Nims Middle School
Reading Lists for Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grades
It is recommended that every student choose two or more books from the
appropriate grade list and read the books before school starts in August of 2009.
Language Arts teachers will be collecting the Book Talk forms the first week of
school for class credit. Enjoy your reading adventures!
Incoming Sixth Graders
Bauer, Joan: Stand Tall (Fiction)
12-year-old "Tree" feels that the combination of being overly tall, while having no natural athletic ability,
is not an asset especially when his parents have recently divorced and his grandfather, a Vietnam War
veteran, has just had part of one leg amputated. In this coming of age story, Bauer's humorous situations
allow "Tree" to realize that he is a valuable person in his own right.
Byng, Georgia: Molly Moon’s Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure (Fiction)
Molly is caught completely unaware when a stranger kidnaps her beloved pup, Petula. It isn't long before
Molly follows the pet backwards in time to 1870 India. Molly bravely uses time-traveling crystals in a
breakneck speed time travel tale to outwit the cruel Maharaja of Waqt as she struggles to save Petula.
Choldenko, Gennifer: Al Capone Does My Shirts(Fiction)
Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister,
Natalie, can attend a special school. But Natalie has autism, and when she’s denied admittance to the
school, the isolated setting of Alcatraz begins to unravel the fragile coping mechanisms Moose’s family
has used for dealing with her disorder. When Moose meets Piper, the cute daughter of the Warden, he
knows instinctively that she’s trouble. But she’s also strangely irresistible. Moose wants to protect
Natalie, live up to his parents’ expectations, and stay out of trouble. But on Alcatraz, trouble is never very
far away.
Clements, Andrew: No Talking (Fiction) Black-Eyed Susan nominee 2008-2009
What happens to the nosiest fifth grade class ever when the boys challenge the girls to a No Talking
Contest?
DiCamillo, Kate: Tale of Despereaux (Fiction)
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. The 2003
Newbery Medal Winner.
Fleischman, Paul: Seedfolks (Fiction)
Set in a rundown section of Cleveland, Ohio, Fleischman's “seedfolks” are a broad cross-section of ages,
ethnic groups, and occupations. What unites all of these characters is the way they are changed by the
simple act of growing vegetables or flowers in this vacant lot turned community garden. A Vietnamese
immigrant schoolgirl describes how she sets out to grow lima beans in memory of her dead father. An
elderly Romanian woman who witnesses Kim planting the seeds, assumes a crime is being committed.
One by one, strangers in the neighborhood overcome their prejudices and join in the gardening--the
school custodian from Kentucky, the Guatemalan teenager taught by his uncle to plant vegetables from
the old country, the African-American man planting tomatoes to prove his love for his girlfriend, the
British nurse helping her elderly patient find a new lease on life.
Graff, Lisa: Thing About Georgie (Fiction) Black-Eyed Susan nominee 2008-2009
One thing about Georgie is that he is a dwarf. Another thing is that he has a fight with his best friend.
And another thing is that he will soon be a big brother. The main thing is that he learns that he is not
limited by his size.
Gutman, Dan: Million Dollar Shot (Fiction)
Eleven-year-old Eddie gets a chance to win a million dollars by sinking a foul shot at the National
Basketball Association finals.
Lord, Cynthia: Rules {Newbery Honor Book 2007!!!} (Fiction)
Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother, David, who is autistic.
While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an
effort to keep life try to create some stability in her life, Catherine creates rules for him. Each chapter title
is also a rule, and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi moves in next door,
Catherine hopes that the girl will become a friend, but is anxious about her reaction to David. Then
Catherine meets and befriends Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses a book of pictures to communicate,
she begins to understand that normal is difficult, and perhaps unnecessary, to define. Rules of behavior
are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine’s love for her brother is as real as are her
frustrations with him. Lord has sensitively captured the challenges of a family whose lives revolve around
a child's disability.
McKissack, Patricia: Friendship For Today (Fiction)Black-Eyed Susan nominee 2008-2009
Set in 1954 this is the story of Rosemary who begins sixth grade in an integrated school in which she is
the only African American student. Her best friend who was supposed to go to school with her has polio.
She becomes friends with a girl from a racist family and gets support from her teacher and a former
Tuskegee airman. Story is based on the author’s personal experience.
