Book Buzz
Looking for a good book? Ask at the Reference Desk for a suggestion or two. Whether you are a
reader who likes romance, mystery, fantasy, science fiction or historical books, our librarians can assist you in finding that next great read.
Galvin Middle School
Summer 2011 Reading List
For Students Entering Grade 8
Students must read two (2) books before school starts.
Fiction
Crispin: the Cross of Lead by Avi.
Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets Bear, a roving Juggler, who holds a dangerous secret.
3 Willows: the sisterhood grows by Ann Brashares.
Ama, Jo, and Polly spend the summer before ninth grade learning about themselves, their families, and the changing nature of their friendship.
Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford.
Will Carter thinks this could be the year he gets it together and learns how to manage his ADD. He’s just started high school and despite his efforts to stay focused, his troubles with girls and humiliations by upper classmen may seriously jeopardize his plans.
Night Hoops by Carl Deuker.
While trying to prove that he is good enough to be on his high school’s varsity basketball team, Nick must also deal with his parents’ divorce and the erratic behavior of a troubled classmate who lives across the street.
Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper.
Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the Internet, but are harassed by a gang whose members object to their interracial dating.
Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke.
Two brothers, having run away from the aunt who plans to adopt the younger one but not the older, are sought by a detective hired by their aunt, but they have found shelter with–and protection from–Venice’s Thief Lord.
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going.
When a high-school dropout talks a boy out of suicide the boys become unlikely friends—who end up saving each other, and making punk rock history.
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
When Jonah and Chip learn they were discovered on a plane full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces.
The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon.
After Ben’s father makes a shocking announcement and leaves the family, Ben’s rebellion lands him in the middle of nowhere with his dad. He is forced to find a way to deal with the new version of his family.
Invisible by Pete Hautman.
Doug and Andy are unlikely best friends–one a loner obsessed by his model trains, the other a popular student involved in football and theater–who grew up together and share a bond that nothing can sever.
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim Hines.
Cinderella teams up with Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to save the kingdom from Cinderella’s evil stepsisters and some very bad fairies.
Far North by Will Hobbs.
After the destruction of their floatplane, sixteen-year-old Gabe and his Dene friend, Raymond, struggle to survive a winter in the wilderness of the Northwest Territories.
Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes.
A disparate group of high school students thrown together in detention form a band to play at a school talent show and end up competing with a wildly popular local rock band.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemison.
Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, Yeine is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, she is named an heiress to the king. Bloody intrigue follows while Yeine tries to solve her mother’s death with the help of gods and men.
Hunting of the Last Dragon by Sheryl Jordan.
As a monk records his every word, a young peasant tells of his journey with a young Chinese noblewoman to St. Alfric’s Cove and the lair of a dragon.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.
Fleeing home, a young girl is given a home by three African-American beekeeping sisters. There she discovers a place where she can find the single thing her heart longs for most.
Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss.
Everything changes for Isabelle when she is diagnosed with lymphoma, but eventually she survives and even thrives.
The Juvie Three by Gordan Korman.
Gecko, Arjay, and Terence must find a way to keep their halfway house open in order to stay out of juvenile detention.
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler.
Fifteen-year-old Virginia Shreves is sure that she’s the weakest link in her high-powered family until her handsome, athletic, star-student brother shockingly falls from grace.
Dooley Takes the Fall by Norah McClintock.
Ryan Dooley, 17, has been trying to stay out of trouble, but when a dead body falls in front of him, he is blamed.
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo.
When Thomas Peaceful’s older brother is forced to join the British Army, Thomas decides to sign up as well, although he is only fourteen years old, to prove himself to his country, his family, his childhood love, Molly, and himself.
Handbook for Boys by Walter Dean Myers.
Sixteen-year-old Jimmy, on probation for assault, talks about life with three old men in a Harlem barbershop and hears about the tools he can use to get what he wants.
If I Should Die Before I Wake by Han Nolan.
Can an alienated, Jew-hating, Neo-Nazi teenager have lived a previous life as a Polish Jewish girl in the Lodz ghetto during the Holocaust? Can a motorcycle accident which lands her comatose in a Jewish hospital be the vehicle for her tumbling through time repeatedly to relive that life while fighting for this one?
Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen.
While backpacking in the desert, thirteen-year-old Mark is transported into a more primitive world, where he must use his knowledge and skills to survive.
Rampant by Diana Peterfreund.
Astrid has always scoffed at her eccentric mother’s stories about killer unicorns. But after one attacks her boyfriend–ruining any chance of him taking her to the prom–Astrid must head to Rome to become a unicorn hunter.
By the Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead by Julianne Peters.
High school student Daelyn Rice, who has been bullied throughout her school career and has more than once attempted suicide, again makes plans to kill herself, in spite of the persistent attempts of an unusual boy to draw her out.
The Daughters by Joanna Philbin.
In New York City, three fourteen-year-old best friends who are all daughters of celebrities watch out for each other as they try to strike a balance between ordinary high school events, such as finding a date for the homecoming dance, and family functions like walking the red carpet with their famous parents.
Under the Baseball Moon by John H. Ritter.
Andy and Glory, two fifteen-year-olds from Ocean Beach, California, pursue their respective dreams of becoming a famous musician and a professional softball player.
Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan.
Darren Shan is an ordinary schoolboy who enjoys hanging out with his three best friends. Then one day they stumble across an invitation to visit the Cirque Du Freak, a mysterious freak show. As if by destiny, Darren wins a ticket, and what follows is his horrifying descent into the dark and bloody world of vampires.
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones.
After her mother’s death, Ruby moves to Los Angeles to live with her father, actor Whip Logan, whom she’s never met. Ruby hates her new glamorous life, but a tragic incident helps Ruby and Whip be honest with each other.
Cruise Control by Terry Trueman.
A talented basketball player struggles to deal with the helplessness and anger that come with having a brother rendered dysfunctional by severe cerebral palsy and a father who deserted the family.
Alison Who Went Away by Vivian Vande Velde.
Three years after the disappearance of her older sister, fourteen-year-old Sibyl and her family struggle to continue their lives, separately and together.
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan.
When 13-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny dictated by India’s tradition or find courage to oppose it.
Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones.
Sophie, resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared Wizard Howl.
NONFICTION
Bill Gates by Marc Aronson.
Bill Gates is many things: the richest person in the world; the ruthless businessman who co-founded Microsoft and led it to domination of the computer software industry; and now, the leading global philanthropist.
Close to Shore: the Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 by Michael Capuzzo.
Details the first documented cases in American history of sharks attacking swimmers, which occurred along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey in 1916.
Houdini by Clinton Cox.
Drawing from Houdini’s diary and correspondence, as well as period newspapers and reviews of the illusionist’s performances, the author illuminates both the personal and professional sides of Houdini.
Getting Away with Murder: the True Story of the Emmett Till Case by Chris Crowe.
Presents a true account of the murder of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till, the boy who triggered the civil rights movement in Mississippi in 1955.
Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipović.
As war engulfs Sarajevo, Zlata Filipović becomes a witness to food shortages and the deaths of friends and learns to wait out bombardments in a neighbor’s cellar.
Twitter for Dummies by Laura Fitton.
More than staying in touch with friends, Twitter keeps you current of favorite bands, trends, even information sources for projects.
The Abracadabra Kid by Sid Fleischman.
The autobiography of the Newbery award-winning children’s author who set out from childhood to be a magician. It gives warm insight into what made Fleischman become a writer.
Sigmund Freud by Kathleen Krull.
Freud was a complicated, often irascible man, who in 19th century Vienna developed his still-controversial ideas and the new discipline of psychoanalysis.
A Night to Remember by Walter Lord.
In this dramatic and historic recreation of the bravery and agony that marked that fateful night the author paints a vivid portrait of the last hours of the Titanic’s first and final voyage.
Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah.
Adeline Yen Mah’s compelling autobiography in which, like the fairy tale maiden, her childhood was ruled by a cruel stepmother. As the youngest of her five siblings, she suffers the worst.
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.
The inspiring account of one man’s campaign to build schools in the most dangerous, remote, and anti-American reaches of Asia.
Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom by Walter Dean Myers.
