Summer Reading

Middle School Summer Reading

We hope that the Menlo summer reading books will be fun to read and inspire further reading adventures. Students should pick books that they have not already read. If passages or words are confusing or difficult, students should mark those pages and bring their questions to class.

If you would like a critical review or a synopsis of these books, try the American Library Association’s web site at www.ala.org. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and Booklist divisions of the web site are especially useful. The library page of the Menlo School’s website also has a special section about books specifically for middle school students

Books may be purchased on line at MBS Direct.

Sixth Grade (pdf version)
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Before school begins in late August, all incoming sixth graders should have read the one required novel (Ruth White’s Belle Prater’s Boy) and any two of the recommended books from the list below. While reading the required novel, students need to keep the guiding topic in mind and should mark any passages relating to it. After finishing Belle Prater’s Boy, all students should write a one to one-and-a-half page response to the guiding topic. Belle Prater’s Boy, as well as the other book selections, will be covered in class discussions and activities and will be part of the summer reading evaluation to take place in the first few weeks of school.

We hope that the Menlo summer reading books will be fun to read and will inspire further reading adventures. Students should pick books that they have not already read. If passages or words are confusing or difficult, students should mark those pages and bring their questions to class.

For your convenience, books may be purchased on line at MBS Direct.

REQUIRED NOVEL: Belle Prater’s Boy by Ruth White (Yearling, 1996) ISBN 0440413729

GUIDING TOPIC: Focus your response on this question: Which character gains the most from the friendship?

To help further your understanding of the topic, compare and contrast Gypsy's and Woodrow's lives. Consider why Gypsy and Woodrow enjoy each other's company so much. Trace the development of their friendship from the beginning of the novel to the end. How are Woodrow and Gypsy received at school and what makes them so popular among the other students?

In addition to the required reading, choose any two of the following recommended books.

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer ISBN 0141311096
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan ISBN 0064408191
Maniac Magee: A Novel by Jerry Spinelli ISBN 0316807222
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry ISBN 0440403278
Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang ISBN 0064462080
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli ISBN 037582233x
The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald ISBN 0142400580
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen ISBN 038080560x
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt ISBN 0374480095
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg ISBN 0689817215
Watership Down by Richard Adams ISBN 0380002930

Note: If you would like a critical review or a synopsis of these books, try the American Library Association’s website. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and Booklist divisions of the website are especially useful. The library page of the Menlo School’s website also has a special section about books specifically for middle school students.

Seventh Grade (pdf version)
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Before school begins in late August, all in-coming seventh graders should have read any three of the recommended books from the list below. After finishing the reading, all students should choose one of the books he or she read to complete the writing assignment. We will discuss the books during the first week of class.

For your convenience, books may be purchased on line at MBS Direct.

WRITING TOPIC: Choose one of the books you read from the list below. In two typed pages, write a creative scene in which two or three of the main characters next meet up again: the first chapter from a “sequel” to the book. Write from the point of view of one of the main characters in that book, and include description and dialogue. Give your “chapter” an interesting title. We will share these creative scenes in Authors’ Tables on the first day of school.

CHOOSE ANY THREE OF THESE TWELVE SUMMER READING NOVELS:

Athletic Shorts: 6 Short Stories by Chris Crutcher ISBN 0060507837
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman ISBN 037582345x
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien ISBN 0618002219
Holes by Louis Sachar ISBN 0440414806
Homecoming by Cynthia Voight ISBN 0689851324
The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick ISBN 0439087597
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott ISBN 0140380221 (corrected ISBN)
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale Vol. 1 by Art Spiegelman ISBN 0394747232
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton ISBN 014038572x
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor ISBN 0140384510
Slam by Walter Dean Myers ISBN 0590486683
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi ISBN 0380714752

Eighth Grade (pdf version)
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Before school begins in late August, all in-coming eighth graders should have read any three of the recommended books from the list below. After finishing the reading, all students should choose one of the books he or she read to complete the writing assignment. We will discuss the books during the first week of class.

For your convenience, books may be purchased on line at MBS Direct.

WRITING TOPIC: Choose one of the books you read from the list below. In two typed pages, write a creative scene in which two or three of the main characters next meet up again: the first chapter from a “sequel” to the book. Write from the point of view of one of the main characters in that book, and include description and dialogue: think about the creative writing techniques you learned in seventh grade. Give your “chapter” an interesting title. We will share these creative scenes in Authors’ Tables on the first day of school.

CHOOSE ANY THREE OF THESE THIRTEEN SUMMER READING NOVELS:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon ISBN 1400032717
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card ISBN 0765342294
Gifted Hands by Ben Carson ISBN 0310214696
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglass Adams ISBN 0345391802
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou ISBN 055338001x
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer ISBN 0385494785
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie ISBN 0425200450
Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer ISBN 0698118286
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson ISBN 014131088x
Tangerine by Edward Bloor ISBN 0439286034
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith ISBN 0060736267
The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard ISBN 0312283695
Whirligig by Paul Fleischman ISBN 0440228352

Note: If you would like a critical review or a synopsis of these books, try the American Library Association’s web site. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and Booklist divisions of the web site are especially useful.

Upper School

English Department
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9th Grade, Required: The Kite Runner by Hosseini, ISBN 1594480001

10th Grade, Select 1:

Annie John by Kincaid, ISBN 0374525102
The Stranger by Camus, ISBN 0679720200

All English Electives, Required: Take The Cannoli: Stories from the New World by Vowell, ISBN 0743205405

History Department
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9th Grade, Required: Godless by Hautman, ISBN 1416908161 Download Reading Assignment Details (pdf)

10th Grade, Required: Instead of a summer book reading assignment, your Modern World History teachers have created a seven-day journal activity that will help you to get familiar with current events. Download the International Current Event Journal Assignment (pdf) and a Journal Entry Example (pdf).

11th Grade, Required: Cartoon History of the U.S. by Gonick, ISBN 0062730983

AP US History, Required: American History: A Survey Vol 1, 12th Edition (Read Chapters 2, 3, & 4), by Brinkley, ISBN 007325505x Download Reading Assignment Details (pdf)

AP Economics , Required: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Levitt & Dubner, ISBN 006089637x Download Reading Assignment Details (pdf)

Ancient Greece , Required: King Must Die by Renault, ISBN 0394751043

Ideology & Power: Summer reading is cancelled

Foreign Language Department
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AP Latin Literature , Required: The Venus Throw: A Mystery of Ancient Rome by Saylor, ISBN 0312957785

Summer Reading 2006