Nixon, Joan Lowery: Search for the Shadowman (Fiction)
Twelve-year-old Andy Bonner isn't thrilled with his teacher's assignment to explore family history. When
he starts asking questions about his ancestors, he is startled to discover a mystery concerning a family
member who was accused of stealing his parent’s money and has been disowned. His investigation takes
him from the World Wide Web to the town cemetery, to family sources who refuse to talk and, finally, a
chance to clear his relative’s name.
Oppel, Kenneth: Silverwing (Fiction--fantasy)
Shade is the runt of his Silverwing bat colony, determined to prove himself on the perilous migration to
Hibernaculum. During a fierce storm, he loses the others and soon faces the most incredible journey of his
short life. This is a fantastic adventure with a plot that soars from the first page.
Patron, Susan. The Higher Power of Lucky. 2007 Newbery Award Winner!!
Lucky, age 10, lives in Hard Pan, California, a tiny desert town with her dog and the young French
woman who is her guardian. Her mother died in a lightening storm and her father is absent from her life.
Lucky, who is totally contemporary, wavers between moments of bravery --gathering insect specimens,
scaring away snakes from the laundry--and fear that her guardian will leave her to return to France. Lucky
is a real heroine, especially because she's not perfect: she does some cowardly things, but she takes tries
hard to correct her mistakes as she struggles to come to terms with her mother's death and her new life.
Paulsen, Gary: Time Hackers (Fiction)
When someone uses futuristic technology to play pranks on twelve-year-old Dorso Clayman, he and his
best friend set off on a supposedly impossible journey through space and time trying to stop the gamesters
who are endangering the universe.
Pitchford, Dean: Big One-Oh (Fiction) Black-Eyed Susan nominee 2008-2009
Charlie is an outstanding cook who enjoys collecting and reading comic books. What he lacks in his life
are friends. When he decides to have a party to celebrate his tenth birthday he has to plan his party and
figure out how to make some friends.
Ritter, John: The Boy Who Saved Baseball (Fiction)
Tom Gallagher is in a tight spot. The fate of the Dillontown team rests on the outcome of one baseball
game, winner take all. If Tom's team loses, they lose their field too. But how can they possibly win? Just
when everything seems hopeless, a mysterious boy named Cruz de la Cruz rides into town and claims to
know the secret of hitting. Not to mention the secrets of Dante Del Gato, Dillontown's greatest hitter ever.
Since he walked away from the game years ago, Del Gato hasn't spoken a word to anyone. But now he
might be Tom's only hope for saving his hometown team.
Sachar, Louis: Small Steps (Fiction—SEQUEL TO HOLES!!)
Three years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is trying hard to keep his life on track,
but when his old pal X-Ray shows up with a tempting plan to make some easy money scalping concert
tickets, Armpit reluctantly goes along.
Incoming Seventh Graders
Abrahams, Peter: Down the Rabbit Hole (Fiction)
Up and coming thespian and sudden amateur sleuth, Ingrid Levin-Hill, 13, (who idolizes Sherlock
Holmes) finds herself in the middle of both the community theater production of Alice in Wonderland and
a local murder mystery. When Ingrid decides to run to soccer practice rather then wait for her ride, she
gets lost in a bad part of town. Luckily, Katie, a peculiar inhabitant of the town, calls her a cab.
Convinced that if she tells her parents she’ll receive a lecture, Ingrid keeps the incident a secret. Imagine
her shock when Ingrid learns that Katie has been murdered—and Ingrid’s soccer cleats are at the crime
scene!
Avi: Nothing But the Truth (Fiction)
A ninth-grader's suspension for singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes a
national news story. This is a fantastic read to accompany the case of students’ rights currently before our
nation’s Supreme Court.
Blackwood, Gary L: Shakespeare Stealer (Historical Fiction)
A young orphan boy is ordered by his master to infiltrate Shakespeare's acting troupe in order to steal the
script of "Hamlet," but he discovers instead the meaning of friendship and loyalty.
Carter, Ally : I'd Tell You That I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Fiction) Black-Eyed
Susan nominee 2008-2009
From all outward appearences The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is an exclusive
boarding school for spoiled, rich girls. The reality is that the students are being trained to be spies. They
study fourteen languages and are math and computer experts. So when one girl meets a boy on her first
covert operation she finds that she is lacking some basic knowledge in forming a friendship.
Deem, James M. : Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii. (Non-Fiction) In A.D.
