HAL LZMSN Summer Reading Assignment
(HAL students entering Grade 7 in August 2015)
April 24, 2015
Dear HAL Students and Parents,
For the upcoming 2015-2016 school year, it is a 7th grade expectation that all 6th grade
students read at least one book from the attached list during the summer prior to entering 7th
grade. We have chosen to use some of the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award 2016
Nominees as the basis for our book list of summer reading novels.
We will evaluate the summer reading during the first two weeks of school. All students must
have read their book prior to the first day of school so I can assign an early project/assessment.
This beginning of the year assessment provides a model of expectations for the student, creates
a method for the teachers to share expectations for the year, and allows teachers to see an
early example of each child’s work. Similarly, these novels provide a common literary
experience when discussing classroom novels, enrich background knowledge, and generate
points of comparison and analysis throughout the year.
Some students may wish to check a book out of the library (Ela or other public library), some
might like to download them on a digital reader, while others may wish to purchase the book.
If you would like to purchase one of these books, Mrs. Dooley-Taylor, our MSN Librarian, makes
the novels available to students at a great price.
Purchased books will be distributed to students before the last day of 6th grade. All listed books
can be found at bookstores, online, and the public library. (Purchase of these novels is NOT
expected. This is simply an option for your child.) If you do wish to purchase one from our
MSN Library, please have your form turned in to Mrs. Dooley-Taylor or Mrs. Sieckowski no
later than Thursday, May 14 .
In addition, on your child’s fall, winter, and spring MAP results, you will find a Lexile Score
which may assist you in finding books from the summer reading list that are appropriate.
Lexiles and target audiences were heavily considered before making book selections. For more
information about Lexile Scores and how to use them in selecting appropriate reading material,
please refer to www.lexile.com . (Keep in mind that the Lexile Scores given on the summer
reading list pertain more to the level of the words used than to the content.)
We hope to make this an enjoyable experience for all. Thank you in supporting us in this
integral program to help keep our kids reading and learning all year long.
Sincerely,
Kristyn Lakiotis
*Please contact Kristyn Lakiotis (Kristyn.Lakiotis@lz95.org) if you have any further questions about summer
reading or have questions about access to these books. Questions will be answered immediately if asked prior to
June.
2016 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award
Illinois Children's Choice Award
Title
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of
Cell 25
Author(s)
Evans, Richard
Paul
Publisher
Mercury Ink
Year Pub Lexile
2011
HL500L
To nearly everyone at his small high school in Idaho, Michael Vey is just a slightly nerdy fourteen-year-old kid with a case of Tourette's
Syndrome that makes him blink and swallow too much. But Michael is about as far from everyday ordinary as you can get--in fact, he is
electric. When Michael and his best friends, science-geek Ostin and cheerleader Taylor, make an accidental discovery, they realize that
there are other kids out there with similar powers and that someone is hunting them. After Michael's mother is kidnapped, he will have only
himself, his special powers, and his friends to rely on to fight the hunters, free his mother, and save the other kids like him.
Titanic: Voices from the
Disaster
Hopkinson,
Deborah
Scholastic
2014
1040L
In this award-winning book, critically acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson weaves together the voices and stories of real TITANIC survivors
and witnesses to the disaster -- from the stewardess Violet Jessop to Captain Arthur Rostron of the CARPATHIA, who came to the rescue of
the sinking ship. Packed with heartstopping action, devastating drama, fascinating historical details, loads of archival photographs on almost
every page, quotes from primary sources, and painstaking back matter, this gripping story, which follows the TITANIC and its passengers
from the ship's celebrated launch at Belfast to her cataclysmic icy end, is sure to thrill and move readers.
A Monster Calls
Ness, Patrick
Candlewick
Press
2011
730L
When a monster in the form of an enormous yew tree shows up at Conor O'Malley's bedroom window one night, he is surprised it isn't the
monster from his nightmare--the nightmare that has woken him up screaming almost every night since his mother became ill. But this
monster wants something from Conor that is more frightening than any nightmare. It wants Conor to speak the truth.
See You at Harry’s
Knowles, Johanna
Candlewick
2014
Starting middle school brings all the usual challenges — until the unthinkable happens, and Fern and her family must find a way to
heal.
Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when
she’s not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and
Dad and everyone else doesn’t know he’s gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there’s Charlie: three years old, a "surprise"
baby, the center of everyone’s world. He’s devoted to Fern, but he’s annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding
attention. If it wasn’t for Ran, Fern’s calm and positive best friend, there’d be nowhere to turn. Ran’s mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a
way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it’s true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only
more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be
the same.
Lincoln’s Grave Robbers
Sheinkin, Steve
Scholastic
2013
930L
A true crime thriller -- the first book for teens to tell the nearly unknown tale of the brazen attempt to steal Abraham Lincoln's body!
The action begins in October of 1875, as Secret Service agents raid the Fulton, Illinois, workshop of master counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Soon
after Boyd is hauled off to prison, members of his counterfeiting ring gather in the back room of a smoky Chicago saloon to discuss how to
spring their ringleader. Their plan: grab Lincoln's body from its Springfield tomb, stash it in the sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and demand,
as a ransom, the release of Ben Boyd --and $200,000 in cash. From here, the action alternates between the conspirators, the Secret Service
agents on their trail, and the undercover agent moving back and forth between the two groups. Along the way readers get glimpses into the
inner workings of counterfeiting, grave robbing, detective work, and the early days of the Secret Service. The plot moves toward a wild
climax as robbers and lawmen converge at Lincoln's tomb on election night: November 7, 1876.
Golden Boy
Sullivan, Tara
Puffin
2014
820L
Thirteen-year-old Habo has always been different—light eyes, yellow hair and white skin. Not the good brown skin his family has and not
the white skin of tourists. Habo is strange and alone. His father, unable to accept Habo, abandons the family; his mother can scarcely look at
him. His brothers are cruel and the other children never invite him to play. Only his sister Asu loves him well. But even Asu can't take the
sting away when the family is forced from their small Tanzanian village, and Habo knows he is to blame.
Seeking refuge in Mwanza, Habo and his family journey across the Serengeti. His aunt is glad to open her home until she sees Habo for the
first time, and then she is only afraid. Suddenly, Habo has a new word for himself: Albino. But they hunt Albinos in Mwanza because Albino
body parts are thought to bring good luck. And soon Habo is being hunted by a fearsome man with a machete. To survive, Habo must not
only run, but find a way to love and accept himself.
The President Has Been Shot:
The Assassination of John F.
Kennedy
Swanson, James L.
Scholastic
2013
1080L
A breathtaking and dramatic account of the JFK assassination by the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of CHASING LINCOLN'S
KILLER!
In his new young-adult book on the Kennedy assassination, James Swanson will transport readers back to one of the most shocking, sad,
and terrifying events in American history. As he did in his bestselling Scholastic YA book, CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER, Swanson will
deploy his signature "you are there" style -- a riveting, ticking-clock pace, with an unprecedented eye for dramatic details and impeccable
historical accuracy -- to tell the story of the JFK assassination as it has never been told before.
The book will be illustrated with archival photos, and will have diagrams, source notes, bibliography, places to visit, and index
HAL 7th grade LZMSN Summer Reading Assignment
Book Order Form
(Please clearly mark one book you would like to purchase)
Please sign and return this sheet to the MSN Library by THURSDAY,
MAY 14.
_____ Golden boy $6.29
_____ Lincoln’s Grave Robbers (hard cover only)$ 11.89
_____ Michael Vey Prisoner of cell 25 $6.99
_____ A Monster calls $6.29
_____ President has been shot (hard cover only) $13.29
_____ See you at Harry’s $5.59
_____ Titanic voices from disaster $5.59
Student Name _____________________________________________________________________
Grade level _______ Literature/Reading Teacher’s Name ___________________________________
AMOUNT ENCLOSED_________________ cash/check payable to MSN Check #_________________
Parent signature ____________________________________________________________________
*To make payment in either cash or check simpler, we are asking you to round up your payment to the nearest
dollar. The extra money from the novels will be placed into an account to help disadvantaged students buy the
novel. If you would prefer to pay just the list price, you certainly may do so.