Shenendehowa Central School
Middle School English
Diane L. DeSilva, CAS, Academic Administrator
ex. 5357O
To: Incoming Grade 6 Students and Parents
From: Diane DeSilva
Re: Suggested Summer Reading Lists 2011
April 20, 2011
Attached are the summer reading lists for Grade 6 English. These lists are newly revised with suggestions from teachers and our librarians. Reading is certainly one of the most beneficial activities that a student can engage in over the summer and your children’s teachers strongly encourage it.
The New York State Education Department has long encouraged students to read during the summer as it enhances literacy skills developed throughout the school year. Reading for enjoyment is a practice that helps children increase their vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. It is extremely important for students receiving Academic Intervention Services (AIS) to read over the summer. Before returning to school in September, students in Grade 6 English should read two (2) book selections from the summer list. However, our goal is to keep students reading over the summer and if there are other selections they prefer to read, we support that, as well. If your student struggles, even listening to books on tape as you travel is better than no reading at all.
Upon returning to school in September, students will be asked by their English teacher to complete a written assignment based upon the books read over the summer. The assignments vary from teacher to teacher, so the best preparation is careful reading. Student will receive a graphic organizer from their teacher to use to keep track of summer reading. While we are promoting reading as a skill, the enjoyment of reading, particularly summer reading, is important. You may also order books from your child’s class book club, or visit a book fair at your child’s school for more choices. We are also including two websites that can help direct you to great choices for summer reading:
www.ala.org/alsc/newbery.html
http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/
While the utmost care has been used in preparing a list of books that is best suited for Grade 6 students, parents are encouraged to review the titles that their students have chosen. Appropriate choices are best made as a family.
With numerous school districts in the area having summer reading lists, availability of books inevitably becomes an issue. In addition to our area public libraries, Borders Bookstores in Clifton Park has agreed to stock and display some titles.
970 Route 146, Clifton Park, N.Y. 12065
(518) 881-0430 or x 53570
E-mail desidian@shenet.org
Non-Fiction Summer Reading List 2011
llen, Thomas George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won
the Revolutionary War
A biography of Revolutionary War general and first President of the United States, George Washington focusing on his
use of spies to gather intelligence that helped the colonies win the war.
Blumberg, Rhoda Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy
In 1841, rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions castaways on a
remote island, fourteen-year-old Manjiro learns new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese person to set foot
in the United States.
Brewster, Hugh Anastasia’s Album
In a scrapbook derived from journals, letters, photographs, and watercolor paintings, the life of the last Russian
princess is recreated, providing glimpes into her home life, the revolution, and her family's subsequent captivity.
Fleischman, John Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science
Tells the story of Phineas Gage, a railroad construction foreman who survived eleven years years after an accident in
which a thirteen-pound iron rod shot through his brain.
Fleischman, Sid Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini
A biography of the magician, ghost chaser, aviator, and king of escape artists whose amazing feats are remembered long
after his death in 1926
Glover, Savion Savion!: My Life in Tap
Examines the life and career of the young tap dancer who speaks with his feet and who choreographed the Tony Award-
winning Broadway show "Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk."
Hamilton, Bethany Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Fighting Back on the Board
Bethany Hamilton shares the story of her lifelong love of surfing, and tells how she was able to recover and return to
competition with the help of her family, friends, and faith, after losing her arm in a shark attack at the age of thirteen.
Hoose, Phillip Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
Celebrates the life and actions of fifteen-year-old African American Claudette Colvin who was arrested for refusing to
give up her seat on a Montgomery bus almost a year before Rosa Parks committed the same act of civil disobedience.
Includes black-and-white photographs, sidebars, first-person accounts, and reproduced documents.
Janeczko, Paul Poke In The I
A collection of thirty American poems written in the concrete style.
Macaulay, David Building Big
Focuses on the connections between the planning and design problems and the solutions that are finally reached
when building bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, domes, and dams.
Mortenson, Greg Three Cups of Tea
On a 1993 expedition to climb K2 in honor of his sister Christa, who had died of epilepsy at 23, Mortenson stumbled
upon a remote mountain village in Pakistan. Out of gratitude for the villagers' assistance when he was lost and near death,
he vowed to build a school for the children who were scratching lessons in the dirt.
Myers, Walter Dean U.S.S. Constellation: Pride of the American Navy
Examines the histories of the two American Navy ships called “USS Constellation" the first launched in 1797 and the
second in 1854, discussing the role of the vessel in suppressing the illegal slave trade and in the Civil War, looking at
what life was like for a sailor on the ship, and discussing its restoration in the 1990s.
Poole, Josephine Joan of Arc
A biography of the fifteenth-century peasant girl who led a French army to victory against the English, witnessed the
crowning of King Charles VII, and was later burned at the stake for witchcraft.