The 1839 revolt of Africans against their Spanish captors aboard the slave ship Amistad leads to their arrest for piracy and murder, and trials which ended in the group’s acquittal by the Supreme Court.
The Greatest: Muhammad Ali by Walter Dean Myers.
His talent in the boxing ring and his showmanship earned him international fame, while his refusal to accept the stereotypical role of a black athletic star in the 1960’s and his membership in the Nation of Islam brought him notoriety.
Guts or How I Lived the Same as Brian Robeson by Gary Paulsen.
The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his books about the character Brian Robeson featured in Hatchet and Brian’s Winter.
The Chicago “Black Sox” Scandal: a Headline Court Case by Michael Pellowski.
Eight Chicago White Sox baseball players are accused of conspiracy when they allegedly took money to lose the 1919 World Series.
Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas.
While growing up in a Spanish Harlem, author Piri Thomas plunges into drugs, street fighting, and armed robbery—a descent that ended when the twenty-two-year-old Piri was sent to prison for shooting a cop.
Chewing Gum in Holy Water by Mario Valentini.
Funny stories of growing up in Italy.
Facebook: the missing manual by E.A. Vander Veer.
Everyone knows that Facebook helps to keep you in touch with friends. But do you know you can start Interest Groups, advertise Events, and use it to land a job or advertise a startup business?
Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally Walker.
Walker takes readers on an archaeological investigation of human and material remains from 17th- and 18th-century Jamestown and colonial Maryland, while addressing relevant topics in forensic anthropology, history, and archaeology.
Galvin Middle School
Summer 2011 Reading List
For Students Entering Grade 7
Students must read two (2) books before school starts.
FICTION
Beauty Shop for Rent by Laura Bowers.
Raised by a great-grandmother and a bunch of beauty shop buddies, fourteen-year-old Abbey resolves to overcome her unhappy childhood and disillusionment with the mother who deserted her.
Spy High; Mission One by A.J. Butcher.
To the outside world, the boarding school known as Devereaux Academy also goes by the name Spy High.
Storm Warriors by Elisa Carbone.
After his mother’s death, twelve-year-old Nathan moves with his father and grandfather, and hopes to join the all-black crew at the nearby lifesaving station, despite his father’s objections.
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko.
Kirsten and Walk, seventh-graders at an elite private school, stand up to a mean but influential classmate, and uncover a long-kept secret about themselves.
Crunch by Leslie Connor.
Fourteen-year-old Dewey attempts to be the “embodiment of responsibility” as he juggles the management of the family’s bicycle repair business while sharing the household and farm duties with his siblings after a sudden energy crisis strands their parents far from home.
Code Orange by Caroline Cooney.
While conducting research for a school paper on smallpox, Mitty finds an envelope containing smallpox scabs and fears that he has infected himself and all of New York City.
Children of the Sea Vol. 1 by Daisuke Igarashi.
When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost at the aquarium and is drawn to it and the two mysterious boys she meets there. They become caught up in the mystery of the worldwide disappearance of the oceans’ fish.
Last Shot: a Final Four Mystery by John Feinstein.
After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.
No Small Thing by Natale Ghent.
Twelve-year-old Nat and his sisters find that owning a pony they acquired for free helps them cope with the poverty they have faced since their father left them.
Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, thirteen-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1995 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientists, and it’s up to Jessie to escape and save the lives of the dying children.
Flush by Carl Hiaasen.
With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected waters around their home.
The Black Book of Secrets by F.E. Higgins.
Young Ludlow Fitch is hired as the assistant to a pawnbroker who trades dark secrets for cash. Ludlow’s job is to transcribe the confessions in the Black Book of Secrets. What the pawnbroker doesn’t know is that his new apprentice may have the most troubling secret of all.
The Last Best Days of Summer by Valerie Hobbs.
During a summer visit, twelve-year-old Lucy must come to terms with both her grandmother’s failing memory and how her mentally-challenged neighbor will impact her popularity when both enter the same middle school in the fall.
Following Fake Man by Barbara Ware Holmes.
During his summer in Maine, twelve-year-old Homer, together with his new friend Roger, is determined to find the truth about himself, his long-dead father, and a mysterious man.
Straydog by Kathe Koja.
