Summer Reading Letters

Click the grade level your child will be entering in the Fall, to learn more about Summer Reading

1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

Mrs. Donaghho’s Favorite Books and Authors Summer Reading List

Wells, Rosemary—McDuff Series                         Osborn, Mary Pope-Magic Tree House Series

Parks, Barbara-Junie B. Jones Series                   Rylant, Cynthia-Henry and Mudge Series

Numeroff, Laura-If You Give a…Series                 Parish-Amelia Bedilia Series

Sharmat, Marjorie-Nate the Great Series                        Adler, David-Cam Jansen Series

Lobel, Arnold- Frog and Toad Series

Recommended Authors:

First Grade Recommended Summer Reading List

ABUELA Dorros, Arthur

ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY Viorst, Judith

ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK Eric A., Kimmel

ANDY AND THE LION Daugherty, James

BARK, GEORGE Feiffer, Jules

THE BOSSY GALLITO: A TRADITIONAL CUBAN FOLK TALE Gonzalez, Lucia M., retold by; illustrated by Lulu Delacre

BREAD AND JAM FOR FRANCES Hoban, Russell; illustrated by Lillian Hoban

BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? Martin, Bill, Jr.; illustrated by Eric Carle

BRUNO MUNARI’S ABC MUNARI, BRUNO

BUZ Egielski, Richard

CAPS FOR SALE; A TALE OF A PEDDLER, SOME MONKEYS AND THEIR MONKEY BUSINESS Slobodkina, Esphyr

THE CARROT SEED Krauss, Ruth; illustrated by Crockett Johnson

A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER Williams, Vera B.

CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM Martin, Bill, Jr. and John Archambault; illustrated by Lois Ehlert

CLICK, CLACK, MOO : COWS THAT TYPE / Cronin, Doreen

COME ALONG, DAISY! Simmons, Jane

CORDUROY Freeman, Don

CURIOUS GEORGE Rey, H. A.

DINOSAUR ROAR! Stickland, Paul and Henrietta

DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! Willems, Mo

DUCK ON A BIKE Shannon, David

FIRE TRUCK Sís, Peter

FREIGHT TRAIN Crews, Donald

FROGGY GETS DRESSED London, Jonathan

THE GARDENER Stewart, Sarah

GEORGE AND MARTHA Marshall, James

GO AWAY, BIG GREEN MONSTER! Emberley, Ed

GOIN’ SOMEPLACE SPECIAL McKissack, Patricia

GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA Rathmann, Peggy

GOODNIGHT MOON Brown, Margaret W.; illustrated by Clement Hurd

GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY Say, Allen

HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON Johnson, Crockett

HARRY THE DIRTY DOG Zion, Gene; illustrated by Margaret Graham

HENRY HIKES TO FITCHBURG Johnson, D. B. (Donald B.)

HORTON HATCHES THE EGG Seuss, Dr.

HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY GOOD NIGHT? Yolen, Jane

I KISSED THE BABY! Murphy, Mary

IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE Numeroff, Laura J.

IT COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE: A YIDDISH FOLKTALE Zemach, Margot

JOHN HENRY Lester, Julius; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

JULIUS Johnson, Angela; illustrated by Dav Pilkey

KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON Henkes, Kevin

LILLY’S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE Kevin, Henkes

THE LINE-UP BOOK Marisabina, Russo

THE LITTLE RED HEN: AN OLD STORY Zemach., Margot

LON PO PO: A RED RIDING HOOD STORY FROM CHINA Young, Ed.

LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILE Waber, Bernard

MABELA THE CLEVER

MACHINES AT WORK Barton, Byron

MADELINE Bemelmans, Ludwig

MAISY GOES SWIMMING Cousins, Lucy

MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS McCloskey, Robert

MAMA CAT HAS THREE KITTENS Fleming, Denise

THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS Gerstein, Mordicai

MARTHA SPEAKS Meddaugh, Susan

MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL Burton, Virginia L.

MILLIONS OF CATS Gág, Wanda

MISS NELSON IS MISSING! Allard, Harry and James Marshall

MR. GUMPY'S OUTING Birmingham, John

MUFARO'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS: AN AFRICAN TALE Steptoe, John, retold and illustrated by

MUNCHA! MUNCHA! MUNCHA! Fleming, Candace

MY FRIEND RABBIT Rohmann, Eric

THE NAPPING HOUSE Wood, Audrey

NO, DAVID! Shannon, DAVID

OFF TO SCHOOL, BABY DUCK! Hest, Amy

OLD BLACK FLY Aylesworth, Jim

OLIVIA Falconer, Ian

OWEN Henkes, Kevin

PAPA, PLEASE GET THE MOON FOR ME Carle, Eric

PIERRE: A CAUTIONARY TALE Sendak, Maurice

THE POLAR EXPRESS Van Allsburg, Chris

PUSS IN BOOTS Perrault, Charles

THE RANDOM HOUSE BOOK OF MOTHER GOOSE: A TREASURY OF 386 TIMELESS NURSERY RHYMES Lobel, Arnold

ROUND TRIP Jonas, Ann

RUMPELSTILTSKIN Zelinsky, Paul O.