79, Mount Vesuvius erupted. Within 24 hours, ash, pumice, and volcanic rubble had covered, and
destroyed, the city of Pompeii. It was not until the 18th century that workers began to uncover the remains
of this buried city. The author retells the story of this devastating eruption, combining an energetic text
with photographs of the bones & artifacts that have been unearthed.
DeFelice, Cynthia : Ghost of Poplar Point . (Fiction) Black-Eyed Susan nominee 2008-2009. Ally is
auditioning for a role in a pageant about the history of her town when she begins talking in another
language. The ghost of a young girl Native American girl is communicating with her about a massacre
that occurred in the town. Will Ally be able to change the pageant to truthfully reflect the town's history?
Not if a local businessman can stop her.
Delano, Marfe: Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein (Non-fiction)
Wonderfully simple explanations of some of Einstein's theories. For example, in clarifying the physicist's
quantum theory of light,Delano says, "Simply put, Einstein showed that photons in the light beam knock
the electrons out of metal." This visual perception helps to make the theory understandable for students.
The black-and-white and sepia photographs follow Einstein from boyhood to old age and show him in a
variety of settings: at the blackboard, delivering a speech, taking the oath of U.S. citizenship, in his
Princeton home with children who survived the Holocaust. Another excellent National Geographic photo
biography.
DuPrau, Jeanne: People of Sparks (Fiction) Sequel to City of Ember!!
Lina and Doon lead their people up out of the Earth, fleeing their dying underground city of Ember.
Everything is new and a frightening to the people of Ember--the sun, birds, trees, …and the citizens of
Ember are, likewise, strange to the people of Sparks, one of the few towns on Earth to survive the time of
The Disaster. How can Spark’s populace feed and house the several hundred Ember refugees when they
have just begun to be able to feed themselves? But if they don’t, these underground people with no
survival skills will surely die in the wastelands. What should the leaders of Sparks do?
Esckilsen, Erik E.: Offsides (Fiction)
To Coach Dempsey, the Warriors team and their Indian mascot symbolize the honor and glory of the
Southwind High School athletic tradition. But soccer star Tom Gray sees little more than a denigrating
cultural stereotype in the team’s mascot and the stern, war-painted Indian-head profile. As a Mohawk,
Tom knows only too well the hardships Native Americans face in their struggle for respect. So when his
father’s tragic death forces Tom and his mother to move to Southwind, Tom must make the decision of a
lifetime: betray his family and heritage, or boycott Dempsey’s team and abandon the sport he loves.
Remember the Poolesville Indians? A great story our kids can relate to.
Gutman, Dan: Satch & Me (Fiction)
With his ability to travel through time using vintage baseball cards, Joe takes Flip with him to find out
whether Satchel Paige really was the fastest pitcher ever.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson: Among the Free (Fiction)
This final book in the series focuses on illegal third-child Luke, who has been working undercover in the
Population Police stables with the hope of somehow helping to topple the oppressive regime. After being
handpicked for a special chore by government officials, Luke and several other boys are loaded into a van
and driven through the gates of headquarters and out into the world. All of the country's citizens are being
issued new identification cards and they are told to knock on every door and summon the terrified people
to a mandatory assembly. But one woman's steely refusal to comply kick-starts a revolution in which
Luke is destined to play a critical role.
Horowitz, Anthony: Three of Diamonds (Fiction)
Tim and Nick Simple, also known as the Diamond Brothers, find themselves in the middle of mystery and
mayhem in three action-packed short stories. In each humorous episode, Nick, 13, must solve the crime
before his older brother, the world's worst detective, either bumbles the investigation or gets them both
killed.
Hunter, Erin Midnight Warriors: the New Prophecy Book I (Fiction)
The wild cats of the forest have lived in peace and harmony for many moons -- but a doom that will
change everything is coming. Strange messages from their warrior ancestors speak of terrifying new
prophecies, danger, and a mysterious destiny. All the signs point to young warrior Brambleclaw as the cat
with the fate of the forest in his paws. But why would the son of wicked cat Tigerstar be chosen to be a
hero? And who are the other cats mentioned in the prophecy? All Brambleclaw knows for sure is that the
strength and courage of the greatest warriors will be needed now, as the quest to save the Clans begins.
