Summer Reading List - Tantasqua.org

Tantasqua Regional Junior High School Summer Reading List2014Grade 7Discussion Title – Becoming Naomi Leon – Pam Munoz Ryan (See description below.) ALL seventhgrade students must read this book and select one additional book from the grade 7 list.+Becoming Naomi Leon – Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw has had a lot to contend with in her young life, herPam Munoz Ryan name for one. Then there are her clothes (sewn in polyester by Gram), her(Discussion Title) difficulty speaking up, and her status at school as "nobody special."Belle Prater’s Boy –Ruth WhiteCrash-Jerry SpinelliWhen Woodrow's mother suddenly disappears, he moves to hisgrandparents' home in a small Virginia town where hebefriends his cousin and together they find the strength to facethe terrible losses and fears in their lives.The story of a seventh grade football sensation in hishumorous, and touching journey through seventh grade.Farewell to Manzanar-Jeanne W. HoustonThe Golden Compass-Philip PullmanThe true story of one Japanese American family and theirattempt to survive the indignities of forced detention duringWorld War II.Lyra, age 11, must travel north to fulfill her destiny of savingher people. Fantasy with armored bears, and the value offriendship and love.Harry Potter and Harry Potter has lived a dismal life with his aunt and uncle. ThenThe Sorceror’s Stone- on Harry's eleventh birthday, things change when a letter arrives, (by owl),J. K. Rowling inviting him to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.The Hobbit -J.R.R. TolkienThe delightful fantasy set in Middle Earth peopled bycharming dwarf-like creatures called hobbits.The Island –Gary PaulsenThe Last Apprentice –Revenge of the WitchJoseph Delaney15-year-old Wil discovers himself and the wonders of natureon an island in northern Wisconsin.When 12-year-old Thomas, seventh son of a seventh son, isapprenticed to the local Spook, whose job is to fight evil spirits andwitches; he expects a life of danger. The pacing and edgy illustrations at thestart of each chapter will appeal to readers.The Lilies of theField – W. BarrettA group of nuns hold an impossible dream – Homer Smith, ablack ex-GI, sets out to make this dream a reality.

Lily’s Crossing-Patricia GiffLittle Women –Louisa May AlcottA Long Way FromChicago -Richard PeckPeak – Roland SmithPictures of Hollis Woods-Patricia Reilly GiffThe Prince and thePauper – Mark TwainRacing in the Rain-My Life as a Dog -Garth SteinRiding the Flume-Patricia PfitschThe Secret Garden –Frances H. BurnettShadow – MichaelMorpurgoShipwreck at theBottom of the World -Jennifer ArmstrongA young girl learns that World War II is bound to changeeveryone, even the Americans who never leave home.Beloved story of the four March girls, Jo, Beth, Amy, andMeg, as they grow up.A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with hissister during the Great Depression to visit their larger-than-lifegrandmotherThis is the emotional, tension-filled story of a fourteen-year-old boy's attempt to be theyoungest person to reach the top of Mount Everest.A troublesome 12-year-old orphan, staying with an elderlyartist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in afoster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her.An interesting story of two young boys who switched theiridentities and their lifestyles.Told from the perspective of Enzo, the family dog, this is a moving story aboutlove and loss, family, dreams, and the bond between a dog and its "people."In 1894, 15-year-old Francie determines to fight the lumbermenand protect the largest sequoia tree ever seen, which hadBeen given to her sister just before her death six years earlier.Mary befriends the invalid son of the manor and together theyinvestigate the mysteries of the secret garden.With the horrors of war bearing down on them, Aman and his mother arebarely surviving in an Afghan cave, and staying there any longer will end horribly.However life in England brings new problems.This is the extraordinary and harrowing true story of Shackleton and thecrew of the Endurance. This is the story of their attempt to cross the frozenAntarctic continent from one side to the other and all the adventures theyencountered.Small as an Elephant-Jennifer JacobsonJack's mom is gone, leaving him all alone on a campsite in Maine. Can he findhis way back to Boston before the authorities realize what happened?Tangerine –Edward BloorPaul Fisher is an adolescent faced with challenges of adjustingto a new school, making new friends, and confronting the horrible truthabout his family.

Travel Team –Mike LupicaTreasure Island –Robert Louis StevensonAfter he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very same team that hisfather once led to national prominence--twelve-year-old Danny Walkerforms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory.A thrilling story of buried treasure, piracy, and adventure indays past.20,000 Leagues Under An embittered genius takes refuge from humanity aboard histhe Sea – Jules Verne fantastic submarine, the Nautilus.When Zachary BeaverCame to Town-Kimberly Willis HoltWhere the Lilies Bloom –Vera and Bill CleaverSet during the Vietnam War, Cal and Todd befriend Zachary,“the fattest boy in the world,” after he is abandoned in theirsmall Texas town.A spunky 14-year-old girl holds her orphaned family togetherafter the death of their father.+Indicates discussion title.Note: Abridged versions are not acceptable.

