Students are required to read at least two books over the summer. One book MUST be from the list below. The second reading selection is a reading level appropriate book of their choice (can include titles from the list below). Students are expected to choose books at their independent reading level. Students are required to complete two index card projects, one on the book of their choice over the summer and another on a book from the list below to bring completed to school in September.
Books can be borrowed from a local library or purchased from a book store. To find out what books are available through public libraries search the CLAN system.
For advice on summer reading check out the following sites:
Summer Reading Tips from PBS
Summer Reading Tips and Resources published by the American Library Association
CMS Entering 8th Grade Summer Reading List -2011
RL = Reading Level by Grade
Fic = Fiction
NFic = Nonfiction
Students in grades seven and eight who have read at least five of the Rhode Island Teen Nominees may participate in a series of competitions called the Teen Book Battle. If students choose to read two of the nominees for summer reading they count towards the five needed to play in the games. The Teen Book Battle does not include nominees that are recommended just for High School.
Rhode Island Teen Nominees for Middle School 2012(Teen Book Battle books):
After Ever After by J. Sonnenblick RL 5.2 Fic Now that Jeffrey is in remission from cancer, he must face his next big challenge -- navigating eighth grade without the help of his older brother.
Ghostopolis by D. TenNapel RL 2.4 Fic A boy who is accidentally whisked into the spirit world discovers he has special powers there. But will they help him get back home?
Sources of Lightby M. McMullen RL 5.2 Fic In 1962, Samantha and her mother move from Pennsylvania to Jackson, Mississippi, a city on the edge of violence as the civil rights movements begin to shake up the racist status quo.
Touch Blueby C. Lord RL 4.4 Fic To save their school from closing, the families in Tess's island community take in foster children. She hopes Aaron will like her town and family, but what if he doesn't want to stay?
Woods Runnerby G. Paulsen RL 5.5 Fic
In 1776, Samuel sets out from Pennsylvania to New York to rescue his parents from the British soldiers and Indians who kidnapped them after slaughtering most of their community.
Rhode Island Teen Nominees for All Students 2012 (may contain mature themes these books are shared with high school students) (Teen Book Battle books):
Birthmarked by C. M. O’Brien RL 5.4 Fic In a world split between those who rule and those who serve, Gaia must smuggle herself into the guarded Enclave to rescue her imprisoned parents who face execution. (Mature Themes)Borderline by Allan Stratton RL 3.7 Fic When Sami’s Iranian dad is accused of involvement in a terrorist plot, Sami risks his own life to uncover the truth despite the fact that they don’t get along.(Mature Themes)
Heist Society by A. Carter RL 5.5 Fic A group of teens use their combined talents to re-steal several priceless paintings and save Kat’s father, himself an international art thief, from a vengeful collector. (Mature Themes)
Matched by A. Condie RL4.8 Fic Cassia always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her, but she begins to question just how perfect her world really is when she notices things are not what they seem. (Mature Themes)
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi RL 4.4 Fic In the near-future, salvager Nailer has the chance of a lifetime when a yacht washes up after a storm. When he finds a survivor on board, he must decide whether to save her life or enrich his own. (Mature Themes)
Shutoutby Brendan Halpin RL 5.6 Fic When Amanda’s best friend Lena makes the varsity soccer team and she only makes junior varsity, their longtime friendship suffers dramatically. (Mature Themes)
Trash by Andy Mulligan RL 5.1 Fic Three boys in a Third World country find something at the dump and set out to unravel the mystery behind it while lying, stealing, and narrowly escaping death at every turn. (Mature Themes)
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri RL 3.4 NFic Based on the 1994 events that happened in a Chicago South Side neighborhood, this graphic dramatization recounts the gang-related killing of 14-year-old Shavon Dean. (Mature Themes)
The rest of the books on the list are not Teen Battle books!
Other Books To Consider:
Left for Dead: A Young Man’s Search for Justice for the U.S.S. Indianapolis by P. Nelson RL 8.3 NFic Fifty years after one of the worst maritime disasters in history a teenager uncovers new and previously classified information resulting in the exoneration of the Captain and crew.
Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jestsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion by L. Burns. RL 8.5 NFic This timely examination of ocean pollution profiles the work of various scientists, including Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, an oceanographer who began tracking trash after noticing various debris washing ashore near his Seattle home. Using a computer program named OSCURS, Dr. Ebbesmeyer studied the ocean currents and collected data on the trash for three years, which led to the astonishing discovery that "between mainland United States and the Hawaiian islands, there is a floating plastic garbage dump as big as the state of Alaska" (VOYA).
Basher Five –Two : The True Story of F-16 Fighter Pilot Captain RL 7.0 NFic Air Force pilot Scott O'Grady describes the six days he spent hiding in Bosnia after being shot down on a peacekeeping mission.
Graphic Novels:
Maus I: a survivor’s tale by A. Spiegelman NFic RL 3.2 This is a memoir of a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and about his son a cartoonist who tries to comes to terms with his father
Out from Boneville by J. Smith RL 2.4 Fic This is an epic about three blobby creatures that have stumbled into a valley of monsters, magic, farmers, and an exiled princess.
Student Picks:
Justin Bieber; First Step 2 Forever; My Story by J. Bieber RL ? NFIC Teen singer Justin Bieber describes his journey from a small town in Canada to singing for the President of the United States. Describes his family, childhood, discovery on YouTube, and rising stardom.
Howl’s Moving Castle by D. Wynne Jones RL 8.3 Fic Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is 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.
Evil Genius by C. Jinks RL 4.9 Fic Cadel Piggott was hacking into computer systems by the time he was seven and causing all sorts of trouble by the time he fast-tracked through high school. At age 14, he is encouraged by his longtime "psychiatrist" to enroll in the Axis Institute. There, the classes include Misinformation, Disguise, Basic Lying, Embezzlement, and Explosives. (Mature Themes)
Battle of Jericho by S. Draper RL 4.7 Fic A high school junior and his cousin suffer the ramifications of joining what seems to be a "reputable" school club. (Mature Themes)
Truth About Forever by S. Dessen RL 6.7 Fic In this book, young adult Macy retreats into her own world after the death of her father. In Macy's world, everything is perfect--her grades, her boyfriend, etc. Macy's world is turned upside down when she gets a job at Wish Catering. (Mature Themes)
Million Dollar Throw by M. Lupica RL 6.8 Fic Eighth-grade star quarterback Nate Brodie's family is feeling the stress of the troubled economy, and Nate is frantic because his best friend Abby is going blind, so when he gets a chance to win a million dollars if he can complete a pass during the halftime of a New England Patriot's game, he is nearly overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed.
Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery by J. Feinstein RL 4.8 Fic After winning a basketball reporting contest, eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol are sent to cover the Final Four tournament, where they discover that a talented player is being blackmailed into throwing the final game.
Maze Runner by J. Dashner RL 5.3 Fic Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies from below. A new boy arrives every 30 days.
Gone by M. Grant RL 4.3 Fic The 13 and under crowd of Perdido Beach, California, is stunned when everyone over the age of 13 simply vanishes into thin air. Realizing that he and his friends are left to fend for themselves, 13-year-old Sam seeks to uncover the mystery behind the disappearances while protecting himself and other "townies" against a rival group of rich kids led by bully Caine. A gripping, end-of-humanity story that will leave readers breathless! (Mature Themes)
Challenge Books (for students looking for a more difficult book)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by J. Verne RL 8.9 FicJules Verne's classic nineteenth-century science-fiction tale about a French professor and his companions who are trapped aboard a futuristic submarine with a mad sea captain and come face to face with exotic ocean creatures and strange sights hidden from the world above.
Pride and Prejudice by J. Austen RL? Fic In early nineteenth-century England, a spirited young woman copes with the courtship of a snobbish gentleman as well as the romantic entanglements of her four sisters.
The Dark Game: True Spy Stories by P Janeczko RL 8.9 NFic This compilation of different spies carries readers from the Revolutionary War through the infamous Cold War era. Delve into stories about the Choctaw Code Talkers of WWI, Soviet moles, Mata Hari and more as you uncover just how they changed the course of history.
War of the Worlds by H. Wells RL 8.9 Fic This is a classic story in which Earth is invaded by hostile, technologically superior aliens from Mars.