Rachel begins to feel at home volunteering at an animal shelter.
No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman.
Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention attending play rehearsals. He becomes wrapped up in the production, suggesting changes that improve not only the play but his life as well.
Pop by Gordan Korman
Lonely after a move to a new town, sixteen-year-old high-school quarterback Marcus Jordan becomes friends with a retired professional linebacker who trains him but also gets Marcus into constant trouble.
Shipwreck by Gordon Korman (Book one of the Island series).
Six kids, Nick, J.J., Will, Lyssa, Charla, and Ian, are thrown together against their will on a small boat that will make a one-month journey on the Pacific Ocean.
The Batboy by Mike Lupica.
It is every baseball kid’s dream summer job: batboy for your hometown Major League team. Yet for fourteen year-old Brian, the job means more than just the chance to hang around his idols.
Any book from the Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale.
An ordinary boy discovers his strange destiny and takes adventures through time and space.
Odysseus by Geraldine McCaughrean.
Imagine Odysseus and his crew traveling across the “world-encircled sea,” seduced by sirens and threatened by gruesome monsters. Just as dramatic is the story of Odysseus’ son and his wife, waiting for his ship that “did not come and did not come and did not ever come.”
Makeovers by Marcia by Claudia Mills.
At the beginning of eighth grade, all Marcia can think about is what nail polish to use, how to lose weight, and whether Alex will ask her to the dance, but after giving makeovers in a nursing home for a school project, she begins to appreciate the value of inner beauty.
Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers.
After reluctantly taking on the leadership of the Harlem gang, the Scorpions, Jamal finds that his enemies treat him with respect when he acquires a gun–until a tragedy occurs.
Slam by Walter Dean Myers.
Sixteen-year-old “Slam” Harris is counting on his noteworthy basketball talents to get him out of the inner city and give him a chance to succeed in life, but his coach sees things differently.
Game by Walter Dean Myers.
Drew won’t let anyone disrespect his game. Just as his team makes the playoffs, Drew must come up with something big to save his fading college prospects. It’s all up to Drew to find out just how deep his game really is.
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson.
Fifteen-year-old Daniel followed in his parents’ footsteps as an Alien Hunter, exterminating beings on The List of Alien Outlaws on Terra Firma, but when he faces his first of the top ten outlaws, the very
existence of Earth and another planet are at stake.
Lyddie by Katherine Patterson.
Ten-year-old Lyddie and her younger brother are hired out as servants to help pay off their family farm’s debts. Lyddie flees to Lowell, Mass., in hopes of finding a better job that will provide enough income to pay off farm debts and allow the family to be reunited.
Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins.
The story centers on a group of 14-year-old neighbors and friends finding their way to adulthood. Their stories meet, crisscross, diverge, and then come back together again over the course of a summer.
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan.
Jason, Piper, and Leo, three students from a school for “bad kids,” find themselves at Camp Half-Blood, where they learn that they are demigods and begin a quest to free Hera, who has been imprisoned by Mother Earth herself.
The View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts.
Rob admits having seen a murder, but no one believes him–except the murderer.
Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt.
When all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker’s classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much about the world he lives in.
Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick.
When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old Steven tries to deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to support his family.
Finding the Forger by Libby Sternberg.
Teenage sleuth Bianca Balducci is asked to prove the innocence of Sarah’s latest boyfriend, Hector, who is the prime suspect in the theft of a local art museum’s missing paintings.
Tiger by Jeff Stone.
Five young warrior-monk brothers survive an insurrection and must use the ancient arts to avenge their Grandmaster.
Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor.
While working as summer employees in a local pizza parlor, three teenagers are recruited by an underground organization of monster hunters.
In the Night Garden (Orphan’s Tales Vol. 1) by Catherynne M. Valente.
An abandoned girl with strange, ink-black stains around her eyes and over her eyelids tells stories to the boy who finds her in the garden.
Man in the Woods by Rosemary Wells.
14-year-old Helen investigates what she considers the false arrest of a classmate and is nearly killed herself as her findings lead her into big-money drug dealings.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.
In the summer of 1968 eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive in California to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer they barely know, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.
Hush by Jacqueline Woodson.