Koss, Amy: The Girls (Fiction)
Five middle school girls learn what it feels like to be part of one of the most popular cliques in their
school. They also learn what it feels like to be manipulated and excluded from that clique at the whim of
their leader. Can they afford to be this popular? Is it worth the price?
Lupica, Mike: Heat (Fiction)
Michael Arroyo is a terrific pitcher who dreams of leading his South Bronx All-Stars to the Little League
World Series in Williamsport, PA. It's a dream he shared with his father, one they brought with them as
they fled Cuba and wound up living in the shadow of Yankee Stadium. Michael's ultimate dream is to
play in the major leagues like his hero, El Grande, Yankee star and fellow Cuban refugee. Tragically, Papi
died of a heart attack a few months back, leaving Michael and his older brother, Carlos, to struggle along
on their own. Afraid of being separated, they hide the news of their father's death from everyone but a
kindly neighbor, Mrs. Cora, and Michael's best friend, Manny Cabrera. When a bitter rival spreads rumors
that Michael is older than he appears, the league demands that he be benched until he can produce a birth
certificate. Readers will find themselves rooting for Michael as he struggles with the loss of his father,
stumbles into his first boy-girl relationship, and yearns to play baseball. The exciting finale takes place at
Yankee Stadium.
Mackel, Kathy: Alien in a Bottle. (Fiction)
8th-grader Sean loves the art of glassblowing, and he wants to attend the museum high school to learn his
craft. But the tools and materials of glassblowing are expensive and dangerous, and his parents are
strongly opposed. While looking for glass to work with, Sean comes upon a dumpster and spies a bottle.
Three space aliens come out from that glass bottle to complicate Sean's life. As the alien mind phantoms
threaten his home and family, Sean realizes that his art is the only thing that can save his normal world.
Murphy, Jim: Inside the Alamo (Non-fiction)
An overview of the struggle between the Texan settlers and Mexico's General Santa Anna for control of
Texas, with a detailed description of the 1836 siege of the Alamo. With a new PG-13 Disney distributed
feature film on the Alamo, this subject will be popular with students. Why not read the definitive
presentation. It's riveting!
Oppel, Kenneth: Skybreaker (Fiction)
Matt Cruse, a student at the Airship Academy, and Kate de Vries, a young heiress, team up with a gypsy
and a daring captain, to find a long-lost airship, rumored to carry a treasure beyond imagination in this
sequel to Airborn.
Oppenheim, Joanne: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and
a Librarian Who Made a Difference. (Non-fiction)
Clara E. Breed, children’s librarian for the San Diego Pubic Library, had come to know many local
Japanese American children. When Japanese families were torn from their homes and sent to internment
camps in 1942, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, she began sending letters and care packages of
books, candy, and other treats to her children. She also wrote articles for Library Journal and The Horn
Book about their plight. In return, the recipients expressed their gratitude in letters. The author has
assembled the children’s letters in this collection of first hand accounts.
Paolini, Christopher: Eldest (Fiction-- Sequel to Eragon)
After successfully evading an Urgals ambush, Eragon is adopted into the Ingeitum clan and sent to finish
his training so he can further help the Varden in their struggle against the Empire. (Sequel to Eragon.)
Pfeffer, Susan : Life as We Knew It (Fiction) Black-Eyed Susan Nominee) 2008-2009
Scientists have predicted that an asteroid will hit the moon and people around the world are gathering
outside to watch the event. But the scientists were unaware that the asteroid was so dense that when it
collided with the moon it would push the moon into a new location closer to the earth. The results are
disasterous. Tides change causing tsunamis and flooding. Volcanoes erupt and weather patterns change.
Trying to survive becomes the focus of life.
Schlosser, Eric: Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want To Know About Fast Food. (Non-fiction)
The author looks at the fast-food industry’s growth, practices and effects on public health. He traces the
hamburgers early years and the evolution of its fast processing by McDonald’s Corporation. The author
also discusses how fast-food giants have studied childhood behavior and geared their commercials and
free toy inclusions to hook the youngest consumers. An important book in this time of growing childhood
obesity.
Thimmesh, Catherine: Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed on the Moon(Non-fiction)
A behind-the-scenes look at the first Apollo landing with 16 chapter like segments arranged
chronologically, from John F. Kennedy’s 1961 speech to the splashdown providing the reader with
interesting and, heretofore, little known facts.
