Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Peña. The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen.
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat.
Please have your child look through this list, select a book, and once he or she has selected a book, please send Sophie Browne, Middle School Librarian, an email at
[email protected] indicating your child’s book choice. This book should be read along with the rest of required summer reading. When we return to school your child will be assigned to a group for an activity based on their book choices. Your child should finish the book prior to the first week of school because he or she will be discussing it that week.
Thayer Academy Middle School All-School Summer Reading List 2013 Absolutely American by David Lipsky Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kristen Miller Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Peña The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat Number the Stars by Lois Lowry Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton Painting the Black by Carl Deuker Quest by Kathleen Benner Duble Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman Shane by Jack Schaefer The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom Absolutely American by David Lipsky Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a student at one of the country’s top military institutions? Would you like to follow a cadet at West Point from the day he/she arrives to the day he/she graduates? Absolutely American does just that. And, since the 8th Grade visits West Point annually in the Fall, this book will give the reader some insight as to what a cadet’s life is like before we visit. Great book!
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver Imagine going one year without eating any of your favorite snack foods...no Cheetohs, no Goldfish, no Oreos...imagine the challenge of only being able to eat food that you yourself grow, or that someone in your neighborhood grew or raised. In the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, the Kingsolver family tries to do just that. This book will open your eyes to the wonder of plants and animals that provide us with food, and will give you a new perspective on the old expression: you are what you eat. Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer Have you ever wondered what happens to the characters in the book once you close the cover? Delilah was a bit of a loner in her high school, preferring to spend her time her time reading. She discovers a picture book in her school library and soon finds herself with a crush on the hero of the fairy tale, Prince Oliver. What happens when she finds that there is more to these storybook characters than just what happens in the book, and Oliver sends Delilah a message telling her he wants to get out of the story? The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne This story takes place in Nazi Germany and is about a young boy, Bruno, whose father is the commandant of a concentration camp during World War II. While exploring the woods behind his new home outside the camp, Bruno meets a young Jewish boy behind a fence who is a prisoner in the camp. A friendship is born. An innocent Bruno tries to make sense of the conflicting versions he is told of life in the camps, one given to him by the father he adores, and the other from his new friend. His curiosity and loyalty to his new found friend eventually puts him in harms way. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier A classic in young adult fiction, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, tells the story of a freshman in high school, Jerry Renault, who decides to "disturb the universe" by rebelling against the school's secret underground society, the Vigils, by refusing to sell chocolates for a school fundraiser. Can someone really have an effect on his/her environment? Is the price of integrity worth the cost of social ostracism? Find out when you enter the world of Trinity High School. Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn Thirteen-year-old Ali can't wait to go on vacation in Maine with her little cousin and her aunt. They'll be in the same place her mother spent all her summers. And maybe she'll finally figure out why her mother won't talk about what happened at the lake when she was young. Then Ali meets a mysterious girl who changes all of her plans. If you like suspense (and you don't mind being scared occasionally!), this is the book for you.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card 70 years after a horrific alien war, an unusually gifted child is sent to an advanced military school in space to prepare for a future invasion. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium--a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster--except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacrán Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect. How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kristen Miller (*Suggested for mature readers) Anywhere else, they’d be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they’re called prodigies. The most exclusive school in New York City has been training young criminals for over a century. Only the most ruthless students are allowed to graduate. The rest disappear. Flick, a teenage pickpocket, has risen to the top of his class. But then Mandel recruits a fierce new competitor who also happens to be Flick’s old flame. They’ve been told only one of them will make it out of the Mandel Academy. Will they find a way to save each other—or will the school destroy them both? Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Peña Danny is tall and skinny. Even though he's not built, his arms are long enough to give his pitch a power so fierce any college scout would sign him on the spot. A 95 mph fastball, but the boy's not even on a team. Every time he gets up on the mound he loses it. But at private school, they don't expect much else from him. Danny's brown. Half-Mexican brown. And growing up in San Diego that close to the border means everyone else knows exactly who he is before he even opens his mouth. Before they find out he can't speak Spanish, and before they realize
