FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
RISING 6TH GRADERS
BOOKS RECOMMENDED FOR
SUMMER READING 2015
Dear incoming 6th graders, welcome to the Mamaroneck campus. Below is a short list of the many
books that you may find interesting to read over the summer.
Animal Stories
Herriot, James, All Creatures Great and SmallThis is an amusing account of the author's first
unpredictable year as a veterinarian. His years of study did not prepare him for all his adventures!
Biographies/Autobiographies
Dahl, Roald, Boy
This is a memoir of the author's experiences and daring exploits during his school years. Some
of these escapades will surprise you.
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
Fritz, Jean, Homesick: My Own Story
This is the author's story of growing up in China during a period of transition and her longing
to return to America. This will help you understand the study of China in your social studies
class.
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Pierce, Tamora, Alanna, The First Adventure
Alanaa begins her first adventure that leads to the fulfillment of her dreams and a magical
destiny that will make her a legend. The Alanna series has been one of the 6th grade "favorites"
for the last few years. The books are full of wonderful creativity.
Yolen, Jane, Dragon's Blood
A bondservant in Master Sarkkhan's dragon barns, young Jakkin Steward hopes to obtain his
freedom by stealing a dragon hatchling and secretly training it to become a champion fighter. As
his relationship with the young dragon develops, will he really be able to send him in to fight in
the pits? Two more books continue the story and make up the Pit Dragon Trilogy.
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
Mystery
Christie, Agatha, And Then There Were None
Ten mystified strangers, gathered together on an Indian island, mysteriously die, one by one.
This novel is regarded as one of the best mystery books ever written! You will never guess the
ending of this one
Fiction
Hobbs, Will, Far North
The brutal sub-arctic winter is fast approaching and two boys from vastly different cultures
learn to depend on each other for their survival. This truly teaches us the benefit and need
to recognize each other's strengths.
Voigt, Cynthia, Homecoming
Abandoned children courageously journey from Connecticut to Maryland in search of love.
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
Hurmence Belinda, A Girl Called Boy
A pampered young black girl who has mysteriously been transported back to the 1850s during
the time of slavery struggles to deal with the plight of her ancestors.
Paterson, Katherine, The Sign of the Chrysanthemum
Muna, an illegitimate Japanese boy, searches for his unknown father (a samurai warrior with a
chrysanthemum tattoo on his arm) during the 12th century. The book reveals the realities and
beauty of feudal Kyoto.
Paterson, Katherine, Jacob Have I Loved
While growing up among the "water people" on an island off the coast of eastern Maryland
during the 1940s, Louise searches for her identity and fights the jealousy she feels toward her
talented, fragile, and beautiful twin sister.
Riordan, Rick, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (books 1-3)
The Lightning Thief –
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper.
When his mom tells him the truth about where he came from, she takes him to the one place
he'll be safe--Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island). There, Percy
learns that the father he never knew is actually Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon Percy finds
himself caught up in a mystery that could lead to disastrous consequences. Together with his
friends--a satyr and other the demigod daughter of Athena--Percy sets out on a quest to reach
the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a
catastrophic war between the gods.
The Sea of Monsters –
After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson
finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly calm. But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy
soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders which protect Half-Blood
Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the
verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his
best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island
somewhere in the Sea of Monsters--the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millennia-only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name: the Bermuda Triangle. Now Percy and his
friends must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer
or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his
family--one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or
simply a cruel joke.
The Titan's Curse –
When Percy Jackson receives a distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for
battle. He knows he'll need his powerful demigod allies, Annabeth and Thalia, at his side; his
trusty bronze sword Riptide; and... a ride from his mom. The demigods race to the rescue, to find
that Grover has made an important discovery: two new powerful half bloods whose parentage is
unknown. But that's not all that awaits them. The Titan lord, Kronos, has set up his most devious
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
trap yet, and the young heroes have unwittingly fallen prey. Hilarious and action-packed, this
third adventure in the series finds Percy faced with his most dangerous challenge so far: the
chilling prophecy of the Titan's curse.
Alexie, Sherman, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian Illustrated by Ellen Forney.
Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist who leaves his school on the
Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white high school. This heartbreaking, funny, and
beautifully written tale, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character’s art, is
based on the author’s own experiences and chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one
Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he seems destined to live.
Chasing Vermeer series by Blue Balliet
Sixth graders Petra and Calder team up to solve the mystery of a missing
painting. Along the way, there are plenty of other puzzles and patterns to intrigue
the reader, including hidden pentomino messages in the illustrations.
