St. Catherine of Siena School
Norwood, Massachusetts
MIDDLE SCHOOL
SUMMER READING LISTS
2015-2016
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Welcome to Middle School!
First and foremost, take time to pray every day during the summer.
St. Catherine of Siena School encourages all middle school students to read throughout the
summer for enjoyment and to increase their reading proficiency. Reading opens the way to
developing Catholic values – a deeper sense of empathy, a wider sense of justice, a broader
base of knowledge, and a respect for others and their many points of view. Our Middle
School Summer Reading Program supports these goals. We want our students to become
habitual, devoted, thoughtful, intelligent readers. We believe the best way to do this,
especially in the summer, is to provide a balance between books we want all students to read
and discuss as a school community and books they choose themselves.
To that end, all students in Grades 6 – 8 will need to read a minimum of SIX BOOKS in the
summer:
REQUIRED BOOKS at each grade level – three per grade
DESIGNATED LIST BOOKS – at least one book of their choice from a designated list
PERSONAL CHOICE BOOKS – at least two books they personally select.
Of course, students will undoubtedly read many more than SIX BOOKS in the course of the
summer and many more titles not on this list and we highly encourage them to do so. However,
for some students, SIX BOOKS will be a good starting point.
What are REQUIRED BOOKS?
Required books are books all students must read during the summer to prepare them for the
grade level they are entering. These books will be used for class discussion and instructional
activities at the start of the school year.
What are DESIGNATED LIST BOOKS?
The DESIGNATED LIST contains books that St. Catherine of Siena School teachers use as
part of the middle school curriculum. Any book picked from this DESIGNATED LIST will
help students in their school work during the school year. Students must select at least one
book from the DESIGNATED LIST.
What are PERSONAL CHOICE BOOKS?
While St. Catherine of Siena School’s reading lists for students in Grades 6 – 8 have required
reading at each grade level, they also allow students to discover the joy of reading through
their own choices. Books that students want to read on their own are PERSONAL CHOICE
BOOKS. Choice allows students to pick “what I want to read” books at reading levels
appropriate to their own reading stages and to choose topics and genres that are of interest to
them.
How will teachers know I have read my books?
When students return to school in September, their first grade in English Language Arts will
be an in-class assignment – an essay they write about one of the four books they have read.
(See Sample Summer Reading In-Class Assignment – page 5). REQUIRED and
DESIGNATED LIST BOOKS will be used for in-class literature discussions and projects.
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St. Catherine of Siena School
SUMMER READING LIST 2015-2016
GRADE 6
REQUIRED BOOKS
All students entering GRADE 6 must read the following three books:

Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea. Bring to class the first day of school.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan.

The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu
DESIGNATED LIST BOOKS
All students entering GRADE 6 must choose ONE of the following four books to read. These
books will be used for literature discussion during the year.
1. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
2. Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller
3. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
4. The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
See Recommended PERSONAL CHOICE BOOKS for Students Entering Grade 6 for
additional books to read over the summer. – page 9.
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St. Catherine of Siena School
SUMMER READING LIST 2015-2016
GRADE 7
REQUIRED BOOKS
All students entering GRADE 7 must read:

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. Bring to class the first day of school.

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.

Matched by Ally Condie.
DESIGNATED LIST BOOKS
All students entering GRADE 7 must choose ONE of the following four books to read. These
books will be used for literature discussion during the year.
1. In the Shadow of the Master: Classic Tales by Edgar Allan Poe by Michael Connelly.
2. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
3. The Big Wave by Pearl Buck.]
4. Animal Farm by George Orwell
See Recommended PERSONAL CHOICE BOOKS for Students Entering Grade 7 for
additional books to read over the summer. – page 10.
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St. Catherine of Siena School
SUMMER READING LIST 2015-2016
GRADE 8
REQUIRED BOOKS
All students entering GRADE 8 must read:



