Summer Reading 2010
Hoot by Carl Hiaason
The Weirdo by Theodore Taylor
Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
1. The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael
Scott
2. Amazing Grace by Megan Shull
Ask Me No Questions by Marina Tamar Budhos
The Big Field by Mike Lupica
Eleven Seconds: A Story of Tragedy, Courage & Triumph by Travis Roy
Summer Reading List for 2009-2010
6th Grade Reading Project
The summer reading project will help prepare students for an exciting 6th grade year at Piedmont
IB Middle School. Students will read the book Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. After reading
the book, students will write a five (5) paragraph essay. Each paragraph needs to be a minimum
of 10 sentences. Please follow the format below:
 Paragraph 1 -- Write a summary of the book.
 Paragraph 2 -- Describe 3 things you liked about the book and why.
 Paragraph 3 -- Describe 3 things you would change about the book and
why.
 Paragraph 4 -- Choose your favorite character. Describe what
your character looks like, how your character acts and why that character is
your favorite.
 Paragraph 5 -- What lesson can be learned from the book and how can you
apply this lesson to your life?
After completing the five (5) paragraph essay, students will do one of
the following activities:



Letter to the author and back -- Write a letter asking the author 5
questions and offering feedback about the book. Then write a pretend letter
back to yourself from the author answering your questions.
Design a book jacket -- Design a book jacket with a front cover displaying
your book title, author and picture, the back cover having a summary, and
the inside flap having a short biography of the author.
Design an advertising poster -- Create an advertisement "selling" the book
to the reader. It must include a summary, an illustration or picture, and at
least 3 important quotes from the story.

Design a series of 5 illustrations -- Create a series of 5 illustrations
describing 5 main events in the story. Each illustration should have at least 3
sentences supporting it.
Scoring Rubric
In order for your teacher to accept this project as completed work, make
sure the following is done:
*All paragraphs are complete with 10 sentences or more.*
*Each sentence uses standard grammar.*
*Each paragraph demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the novel.*
*The activity is complete and includes all parts.*
*All parts of the project are neat, organized, and creative.*
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7th Grade Honors Summer Reading Assignment
Book: Sunrise Over Fallujah
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Assignment:
 Students are required to create a diorama depicting their favorite scene from
the book. The diorama should be created inside of a box. Attached should be a
description of the scene and an explanation of why it was chosen.

Students must write a 2-3 page essay describing the major story elements
(exposition, rising action, climax and resolution). The essay should be typed and
double spaced with 12-point font.
Standard Plus Reading Assignment
Book: Hoot
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Students are expected to read Hoot over the summer. After reading please select any
2 of the assignments below.
Create a Plot Diagram that shows the exposition, rising action, climax, falling
action, and resolution of the novel read. This should be completed on plain
white paper with black ink or created using a word processor.
2. Using a word processor create a news article that includes: Who / What/
Where/ When / Why / How using any part of the novel.
3. Create a shoe box diorama of an important scene from the book. There
should be a note card attached to the box that describes the scene and why you
choose this scene.
4. Create a brochure that includes: The Title/ Author/ Your name/ Copyright
date of the novel/ brief summary of the book/ a personal critic – do you
recommend the book? Why or Why not?/ at least one illustration from the
1.
book (this could be something you draw or print off the Internet.) This must
be in black or created using a word processor.
5. Keep a reading journal as you read. Update your journal as you travel through
the book with short entries and drawings to illustrate what you have read. This
must be a 10 page minimum journal.
6. Create a “Protest Poster” to ban the pancake house in order that the burrowing
owls might be saved. This can be done on white copy paper, but should give a
clear message. It should be a colorful, eye-catching model of a poster that
might have been used by the characters.
7. Research the plight of the burrowing owl. Find 10 facts about the burrowing
owl and any information about the current status of the owl's habitat and
likelihood of being removed from the endangered list. The Internet would be
a great resource as would the Rapture Center at Latta Plantation Park.
Extra Credit will be given to students participating in the Scholastic Reading For the
Record campaign. Piedmont students are trying to set a world record for reading.
Please see information on our website for details. This begins on May 1st and will last
throughout the summer.
