Summer Reading List 2018 Prairie Junior High School
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Summer Reading List 2018
Prairie Junior High School
Incoming 7 Grade Book Choices
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Choose at least one novel to read over summer and be prepared to demonstrate your
knowledge of the book when you return to school.
1. Trino’s Choice by Diane Gonzalez Bertrand. Lexile Level: 780 (Realistic Fiction/Crime)
Frustrated by his poor financial situation and hoping to impress a smart girl, seventh grader Trino falls
in with a bad crowd led by an older teen with a vicious streak.
2. Taking Sides by Gary Soto. Lexile Level: 750 (Sports Fiction/Basketball)
Fourteen-year-old Lincoln Mendoza, an aspiring basketball player, must come to terms with his
divided loyalties when he moves from the Hispanic inner city to a white suburban neighborhood.
3. The Killing Sea by Richard Lewis. Lexile Level: 760 (Realistic Fiction/Action/Adventure)
In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Sumatra, two teenagers, American Sarah and Acehnese
Ruslan, meet and continue together their arduous climb inland, where Ruslan hopes to find his father
and Sarah seeks a doctor for her brother. Available as ebook.
4. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia: Lexile Level: 750. (Realistic Fiction/Civil Rights
Movement)
In the summer of 1968, after traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the
mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold
welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion
of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp. Available as ebook.
5. Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney. Lexile Level: 850 (Science Fiction/Smallpox/Virus)
While conducting research for a school paper on smallpox, Mitty finds an envelope containing 100-
year-old smallpox scabs and fears that he has infected himself and all of New York City. Available as
ebook.Summer Reading List 2018
Prairie Junior High School
Incoming 8 Grade Book Choices
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Choose at least one novel to read over summer and be prepared to demonstrate your knowledge of the
book when you return to school.
1. We Beat the Street by Sampson Davis. Lexile Level: 860 (Biography/African American Interest) –
Shares anecdotes from the childhoods, teen years, and young adult lives of three men from Newark,
New Jersey, who made a pledge to each other in high school to stay safe from drugs, gangs, and
crime, and work to become doctors--a goal they have successfully achieved. Available as ebook.
2. The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine Lexile Level 630 (Historical Fiction) Twelve-year-old
Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is bold and brave,
and always knows the right thing to say, especially to Sally, the resident mean girl. But then Liz is
gone, replaced by the rumor that she was a Negro girl passing as white. But Marlee decides that
doesn't matter. Liz is her best friend. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are willing to take on
integration and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families. Available as ebook.
3. Shackleton’s Stowaway by Victoria McKernan. Lexile Level: 740 (Action/Adventure)- A
fictionalized account of the adventures of eighteen-year-old Perce Blackborow, who stowed away for
the 1914 Shackleton Antarctic expedition and, after their ship Endurance was crushed by ice,
endured many hardships, including the loss of his toes to frostbite, during the nearly two-year return
journey across sea and ice.
4. Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin. Lexile Level: 890 (Historical Fiction)-Belle Teal's life isn't easy, but
she gets by. She lives with her mother and grandmother far out in the country. They don't have much
money, but Belle Teal feels rich with their love. As school begins, Belle Teal faces unexpected
challenges. Available as ebook.
5. Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. Lexile Level: 940 (Realistic Fiction)
Steven has a totally normal life (well, almost). He plays drums in the All-City Jazz Band (whose
members call him the Peasant), has a crush on the hottest girl in school (who doesn't even know he's
alive), and is constantly annoyed by his younger brother, Jeffrey (who is cuter than cute, which is also
pretty annoying). But when Jeffrey gets sick, Steven's world is turned upside down, and he is forced
to deal with his brother's illness, his parents' attempts to keep the family in one piece, his homework,
the band, girls, and Dangerous Pie (yes, you'll have to read the book to find out what that is!).
Available as ebook.Summer Reading List 2018
Prairie Junior High School
Read 180 Classes (Both 7 and 8 Grade)
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Choose at least one novel to read over summer and be prepared to demonstrate your knowledge of the
book when you return to school.
1. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan Lexile Level: 750. (Historical Fiction/Great Depression) -
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor
camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers
on the eve of the Great Depression. Available as ebook.