The Story of Peace by Miriam Ezeh. Bring to class the first day of school.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson (U.S. History)
Soldier Boy by Dean Hughes
DESIGNATED LIST BOOKS
All students entering GRADE 8 must choose ONE of the following three books to read. These
books will be used for literature discussion during the year. These books should be
purchased.
1. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
3. The Cay by Theodore Taylor
See Recommended PERSONAL CHOICE BOOKS for Students Entering Grade 8 for
additional books to read over the summer. – page 11.
*The assessment of Chains will be given in eighth grade American history class. English
Language Arts teachers and the American history teacher will use Chains in interdisciplinary
projects to enrich student experience in both classes.
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When students return to school in September, their first grade in English will be an inclass essay they write about one of the four books they have read. It can be one of the
REQUIRED BOOKS, one of the DESIGNATED LIST BOOKS, or a PERSONAL CHOICE
BOOK. Below is a sample summer reading essay assignments students will be asked to
complete in class at Grade 6.
For Incoming Sixth Graders - In-Class Assignment:
Re-tell the events of the book in your own words. What happened at the beginning?
What happened in the middle? What happened at the end? From your point of view,
what was the most important event that happened in the book? Make the case for why
you think it was the most important event in the book?
For Incoming Seventh and Eighth Graders:
Students will be given a test on the required reading during the second week of school.
*The assessment of Chains will be given in Grade 8 American history class. English Language
Arts teachers and the American history teacher will use Chains in interdisciplinary projects
to enrich student experience in both classes.
**Summer Reading Program – Every Hero Has a Story**
We encourage all our middle school students to join the Morrill Public Library’s Every Hero
Has a Story Summer Reading Program at http://iread.evanced.info/morrill/sr/homepage.asp .
Log in your books and get a medal at St. Catherine School in September for meeting your
reading goals.
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REQUIRED READING
GRADE 6
Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
This novel, which won numerous book awards including the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award,
features seven narrators, each with a unique story and each with a different perspective on what makes
their teacher so special. Mr. Terupt, their new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with
them all. He makes the classroom a place of learning for everyone until one snowy winter day when an
accident forces the students to bond together in a different way.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
This novel, which was named one of the ten best books for young adults by the American Library
Association and Publishers Weekly, tells the story of a young girl from Mexico who is plunged into
poverty during the Mexican Revolution in the 193o’s when her father is killed and her family’s property
is seized. She is forced to immigrate to the United States with her family during the Great Depression.
The story highlights her hardships as well as her resilience in overcoming them.
The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu
This is an adventure story set in the world of Greek mythology. Children are getting sick and losing
their shadows. The main character, Charlotte, and her cousin Zee have to venture into the underworld
to find out who is stealing them.
GRADE 7
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
This book which won the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, is a story told as a flashback to a time
when Billy, a young boy at the time, was raising two coon hounds – Old Dan and Little Ann. They
quickly become the best hunting dogs in the county winning Billy acclaim and monetary awards in
hunting contests. The story features a confrontation with a mountain lion which endangers Billy’s life
and that of his hounds.
A Long Walk to the Water by Linda Sue Park.
When the civil war in the Sudan reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated
from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and
Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996,
began a project to dig water wells in the Sudan.
Matched by Ally Condie
The book, which won the Whitney Award for Best Youth Fiction, tells the story of Cassia who lives in a
fictional world in which everything is decided by the larger Society – even whom people will marry. As
she meets new people, she begins to see that the Society making all the choices for its citizens creates
problems and starts to think about how she and others can change things.
GRADE 8
The Story of Peace by Miriam Ezeh
Peace is a young woman whose life is turned upside down after her parents are killed in a tribal war in
Africa that leaves her to raise her younger brother, Lawrence alone. As Lawrence grows, so does his
interest in revenging his parents' death. Peace, however, holds fast to her Catholic faith and trust in
Christ and does her best to shield Lawrence from the tribal wars and his own drive for revenge. Peace's
life is made all the more complicated by John, a young Catholic doctor from the United States, who has
decided to make his mother's homeland his own.
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Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
