Wagner Middle School, MS 167
220 East 76th Street
New York, NY 10021
phone: 212-535-8610
fax: 212-472-9385
www.wagner167.org
Jennifer Rehn Losquadro, Principal
Courtney Dowd, Assistant Principal
Kaye Kerr, Assistant Principal
David Prinstein, Assistant Principal
Lisa Stefanick, Assistant Principal
Wagner Middle School Summer Reading List | Summer, 2013
Required for all incoming
8th Graders:
Choose TWO from the
following list
- OR -
Incoming 8th Grade (3 total books)
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (Non-Fiction Memoir)
“This true story about the love between a spiritual mentor and his pupil has
soared to the bestseller list for many reasons. For starters: it reminds us of the
affection and gratitude that many of us still feel for the significant mentors of
our past. It also plays out a fantasy many of us have entertained: what would
it be like to look those people up again, tell them how much they meant to us,
maybe even resume the mentorship?”
1. Just as Long as We’re Together by Judy Blume (660 Lexile Level)
“How can you be best friends with someone who keeps secrets from you—
important secrets? Stephanie’s best friend is Rachel. Since second grade
they’ve shared everything, good and bad. Now, as they start seventh grade,
Stephanie meets Alison, who has just moved to their neighborhood. Stephanie
hopes all three of them can be best friends, because she really likes Alison. But
is it possible to have two best friends? Or is it true that two’s company, three’s
a crowd?”
2. Fire from the Rock by Sharon Draper (650 L)
“Sylvia is shocked and confused when she is asked to be one of the first black
students to attend Central High School, which is scheduled to be integrated in
the fall of 1957, whether people like it or not. Before Sylvia makes her final
decision, smoldering racial tension in the town ignites into flame. When the
smoke clears, she sees clearly that nothing is going to stop the change from
coming. It is up to her generation to make it happen, in as many different
ways as there are colors in the world.”
3. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (820 L)
“Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak
accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and
uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run
away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes
the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary
feats.”
4. Slam! By Walter Dean Myers (850 L)
“Seventeen-year-old Greg "Slam" Harris can do it all on the basketball court.
He's seen ballplayers come and go, and he knows he could be one of the lucky
ones. Maybe he'll make it to the top. Or maybe he'll stumble along the way.
Slam's grades aren't that hot. And when his teachers jam his troubles in his
face, he blows up. Slam never doubted himself on the court until he found
himself going one-on-one with his own future, and he didn't have the ball.”
5. The Misfits by James Howe (960 L)
“What do a 12-year-old student who moonlights as a tie salesman, a tall,
outspoken girl, a gay middle schooler and a kid branded as a hooligan have in
common? Best friends for years, they've all been the target of cruel namecalling and now that they're in seventh grade, they're not about to take it any
more. The four "misfits" are slightly larger than life, wiser than their years,
worldlier than the small-town setting would suggest, and remarkably welladjusted but there remains much authenticity in the story's message about
preadolescent stereotyping and the devastating effects of degrading labels. An
upbeat, reassuring novel that encourages preteens and teens to celebrate
their individuality.”
1. Teen Angst? Naah… by Ned Vizzini (1080 L)
“Ned Vizzini writes about the weird, funny, and sometimes mortifying
moments that made up his teen years. With wit, irony, and honesty, Teen
Angst? Naaah . . . invites you into Ned’s world of school, parents, cool (and
almost cool), street people, rock bands, friends, fame, camp, Cancún (almost),
prom, video games, and more.”
2. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (1000 L)
“Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone
countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can
somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. Anna
makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear
her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.”
3. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (1080 L)
“The Diary of a Young Girl is the record of two years in the life of a remarkable
Jewish girl whose triumphant humanity in the face of unfathomable
deprivation and fear has made the book one of the most enduring documents
of our time.”
4. When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago (1100 L)
“Esmeralda Santiago's story begins in rural Puerto Rico, where her childhood
was full of both tenderness and domestic strife, tropical sounds and sights as
well as poverty. Growing up, she learned the proper way to eat a guava, the
Choose TWO from the
sound of tree frogs in the mango groves at night, the taste of the delectable
sausage called morcilla, and the formula for ushering a dead baby's soul to
following list
heaven. As she enters school we see the clash, both hilarious and fierce, of
Puerto Rican and Yankee culture. When her mother, Mami, a force of nature,
takes off to New York with her seven, soon to be eleven children, Esmeralda,
the oldest, must learn new rules, a new language, and eventually take on a
new identity.”
5. *A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah (1120 L)
“It is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah used
to be one of them. In A Long Way Gone, Beah, now twenty-five years old, tells
a riveting story: how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and
wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been
picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found
that he was capable of truly terrible acts.”
6. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (1100 L)
“Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his
name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes
recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide
two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons
why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out
why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He
becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about
himself-a truth he never wanted to face.”
* THIS BOOK CONTAINS MATURE THEMES AND SUGGESTIVE MATERIAL. PLEASE BE ADVISED.
READING ASSIGNMENT
1) After reading Tuesdays with Morrie and another of the above books, students must respond
to the essay prompt below:
PROMPT: In most texts the protagonist (main character) faces a conflict (problem) that he or she
struggles to overcome. In the novel Tuesdays with Morrie the protagonist, Mitch Albom, faces
many internal conflicts. Chose the protagonist from one of the novels from the list above and
compare the conflict he or she faces with that of Mitch Albom’s. Be sure to explain how their
conflicts are similar as well explain how they both deal with their conflicts.
In your essay be sure to:



Explain the conflict that Mitch Albom faces and his response
Explain the conflict that the protagonist (from the other novel you selected) faces and
his response
Explain how their conflicts are similar
Students are encouraged to type their papers, using 12 point Times New Roman font, with a oneinch margin on all sides.
2) Students must also select a THIRD text of their choice. It can be fiction or non-fiction but
should be at their level and appropriately challenging.