Twelve-year-old Toswiah finds her life changed when her family enters the witness protection program.
NONFICTION
The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party by Marian Calabro.
This account of the Donner party’s infamous 1846 trek from Illinois to the largely unsettled territory of California chronicles the factors and circumstances that left the group stranded in the mountains for the winter.
Escape! The story of the great Houdini by Sid Fleischman.
A biography of the magician and ghost chaser whose amazing feats are remembered long after his death in 1926.
The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman.
The author lays out a clear and compelling history of the early aviation experiments that culminated in the legendary flight at Kitty Hawk.
The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler by James Giblin.
A biography of the man responsible for some of the most atrocious acts committed in human memory.
Girls Rock by Robyn Goodmark.
Getting your band together, establishing a fan base, raising startup funds, budgeting, and planning costumes and gigs are explained in this how-to manual.
Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1915 by Deborah Hopkinson.
Challenges face five teen immigrants from Belarus, Italy, Lithuania, and Romania in New York’s teeming tenements at the turn of the twentieth century.
The Road from Home by David Kherdian.
A biography of the author’s mother concentrating on her childhood in Turkey before the Turkish government deported its Armenian population.
The Wright Sister by Richard Maurer.
Katharine Wright ran the household for her older brothers and their father when Orville and Wilbur were developing and promoting their airplane. A graduate of Oberlin College, she gave up her career as a teacher to help them turn their airplane from a curiosity into a viable business.
Marching to Freedom: The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Joyce Milton.
A biography of the Baptist minister and civil rights leader whose philosophy and practice of nonviolent civil disobedience helped African Americans win many battles for equal rights.
Restless Spirit by Elizabeth Partridge.
Dorothea Lange, whose photographs of migrant workers, Japanese American internees, and rural poverty helped bring about important social reforms.
Galvin Middle School
Summer 2011 Reading List
For Students Entering Grade 6
Students must read two (2) books before school starts.
FICTION
Skellig by David Almond.
Unhappy about his baby sister’s illness and the chaos of moving into a dilapidated old house, Michael retreats to the garage and finds a mysterious stranger.
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson.
In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic.
SOS Titanic by Eve Bunting.
15-year-old Barry O’Neill, traveling from Ireland to America on the maiden voyage of the Titanic, finds his life endangered when the ship hits an iceberg and begins to sink.
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper.
On his eleventh birthday Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark.
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech.
Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic crossing aboard the Wanderer, a forty-five foot sailboat, which is en route to visit their grandfather in England.
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.
Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father–the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.
When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she and her friend Doon are sure it holds a secret that will save the underground city of Ember.
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can “read” fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents and the souls of three others.
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos.
To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention and controlling his mood swings when his prescription meds wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired.
Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
Thirteen-year-old Nina is imprisoned by the Population Police who give her the option of helping them identify illegal “third-born” children, or facing death.
Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes.
On a summer visit to her grandmother’s cottage, twelve-year-old Martha learns to deal with the death of a classmate, her relationship with her grandmother, her feelings for an older boy and her plans to be a writer.
Jackie’s Wild Seattle by Will Hobbs.
How do you rescue a wild coyote trapped in an elevator in a downtown Seattle office building? How do you save an injured baby seal at the bottom of a cliff with the tide coming in? Fourteen-year-old Shannon Young, visiting from New Jersey, is about to find out.
The Misfits by James Howe.
Four students who do not fit in at their small-town middle school decide to create a third party for the student council elections to represent all students who have ever been called names.
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata.
Chronicles the close friendship between two Japanese-American sisters growing up in rural Georgia during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the despair when one sister becomes terminally ill.
Haunted Sister by Lael Littke.
A sixteen-year-old girl suffers a near-death experience in which her twin sister, who died in an accident twelve years before, returns to forcibly share her body.
Stop the Train! By Geraldine McCaughrean.
In 1893 the new settlers of Florence, Oklahoma, are determined to build a real town, despite the opposition of the owner of the Red Rock Runner railroad
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
Lucky knows about the uncertainty of life because she lost her mother in a sudden accident two years ago. When she thinks that her guardian plans to leave, Lucky knows she has hit rock bottom and must run away.
Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen.
In Hatchet, Brian was rescued. This story portrays what would have happened to Brian had he been forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and hatchet.
The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck.
Fifteen-year-old Russell’s dreams of quitting school to go to work are disrupted when his older sister takes over the teaching at his one-room schoolhouse after mean old Myrt Arbuckle “hauls off and dies.”
The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan.
Eleven-year-old Jack faces local bullies, crippling dust storms, his sick sister, and despairing townspeople in a small Oklahoma town.
Only You Can Save Mankind! by Terry Pratchett.
Johnny Maxwell takes on aliens, girls, video games, and the nature of war itself.
Under the Blood Red Sun by Graham Salisbury.
Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, and the United States declares war on Japan. Japanese men are rounded up, and Tomi’s father and grandfather are arrested. It’s a terrifying time to be Japanese in America. But one thing doesn’t change: the loyalty of Tomi’s buddies, the Rats.
Letters from Wolfie by Patti Sherlock.
Certain that he is doing the right thing by donating his dog, Wolfie, to the Army’s scout program in Vietnam, thirteen-year-old Mark has second thoughts when the Army refuses to say when or if Wolfie will ever return.
Loser by Jerry Spinelli.
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.
Now You See It by Vivian Vande Velde.
With Wendy’s new glasses, she sees cheerful corpses, old crones disguised as teeny-boppers, and portals to another world–a place where everyone knows of the glasses’ powers and will do anything they can to get them.
Any book in the P.C. Hawke Mysteries series by Paul
Zindel.
P.C. Hawke, a Sherlock Holmes for the twenty-first century, and his fashionable and fabulous sidekick, Mackenzie, solve crimes and have adventures in this wild series.
NONFICTION
Beyond: A Solar System Voyage by Michael Benson.
The author reviews the latest scientific developments about each individual planet, including Pluto’s status change to a dwarf planet.
Killer at Large by D.B. Beres.
Profilers provide law enforcement with scientific and psychological evidence that helps narrow the search for criminals.
The Word Snoop by Ursula Dubosarsky.
The best-kept secrets in the English language are revealed to your unsuspecting eyes and ears!
The Power of One: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine by Judith Fradin.
Daisy Bates was a journalist and activist who became one of the foremost civil rights leaders in America. In 1957 she mentored the nine black students who were integrated into Central High School in Little Rock.
Break a Leg by Lise Friedman.
Whether you just want to learn improv, hone your stand up routine, or become a Shakespearean actor, this book has tips on all aspects of the stage, including behind-the-scenes work such as lighting design and stage management.
A Smart Girl’s Guide to Money by Nancy Holyoke.
Whether it’s shopping, saving, or investing, this guide investigates your relationship with money and how you feel about it to maximize your earning potential.
The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students by Suzanne Jurmain.
They threw rocks and rotten eggs at the school windows; refused to sell Miss Crandall groceries; her schoolhouse was set on fire; the town authorities dragged her to jail. Her crime? Trying to open and maintain one of the first African American schools in America.
Horse Showing for Kids by Cheryl Kimball.
Horse enthusiasts will learn how to care for their horse, receive tips on grooming, even dressing themselves to make a good impression on judges.
Trial by Ice: A Photobiography of Ernest Shackleton by K.M Kostyal.
Traces the adventurous life of the South Pole explorer whose ship, the Endurance, was frozen in ice and crushed, leaving captain and crew to fight for survival.
Leonardo Da Vinci by Kathleen Krull.
The author discusses his lonely childhood and his insatiable curiosity and craving for knowledge. The author also shows the workings of a scientific mind and the close connection between science and art.
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy.
For more than a century poor Mrs. O’Leary and her cow have shouldered the blame for Chicago’s infamous Great Fire of 1871. Now the author lays bare the facts concerning one of the greatest disasters in American history.
In the Line of Fire: Presidents’ Lives at Stake by Judith St. George.
Four presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John Kennedy. But did you know that seven other attempts have been made on the lives of the presidents?
Secrets of a Civil War Submarine by Sally M. Walker.