THE SNOWY DAY Keats, Ezra Jack

SPOTS, FEATHERS AND CURLY TAILS Tafuri, Nancy

THE STORY OF FERDINAND Leaf, Munro

THE STRAY DOG Marc, Simont

STREGA NONA De Paola, Tomie

SWIMMY Lionni, Leo

SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE Steig, William

THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT Potter, Beatrix

TAR BEACH Ringgold, Faith

TEN, NINE, EIGHT Bang, Molly

THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY Taback, Simms

THE THREE BEARS Galdone, Paul

TRASHY TOWN Zimmerman, Andrea Griffing

THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS BY A. WOLF Scieszka, John

TUESDAY Wiesner, David

UPTOWN Bryan, Collier

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR Carle, Eric

THE WHEELS ON THE BUS Zelinsky, Paul O., adapted and illustrated by

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Sendak, Maurice

WHERE'S SPOT? Hill, Eric

WHISTLE FOR WILLIE Keats, Ezra Jack

THE WOLF’S CHICKEN STEW Kasza, Keiko

YOKO Wells, Rosemary

ZOMO THE RABBIT: A TRICKSTER TALE FROM WEST AFRICA

1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

Recommended Reading for incoming 2nd graders

I hope you enjoy reading this summer! Visit your local library for more book recommendations. I can’t wait to see you in 2nd grade.  – Miss Ferris

1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

3^RD GRADE RECOMMENDED READING LIST

FRECKLE JUICE  (BLUME)

MAGIC TREEHOUSE SERIES (OSBORNE)

BOXCAR CHILDREN SERIES ( WARNER)

RAMONA SERIES (CLEARY)

LUCKY BASEBALL BAT (CHRISTOPHER)

THE DOG THAT PITCHED A NO-HITTER (CHRISTOPHER)

THE DOG THAT STOLE HOME (CHRISTOPHER)

RALPH S. MOUSE (CLEARY)

MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN (COVILLE)

ALIENS ATE MY HOMEWORK (COVILLE)

THE HUNDRED DRESSES (ESTES)

STONE FOX (GARDINER)

HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS (ROCKWELL)

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH (DAHL)

MATILDA (DAHL)

THE BFG (DAHL)

THERE’S AN OWL IN THE SHOWER (GEORGE)

THERE’S A TARANTULA IN MY PURSE (GEORGE)

THE KID WHO RAN FOR PRESIDENT (GUTMAN)

THE KID WHO BECAME PRESIDENT (GUTMAN)

SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM THE WAYSIDE SCHOOL (SACHAR)

THERE’S A BOY IN THE GIRLS’ BATHROOM (SACHAR)

SQUIDS WILL BE SQUIDS (SCIESZKA)

TIME WARP TRIO SERIES:

SUMMER READING IS KILLING ME (SCIESZKA)

            THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE (SCIESZKA)

ENCYCLOPOEDIA BROWN SERIES (SOBOL)

CHARLOTTE’S WEB (WHITE)

STUART LITTLE (WHITE)

POPPY (AVI)

FAIRY REBEL (BANKS)

CAM JENSEN SERIES (ADLER)

AMERICAN GIRL SERIES (PORTER)

JUNIE B. JONES (PARK)

1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

4^TH GRADE SUMMER READING

Required Reading: Summer Reading Is Killing Me By: Jon Scieszka

(Time Warp Trio Book)

Assignment:  After you read, illustrate two chapters depicting your favorite scene. Include a short description about your picture. The chapters that you illustrate will be determined by your last name. During the first week of school, we will create illustrated books from your drawings.

Chapter 1-2    A-B                         Chapter 7-8    G through R

Chapter 3 -4   C-D                         Chapter 9-10   S-T

Chapter 5-6    E-F                         Chapter 11-choose a chapter U -Z

Suggested Reading List: (Please Read at least one of these books) Enjoy!

