Cyrus Peirce Middle School 2007 Summer Reading Packet and ...

subtle play of light and texture, have come to define the Dutch golden age. His portrait of theanonymous Girl with a Pearl Earring has exerted a particular fascination for centuries--and it is thismagnetic painting that lies at the heart of Tracy Chevalier's second novel of the same title.Girl in Hyacinth Blue by: Susan VreelandThere are only 35 known Vermeers extant in the world today. In Girl in Hyacinth Blue, SusanVreeland posits the existence of a 36th. The story begins at a private boys' academy inPennsylvania where, in the wake of a faculty member's unexpected death, math teacherCornelius Engelbrecht makes a surprising revelation to one of his colleagues. He has, he claims,an authentic Vermeer painting, "a most extraordinary painting in which a young girl wearing ashort blue smock over a rust-colored skirt sat in profile at a table by an open window." Hiscolleague, an art teacher, is skeptical and though the technique and subject matter arepersuasively Vermeer-like, Engelbrecht can offer no hard evidence--no appraisal, no papers--tosupport his claim. He says only that his father, "who always had a quick eye for fine art, picked itup, let us say, at an advantageous moment."Girls in Pants: by Ann BrasharesBest buds Tibby, Carmen, Lena and Bridget are back with their magical pair of shared jeans inGirls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood. Each summer brings new and difficult challenges,as the perennially separated friends discover afresh this last season before college. Tibbystruggles with the idea of close friend Brian becoming her boyfriend, and their fragilerelationship is soon tested by a tragedy in her immediate family. Carmen doesn’t know how toreact when she finds out that her middle-aged mom is pregnant, and Bridget is unpleasantlysurprised to be reunited with the boy who broke her heart two summers ago. Finally, Lena, stillcoming to terms with the loss of her first love, tries to convince her strict father that art schoolis a better career path than Greek restaurant management. But through every crisis, each girl isassured of the love and support of the created sisterhood when she pulls on the denim armorof the cherished, and by now, a bit fragrant ("Rule # 1. You must never wash the Pants.")Traveling Pants.Godless by: Pete HautmanJason is a smart 15-year-old, an agnostic-leaning-toward-atheism, who resists following in thefootsteps of his devoutly Catholic father. Getting clocked under the water tower by the nastyand unpredictable Henry leads Jason and his friend Shin to combine their talents to posit a newreligion. "Chutengodianism" sanctifies water, the source of all life, as manifested by the Ten-Legged God, aka that same million-gallon water tower. Creating the creed on the fly, Jason soongathers a handful of acolytes, including his former nemesis.Heat by: Mike LupicaMichael Arroyo has a dream: to pitch in the Little League World Series. His fast ball has "heat"that could get him and his team, the Clippers, there. Michael also has a secret that could keephim from even playing baseball. "Heat" is a novel for everyone who's ever had a dream, forbaseball fans and players, and for those who just love a good story with a likeable main characterand interesting, quirky supporting characters.Homecoming by: Cynthia Voigt"IT'S STILL TRUE." That's the first thing James Tillerman says to his sister Dicey every morning.It's still true that their mother has abandoned the four Tillerman children somewhere in themiddle of Connecticut. It's still true they have to find their way, somehow, to Great-aunt Cilla'shouse in Bridgeport, which may be their only hope of staying together as a family.But when they get to Bridgeport, they learn that Great-aunt Cilla has died, and the home theyfind with her daughter, Eunice, isn't the permanent haven they've been searching for. So theirjourney continues to its unexpected conclusion -- and some surprising discoveries about theirhistory, and their future.