Tantasqua Regional Junior High School Summer Reading List2014Grade 8Discussion Title – Life As We Knew It – Susan Beth Pfeffer (See description below.) ALLeighth grade students must read this book and one additional book from the grade 8 list.Anne Frank: the Diaryof a Young Girl –Anne FrankAnne of Green Gables –L.M. MontgomeryFamous diary of a young Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis inAmsterdam during World War II.Eleven-year-old Anne Shirley wins the heart of her fostermother in this first novel of the Anne series.The Autobiography of The story of a remarkable woman’s struggle against prejudiceMiss Jane Pittman – from the Civil War through the 1960s.Ernest GainesThe Black Stallion –Walter FarleyThe Contender –Robert LipsyteDeath Be Not Proud –John GuntherDivergent –Veronica RothElsewhere -Gabrielle ZevinFantastic Voyage –Isaac AsimovGulliver’s Travels –Jonathan SwiftIllustrated Man –Ray BradburyStory of the wildest of all wild creatures – an untamedstallion.This novel tells the story of a young man’s struggle to growup in Harlem and become a fighter.The true story of a teenager’s heroic battle against cancer.In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian world, society is divided into five factions,each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor,Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. On an appointed day of every year, allsixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of theirlives.This young adult novel is a tender, funny, and thought-provoking storyabout first love and seeing death as the other half of life. Liz discoversa place so like Earth, but also completely different.Four men and a woman, reduced to microscopic size, entera man’s bloodstream to remove a blood clot.Generations learn the failings of man from his travel story tofantastic lands.Stories that blend weird fantasy and chilling truth involvingtime and space.

The Last Apprentice –Curse of the BaneJoseph DelaneyNew challenges await Thomas Ward as the teen confronts the bane of,the title, a creature who can control others' thoughts in book two of theseries. The pacing and edgy illustrations at the start of each chapter willappeal to readers.+Life As We Knew It –Susan Beth Pfeffer(Discussion Title)A Man Without ACountry – Edward HaleMaximum RideThe Angel Experiment –James PattersonThe Moves Make theMan – Bruce BrooksNothing but the Truth -AviOliver Twist –Charles DickensOlive’s Ocean –Kevin HenkesRascal –Sterling NorthRanger’s ApprenticeThe Ruins of Gorlan-John FlanaganThe Red Kayak -Priscilla CummingsRebecca –Daphne DuMaurierRoll of Thunder, HearMy Cry – Mildred TaylorWhen an asteroid hits the moon, Miranda must learn to survive theunimaginable.“Damn the United States! I wish I never hear of the UnitedStates again!” Philip Nolan’s wish was his sentence.A group of genetically enhanced kids who can fly and have other uniquetalents are on the run from part-human, part-wolf predators calledErasers in this exciting science fiction thriller.A black boy and an emotionally troubled white boy in NorthCarolina form a precarious friendship. The bond that holdsthem together? Basketball.In this thought-provoking examination of freedom, patriotism, and respect,ninth-grader, Philip Malloy, is kept from joining the track team by his failing gradesin English class.The moving tale of an orphan who must make his waythrough the horrors of London’s sinister underworld.On a summer visit to her grandmother’s cottage by theocean, Martha gains perspective about her life.Story of a ring-tailed raccoon and his eleven-year-oldfriend.Flanagan spins up a solid fantasy story with plenty of monsters, weapons, alikable pair of teenage heroes, and a growing menace from a rarely-seenvillain making a comeback.Brady loves life on the Chesapeake Bay with his friends J.T. and Digger.Tragedy strikes when the DiAngelos’ kayak overturns in the bay, and Bradywonders if it was more than an accident.Story of a young bride haunted by the ghost of herhusband’s first wife.A southern black family is determined to maintain theirpride and independence against hard times and racialinequality.

Schooled – GordonKormanSeedfolks – PaulFleischmanShane –Jack SchaeferCapricorn Anderson had never watched a television show before. He'dnever tasted a pizza. See how his life changes when he leaves theGarland Farm commune.An urban neighborhood is transformed when a young Vietnamese girlbegins a garden in an abandoned lot. Soon people from all backgrounds join to turnthe littered lot into a garden for the whole community.Set in the Old West, the story of a gunman’s struggle toescape his past by living with a normal, loving family.Shoeless Joe –W.P. KinsellaThe story of Ray, an insurance man turned Iowa farmer – abaseball fanatic who builds his “Field of Dreams.”Sounder –William ArmstrongA heart-wrenching story of a black family in the South.The 39 Clues – The Maze Grace Cahill, matriarch of the world’s most powerful family, dies andof Bones –leaves behind a challenge to her descendants. They can either inheritRick Riordanone million dollars, or forgo the money and receive the first of 39 cluesthat will lead them on an around-the-world adventure.White Fang -Jack LondonThe Witch of BlackbirdPond – ElizabethGeorge SpeareThe Wind Singer-William NicholsonWitness –Karen HesseThe Yearling – MarjorieRawlingsStory of the taming of a wild wolf dog through thepatience and devotion of one man.When Kit’s friendship with an old woman is discovered,she is accused of witchcraft.Relegated to the lowest levels of society after a schoolroomrebellion, Kestral Hath and her twin brother seek to recoverthe wind singer from the evil spirit lord.The year is 1924, and a small town in Vermont is fallingunder the influence of the Ku Klux Klan, two girls findthemselves among those who are no longer welcome.Jody Baxter, living in the Florida backwoods with his petfawn, experiences the joys and pains of growing up.+Indicates discussion title.Note: Abridged versions are not acceptable.