Incoming Eighth Graders
Auch, Mary Jane : One-Handed Catch (Fiction)
While helping his dad in the family store, sixth grader Norm loses his hand in a meat grinder. As he
struggles to relearn how to do the simplest tasks like tie his shoes, his mother refuses to let him try to take
the easy way out. Influenced by stories of a professional ball player who played with one hand, Norm
uses his creativity to find ways to play ball. But will he be good enough to earn a spot on the baseball
team?
Broach, Elise: Shakespeare’s Secret (Fiction)
A literary mystery involving twelve-year-old Hero, the new kid in school. Hero discovers from her elderly
neighbor and the police chief’s son that a 17 carat diamond is hidden in her family’s house. The trio’s
search for the diamond leads them to Anne Boleyn who passed it to Elizabeth the 1st who gave it to her
illegitimate son, Edward de Vere, possibly the real Shakespeare! Readers will also find numerous facts
about Elizabethan history, theories about Shakespeare's writings, and, perhaps most importantly, a moral
but not preachy tale and well crafted mystery tale.
Butler, Dorri Hillestad.: Do You Know the Monkey Man? (Fiction)
When Samantha was three years old, her twin, Sarah, drowned in a local quarry while canoeing with their
father. The grief affected her parents' already strained marriage. Her mother and father divorced, and
Samantha, now 13, hasn't seen or heard from her dad in 10 years--with the exception of a postcard
picturing a monkey from the San Diego Zoo. After trying various methods to find her father, Samantha
and a friend visit a psychic, but Sam comes away confused by the psychic's revelation that her sister isn't
dead. Sam's pursuit for the truth, which includes an Internet people search, leads her from her Clearwater,
Iowa, home to Minnesota, where she finds her answers. Concepts of identity and family that are woven
through the story.
Carter, Ally : I'd Tell You That I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Fiction) Black-Eyed
Susan nominee 2008-2009
From all outward appearences The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is an exclusive
boarding school for spoiled, rich girls. The reality is that the students are being trained to be spies. They
study fourteen languages and are math and computer experts. So when one girl meets a boy on her first
covert operation she finds that she is lacking some basic knowledge in forming a friendship.
Colfer, Eoin: Artemis Fowl: Arctic Incident (Fiction)
Artemis Fowl tries to rescue his father from Russian Mafia gangsters. Here, the criminal mastermind
teams up with Captain Holly, the same leprechaun officer whom he battled in the first book. He needs her
fairy magic and technology to help with his mission, while she and her friends enlist the boy to aid them
in preventing a goblin revolt. The action is quick, with fiendish plots, ingenious escapes, and lively battle
scenes.
Crew, Linda: Children of the River (Fiction)
Having fled Cambodia four years earlier to escape the Khmer Rouge army, seventeen-year-old Sundara is
torn between remaining faithful to her own people and enjoying life in her Oregon high school as a
"regular" American.
DuPrau, Jeanne: Prophet of Yonwood (Fiction)
this prequel to The City of Ember (2003) and The People of Sparks (2004, both Random), 11-year-old
Nickie accompanies her aunt to Yonwood, NC, to help get her great-grandfather's house ready to be sold.
Months earlier, a woman in the community named Althea Tower had a vision and collapsed, muttering
about fire and disaster. The townspeople interpreted it as a premonition of events since war between the
U.S. is on the verge of a world war. Althea is hailed as a Prophet. Soon she's urging everyone to give up
sinful things like singing. The townspeople believe that by being virtuous, they will build a shield of
goodness around themselves and not be harmed. In her effort to be a good person, Nickie succumbs to
this collective brainwashing and betrays a friend. This novel sharply brings home the idea of people
blindly following a belief without questioning it.
Friend, Natasha: Perfect (Fiction)This short novel for teens in middle school tackles a tough subject for
such a young age--that is, eating disorders. 13-year-old Isabelle is trying to live her life the best she can.
Her father died a couple of years ago and her mother is not handling her sorrow well. The family can't talk
about it and there seems to be no relief in sight. Isabelle deals with all the typical problems of a 13-year-
old--the desire to be somebody else, the desire to be cool, the need for love and acceptance from both
family and friends. Her descent into bulimia is an indication of the disorder in her life. It is not about body
image as much as it is about grief. She misses her father desperately and needs to talk about it with her
family but it just isn't happening. When her mother discovers the bulimia, Isabelle immediately begins
group therapy and into her life walks perfect Ashley Barnum, the prettiest girl in school, smart, nice,
everything Isabelle wishes she could be. For awhile, Ashley and Isabelle encourage one another's eating
disorder until Isabelle begins to recognize some internal value in herself and that is when the changes
begin.