2. The Killing Sea by Richard Lewis. Lexile Level: 760. (Action/Adventure/Survival) - In the aftermath of the
2004 tsunami in Sumatra, two teenagers, American Sarah and Acehnese Ruslan, meet and continue together
their arduous climb inland, where Ruslan hopes to find his father and Sarah seeks a doctor for her brother.
Available as ebook.
3. The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Lexile Level: 680. (Science Fiction/End of the World) -
After a meteor hits the moon and sets off a series of horrific climate changes, seventeen-year-old Alex Morales
must take care of his sisters alone in the chaos of New York City. Available as ebook.
4. Crash –by Jerry Spinelli. Lexile Level 560. (Realistic Fiction) -Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli's hilarious
story of cocky seventh-grade superjock, Crash Coogan. Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always
been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and
his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family. Available
as ebook.
5. Hidden Talents by David Lubar. Lexile Level: 630. (Science Fiction/Psychic Powers) - Thirteen year old
Martin, a new student at an alternative school for misfits and problem students, falls in with a group of boys
with psychic powers and discovers something surprising about himself. Available as ebook.
6. Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury. Lexile Level: 530. (Action/Adventure) - Eleven Boy
Scouts, their leaders, and some new friends camping at Halape, Hawaii, in 1975, find their survival skills put to
the test when a massive earthquake strikes, followed by a tsunami. Available as ebook.
7. Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez. Lexile Level: 890. (Realistic Fiction) - After his family hires migrant
Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure, eleven-year-old Tyler befriends the oldest
daughter, but when he discovers they may not be in the country legally, he realizes that real friendship knows
no borders.
8. Perfect – by Natasha Friend. Lexile Level: 590 (Realistic Fiction) Following the death of her father, a
thirteen-year-old uses bulimia as a way to avoid her mother's and ten-year-old sister's grief, as well as her
own. Available as ebook.
9. Stargirl –by Jerry Spinelli – Lexile Level 590. (Realistic Fiction) The students at Mica High turn on Stargirl
for everything that makes her different. An emotional story of the perils of being popular and the inspiration of
first love. Available as ebook.
10. The Jacket – by Andrew Clements. Lexile Level: 640 (Realistic Fiction) When Phil accuses Daniel of
stealing his brother's jacket, both of them wind up in the principal's office. How will Phil react when he finds out
how Daniel came to be the owner of this unique jacket? Will Daniel be able to forgive Phil for an accusation
that was based on racial prejudice? What will the boys learn about each other and themselves? Available as
ebook.Summer Reading List 2018
Prairie Junior High School
Accelerated 7th Grade Book Choices
Incoming 7th grade accelerated students will be reading a total of 2 books over the summer. They will
be choosing one book from the classic list and one from the contemporary list below.
Choose One Classic: Be sure to read the classic version on these novels. Stay away from the “retold”,
“abridged”, or “adapted” versions of these classics.
1. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Lexile Level: 930. (Historical
Fiction/Pioneer Life) -This book is the first in the Little House series, which is based on decades-old
memories of Wilder's early childhood in the Big Woods near Pepin, Wisconsin, in the late 19th
century. Laura Ingalls and her family live deep in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Their log cabin is
surrounded by miles of trees, and their closest neighbors are bears, wolves, and panthers. Daily
chores keep Laura and her sister Mary busy, but they still find time to go exploring with their dog,
Jack. Available as ebook.
2. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Lexile Level: 1000. (Adventure/ Historical
Fiction)
With the Mississippi River right at his back door and friends who are willing to try anything, Tom
Sawyer can't seem to resist a good adventure! From finding a treasure of gold coins, to whitewashing
a fence, to escaping the evil Injun Joe, Tom is always off on a thrilling escapade. Available as ebook.
3. The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Lexile Level: 1010. (Historical Fiction/Alaskan Gold
Rush/Adventure) The Call of the Wild is regarded as Jack London's masterpiece. Based on London's
experiences as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness and his ideas about nature and the
struggle for existence, The Call of the Wild is a tale about unbreakable spirit and the fight for survival
in the frozen Alaskan Klondike. Available as ebook.
4. The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Rudolf. Lexile Level: 1100. (Adventure/Survival)
Shipwrecked passengers on a deserted island: how will they survive? After their ship founders at sea,
the Robinsons—father, mother, and four sons—find themselves stranded in an uninhabited, idyllic
land. Young readers will enjoy watching them handle every crisis with cleverness and skill. Available
as ebook.
5. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Steven. Lexile Level: 1020. (Adventure/Historical Fiction)
Young Jim Hawkins, finds himself owner of a map to Treasure Island, where the fabled pirate booty is
buried; honest Captain Smollett, heroic Dr. Livesey, and the good-hearted but strange Squire
Trelawney, help Jim on his quest for the treasure.
6. White Fang by Jack London. Lexile Level: 1010. (Historical Fiction/Adventure/Survival)
White Fang tells of the adventures of an animal, part dog, part wolf, turned vicious by cruel abuse,
then transformed through the patience and affection of one man. Available as ebook.
OVERNow, choose one contemporary:
Contemporary
1. Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney. Lexile Level: 850. (Suspense/Realistic Fiction/
Government Conspiracy/Disease Outbreak)
Mitty Blake accidentally discovers an envelope that appears to contain a deadly virus, smallpox.
When he posts his fears on the Internet, Mitty attracts the attention of a group of terrorists as well as
the FBI and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and throws the country into overdrive.
Available as ebook.
2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: Lexile Level:730. (Historical Fiction)
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel
Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself
by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. Available as ebook.
3. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: Lexile Level: 890.
(Fantasy)
A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of
Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As
Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more
than just peculiar. Available as ebook.
4. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Lexile Level: 750. (Realistic Fiction/Civil Rights
Movement)
In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with
the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold
welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion
of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp. Available as ebook.
5. The Killing Sea by Richard Lewis. Lexile Level: 760. (Realistic Fiction/Tsunami)
Rusian, an Indonesian boy, and Sarah, a Western girl, are trapped in coastal town called Ujung
Karang when a massive tsunami strikes. Together, can they survive the dangers and find their
families? Available as ebook.
6. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. Lexile Level: 920. (Realistic Fiction/
Prejudice/1930’s-Jim Crow Laws)
An African-American family makes sacrifices and fights prejudice to keep their land in the Deep South
during the 1930’s. Available as ebook.Summer Reading List 2018
Prairie Junior High School
Accelerated 8th Grade Language Arts
Incoming 8 grade accelerated students will be reading a total of 2 books over the summer.
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They will be choosing one book from the classic list and one from the contemporary list
below.
Classics (Choose one)
1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Lexile Level: 1000. (Fantasy Fiction/Middle Earth)
Bilbo Baggines, a Hobbit, wanted to be left alone but a wizard and a band of homeless dwarves draw
Bilbo into a quest where he confronts evil orcs, savage wolves, and the great dragon Smaug.
Available as ebook.
2. Animal Farm by George Orwell. Lexile Level: 1170. (Political Satire/Animal Fiction)
A political satire in which the animals take over running the farm but find their utopian state turning
into a dictatorship. Available as ebook.
3. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Lexile Level: 970. (Historical
Fiction/Friendship/Country Life)
Anne, an eleven year old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and
sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone
around her. Includes review questions. Available as ebook.
4. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Lexile Level: 910. (Realistic Fiction, some mature
content)
After being mentally retarded for all of his thirty-two years, Charlie Gordon undergoes an operation
designed to change his life. Available as ebook.
OVERNow choose one contemporary novel from the following list. You will read two books in total
this summer.
Accelerated 8th Grade (continued)
Contemporary (Choose 1)
1. Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. Lexile Level: 940 (Realistic Fiction)
When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old Steven tries to deal with his
complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to support his family. Available as ebook.
2. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. Lexile Level: 813 (Humorous Fiction)
Taylor, a poor Kentuckian, makes her way west with an abandoned baby girl and stops in Tucson.
There she finds friends and discovers resources in apparently empty places. Available as ebook.
3. Insignia by SJ Kincaid. Lexile Level: 750 (Science Fiction)
Tom, a fourteen-year-old genius at virtual reality games, is recruited by the United States Military to
begin training at the Pentagon Spire as a Combatant in World War III, controlling the mechanized
drones that do the actual fighting off-planet. Available as ebook.
4. Between the Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. Lexile Level: 490 (Historical Fiction)
1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet
guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights
for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on
Lithuanian soil. Based on the author's family, includes a historical note.
5. Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott. Lexile Level: 760. (Romance/Love Story/Relationships)
**Some mature content**
Seventeen year old Hannah does everything she can to avoid being noticed due to the scandalous
occupations of her parents, but she might have to make an effort to change that after she develops a
crush on two guys at her part-time job. Available as ebook.You can also read