           Spider wick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizz

           Frindle by Clements

           Aliens for Breakfast by Jonathan Etra

           A Cricket in Times Square by A Seldon

           Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Sachar

          Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

           The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Challenge Books

*Ida B by Katherine Hannigan

*The Tale ofDespereaux by DiCamillo

1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

5th Grade Required Book Summary

The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson-Betty Bao Lord

Answer the questions below to help you organize your thoughts. Then, write the final draft on a separate sheet of paper. Make sure you type or write neatly. Please pay attention to proper punctuation and correct spelling.

PART 1 Include the information below in one or two paragraphs.

Book title______________________________

Author_________________________________

Genre (fiction or non-fiction)________________

1. Write a summary of the events in the book.

2.  Who is the main character? How do you feel about him/her? Are they someone you would like to spend time with? Why or why not?

3. What problems does the character face? Who helps them solve their problem?

4. Did you enjoy this book? Give two reasons why you did or did not like this book.

5. Draw a picture of the main character.

Click HERE to download this assignment sheet.

 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

6^th Grade Summer Reading

Dear 6^th Graders,

            This year your summer reading requirement is the novel, Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick.  While you complete your reading, please answer the questions on the back of the handout. You can download a copy of those questions HERE. Answers should be handwritten on lined paper. Answers should restate the question as modeled in class. Please use a dictionary to define vocabulary words. Please keep definitions simple and in your own words. I am not impressed with dictionary jibber jabber. If you are confused, ask your mom or dad. They love to see you learn and would be happy to help you. Be prepared for a quiz on both the novel as well as vocabulary terms on the first day of school. These quizzes never address the theme of the novel or the author’s intended message but simple questions just to confirm that you completed the independent reading assignment. With great trepidation I suggest waiting until August to read this novel. It is just so much more fun to discuss a book that everyone has just recently finished.

            Keep yourself busy over the summer with other great novels. Mrs. Cardamone has suggested Reading Rockets.org to find titles. Any Newberry Award winner is wonderful but any book that catches your interest is fine.  Please keep a reading log indicating the titles and authors of the books you read over the summer. To attend the summer reading party you must read 700 pages and document it. Your parent must sign the log. Please have it ready to turn in the first day of school. This reading log is not required but highly suggested. Students not wishing to complete the log may not attend the party.

Please be very safe this summer. Wear sunscreen, helmets, life vests, etc. Please wave at me if you see me in church or at the Paseo. I look forward to seeing you in the fall. I can be reached at ivankovich5@earthlink.net should there be something you would like to discuss prior to the school year starting.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Ivankovich

1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

Summer Reading for the future 7^th grade

Mandatory reading and assignment:

Please purchase a single subject, college ruled, notebook to use for this assignment before you begin your reading.   If you are fulfilling this requirement through my summer school class you need to purchase the books below this week!

The Outsiders

by S.E. Hinton

Growing up can be tough. In The Outsiders S.E. Hinton is able to help the reader experience the trials of those rough teenage years.  This novel chronicles the complicated lives of two opposing teenage groups, the Socs and the Greasers.  Written by a teenager in the 1960s, The Outsiders, offers us an understanding of the complex choices facing teenagers, and how a single choice can affect our destinies forever. Directions:  First after each chapter, you are to write a minimum half page summary of the chapter. There are twelve chapters you must summarize. If the summary does not meet or exceed the half page mark, you will not get credit for summarizing the chapter.  Second, pay close attention to the Pony Boy, the protagonist, who is a dynamic character and experiences a change of attitude about several characters throughout this novel.  As you are reading each chapter, please pay close attention to how Ponyboy thinks and feels about Johnny, Dally, Darry, and the Socs.  After each chapter, on the bottom half of the page (underneath your summary), write down any quotes that describe Ponyboy’s feelings toward these people. This is called citing the novel.  Make sure you write down the page number and the exact quotes you are using as evidence of Ponyboy’s feelings. 

You will be using these notations to help you write an essay in September when we return to school. Failure to do the written assignment as described will result in a substantial point reduction.

The Bread Winner

by Deborah Ellis

The Bread Winner is a novel about a girl named Parvana and her family. This book takes place in Afghanistan. When her father gets arrested, there is nobody left in the family who could provide food. Desperate to save her family, Parvana dresses as a boy and becomes the breadwinner. Do you think Parvana can keep the family running and not get arrested? This book will be a great introduction to our Middle-eastern unit we begin the 7^th grade year studying.

Directions:  First after each chapter, you are to write a minimum half page summary of the chapter. There are twelve chapters you must summarize. If the summary does not meet or exceed the half page mark, you will not get credit for summarizing the chapter. 