Turner, Pamela The Frog Scientist
Discusses the work of Tyrone Hayes and his efforts to study and protect frogs, and follows Hayes into the field with his
students to perform experiments with various types of frogs.
Warrick, Karen Clemens P.T. Barnum: Genius of the Three Ring Circus
Examines the life and career of P.T. Barnum, focusing on his creation of the famous three-ring circus.
Watkins, Richard Ross Gladiator
Describes the history of gladiators, including types of armor, use of animals, amphitheaters, and how the practice fit into
Roman society for almost 700 years.
Weitzman, David Pharaoh’s Boat
Provides an illustrated account of the construction of Egyptian pharaoh Cheops' funeral boat, and discusses its discovery
centuries later during an archaeological dig.
Fiction Summer Reading List 2011
Babbit, Natalie Tuck Everlasting
Welcome to the town of Treegap. The Tucks and Fosters are brought together by a magic water spring. Winnie
Foster learns the importance of the life cycle and that it has a natural beauty and balance. She learns that this should
not be disturbed by human greed.
Beil, Michael Red Blazer Girls
Catholic-schooled seventh-graders Sophie, Margaret, Rebecca, and Leigh Ann help an elderly neighbor solve a
puzzle her father left for her estranged daughter twenty years ago.
Berlin, Eric Puzzling World of Winston Breen
Puzzle-crazy, twelve-year-old Winston and his ten-year-old sister Katie find themselves involved in a dangerous
mystery involving a hidden ring. Puzzles for the reader to solve are included throughout the text.
Boniface, William The Hero Revealed – Ordinary Boy Series
Ordinary Boy, the only resident of Superopolis without a superpower, uncovers and foils a sinister plot to destroy
the town.
Boniface, William The Return of Meteor Boy? – Ordinary Boy Series
While working on a time machine for the Spring Science Fair, Ordinary Boy discovers the true identity of long-lost
Superopolis hero Meteor Boy.
Burnett, Frances Hodgson The Secret Garden
Ten-year-old Mary comes to live in a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors and discovers an invalid cousin and the
mysteries of a locked garden.
Clements, Andrew No Talking
The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no
talking" contest.
Curtis, Chirtopher Paul Elijah of Buxton
Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the
American South in 1859, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money
that was to be used to buy a family's freedom.
#DiCamillo, Kate The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and
a Spool of Thread
The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl
who longs to be a princess and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
#DiTerlizzi, Tony The Spiderwick Chronicles – The Field Guide (series)
When the Grace children go to stay at their Great Aunt Lucinda's worn Victorian house, they discover a field guide
to fairies and other creatures and begin to have some unusual experiences.
Dowd, Siobhan London Eye
When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work together--Ted
with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Kat--to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.
Draper, Sharon Out of My Mind
Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological
device that will allow her to speak for the first time.
DuPrau, Jeanne City of Ember
In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying
but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.
Feinstein, John Last Shot
After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four
tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.
Ferris, Jean Once Upon a Marigold
A young man with a mysterious past and a penchant for inventing things leaves the troll who raised him, meets an
unhappy princess he has loved from afar, and discovers a plot against her and her father.
Funke, Cornelia Dragon Rider
After learning that humans are headed toward his hidden home, Firedrake, a silver dragon, is joined by a brownie
and an orphan boy in a quest to find the legendary valley known as the Rim of Heaven, encountering friendly and
unfriendly creatures along the way, and struggling to evade the relentless pursuit of an old enemy.
Goodman, Allegra Other Side of the Island
Honor, living with her mom and dad on Island 365 in the Tranquil Sea, an environment controlled by the Earth
Mother corporation in a post-apocalyptic world, becomes more fearful as she grows older and realizes that her
nonconformist parents are putting the entire family at risk.
#Haddix, Margaret Peterson Among the Hidden
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his
twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.
Hahn, Mary Downing Closed For the Season
When thirteen-year-old Logan and his family move into a run-down old house in rural Virginia, he discovers that a
woman was murdered there and becomes involved with his neighbor Arthur in a dangerous investigation to try to
uncover the killer.
Hahn, Mary Downing Deep, Dark and Dangerous
When thirteen-year-old Ali spends the summer with her aunt and cousin at the family's vacation home, she stumbles
upon a secret that her mother and aunt have been hiding for over thirty years.
Hahn, Mary Downing All The Lovely Bad Ones
While spending the summer at their grandmother's Vermont inn, two prankster siblings awaken young ghosts from
the inn's distant past who refuse to "rest in peace."
Hoobler, Dorothy and Thomas The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn (series)
While attempting to solve the mystery of a stolen jewel, Seikei, a merchant's son who longs to be a samurai, joins a
group of kabuki actors in eighteenth-century Japan.
