended by a former professional
player who, after being forced to quit because of a point shaving scandal, hopes
to prevent other young athletes from repeating his mistake.740L
Skinnybones Park, Barbara & Leo Lionni
Alex’s active sense of humor helps him get along with the school bragger, make the most of his athletic talents, and simply get by in a hectic world. 590L
Almost Starring Skinnybones Sequel 620
Amazing But True Sport Stories Riach, Steve 1120L
Small Steps Sachar, Louis
Sachar has done it again, created a piece of work that is inspirational, funny, and something that even those who dislike reading will want to read. You will enjoy learning of the struggles that this young teenage boy endures. Instead of taking huge leaps into life, he has decided to take “small steps” that will help him to achieve his goals and learn a valuable, unforgettable lesson along the way. (Soleil R. 7th grade FRMS student) 690L
Guys Write for Guys Who Read Scieszka, Jon, Edt.
Fast paced fiction, stories, essays, and cartoons from the best authors and artists ever—Gordan Korman, Gary Paulsen, Matt Groenig, Jerry Spinelli and more. 920L
Maniac Magee Spinelli, Jerry
“The history of a kid," says Jerry Spinelli, “is one part fact, two parts legend, and three parts snow ball.” It is the story of one young man and how he confronts the racism of a town while looking for home. 680L
Crash Spinelli, Jerry
Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather’s stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family. 560L
Becoming Joe DiMaggio Testa, Maria
Joseph Paul grows up following the career of baseball great Joe DiMaggio and learning the rules of the game from his grandfather. He dreams of becoming a famous baseball player himself, and somehow healing his grandfather’s broken heart.
The Kid from Tomkinsville Tunis, John R. & Paul Bacon
As the newest
addition to the Brooklyn Dodgers, young Roy Tucher’s pitching helps pull the
team out of a slump. When a freak accident ends his career as a pitcher, he
must try to find another place for himself on the team. 880L
The Kid Comes Back, Rookie of the Year, Keystone Kids,
World Series Series
5-Minute Mysteries
Webber, Ken
Challenging cases of murder and mayhem for you to solve.
Scrubs on Skates Young, Scott
High school hockey star Pete Gordon finds himself on the worst team in the league when school districts change and Pete must contend with his waning interest in the sport after a string of team losses threatens his hopes for the playoffs.
Graphic Novels Return
Re-gifters Carey, Mike. . Grades 7 to 9
Dik (Dixie) is an emotional Korean-American teen who practices Hapkido, a Korean martial art, as an outlet for her feelings. Dixie's parents manage to get her the money to enter a tournament. Dixie receives an invitation to the birthday party of the boy she has a crush on, and uses the money to buy him an expensive present. When Adam re-gifts her present, she finally sees Adam for who he is.
Sidescrollers Loux, Matthew. Grades 6 – 9
Three amiable, video game-playing slackers, Brian, Brad, and Matt, are thrust into a grand adventure when they decide to take action to keep Amber, a new girl who has caught Matt's eye, from getting involved with bully football jock Richard.
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain Sis, Peter. Grades 5 – 10
Maps on endpapers. Artist Sis Peter describes what it was like growing up in a Communist country and discusses how Western culture influenced his life.
The Arrival, Tan, Shaun. Grades 6 – 12
From a bleak, sunless city haunted by the threat of scaled and serpentine monsters, a man sets forth to seek a new life in a new land, leaving his wife and daughter behind. His steamship voyage with a host of refugees takes him to a strange shore indeed, a country with its own architecture, alphabet, technologies -- even the pets look different.
Runaways: Tue Believers (series) Vaughan, Brian K, Adrian Alphona. Young Adult A group of six young friends, having discovered their parents are all secretly super-powered villains, run away from home and embark on a series of adventures, fueled by their desire to thwart their legacy of evil.
Escape to New York: Runaways, Parental Guidance: Runaways .
. American Born Chinese Yang, Gene Luen, Lark Pien. Grades 7 - 10 Focuses on three characters in tales that touch on facets of Chinese American life. Jin is a boy faced with the casual racism of fellow students and the pressure of his crush on a Caucasian girl; the Monkey King, a character from Chinese folklore, has attained great power but feels he is being held back because of what the gods perceive as his lowly status; and Danny, a popular high-school student, suffers through an ann