Additionally…You are required to read 700 pages in order to attend the summer reading party.  These two titles are worth 350 pages. For the remaining 350 pages, please choose books at your reading level that interest you.  For each book you read, please note the title, author, and amount of pages for each book.  Note the main characters and give a brief synopsis of the plot of each book in one paragraph (five sentences or more).  Every student who accomplishes the preceding assignments will begin the year with an “A” toward his literature grade. Failure to follow these directions will result in reduction of points.

1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

Dear Class of 2010,                                                                                                    June 2, 2009

                This summer you have the fantastic opportunity to read to your heart’s desire.  I truly hope that you will relish our eclectic mix of titles, which are perfect to enjoy by the waves, streams, or fences of your vacation.

                Please purchase a marble composition book to use for this assignment.  You will use these all next year for religion and literature.  The following assignments must be completed in your journals, and are intended to be creative and fun.  Please do not be satisfied with the obvious or what you think I might expect—surprise me!  I appreciate the bizarre, as you may have surmised, as long as you can back up every assertion with evidence from the text.  Use your imagination and your logic.  What the author intended is of no consequence; let the text speak to you.

Required: First read Skellig by David Almond. This fantasy novel has won numerous awards including the New York Times Best Book of the Year, ALA Notable Children's Book, and it was named a Michael L. Printz honor book.  Then choose one of the following activities to be recorded in your journal:

Activities:

1)  Using citations from the novel, identify one of the themes of the book and then write an original poem that expresses that theme.

2)  Write a script for a television talk show similar to Oprah.  In the script, invite one of the characters to the show and interview them.  Make sure that your questions delve deep into his/her motivations; do not just ask plot questions.  Include the characters answers.

3)  Identify a conflict that one of the characters experiences using citations from the text.  Then write a fictitious letter to an advice columnist from that character and also include the columnist’s reply.

4)  Identify the resolution (denouement) of the novel using citations from the text.  Then use your imagination and compose an alternate ending.

In addition you need to read a minimum of 800 pages from novels, graphic novels, non-fictionbooks, poetry, short stories, plays, newspapers or news magazines (such as Time).  Your reading in Skellig is included in the 800 pages.  In your journal note the author, title, publisher, and year of publication before you begin your entries for each book.  Note the main characters and give a brief synopsis of the plot of each book.  Mr. Kristoff would also like you to do this for Skellig as well.  You will be tested on Skellig when you return to school in September, so take great notes while you read in order to help you recall the novel.  When choosing a news story, simply include the name and date of the publication and the author’s by-line.  Cut out and attach the article.  If you are using more than 5 news stories to be included in your 800 pages, do not include more than five of the articles.  Just list the remaining articles.

Every student who accomplishes the preceding assignments will begin the year with an “A” toward his literature grade in addition to being honored in the fall.

Have fun!

Bonus Books and Activities:

If you read one of the following titles and complete the accompanying assignments, you will receive 10 bonus points toward your literature grade.

The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper

This fantasy novel is one in a series that you may enjoy.  Susan Cooper uses folklore and myth to explore issues of power.  The classic struggle between good and evil helps us to again question which will emerge victorious.  As you read this novel you must:

1.  Cite three examples of this conflict.  Discuss which side has the upper hand in the reference and why.
2. Cite three metaphors for “good” and three metaphors for “evil”.
3. Choose one of these metaphors and illustrate it on a separate page in your journal.  You can either draw the metaphor, or make a collage using pictures from magazines.  If you are really inspired, you also have the option of constructing the metaphor.

This Strange New Feeling, Julius Lester (available only in the library or used from Amazon.com)

In this book Julius Lester has assembled three short stories that are based

upon true historical events.  They are love stories (yes, I am assigning romance) that reveal issues of gender, race, and of course, power.  The reader is exposed to intimate details of slavery in these pieces, yet the themes of hope and freedom exude from each.  As you read this book you must:

1. Identify the struggle of one character with whom you can empathize on some level.  Your empathy can be with the character’s ideas, feelings, desires, experiences, etc.
2. Describe that struggle using citations from the text, and please describe your connection with the character.
3. Because justice is at the heart of these struggles, you must comb the newspapers this summer and locate one article that deals with justice.  It would be great if you could find one that has a group or person at the heart of the issue.  Cut it out and attach it to a page in your journal.  Then summarize the article and identify the issue of justice that it addresses.  Speculate on whether or not justice will be achieved for the parties involved.

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

Setting is exquisite in this novel; some even say that the setting is a character in the story.  As you read this novel you must:

• Cite three examples of setting that you could picture as you read them.
• Write a scene that describes a favorite setting of yours.  It could be a place you visit this summer, or a place in you memory.  Pretend as you are writing that the place has a personality and will, just as if the place were a character in the book.

1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

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