Horowitz, Anthony Stormbreaker (Alex Ryder series)
After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's
dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6.
Hunter, Erin Into the Wild (Warriors series)
Rusty, a bored house kitten, is apprenticed by the ThunderClan and must struggle to fit in when the group of feral cats is
threatened by the enemy ShadowClan.
Ibbotson, Eva Dial-A-Ghost
A family of nice ghosts protects a British orphan from the diabolical plans of his evil guardians.
Kehret, Peg Abduction
Thirteen-year-old Bonnie has a feeling of foreboding on the very day that her six-year-old brother Matt and their
dog Pookie are abducted, and she becomes involved in a major search effort as well as a frightening adventure.
Korman, Gordan Kidnapped (series)
Aiden teams up with the FBI to track down his sister Meg who was kidnapped while they were walking home from
school.
Korman, Gordan Swindle (Series)
After unscrupulous collector S. Wendell Palamino cons him out of a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin Bing puts
together a band of misfits to break into Palomino's heavily guarded store and steal the card back, planning to use the money
to finance his father's failing invention, the Smart Pick fruit picker.
LaFevers, R.L. Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus
Eleven-year-old Theodosia's ability to detect black magic raises her suspicions about a magician known as the Great Awi
Bubu. While Henry, home for the spring holidays, discovers an artifact at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities that is
coveted by every black-cloaked occultist in London.
LaFevers, R.L. Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos
Eleven-year-old Theodosia has the ability to detect black magic and ancient curses that are attached to objects in the
Museum of Legends and Antiquities, which her father is the curator of, and discovers that a new artifact from Egypt is
cursed and she must return it to the tomb it was excavated from before it destroys the British Empire.
Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (series)
Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia.
Lord, Cynthia Rules
Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is
further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.
Lowery, Lois Willoughbys
In this tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, the four Willoughby children set about to
become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure,
leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.
#Lubar, David Punished!
After Logan receives a face full of magic dust from a man in the reference section of the library, he finds the only
way to stop his incessant punning is to find oxymorons, anagrams, and palindromes to fulfill the requirements of
three quests.
Lupica, Mike Travel Team
After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very same team that his father once led to national prominence--twelve-
year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory.
Montgomery, L. M. Anne of Green Gables (series)
An orphan girl mistakenly sent to Prince Edward Island to live with a lonely old couple changes their lives.
O’Connor, Barbara How To Steal a Dog
Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina,
desperate to improve their situation and unwilling to accept her overworked mother's calls for patience, persuades her
younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward that the
owners are bound to offer.
Paterson, Katherine The Bridge To Terabithia
The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets
an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm.
Paulsen, Gary Hatchet
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive initially with only the
aid of a hatchet given by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.
Raskin, Ellen The Westing Game
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover
the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
Riordan, Rick Lightning Thief
Percy, expelled from six schools for being unable to control his temper, learns the truth from his mother that his
father is the Greek god Poseidon, and is sent to Camp Half Blood where he is befriended by a satyr and the demigod
daughter of Athena who join him in a journey to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a
catastrophic war.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter
Harry lives in a tiny closet in his uncle, aunt and cousin’s house. He hasn’t celebrated his birthday in eleven years.
All of that changes when he is invited to a wonderful, mysterious, magical place. Join Harry and his adventure to a
place of broomsticks, invisibility cloaks and dragons.
#Selznick, Brian The Invention of Hugo Cabret
When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931,
meets a mysterious toy seller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.
Smelcer, John E. The Trap
In alternating chapters, seventeen-year-old Johnny Least-Weasel, who is better known for brains than
brawn, worries about his missing grandfather, and the grandfather, Albert Least-Weasel, struggles to
survive, caught in his own steel trap in the Alaskan winter.
Spinelli, Jerry Loser
Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's optimism and
exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.
Stead, Rebecca When You Reach Me
As her mother prepares to be a contestant on a television game show, a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to
make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time
and space.
VanDraanen, Wendelin Sammy Keyes (series)
Sammy continues to make life with her grandmother interesting as she tries to discover who is stealing from St. Mary's
church, befriends a homeless girl, and plays in a softball tournament against a bitter rival.
Walden, Mark H.I.V.E. Series: Higher Institute of Villainous Education
Swept away to a hidden academy for training budding evil geniuses, Otto, a brilliant orphan, Wing, a sensitive
warrior, Laura, a shy computer specialist, and Shelby, an infamous jewel thief, plot to beat the odds and escape the
prison known as H.I.V.E.
Wood, Mary Rose The Mysterious Howling
Fifteen-year-old Miss Penelope Lumley, a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, is
hired as governess to three young children who have been raised by wolves and must teach them to behave in a
civilized manner quickly, in preparation for a Christmas ball.
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