Hobbs, Will. Crossing the Wire (Realistic Fiction)
Ever since his family moved to the tiny village of Los Árboles, Victor has been best friends with Rico.
When Rico tells him that he has enough money to pay for a coyote to help him cross into El Norte, Victor
is unable to decide if he, too, should go along and look for work or try to feed his family with the pitiful
annual corn harvest. The decision is made for him the next day when he discovers that the corn prices
have bottomed out and that there is no point in even planting this year. Readers empathize with the 15-
year-old as he makes his painful decision to leave his mother and younger siblings and attempts the
dangerous border crossing, jumping trains, fleeing thieves and border officials, and suffering from thirst
and hunger. His desperation and fear are completely believable as he faces near-death situations and must
decide whom to trust. A thoughtful and introspective look at young people crossing the border between
the U.S. and Mexico—a timely look at the subject of immigration.
Jones, Charlotte F. : Westward Ho!: Eleven Explorers of the American West ( Non-Fiction) Five
thematic chapters discuss the search for the Northwest Passage, the exploration of the Louisiana Purchase
territory, the mountain men and the fur trade, John C. Fremont's mapping excursions, and John Wesley
Powell's surveys of the Grand Canyon. Jones is objective about her subjects, admiring their ambition,
leadership, and survival skills, but also describing their weaknesses and the effects of American expansion
on the Native Americans.
Lowry, Lois. Gossamer (Fiction)
Fantasy is gossamer in this tale of memory's role in bestowing dreams and inflicting nightmares. An
impatient Fastidious is training Littlest to become a bestower of dreams. Hordes of Sinisteeds attempt to
overcome the dreams by inflicting nightmares in a world in which dreams battle nightmares in an attempt
to illuminate, inform, and even improve the "real" lives of the dreamers. The humans that Littlest and
Thin Elderly care for, a lonely, old woman and her foster child, John, need the help and protection from
bad dreams which the dream givers can provide.
Mazer, Harry: Boy at War: a Novel of Pearl Harbor (Historical Fiction)
While fishing with his friends off Honolulu on December 7, 1941, teenager Adam is caught in the midst
of the Japanese attack and through the chaos of the subsequent days tries to find his father, a naval officer
who was serving on the U.S.S. Arizona when the bombs fell.
Moses, Sheila: The Legend of Buddy Bush (Fiction)
Coretta Scott King Honor Award
In rural Rich Square, NC, the 1947 arrest, trial, escape, and eventual acquittal of African-American Buddy
Bush rocked a community and sparked international interest. This fictionalized account is narrated by
Pattie Mae, Buddy’s 12-year-old niece. Her story re-creates the racial segregation & tension of a small
Southern community, demonstrates the loyalty of family, & exposes the heartbreak of injustice.
Myers, Walter Dean: Hoops (Fiction)
A teenage basketball player from Harlem is befriended by a former professional player who, after being
forced to quit because of a point shaving scandal, hopes to prevent other young athletes from repeating his
mistake.
Paterson, Katherine: Lyddie (Historical Fiction)
Laboring in an 1840s Massachusetts textile mill, young Lyddie endures vile working conditions,
loneliness, illness, and inequality, yet experiences an intellectual and spiritual awakening that allows her
to confront her own potential.
Peters Julie Anne: Define Normal (Fiction)
When she agrees to meet with Jasmine as a peer counselor at their middle school, Antonia never dreams
that this girl with the black lipstick and pierced eyebrow will end up helping her deal with the serious
problems she faces at home, and become a good friend.
Pfeffer, Susan : Life as We Knew It (Fiction) Black-Eyed Susan Nominee) 2008-2009
Scientists have predicted that an asteroid will hit the moon and people around the world are gathering
outside to watch the event. But the scientists were unaware that the asteroid was so dense that when it
collided with the moon it would push the moon into a new location closer to the earth. The results are
disasterous. Tides change causing tsunamis and flooding. Volcanoes erupt and weather patterns change.
Trying to survive becomes the focus of life.