Historical Fiction
Avi, The Fighting Ground
Jonathan goes off to fight in the Revolutionary War and discovers that the real war is being
fought within himself.
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
Curtis, Christopher Paul, Elijah of Buxton
Its 1860, and 11-year-old Elijah is a first-generation freeborn child. His
Canadian town of Buxton serves as a haven for runaway slaves.
Cushman, Karen, Catherine, Called Birdy
Fighting fleas, unsuitable suitors, and her mother's attempts to make a lady of her, Catherine
writes in her diary about her frustrations with her life as a young noblewoman in medieval
times.
Wilson, Diane Lee, I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade
At the end of the 13th century, across the Asian continent all property belongs to the Kublai
Khan. Rich in cultural and historical detail, the novel shows the courage, faith and
determination of a young girl pursuing her dreams.
Paterson , Katherine, Bread and Roses, Too
The 1912 "Bread and Roses" workers strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, is the
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
backdrop for Katherine Paterson’s historical novel about a pair of children
caught up in the event.
Sports
Gutman, Dan, The Million Dollar Shot
This is a story full of action and suspense for the NBA fan. Will Eddie resolve his family's
problems?
Lipsyte, Robert, The Chief
Written by a prize-winning sports writer, this book not only will appeal to the sports enthusiast,
but teaches a lesson of the power of endurance and strength of the human spirit.
Wolff, Virginia Euwer, Bat 6
Set in Oregon in the 1940s, this story evolves around the annual softball game between two rival
sixth grade teams.
Spinelli, Jerry, Crash
Seventh-grade super-athlete John "Crash" Coogan has always been proud of his aggressive
behavior until his relationship with his Quaker best friend and his grandfather's illness make him
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family. Read the book and realize the
reason for the title.
Brooks, Bruce, The Moves Make the Man
As Jerome, a black athlete, shares his skills and interest in basketball with Bix, a white baseball
player, their friendship grows and the game becomes a reflection of both their lives.
Multicultural
O'Dell, Scott, Alexandra
A young Greek sponge diver is determined to expose heroically those who had used her
sponges to smuggle drugs. With the location in Tarpon Springs, Florida, the story highlights
not only the dangers under water but reveals evil dangers on shore!
de Saint-Exupery, Antoine, The Little Prince
An enchanting fable of a pilot who, when forced to land in the desolate Sahara desert, meets an
extraordinary small person. There is a message for every reader in this book.
Speare, Elizabeth George, The Sign of the Beaver
Matt tries to survive alone in the Maine wilderness and is astonished by the help of an Indian
chief and his grandson, Attean. Read and understand how we can always learn from each other's
cultural differences.
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
Curtis, Christopher Paul, The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963
Most of Kenny's problems revolve around his older brother Byron, at thirteen "officially a
teenage juvenile delinquent," whose wild and hilarious exploits make up the first part of the
book. Then everything changes after a strange and fantastic trip south to Birmingham where civil
rights protests are being met by violence.
Campbell, Eric, The Place of Lions
This is a very good survival story, which has some wonderful descriptive passages of Africa in
general, and lions in particular. On a journey into Tanzania where his father is to take a new job,
the plane carrying Chris and his father crashes. The pilot is seriously injured and unconscious.
His father has a broken leg but Chris, though hurt, is ambulatory. This is fortunate because the
plane has crashed near where a pride of lions is staying and Chris is witness to incredible danger
there. The older male is being challenged by a young one and only barely manages to maintain
his supremacy after a fierce battle. Chris has, in the meantime, decided to go for help. Not far
off poachers have machine-gunned elephants and incurred the wrath of two men who love
Africa and are dedicated to preserving its wildlife. The poachers find Chris but first drive away
and then decide to kidnap him. Chris has been followed across the plain by the old, dying lion
and a mysterious connection has been made as both head for a hill where the lion hopes to die
and Chris hopes to find help.
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
Fleischman, Paul, Seedfolks
In an abandoned lot, a girl decides to plant a few lima beans. Though they are
strangers to each other, the neighbors find ways to contribute: planting their own seeds, making
improvements, sharing their time. Each of the 13 chapters is told by a different character---young
and old, male, and female, Vietnamese and
Haitian and Indian. As their individual stories become one story, the lot becomes
a garden, and the neighborhood becomes a community.
