2012 Summer Reading Guide - Hopkins School

Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de The Little Prince
The beautiful and philosophical story of a pilot stranded in the Sahara desert and the young Prince
he meets there.
Sedgewick, Marcus Revolver
Revolver is packed with suspense and questions about morality. It begins in 1010 outside Giron, a
small community located at 68 Latitude North in the Arctic wilderness where the protagonist, 14year-
old Sig, lives with his older sister, Anna; his stepmother, Nadya; and his father, Einar. They are
part of a rag-tag group lured to Alaska by dreams of gold.
Selznick, Brian The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The Invention of Hugo Cabret is the story of a Parisian orphan, clock keeper and thief, who lives with
in the walls of a busy Paris train station. His world interlocks with an eccentric bookish girl, and a
bitter old man, and as he struggles to preserve his secrets, he finds himself uncovering mysteries of
the past, leading to an intricate adventure of friendship and nostalgia. The reader is moved through
this graphic novel, which is intertwined with cinematic photographs, and sketches, which creates
and unforgettable reading experience.
Seredy, Kate The Good Master
A lonely Hungarian farm-boy races through an unforgettable summer with his firebrand of a cousin
from Budapest.
Smith, Betty A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A heart-warming story of the struggles and adjustments of a poor Irish-American family, told by a
particularly loving and astute daughter, Francie Nolan.
Smith, Dodie I Capture the Castle
A teenage girl who lives in a castle finds refuge from her peculiar life by writing faithfully in her diary.
Reminiscent of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Staples, Suzanne Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind
Shabanu is the second daughter in a family without sons and lives in the desert in Pakistan. She
relishes the freedom from “women’s work”, a freedom forbidden to most Muslim girls of Shabanu’s
time—until her parents decide their daughter’s expectations may lead to trouble.
Streatfield, Noel Thursday's Child
In turn-of-the-century England, Margaret Thursday absconds from an orphanage with two other
children, works as a "legger" on the canals, and begins an acting career.
Swarthout, Glendon Bless the Beasts and Children
Six misfit campers, troubled by their wealthy, uncaring families, sneak out of cowboy camp to free
another group of captives: a herd of buffalo awaiting annihilation in Arizona’s annual buffalo hunt.
Thurber, James Fables for Our Time
Following Aesop, Thurber rounds off his stories of funny-looking dogs and seals with such instructive
morals as: "Those equipped with flippers should not monkey around with zippers!"
West, Jessamyn Cress Delahanty
A young girl's growing up between the ages of twelve and sixteen on a ranch in southern California.
Zevin, Gabrielle Elsewhere
A quiet, wise novel about a teenage girl who discovers after being hit by a car that in the afterlife
everyone must age backwards, slowly returning to an infant state before being born again on Earth.
Follow her as she struggles with the loss of her family and friends, whom she watches obsessively
from her new home, and as she learns about herself and what life means.
6