his mom has blonde hair and blue eyes, they've got him pegged. Danny's convinced it's his whiteness that sent his father back to Mexico. And that's why he's spending the summer with his dad's family. Only, to find himself, he might just have to face the demons he refuses to see right in front oh his face. And open up to a friendship he never saw coming. The Moon And More by Sarah Dessen Emaline and Luke have been boyfriend and girlfriend all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. It was perfect. But now in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough. Enter Theo, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a local artist. Theo is sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for a town like Colby. Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she’s going? Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool Abilene Tucker is sent off to live with an old friend for the summer while her father works a railroad job. She finds herself in the town of Manifest, Kansas, where her father grew up. Shortly after arriving Abilene finds a cigar box filled with mementos and letters that lead her and her two, new friends on a spy hunt. While searching for the spy known as the Rattler, Abilene spends time with a Diviner, Miss Sadie, who tells stories from the past. As Abilene finds out about Manifest's past she discovers the part her father played in the history of Manifest. This powerful story filled with historical elements will keep you turning pages until the full story behind the citizens on Manifest is revealed. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat An amazing true story of life among Artic wolves. What begins as a humorous satire becomes a blistering indictment of governmental bureaucracy and a tribute to wildness that few of us understand or experience in the first-hand way of its author. Loaded with hyperbole, understatement, self-deprecation, and passion, Mowatt tells his story of being a young naturalist assigned the task of discovering why wolves were killing Arctic Caribou. While living alone for 6 months in the frozen tundra Mowat develops a love for the wolves. This book can make its reader laugh and cry. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry As the German troops begin their campaign to “relocate” all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family. Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory; she's the smartest kid in her whole school--but NO ONE knows it. Most people think she cannot learn and as a result, she spends her days in pre-school level classes learning the alphabet over and over and over again. If she could speak, she would tell them what she knows, but she cannot. In fact, she cannot walk either. She feels stuck in her head and feels like she will go out of her mind, until she learns about something that will give her the liberty to speak for the first time ever! However, not everyone is ready to hear her voice. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton Set in the 1960’s, this classic tells the story of friendship and what it means to belong. Ponyboy and his friends, The Greasers, come from the wrong side of the tracks and are constantly in conflict with the Socs, the rich kids with everything. One night something goes terribly wrong and everything changes for Pony. Though written in 1967, this coming of age novel holds lessons even today. Painting the Black by Carl Deuker In his senior year of high school, late-bloomer Ryan Ward has just begun to feel the magic of baseball: the magic of catching a wicked slider, of throwing a runner out, of training hard and pushing limits. But when one of his teammates clearly pushes the limits too far, Ryan is face with a heartbreaking dilemma: he must choose between his love for the game and his integrity. Quest by Kathleen Benner Duble Through the use of four alternating viewpoints, this story brings historical and fictional personalities to life. When seventeen-year-old John Hudson sets sail aboard the Discovery with his father, Henry Hudson, he is eager to explore the open seas and the New World. He is not, however, anxious to leave behind his girlfriend, Isabella Digges, a nobleman's daughter. But Isabella has adventures of her own in store as an undercover spy for the king. And while Richard Hudson simply wants his older brother, John, to come home to London, John's shipmate Seth Syms is desperate to avoid returning to the city any time soon. The key to their futures lies in the hands of John's father. Letters, diary entries, and personal narratives spill mutinous and surprising secrets, while revealing a struggle of hope, heartbreak, and survival. Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman An inspirational book that focuses on how the act of one person can create a huge amount of change. This book tells the story of how a trash heap becomes a garden that transforms the whole neighborhood, and also transforms each individual who is involved- from Kim, who started it all by planting beans in honor of the father she never knew, to Curtis, who believes he can win back Lateesha's heart with a harvest of tomatoes; to Virgil's dad, who sees a fortune to be made from growing lettuce.
Shane by Jack Schaefer More than the standard Western, Shane is the story of a boy learning what it means to be a man. He watches his father and Shane, a gunfighter struggling to throw off his past, work together on the farm and battle the threats of a powerful cattle baron threatening their right to settle the open range. Though the story is conventional, the characters are real and appealing, and there is a lot of action throughout the book. The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom In this fable, the first man on earth to count the hours becomes Father Time. The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time. He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.
