Robert T. Hill 6th Grade Summer Reading Project
PART 1: Choose any ONE of the following books to read over the summer. Most of the following books
can be found at your local public library and rented for free with a free library card, purchased at a
bookstore, or used for free as an eBook (links are next to each book).
For a list of local public libraries, hours, and directions, please visit http://dallaslibrary2.org/hours.php
PRE-AP PART 1: Choose any TWO of the following books to read over the summer. Most of the following
books can be found at your local public library and rented for free with a free library card, purchased at a
bookstore, or used for free as an eBook (links are next to each book).
For a list of local public libraries, hours, and directions, please visit http://dallaslibrary2.org/hours.php
See the synopsis of each book listed below before making your selection(s).
Fiction:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The Hunger Games series (fiction) by Suzanne Collins
The Lightning Thief (fiction) by Richard Riordan
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Richard Riordan
Holes (fiction) by Louis Sachar
Stargirl (fiction) by Jerry Spinelli
Walk Two Moons (fiction) by Sharon Creech
Spy School (fiction) by Stuart Gibbs
The Whole Story of Half a Girl (fiction) by Veera Hiranandani
Nonfiction:
1. We Beat the Streets: How a Friendship Pact Led to Success (nonfiction) by Sampson Davis,
George Jenkins, Sharon M. Draper
2. Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town (nonfiction) by
Warren St. John
3. Kids at Work Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child (nonfiction) by Freedman, Russell
4. Nelson Mandela/ Leading the Way (nonfiction) by Tamara Hollingsworth
5. Helen Keller(nonfiction) by Tamara Hollingworth
6. The Manga Guide to Biochemistry (nonfiction) by Masaharu Takemura
Synopses:
The Hunger Games,
Catching Fire, or
Mockingjay
The Hunger Games trilogy takes place in an unspecified future time in the totalitarian
nation of Panem. The country consists of the wealthy Capitol located in the Rocky
Mountains and twelve (formerly thirteen) poorer districts ruled by the Capitol. The
Capitol is lavishly rich and technologically advanced but the twelve districts are in
varying states of poverty – the trilogy's narrator and protagonist, Katniss Everdeen,
lives in District 12, the poorest region of Panem, formerly known as Appalachia,
where people regularly die of starvation. As punishment for a past rebellion against
the Capitol wherein twelve of the districts were defeated and the thirteenth
supposedly destroyed, one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts,
between the ages of twelve and eighteen, are selected by lottery to participate in the
"Hunger Games" on an annual basis. The Games are a televised event with the
participants, called "tributes", being forced to fight to the death in a dangerous public
arena. The winning tribute and his/her home district is then rewarded with food, and
supplies and riches. The purpose of the Hunger Games is to provide entertainment for
the Capitol and to serve as a reminder to the Districts of the Capitol's power and lack
of remorse.
The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's
the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount
Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek
mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them.
Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen
property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his
quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to
terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which
warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than
the gods themselves.
The Sea of Monsters
Holes
Stargirl
Walk Two Moons
The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second mustread installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy
Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the
Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons
that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode,
The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer
camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more
thrills to come.
Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so he is not
too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile
Detention Centre. Nor is he very surprised when he is told that his daily labour at the
camp is to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, and report anything that he
finds in that hole. The warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and
Stanley must dig up the truth. In this wonderfully inventive, compelling novel that is
both serious and funny, Louis Sachar has created a masterpiece that will leave all
readers amazed and delighted by the author's narrative flair and brilliantly handled
plot
From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, hallways
hum “Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with one smile. She sparks a schoolspirit revolution with one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. Until they
are not. Leo urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her - normal.
"How about a story? Spin us a yarn."
Instantly, Phoebe Winterbottom came to mind. "I could tell you an extensively
strange story," I warned.
"Oh, good!" Gram said. "Delicious!"
And that is how I happened to tell them about Phoebe, her disappearing mother, and
the lunatic.
As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story
begins to unfold — the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be
reunited with her missing mother.
In her own award-winning style, Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales,
Spy School
The Whole Story of a
Half Girl
Outcasts United: The
Story of a Refugee
Soccer Team That
Changed a Town
We Beat the Streets:
How a Friendship Pact
Led to Success
Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and
the Crusade Against Child
Labor
one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving
story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion
Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: C.I.A.
or bust. Unfortunately for him, his personality doesn’t exactly scream “secret agent.”
In fact, Ben is so awkward, he can barely get to school and back without a mishap.
Because of his innate math skills, Ben isn't surprised when he is recruited for a
magnet school with a focus on science—but he’s entirely shocked to discover that the
school is actually a front for a junior C.I.A. academy. Could the C.I.A. really want him?
Actually, no. There’s been a case of mistaken identity—but that doesn’t stop Ben from
trying to morph into a supercool undercover agent, the kind that always gets the girl.
And through a series of hilarious misadventures, Ben realizes he might actually be a
halfway decent spy…if he can survive all the attempts being made on his life!
After her father loses his job, Sonia Nadhamuni, half Indian and half Jewish American,
finds herself yanked out of private school and thrown into the unfamiliar world of
public education. For the first time, Sonia's mixed heritage makes her classmates ask
questions—questions Sonia doesn't always know how to answer—as she navigates
between a group of popular girls who want her to try out for the cheerleading squad
and other students who aren't part of the "in" crowd.
At the same time that Sonia is trying to make new friends, she's dealing with what it
means to have an out-of-work parent—it's hard for her family to adjust to their
changed circumstances. And then, one day, Sonia's father goes missing. Now Sonia
wonders if she ever really knew him. As she begins to look for answers, she must
decide what really matters and who her true friends are—and whether her two
halves, no matter how different, can make her a whole.