Although divers searched for more than 130 years, the sub was not found until 1995. Over the last 14 years archeologists have raised the sub and sifted through sediment for artifacts and human remains and clues to why, when and how she sank.
Galvin Middle School
Summer 2011 Reading List
For Students Entering Grade 5
Students must read two (2) books before school starts.
FICTION
The Barn by Avi.
In an effort to fulfill their dying father’s last request, nine-year-old Ben and his brother and sister construct a barn on their land in the Oregon Territory.
Never Mind: a Twin Novel by Avi.
Twelve-year-old twins Meg and Edward have nothing in common, so they are shocked when Meg’s hopes for popularity and Edward’s mischievous schemes coincidentally collide.
Basketball (or Something Like It) by Nora Raleigh Baskin.
Basketball clinics, a revolving door of coaches, outraged parents, and the importance of the right sneakers—is that what the game is about?
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko.
Twelve-year-old Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards’ families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.
The School Story by Andrew Clements.
After twelve-year-old Natalie writes a wonderful novel, her friend Zoë helps her devise a scheme to get it published. But Natalie’s mother is her editor.
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins.
When 11-year-old Gregor and his 2-year-old sister are pulled into an underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.
Replay by Sharon Creech.
While preparing for a role in the school play, twelve-year-old Leo finds an autobiography that his father wrote as a teenager and learns about the ways people change as they grow up.
Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.
Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, shares adventure with 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.
Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell.
Since the death of his mother, Tobin’s family and school life have been in disarray, but after he starts raising chickens with his seventh-grade classmate, Henry, everything starts to fall into place.
The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger’s Apprentice Series, Bk.1) by John Flanagan.
When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger.
Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff.
Sam is almost 11 when he discovers a locked box in the attic, and a piece of paper that says he was kidnapped.
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff.
A troublesome twelve-year-old orphan remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her.
Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff.
During a summer spent at Rockaway Beach in 1944, Lily’s friendship with a young Hungarian refugee causes her to see the war and her own world differently.
Mickey and Me: a Baseball Card Adventure by Dan Gutman.
When Joe travels back in time to 1944, he meets the Milwaukee Chicks, one of the only all-female professional baseball teams in the history of the game.
Holes by Louis Sachar.
Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Silent to the Bone by E. L. Konigsburg.
When he is wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half-sister, thirteen-year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend Connor is able to reach him and uncover the truth about what really happened.
Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman.
Aidan and Meg Falconer are the only hope of their parents who are facing life in prison. Can Aidan and Meg follow a trail of clues to prove their innocence while they’re trapped in a juvenile detention center?
The Capture (Book 1 of the Guardians of Ga’hoole) by Kathryn Lasky.
After Soren, a young Barn Owl, falls from his nest, his idyllic world transforms into one of confusion and danger, as he is captured by evil chick-snatching owls and taken to the St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls.
Journey to America by Sonia Levitin.
A Jewish family fleeing Nazi Germany in 1938 endures innumerable separations before they are reunited.
The Kid in the Red Jacket by Barbara Park.
Ten-year-old Howard moves with his family to a distant state, is forced to live on a street named Chester Pewe, and gets used to being shadowed by a little girl in a nearby house.
On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck.
A boy in Illinois remembers the homefront years of World War II, especially his two heroes–his brother in the Air Force and his father, who fought in World War I.
A Year Down Yonder by Robert Peck.
During the recession of 1937, 15-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her feisty grandmother in rural Illinois and grows to understand this fearsome woman.
Bystander by James Preller.
Thirteen-year-old Eric discovers there are consequences to not standing by and watching as the bully at his new school hurts people. Although school officials are aware of the problem, Eric may be the one with a solution.
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.
As Samuel G. Westing’s 16 heirs gather for the reading of his will, they are elated to find that one of them stands to inherit a cool $200 million. In order to collect it, all he or she has to do is expose Mr. Westing’s murderer, who also happens to be one of the heirs.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, 12-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan.
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.
Magyk by Angie Sage.
After learning that she is a princess, Jenna is whisked from her home and carried toward safety by the Extraordinary Wizard and a young guard.
The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman.
A Brooklyn eighth-grader nicknamed Antsy befriends the Schwa, an “invisible-ish” boy who is tired of blending into his surroundings and going unnoticed by nearly everyone.
Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley.
Raised by peasants, Bella discovers that she is actually the daughter of a knight. Now he wants her back, so Bella is torn from her beloved foster family and sent to live with her deranged father and his resentful new wife. Soon Bella is caught up in a terrible plot that will change her life — and the kingdom — forever.
The Noonday Friends by Mary Stolz.
Two young friends stop speaking to each other even though they can’t remember why they argued in the first place, and this is just one more on top of the other problems that each has with her own family.
Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen.
Fifth-grader Nolan Byrd, tired of being called names by the class bully, has a secret identity–Shredderman! The website capturing evidence of bullying has results, but some of them aren’t what Nolan expects.
Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson.
Through letters to his little sister, who is living in a different foster home, sixth-grader Lonnie, also known as “Locomotion,” keeps a record of their lives while they are apart, describing his own foster family, including his foster brother who returns home after losing a leg in the Iraq War
NONFICTION
Shark Life: True Stories about Sharks and the Sea by Peter Benchley.
Benchley shares many anecdotes of his personal encounters with sharks, including the Great White, in stories that are exciting and sometimes terrifying
The Journey that Saved Curious George by Louise Borden.
Tells the story of Margret and H. A. Rey, who were carrying several illustrated manuscripts, including The Adventures of FiFi, later retitled Curious George.
Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii by James M. Deem.
On the morning of August 24, A.D. 79, Vesuvius began to erupt. Within twenty-four hours, the entire city of Pompeii—and many of its citizens—had been utterly annihilated. Hundreds of years later Pompeii saw daylight again, as archaeological excavations began to unearth what had been buried under layers of volcanic rubble.
5,000 Miles to Freedom: Ellen and William Craft’s Flight from Slavery by Judith Bloom Fradin.
Ellen and William Craft were two of the few slaves to escape. Their escape took them to Philadelphia, then on to Boston pursued by slave hunters, and 5,000 miles across the ocean to England.
Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille by Russell Freedman.
A biography of the nineteenth-century Frenchman who, having been blinded at the age of three, went on to develop the system of raised dots on paper that enabled blind people to read and write.
Homesick by Jean Fritz.
Jean Fritz describes her childhood in China in the 1920′s.
You Wouldn’t Want to Be on the First Submarine! By Ian Graham.
Get ready…as a young man in Civil War America, you are about to become involved in a highly dangerous underwater arms race. You could get into very deep water in the first submarine…
Tutankhamun: the Mystery of the Boy King by Zahi Hawass.
An account of the life, death and burial of King Tut and the unearthing of his tomb. The author sheds new light on the biggest question about Tut—was he murdered?
Extreme Scientists by Donna M. Jackson.
Hurricane hunters, cave women, and other people in extreme careers share their experiences on the job and how they got there.
Diving to a Deep-Sea Volcano by Kenneth Mallory.
Changing undersea technology allows people to learn more about the sea as an ecosystem, and about the life forms that live there.
Why is Snot Green? by Glenn Murphy.
Science facts from biology, astronomy, the human body, technology, and mother nature cover a range of topics from alien life forms to mucous.
Woodsong by Gary Paulsen.
For a rugged outdoor man and his family, life in northern Minnesota is a wild experience involving wolves, deer, and the sled dogs that make their way of life possible.
My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen.
The author describes some of the dogs that have had special places in his life, including his first dog, Snowball, in the Philippines; Dirk, who protected him from bullies; and Cookie, who saved his life.
The Goal by Andrew Podnieks.
The Boston Bruins Stanley Cup win in 1970 concluded with Bobby Orr’s dramatic overtime goal.
Mystery on Everest: a Photobiography of George Mallory by Audrey Salkeld.
Discusses the life of British mountain climber, George Mallory, the discovery of his body seventy-five years after his death, and the debate over whether Mallory was the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest.
Venom by Marilyn Singer.
Learn about venom and the animals that produce it and use it to survive, including spiders, insects, snakes and other reptiles, frogs and toads, fish, and ocean invertebrates.
Almost Astronauts by Margaret Weitekamp.
The true story of the women who “manned” Mercury 13.
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