Smith, Roland : Peak(Fiction) Black-Eyed Susan Nominee) 2008-2009
Fourteen year old Peak loves to climb--skyscrapers in New York. When he is caught, the judge lets him
leave the country to live with his father in Thailand. What his father really plans to do is to put his son on
the top of mt. Everest. If he succeeds he will be the youngest climber to ever reach the summit. There aer
many exciting reasons why this feat will be difficult to attain.
Walker, Sally M.: Secrets of a Civil War Submarine (Non-Fiction)
When the Union blockade of all ports in the South stopped supplies from reaching the Confederate Army,
Horace L. Hunley decided to create a submarine that would be able to sneak up on enemy ships and blow
them up. After many years of trial and error, the H. L. Hunley actually succeeded in sinking the USS
Housatonic in February of 1864. But the submarine never returned to port, and her crew perished in the
Charleston Harbor. This is a finely crafted account of the Hunley from its inception to the modern
archaeological quest to exhume her from the water.
Westerfeld Scott.: Uglies (Fiction)
In Tally's world, everyone gets to be transformed from ugly to gorgeous on their sixteenth birthday, but
Tally's friend Shay would rather risk life on the outside than be operated on, and when she runs away, the
authorities make Tally find her friend and turn her in.
Name: _____________________________
th
Book Talk – 6 Grade
1. Book Title: ______________________________________________
2. A _______________________ by ___________________________
(Genre: for example, novel, biography (author’s name)
science, memoir, science fiction story)
What audience might be especially interested in this book?
3. In three sentences or less, summarize what the book is about.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. What is the theme, or main idea, the writer is trying to get across?
__________________________________________________________
5. Choose one of the following and answer on the back side of this page.
How does the book relate to your life?
How is one of the characters similar to you or someone you know?
Does this book remind you of any other book(s) you’ve read? How?
6. Would you encourage your friends to read this book? Tell why or why not.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Name: ______________________________________
th
Book Talk – 7 Grade
1. Book Title: ______________________________________________
2. A _______________________ by ___________________________
(Genre: for example, novel, biography (author’s name)
science, memoir, science fiction story)
What audience might be especially interested in this book?
3. In three sentences or less, summarize what the book is about.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. What is the theme, or main idea, the writer is trying to get across?
__________________________________________________________
5. Choose one of the following and answer on the back side of this page.
Write a prologue or an epilogue to the book.
What is the most important event of the story? Why?
Can you think of any book/movie/etc. that this piece reminds you of? Make
a connection and elaborate.
6. Would you encourage your friends to read this book? Tell why or why not.
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Name: _________________________________________
th
Book Talk – 8 Grade
1. Book Title: ______________________________________________
2. A _______________________ by ___________________________
(Genre: for example, novel, biography (author’s name)
science, memoir, science fiction story)
What audience might be especially interested in this book?
3. In three sentences or less, summarize what the book is about.
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4. What is the theme, or main idea, the writer is trying to get across?
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5. Choose one of the following and answer on the back side of this page.
How does the setting impact the plot/theme/characters in the novel?
Choose one character and quote that illustrate your personality and explain.
How can the characters, plot, or conflict be generalized to society at large?
6. Would you encourage your friends to read this book? Tell why or why not.
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Questions for reflection/discussion in the fall
What types of reading did you do this summer? Did you read magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes, websites,
novels, poetry, nonfiction books? List everything you can remember reading.
Now, consider the following questions about your reading:
How did your reading this summer help you
• make a connection to your own life?
• make a connection to other books you’ve read?
• see another world or another time?
In your reading, in what ways did you
• care what happened to a character?
• connect with one of the characters?
• encounter unfamiliar events and experiences?
• meet a new author you had not read?
• enjoy how the author wrote the book?
• have questions that went unanswered?
• picture the people and places?
In your reading
• what struck you as being very important?
• did you learn any lessons?
Use the following prompts to discuss your summer reading
• I learned…
• The confusing thing is…
• I was surprised…
• I began to think of…
• I don’t really understand …
• I think…
• If I were….
• At first I thought and now I think…
• At first I felt, now I feel…
• I have changed by this book in this way…
• From reading this text, I will remember…
• The theme in this text was…
• An “aha” from the reading was…
• A light bulb went on in my head and I realized…
• My opinion on this topic now is…
• I will remember the visual I built in my mind for