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
Classic Literature For Young Teens
20,000 Leagues under the Sea -- Jules Verne Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, The -- Mark Twain Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes -- Arthur Conan Doyle Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The -Mark Twain African Queen, The -- C.S. Forester
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -- Lewis Carroll Amos
Fortune, Free Man -- Elizabeth Yates Around the World in
Eighty Days -- Jules Verne
Bell for Adano, A -- John Hersey
BenHur -- Lewis Wallace
Big Sky, The -A.B. Guthrie
Black Arrow, The -- Robert Louis Stevenson
Bridge of San Luis Rey, The -- Thornton Wilder Bridge over
the River Kwai, The -- Pierre Boulle Bridges at Toko-Ri, The -James Michener Christmas Carol, A -- Charles Dickens
Cimarron -- Edna Ferber
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, A -- Mark Twain
Count of Monte Christo, The -- Alexander Dumas
Cry, the Beloved Country -- Alan Paton Dandelion
Wine -- Ray Bradbury
Death Be Not Proud -- John Gunther
Deerslayer, The -- James Fenimore Cooper Diary of a
Young Girl -- Anne Frank
Dracula -- Bram Stoker
Drums along the Mohawk -- Walter D. Edmonds
Ethan Frome -- Edith Wharton
Fahrenheit 451 -- Ray Bradbury Frankenstein -Mary Shelley
Goodbye, Mr. Chips -- James Hilton
Gone with the Wind -- Margaret Mitchell Green
Mansions -- W.H. Hudson
High Wind in Jamaica, A -- Richard Hughes
Hiroshima -- John Hersey
Hobbit, The -- J.R.R. Tolkien
Hornblower series, The -- C.S. Forester
Hunchback of Notre Dame, The -- Victor Hugo Illustrated
Man, The -- Ray Bradbury
Innocents Abroad -- Mark Twain
Island of the Blue Dolphins -- Scott O'Dell Ivanhoe
-- Sir Walter Scott
Johnny Tremain -- Esther Forbes
Journey to the Center of the Earth -- Jules Verne
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
Kim -- Rudyard Kipling
King Must Die, The -- Mary Renault
King Solomon's Mines -- H. Rider Haggard
Kon-Tiki -- Thor Heyerdahl
Last of the Mohicans, The -- James Fenimore Cooper
Le Morte d'Arthur -- Sir Thomas Malory
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The -- Washington Irving
Life on
the Mississippi -- Mark Twain
Life with Father -- Clarence Day
Little
Men -- Louisa May Alcott
Little Prince, The -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Lord of the Rings, The -- J.R.R. Tolkien
Lorna Doone -- Richard D. Blackmore
Lost Horizon -- James Hilton
Madame Curie: A Biography -- Eve Curie Martian
Chronicles -- Ray Bradbury
Member of the Wedding -- Carson McCullers
Men of Iron -- Howard Pyle
Mutiny on the Bounty -- Charles and J.N. Hall Nordhoff
Mysterious Island -- Jules Verne
National Velvet -- Enid Bagnold
Night to Remember, A -- Walter Lord
Northwest Passage -- Kenneth Roberts
Old Man and the Sea, The -- Ernest Hemingway
Ox-Bow Incident, The -- Walter Clark
Pearl, The -- John Steinbeck
Pilgrim's Progress, The -- John Bunyan
Poems -- Robert Frost
Prince and the Pauper, The -- Mark Twain Profiles in
Courage -- John F. Kennedy
Raisin in the Sun -- Lorraine Hansberry Rebecca -Daphne Du Maurier
Ring of Bright Water -- Gavin Maxwell Robe, The
-- Lloyd C. Douglas
Robinson Crusoe -- Daniel Defoe
Scarlet Pimpernel, The -- Baroness Emma Orczy
Sea Wolf, The -- Jack London
Separate Peace, A -- John Knowles Shane -Jack Schaefer
Snow Goose, The -- Paul Gallico
Stories -- Saki
Story of My Life -- Helen Keller
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The -- R. L.Stevenson
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FASNY 2015 Summer Reading Lists
Thirty-Nine Steps, The -- John Buchan
Three Musketeers, The AlexanderDumas Through the
Looking Glass -- LewisCarroll Thurber Carnival, The -James Thurber
Time Machine, The -- H.G. Wells
To Kill a Mockingbird – HarperLee Tortilla Flat
-- John Steinbeck
Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A -- Betty Smith
Two Years before the Mast -- Richard Henry Dana
Up from Slavery
-- Booker T. Washington
Virginian -- Owen Wister
Wall, The -- John Hersey
War of the Worlds -- H.G. Wells
Wind, Sand and Stars -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Yearling, The -- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
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