BUCKEYE LOCAL SCHOOLS Summer Reading 2017 - for students going into 6th grade
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Fiction Book List Doll Bones by Holly Black Growing up and leaving childhood behind is at the heart of Zach, Poppy and Alice’s story. For Zachary Barlow, making up stories and adventures with his best friends is a game he’s played ever since they were little; however, when his dad throws away his action figures and tells Zach he needs to start preparing for the real world, a chain of events is put into motion. The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (historical fiction) Deza Malone’s family has the motto “We are a family on a journey to a placed called Wonderful” and Deza is a student who has been told she is sure to go far in life. When the Great Depression hits Deza’s town, her father must travel abroad to find work. Her mother uproots the family to search for her husband. The twists and turns reveal the devastation of the Depression and prove that Deza truly is The Mighty Miss Malone. Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick Kevin is brilliant, but his body is so crippled by birth defects that he has to wear braces on his legs. Max is huge and powerful, but he has been so scarred by life that he feels dumb and worthless. When the two boys meet, they become inseparable friends as Freak the Mighty. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen A romance told in two voices. In eighth grade, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn’t as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance. The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt (historical fiction) It’s 1967 and Hollis is a 7th grader in Long Island during the Vietnam War. His dad is nagging him to take over the family business, his mother is out of touch, and he is sure his teacher hates him. When he is forced to have one-on-one instruction from his teacher, Ms. Baker, they bond over a passion for Shakespeare. Influenced by his politically active sister and Shakespeare, Hollis begins to see the world in a whole new way. Silver by Chris Wooding (science fiction) When a boy is bitten by a strange silver beetle, he becomes the first victim of a mysterious infection that turns flesh into metal and pupils into machines. As the virus spreads and becomes more terrifying, a small group of students barricade themselves in the school. Will help come before the virus spreads and turns it’s victims to silver? Will any of them survive? (see back)
Non-Fiction Book List
The Bat Scientists by Mary Kay Carson Dr. Merlin Tuttle and his colleagues aren’t afraid of bats - they are fascinated by them. Unfortunately, bats are facing many problems today including a scary new disease called “white-nose syndrome”. It is killing millions of hibernating bats in N. America, and Dr. Tuttle and scientists are out to save them. Saving the Baghdad Zoo by Milner/Sumner The Baghdad Zoo was once home to more than 600 magnificent animals until the Iraq War began in 2003. The zoo was devastated with hundreds of animals that went missing and many in desperate need of care. Captain Sumner, along with zoologists, veterinarians, conservationists and animal lovers, embark on a mission to save the neglected animals of Baghdad. Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books by Gary Paulsen Gary Paulsen tells the real stories behind the Brian books and the adventures that inspired him to write Brian Robeson’s story: working as an emergency volunteer; the death that inspired the pilot’s death in Hatchet; plane crashes he has seen and near misses of his own. He shares special memories, such as the night he attracted every mosquito in the county or how he met the moose with a sense of humor. There’s a chapter on “Eating Eyeballs and Guts or Starving: The Fine Art of Wilderness Nutrition.” Bomb-The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin In December of 1938, a German laboratory chemist discovered that when you put a Uranium atom next to radioactive material, the atom split in two. This discovery launched a scientific race that spanned three continents. In Great Britain and the U.S., Soviet spies invaded the scientific community; in Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing; and in the desert, a group of scientists were hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos. This is the story of the creation of the world’s most formidable weapon - the atomic bomb. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone This is a story of women striving to fulfill their dream of becoming astronauts in the 1960s. The discrimination against these 13 women was atrocious. They passed every test with flying colors, but NASA still would not let them enter the astronaut program. This book is recommended for anyone in high school who is ready to take on the world, who may be questioning where life will take them, and one who may be dreaming bigger than most people think is proper.
Instructions 1. Read ONE non fiction book from the list and complete the fact/detail chart. 2. Read ONE fiction book from the list and complete the story map.
Information also available online at: www.buckeyeschools.org