This book is a historical novel that takes place in the days just before the Revolutionary War. The main
character is a slave girl serving a family in New York who is confused about whether to side with the
Loyalists or the Rebels (colonists) since both support slavery. When her owner dies, the Rebels offer
freedom if she will become a spy for them. This novel was a finalist for the National Book Award and
winner of the Scott O’Dell for Historical Fiction.
Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes.
This book tells the story of two teenagers, one American and one German, who join the armies of their
countries and fight at the World War II battle, the Battle of the Bulge. They meet up during the battle
and, although they are enemies, one tries to help the other.
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SUGGESTIONS FOR PERSONAL CHOICE BOOKS
FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE 6
18th Emergency Betsy Byars
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll
Almost Home Joan Bauer
Angel in My Pocket by Ilene Cooper
Anne of Green Gables L.M. Montgomery
Archer’s Quest Linda Sue Park
Black Cauldron Lloyd Alexander
Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs
The Christmas Rat Avi
Crash Jerry Spinelli
Crossing the Wire Will Hobbs
Do You Know the Monkey Man? Dorri Hillestad Butler
Daphne’s Book Mary Downing Hahn
The Day They Came to Arrest the Book Nat Hentoff
Ella Enchanted by Gale Carson Levine
Finding Buck McHenry Alfred Slote
Flygirl Sherri L. Smith
Free Baseball Sue Corbett
The Girl Who Could Fly Victoria Forester
Gossamer Lois Lowry
Grab Hands and Run Frances Temple
Helen’s Eyes: A Photobiography of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s Teacher Marfe Delano
Listen! Stephanie Tolan
Little Women Louisa May Alcott
Lowji Discovers America Candace Fleming
Moon Runner Carolyn Marsden
No More Magic Avi
On My Honor Marian Dane Bauer
Out of My Mind Sharon Draper
Perfect Natasha Friend
Revenge of the Witch: The Last Apprentice Joseph Delaney
Root Cellar Janet Lunn
Seven Kisses in a Row Patricia MacLachlan
Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs Betty Birney
Shakespeare’s Secret Elise Broach
Sounder William Armstrong
Summer of the Swans Betsy Byars
Thinking in Pictures Temple Grandin
Titantic: Voices from the Disaster Deborah Hopkinson
Turtle in Paradise Jennifer L. Holm
Ways to Live Forever Sally Nichols
Welcome Home Jellybean Marlene Fanta Shyer
Witch of Blackbird Pond Elizabeth Speare
Wringer Jerry Spinelli
*Please Note: Students are not limited to selections from this list for PERSONAL CHOICE
BOOKS.
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SUGGESTIONS FOR PERSONAL CHOICE BOOKS
FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE 7
Angelfish Laurence Yep
Archer’s Quest Linda Sue Park
Bridge to America Linda Glaser
Close Encounters of a Third-World Kind Jennifer Stewart
Crossing the Wire Will Hobbs
Crooked River Shelley Pearsall
Cousins Virginia Hamilton
Dear God, I Don’t Get It Patti Maguire Armstrong
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie Jordan Sonnenblick
Freak the Mighty W. R. Philbrick
Gossamer Lois Lowry
Heat Mike Lupica
Listen! Stephanie Tolan
Lowji Discovers America Candace Fleming
Lyddie Katherine Paterson
Of Nightingales That Weep Katherine Paterson
Olivia and the Little Way Nancy Carabio Belanger
The Master Puppeteer Katherine Paterson
My Name is Brian Jeanne Betacourt
Revenge of the Witch: The Last Apprentice Joseph Delaney
Road From Home D. Kheridian
Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs Betty Birney
Shakespeare’s Secret Elise Broach
Shakespeare Stories Leon Garfield
Song of the Trees Mildred Taylor
Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush Virginia Hamilton
The Door in the Wall Margaret de Angeli
Trading Places Claudia Mills
Walk Two Moons Sharon Creech
Where the Lilies Bloom Vera & Bill Cleaver
Yolonda’s Genius Carol Fenner
*Please Note: Students are not limited to selections from this list for PERSONAL CHOICE
BOOKS.
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SUGGESTIONS FOR PERSONAL CHOICE BOOKS
FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE 8
Ablaze: Stories of Daring Teen Saints Colleen Swaim
Among the Hidden Margaret Haddix
Code Orange Caroline Cooney
Cousins Virginia Hamilton
Crossing the Wire Will Hobbs
Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dumphrey Margaret Haddix
Dragonwings Laurence Yep
Fever, 1793 Laurie Anderson
Free Baseball Sue Corbett
Gathering Blue Lois Lowry
Go Ask Alice Anonymous
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J.K.Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J.K.Rowling
Hiding the Stranger: A Trilogy Joan Kelly
The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien
The House of Dies Drear Virginia Hamilton
Incident at Hawk’s Hill Allan Eckert
The Island Gary Paulsen
Julie of the Wolves Jean George
Listen! Stephanie Tolan
The Music of Dolphins Karen Hesse
Moon Runner Carolyn Marsden
My Brother Sam is Dead James Collier
Olivia’s Gift Nancy Carabio Belanger
Outlaw Red Jim Kjelgaard
Perfect Natasha Friend
Red Kayak Priscilla Cummings
Rules Cynthia Lord
Scorpions Walter Dean Myers
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup Ron Koertge
Schooled Gordon Korman
The Shakespeare Stealer Gary Blackwood
There’s a Bat in Bunk Five Paula Danziger
When the Game Was Ours Larry Bird and Julius Earvin
Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo Zlata Filipovic
*Please Note: Students are not limited to selections from this list for PERSONAL CHOICE
BOOKS.
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