Young people's version of the adult bestseller, Outcasts United: An American Town, a
Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference, is a complex and
inspirational story about the Fugees, a youth soccer team made up of diverse
refugees from around the world, and their formidable female coach, Luma Mufleh.
Clarkston, Georgia, was a typical southern town until it became a refugee
resettlement center. The author explores how the community changed with the influx
of refugees and how the dedication of Lumah Mufleh and the entire Fugees soccer
team inspired an entire community.
Growing up on the rough streets of Newark, New Jersey, Rameck, George, and
Sampson could easily have followed their childhood friends into drug dealing, gangs,
and prison. But when a presentation at their school made the three boys aware of
the opportunities available to them in the medical and dental professions, they made
a pact among themselves that they would become doctors. It took a lot of
determination—and a lot of support from one another—but despite all the hardships
along the way, the three succeeded. Retold with the help of an award-winning
author, this younger adaptation of the adult hit novel The Pact is a hard-hitting,
powerful, and inspirational book that will speak to young readers everywhere.
Photobiography of early twentieth-century photographer and schoolteacher Lewis
Hine, using his own work as illustrations. Hines's photographs of children at work
were so devastating that they convinced the American people that Congress must
pass child labor laws
Nelson
Mandela/Leading the
Way
Profiles the life story of Nelson Mandela, who fought for human rights, endured years
in prison, and became the President of South Africa.
Helen Keller
In this inspiring biography, readers will learn about the incredible journey of Helen
Keller. Using informational text and expressive images and photos, readers will
discover the undeniable determination that Keller had as a young deaf and blind girl
and how her teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her to read, write, speak, and graduate
from college. With a timeline, a bibliography, and a glossary of terms, children are
given the tools they need to expand their knowledge about this fascinating and
inspiring woman. This book has been translated into Spanish.
The Manga Guide to
Biochemistry
The latest addition to No Starch Press's EduManga series, The Manga Guide to
Biochemistry uses Japanese comics, clear explanations, and a charming storyline to
explain the basics of biochemistry. This volume begins with a discussion of the cells
that make up living beings, as well as the basics of protein synthesis, metabolism,
energy production, and photosynthesis. It goes on to cover ecosystems and material
cycles; the mechanisms of respiration; lipids, cholesterol, and blood types; and the
roles and structures of enzymes and proteins. Readers explore genes and DNA; the
differences between biochemistry and molecular biology; and the mystery
surrounding the origin of the cell—all with the aid of original Manga cartoons. This
EduManga title is co-published with Ohmsha, Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan, and is one in a
series of translations from Ohmsha's bestselling Japanese originals.
PART 2: Complete any ONE of the following projects for the book you read. Be sure to include your name,
the title, and the author on your choice of assignment.
PRE-AP PART 2: Complete any TWO of the following projects for the book you read. Be sure to include
your name, the title, and the author on your choice of assignment.
PART 3 (PRE-AP INCLUDED): Make sure your project is turned in by the third day of school,
Wednesday, August 30th, 2014. You will be given a reading test on your book the first week of school.
Please come to school prepared.
Create a “soundtrack” for the book.
What 5 songs would you choose? Give
an explanation for why you chose each
song and how it connects to the events
or characters in the book. Include the
title, artist and lyrics for each song.
On a poster or large sheet of paper,
draw 10 objects or symbols to
represent the book. Using complete
sentences, explain what each object or
symbol represents and explain how the
symbol is important to the book.
Create a children’s picture book based
on your book. Draw or create pictures
that illustrate the important concepts of
the story line of your book and be sure
to tell the main points in your picture
book.
Write a 2-3 paragraph proposal to have
the book you’ve read made into a
movie. Include which actors will play
the main characters in the movie and
why, and the location where the movie
will be filmed and why. Create a movie
poster for the book. It should include
elements from a real movie poster such
as slogan, the actors and the rating.
Complete each of these eight ideas with
words or ideas from the book you read:
This book made me wish that…, realize
that…, decide that…, wonder about…,
see that…, believe that …, feel that…,
and hope that… In an essay, explain
whether or not you would recommend
this book to others.
In a Power Point or Windows Movie
Maker presentation, create a book talk
that explains what the book is about,
the theme, the author, and information
from the book. Use pictures and/or
video that accurately shows the
contents of the book. Presentation
should be no longer than 3-5 minutes.
Using materials like clay, wood, or soap,
make 3-D models of three objects
which were important in the book you
read. On a card attached to each model,
explain why that object was important
in the book.
Write a diary that one of the story’s
main characters might have kept
before, during, or after the book’s
events. Remember that the character’s
thoughts and feelings are very
important in a diary. The diary should
contain at least 15 entries.
Stories are based on conflicts and
solutions. Choose three conflicts
(problems) that take place in the story
and give the solutions. Pick one that
you wish had been handled differently
and explain how it should have been
handled.
Write a one sentence summary of each
chapter and illustrate the sentence.
Do research on a topic brought up in
your book. Write a one page paper on
your topic. Explain why that topic is
important.
Find the top 10 web sites a character in
your book would most frequently visit.
Include 2-3 sentences for each on why
your character likes each of the sites.
Create a mural containing at least four
scenes from the book using paints,
markers, or watercolors.
Create a timeline of 15 events for the
book, including an illustration and a
caption for each event.
Select one character from the book you
read who has the qualities of a heroine
or hero. List 6 qualities and tell why
you think they are heroic.