Summer Reading Titles

          Rewind by William Sleator

Not long after learning that he was adopted, eleven-year-old Peter is hit by a car and then given several chances to alter events that could lead to his death.

          Cold River by William Judson

The classic elements of a struggle to survive come to life in this compellingly real portrait of terror in the wilderness.

           A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck

A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister during the Great Depression to visit their larger-than-life grandmother.

          The Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen

While backpacking in the desert, thirteen-year-old Mark falls into a tube of blue light and is transported into a more primitive world, where he must use his knowledge and skills to survive.

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Outside Reading for 2006-07

     As the phrase implies, OUTSIDE READING is entirely the student's responsibility.   The sole exception is Twelve Angry Men, which is read in class.   Students will read each novel as a regular part of homework, with each student reading at his own pace.   The novels must be completed by the due dates listed below.   You should mark them on your school calendar ASAP.   There will be a test regarding each novel on the due date.   The focus on novel test questions and essays will be largely on the title’s importance, character development, plot detail, and thematic issues.

   TITLE                                                      AUTHOR              DUE DATE

   TITLE                                                      AUTHOR              DUE DATE

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Alternate Titles  

      If a student has read any of the outside reading titles multiple times, or would simply like to supplement his reading, here are some titles that I strongly endorse.  If a student wishes to substitute a title from the above list with one of the following possibilities, he needs to discuss it with me.  Rather than assume, we should review his plan in advance.

            Hoot by Carl Hiaasen.  

Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.

         Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll.

        Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

They told him his uncle died in an accident. What he doesn't know yet is that his uncle was killed while on a top-secret mission. But he is about to, and once he does, there is no turning back.

        A Place Called Ugly by Avi

At the end of the summer, 14-year-old Owen refuses to leave the beach house.   This has been his family's summer home for 10 years and is now scheduled for demolition.

         REM World by Rodman Philbrick

An 11-year-old orders a weight-loss device, but because he fails to follow the directions, he unleashes a force that could destroy the universe.

         The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Winner of the 2004 Newbery Medal, this is a superbly suspenseful tale of a little mouse with big aspirations.   In a story reminiscent of fairy tales of old, Despereaux Tillin is a literate mouse who lives by a different code and happens to fall in love with a real princess.

        The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks

This Newbery Honor Book has appeared on many lists of best books for young adults.   The unlikely friendship of the two teens centers on the basketball court as Jerome teaches moves to Bix.

          Slam!   by Howard Dean Myers

A love of basketball isn't necessary to enjoy this gritty, feelingly told tale, but it would certainly help. The narrator, Slam, relays his view of the mean streets of Harlem, and describes some heart-thumping hoop action in a novel that, like most good sports stories, is about more than just sports.

        Striking Out by Will Weaver

Since the death of his older brother, thirteen-year-old Billy Baggs has had a distant relationship with his father, but life on their farm in northern Minnesota begins to change when he starts to play baseball.

          The Goats by Brock Cole

Stripped and marooned on a small island by their fellow campers, a boy and a girl form an uneasy bond that grows into a deep friendship when they decide to run away and right some wrongs.