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8th Grade Reading Project
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT
Honors: The Weirdo by Theodore Taylor
Standard Plus / Standard: Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman
7th Grade List 2009
Rick Yancy. The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp. (core novel to be
read by all incoming Seventh Graders)
Through a series of dangerous and violent misadventures, teenage loser
Alfred Kropp rescues King Arthur's legendary sword Excalibur from the forces of
evil.
-select an additional four from this list
Blue Balliett. Chasing Vermeer; The Wright Three; The Calder Game. (only one
can count)
When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious
Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their
talents to solve an international art scandal.
Baseball Crazy: Ten Short Stories That Cover All the Bases.
A collection of ten short stories from popular, contemporary authors that
celebrate the joys of America's favorite pasttime and the wonder, frustration, and
delight of its fans.
Eoin Colfer. Airman.
This is a fast-paced, highly entertaining tale of flying machines, criminals,
martial arts, swordplay, princesses, poisons, and evil villains, mixed with themes
of justice, revenge, romance, good triumphing over evil, realizing one's dreams,
blackmail, conspiracy, corruption, and betrayal. From the author of Artemis Fowl.
Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen accidentally becomes a contender in the
annual Hunger Games, a grave competition hosted by the Capitol where young
boys and girls are pitted against one another in a televised fight to the death.
DuPrau, Jeanne. City of Ember; The People of Sparks; The Prophet of
Yonwood; The Diamond of Darkhold. (only one can count)
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred
years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina
finds part of an ancient message, she?s sure it holds a secret that will save the
city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out
on Ember forever!
Paula Fox. Monkey Island.
Forced to live on the streets of New York after his mother disappears from
their hotel room, eleven-year-old Clay is befriended by two men who help him
survive.
Cornelia Funke. The Thief Lord.
Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run from their cruel aunt and uncle. The
brothers decide to hide out in Venice, where they meet a mysterious thirteenyear-old boy who calls himself the "Thief Lord." Brilliant and charismatic, the
Thief Lord leads a ring of street children who dabble in petty crimes. Prosper and
Bo delight in being part of this colorful new family. But the Thief Lord has secrets
of his own. And soon the boys are thrust into circumstances that will lead them to
a fantastic, spellbinding conclusion.
Margaret Peterson Haddix. Among the Hidden; Among the Betrayed; Among the
Imposters; Among the Barons; Among the Brave; Among the Enemy . (only one
of these can count)
In a society that allows only two children per family, the third child is a "shadow
child", illegal and forbidden. Luke is "among the hidden" in this chilling novel.
Ann Halam. Dr. Franklin’s Island.
When their plane crashes over the Pacific Ocean, three science students are
left stranded on a tropical island and then imprisoned by a doctor who is
performing horrifying experiments on humans involving the transfer of animal
genes.
Karen Hesse. The Music of the Dolphins.
After rescuing an adolescent girl from the sea, researchers learn she has been
raised by dolphins and attempt to rehabilitate her to the human world.
Will Hobbs. Crossing the Wire.
Fifteen-year-old Victor Flores journeys north in a desperate attempt to cross
the Arizona border and find work in the United States to support his family in
central Mexico.
Jennifer L. Holm. Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf.
Ginny makes a to do list for her seventh grade year, which includes landing a
role in the school play, trying to make friends, ignoring her horoscope, and going
to see her grandpa Joe in Florida; but she always seems to come up short in
accomplishing any of it.
Cynthia Kadohata. Kira-Kira.
Chronicles the close friendship between two Japanese-American sisters
growing up in rural Georgia during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the
despair when one sister becomes terminally ill. Newbery Medal winner
E. L. Konigsburg. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place.
Upon leaving an oppressive summer camp, twelve-year-old Margaret Rose
Kane spearheads a campaign to preserve three unique towers her grand uncles
have been building in their back yard for over forty years.
Gordon Korman. No More Dead Dogs.
Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention
attending rehearsals of the school play where, in spite of himself, he becomes
wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that improve not
only the play but his life as well.
Amy Goldman Koss. The Girls.
Realistic portrayal of a popular middle school clique's devolution unfolds
though six narrators think twice before sacrificing their individuality for the sake of
popularity.
Cynthia Lord. Rules.
Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible
when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his
disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules-from "a peach is not a
funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"-in order to stop his
embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic
boy, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own
shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What
is normal? Newbery Honor Book
Mike Lupica. Travel Team; Summer Ball. (only one can count)
After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very same team that his
father once led to national prominence--twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his
own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory.
Kenneth Oppel. Airborn; Skybreaker; Starclimber. 2009 Kyle Likover Memorial
Visiting Author (only one from this series can count)
Matt, a young cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy young girl
traveling with her chaperone, team up to search for the existence of mysterious
winged creatures reportedly living hundreds of feet above the Earth's surface.
Linda Sue Park. When My Name Was Keoko.
With national pride and occasional fear, a brother and sister face the
increasingly oppressive occupation of Korea by Japan during World War II, which
threatens to suppress Korean culture entirely.
Gary Paulsen. Harris and Me: a Summer Remembered.
Sent to live with relatives on their farm because of his unhappy home life, an
eleven-year-old city boy meets his distant cousin, Harris, and is given an
introduction to a whole new world.
Rodman Philbrick. Freak the Mighty.
Max, a large eighth-grader with a learning disability, becomes friends with
Freak, an intelligent boy who is physically impaired.
Jerry Spinelli. Loser.
Donald Zinkoff is one of the greatest kids you could ever hope to meet. He
laughs easily, he likes people, he loves school, he tries to rescue lost girls in
blizzards, and he talks to old ladies. The only problem is, he's a loser.
Jonathan Stroud. The Amulet of Samarkand; The Golem’s Eye; Ptolemy’s Gate .
(Bartimaeus Trilogy) (only one can count)
Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice, becomes caught in a web of
magical espionage, murder, and rebellion, after he summons the djinni
Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from the powerful
magician Simon Loveland.
Stephanie Tolan. Surviving the Applewhites.
Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent for home schooling to the arty and
eccentric Applewhite family's Creative Academy, where he discovers talents and
interests he never knew he had. Newbery Honor Book
Sarah Weeks. So B. It: a Novel.
After spending her life with her mentally retarded mother and agoraphobic
neighbor, twelve-year-old Heidi sets out from Reno, Nevada, to New York to find
out who she is.
Virginia Euwer Wolff. Bat 6.
In a small town, post World War Oregon, twenty-one sixth-grade girls recount
the story of an annual softball game, during which one girl's bigotry comes to
the surface.
Louisa May Alcott. Little Women. classic
The classic story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy in nineteenth-century New
England.
Jack London. The Call of the Wild. classic
Buck, who is half St. Bernard and half Scotch shepherd, is abducted and taken
to the Klondike where he reverts to the wild and becomes a leader of a pack of
wolves.
Robert Louis Stevenson. Treasure Island. classic
While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them
money, the mistress of an inn and her son find a treasure map that leads them to
a pirate's fortune.
Please read your required novel and after reading it, create
a journal / scrapbook which include all of the following
requirements:
�� Neatness and Creative Design
�� Cover page including title, author of the work, and student name
�� A minimum of ten one-page journal entries
�� Each journal entry should be labeled with the date,
number of the entry, and a title.
�� Journal entries can use a variety of forms such as the
following, but you may not use the format more than twice:
-
Letters to the author detailing favorite parts and asking probing
questions.
Letters written in the voices of characters to each other during
various difficult times throughout the novel.
Postcards from settings in the work (front and back).
Poetry inspired by the reading (2 poems equal one entry).
Personal responses to characters and events in the novel – how
you feel and why.
Character evaluations: who is the person, what are they like,
how do you “see” them, what might be their likes and dislikes
Cartoons or sketches of scenes, characters, and events in the
novel with accompanying descriptions.
Rewritten scenes, incidents, or endings.
A Facebook or myspace page for a character
A character’s Ipod playlist with an explanation for each song
Your journal is due to your Language Arts teacher by Oct.
19th. It will count as a project grade and will be evaluated
on effort and completion of the above requirements. Extra
credit will be awarded if you turn your completed project in
during the first week of the school year.
These novels should be available at any major bookstore,
used copies can be found on Amazon, or you can check the
public library.
DO NOT WAIT UNTIL AUGUST TO BEGIN!!!!