2015­16 Summer Reading Titles 6th Grade A Long Walk to Water​
by Linda Sue Park, no lexile available, Reading Level: 5.0 Interest Level: 5­8 Survival, refugees, Sudan Audiobook available from the PCL (Pierce County Library) *Book for sale in schools “When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven­year­old 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 Sudan.” Click here​
for an additional summary. The Watsons Go to Birmingham​
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by Christopher Paul Curtis, 1,000 lexile Audiobook available from the PCL Historical fiction, family life “The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African­American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.” Click here​
for an additional summary. The Wednesday Wars​
by Gary Schmidt, 990 lexile Audiobook available from the PCL Historical fiction, coming of age “During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh­grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Maniac Magee​
by Jerry Spinelli, 820 lexile Audiobook available from the PCL Realistic fiction, coming of age, death “After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries.” Click here​
for an additional summary. The Library Card​
by Jerry Spinelli, 690 lexile Short stories, books & reading No materials available from the PCL ­ working with PCL librarian to rectify “Collection of four stories in which the lives of four young people in different circumstances are changed by their encounters with books.” Click here​
for an additional summary. 7th Grade Red Kayak​
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by Priscilla Cummings, 800 lexile Friendship, moral dilemma *Book for sale in schools “Living near the water on Maryland's Eastern Shore, thirteen­year­old Brady and his best friends J.T. and Digger become entangled in a tragedy which tests their friendship and their ideas about right and wrong.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Touching Spirit Bear​
by Ben Mikaelsen, 670 lexile Native American culture, anger, forgiveness, juvenile delinquents Audiobook available from the PCL *Book for sale in schools “After his anger erupts into violence, fifteen year­old Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the Native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Bad Boy​
by Walter Dean Myers, 970 lexile Biography “Author Walter Dean Myers describes his childhood in Harlem in the 1940s and 1950s, discussing his loving stepmother, his problems in school, his reasons for leaving home, and his beginnings as a writer.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Bomb​
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by Steve Sheinkin, 920 lexile Non­fiction Audiobook available from the PCL “A gripping narrative of the race between countries, spies, and scientists to create the first atomic bomb.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Th
​e Outsiders​
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by S.E. Hinton, 750 lexile Coming of age, family, gangs Audiobook available from the PCL “Rivalry between rich and poor gangs in 1960s Oklahoma leads to the deaths of three teenagers and intense soul­searching for one of the kids involved, a sensitive fourteen­year­old writer named Ponyboy.” Click here​
for an additional summary. 8th Grade Wonder​
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by R.J. Palacio, 790 lexile Coming of age, self­acceptance Audiobook available from the PCL *Book for sale in schools “Ten­year­old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home­schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunts and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Gym Candy​
by Carl Deuker, no lexile available, Reading Level: 4.6 Interest Level: Young Adult Realistic fiction, relationships, steroids Audiobook available from the PCL “Groomed by his father to be a star player, football is the only thing that has ever really mattered to Mick Johnson, who works hard for a spot on the varsity team his freshman year, then tries to hold onto his edge by using steroids, despite the consequences to his health and social life.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Ender’s Game​
by Orson Scott Card, 780 lexile Science fiction Audiobook available from the PCL “Andrew "Ender" Wiggin thinks he is playing computer simulated war games at the Battle School; he is, in fact, engaged in something far more desperate.” Click here​
for an additional summary. The One & Only Ivan​
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by Katherine Applegate, 570 lexile Based on the true story of Ivan the Gorilla that lived at the B&I on South Tacoma Way. Audiobook available from the PCL “When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down­and­out circus­themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Between Shades of Gray​
by Ruta Sepetys, 490 lexile Historical fiction, survival Audiobook available from the PCL “In 1941, fifteen­year­old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Based on the author's family, includes a historical note.” Click here​
for an additional summary. 9th Grade Speak ​
by Laurie Halse Anderson, 690 lexile Realistic fiction, high school, Audiobook available from the PCL *Book for sale in schools “A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year in high school.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Farewell to Manzanar​
by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, 1,040 lexile Biography “Biography of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston relating her experiences of living at the Manzanar internment camp during World War II and how it has influenced her life.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Emako Blue ​
by Brenda Woods, 600 lexile Inter­personal relationships, high school, South Central L.A. “Monterey, Savannah, Jamal, and Eddie have never had much to do with each other until Emako Blue shows up at chorus practice, but just as the lives of the five Los Angeles high school students become intertwined, tragedy tears them apart.” Click here​
for an additional summary. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents​
by Julia Alvarez, 950 lexile Family life “When their father's plot against the dictator of the Dominican Republic fails, the Garcia family moves to the United States and the Garcia daughters try to assimilate into the new culture.” Click here​
for an additional summary. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier​
by Ishmael Beah, 920 lexile Biography Audiobook available from the PCL “Ishmael Beah describes his experiences after he was driven from his home by war in Sierra Leone and picked up by the government army at the age of thirteen, serving as a soldier for three years before being removed from fighting by UNICEF and eventually moving to the United States.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Bless Me Ultima​
by Rudolpho Anaya, 840 lexile Historical fiction “Presents selections from the story of a young Mexican American's life in a small New Mexican community during World War II. Includes a short biography of the author.” Click here​
for an additional summary. Lord of the Flies​
by William Golding, 770 lexile Survival, adventure Audiobook available from the PCL “After a plane crash strands them on a tropical island while the rest of the world is ravaged by war, a group of British schoolboys attempts to form a civilized society but descends into brutal anarchy.” Click here​
for an additional summary.