TASIS MIDDLE SCHOOL
REQUIRED AND SUGGESTED SUMMER READING LIST 2007
GRADE 7
Dear Middle School Families:
Reading is the greatest investment a student can make in his or her own education. The
Middle School at TASIS, in partnership with parents, would like to encourage as much
reading as possible over the summer months. The Middle School English faculty have
chosen one required book for each grade, listed below. A minimum of three
additional novels of the students’ choice will be required at the Grade 7 and 8 levels.
Students should keep a written record of the books they read over the summer. They will be
required to pass in this record, signed by a parent, at the beginning of the school year.
Students should choose their supplemental reading from the list below, or enlist their
parents’ help in choosing a comparable book. This list of recommended books includes a
variety of themes and reading levels appropriate to our Middle School curriculum. Students
should be encouraged to try books from the different genres included in the list. These
books will be available from bookstores in the United States and some UK bookstores, or
from online booksellers such as amazon.com (amazon.co.uk in England). However, if you
have access to a good public library, particularly in the US, we highly recommend going
there for your summer reading books. They often have hard-to-find or out-of-print books,
and a good librarian is an invaluable resource for book recommendations.
Enjoy your summer reading; it should be a fun and relaxing experience!
The English and Library Teachers
REQUIRED NOVELS
New and returning students are required to obtain and read the following book for next
year’s English course. Students should purchase the text, which is available from many
bookstores and from online booksellers such as amazon.com. Please read the book carefully
over the summer and be prepared to discuss the book when you return to TASIS in the fall.
Rising Seventh Grade Required Reading:
Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz.
ISBN: 0399209338 (hardcover)
0698117822 (paper)
OR
The Giver by Lois Lowry.
TASIS Middle School Summer Reading List
ISBN: 0395645662 (hard cover)
0440237688 (paper)
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 AWARD WINNERS 
2007 Newbery Medal Winner:
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron. "Patron takes us to the California
desert community of Hard Pan (population 43). Ten-year-old Lucky Trimble
eavesdrops on 12-step program meetings from her hiding place behind Hard Pan’s
Found Object Wind Chime Museum & Visitor Center. Eccentric characters and quirky
details spice up Lucky’s life just as her guardian Brigitte’s fresh parsley embellishes her
French cuisine. “‘Lucky’ is a perfectly nuanced blend of adventure, survival (emotional
and physical) and hilarious character study... as well as a blueprint for a self-examined
life,” said Newbery Medal Committee Chair Jeri Kladder. “Through Lucky’s experiences,
we are reminded that children support one another just as needy adults do.” --From the
American Library Assn. website.
2007 Newbery Honor Books:
 Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm. "Eleven-year-old Penny looks forward to
spending the summer rooting for the Brooklyn Dodgers and scheming with her cousin
Frankie. Instead she navigates the space between her two families and uncovers the
reason for their estrangement in this funny and touching tale of intergenerational love
set in 1953." --From the American Library Assn. website.
 Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. "Sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks is looking
for a place to belong – a home. In 1918 she leaves Iowa for the Montana prairie. In this
engaging first-person narrative, Hattie strives to forge a new life. Vivid imagery and
careful attention to historical detail distinguish this memorable novel that portrays her
struggle to 'prove her claim.' " --From the American Library Assn. website.
 Rules by Cynthia Lord. “'A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts.'
Twelve-year-old Catherine creates rules for her younger, autistic brother David in an
attempt to normalize his life and her own; but what is normal? In the debut novel,
'Rules,' Lord’s heroine learns to use words to forge connections with her brother, her
workaholic father and a paraplegic friend. With humor and insight, Lord demonstrates
the transforming power of language." American Library Assn. website.
 AUTHOR FOCUS 

Avi has written so many books in so many different genres that he defies definition. Two
of his novels, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Nothing But the
Truth, won Newbery Honors. In 2002, he captured the Newbery Medal with Crispin:
Cross of Lead. He is an excellent writer, always presenting original storylines and
believable characters. His other titles include Bright Shadow, Wolf Rider, and The
Man Who Was Poe.

Jim Murphy writes about history with flair and drama. An American Plague: The
True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 and The
Great Fire, about the fire that nearly destroyed Chicago, won Newbery Honors. He has
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also written about the Alamo, the Civil War and a dramatic blizzard. He brings history
to life by finding the compelling human storyline in events from the past.

Jerry Spinelli has written books in many different genres, each of them unique.
However, they all share common threads: imaginative plots, life-like characters, and
excellent writing. Read Maniac McGee, the story of a boy who runs (literally and
figuratively) from family to family searching for a home. Or try Wringer, a strange but
interesting coming-of-age tale involving pigeons—yes, pigeons. Also try Who Put that
Hair in my Toothbrush?, a humorous family story, or Milkweed, a historical
fiction novel about the Warsaw Ghetto.

Tamora Pierce writes compelling fantasy novels with strong, active heroines. Recent
books include Trickster’s Choice and Trickster’s Queen, set in her imaginary
realm of Tortall, about the daughter of the heroine of her first series, The Song of the
Lioness quartet, and The Will of the Empress, a stand alone book set in the world of
the Circle of Magic series.
 SERIES BOOKS 
 Raven’s Gate by Anthony Horowitz. Famous for the Alex Rider series, this is the first
book in a second horror series. Matt is given the choice between going to jail, or living
on a farm in the middle of nowhere with a creepy old woman. He should have chosen
jail….
 Shakespeare’s Spy by Gary Blackwood. Set after The Shakespeare Stealer and
Shakespeare’s Scribe, this follows Widge as he hones his acting skills and tries to
discover who is stealing from the company. Blackwood is a gifted writer and evokes the
sights, sounds and customs of Elizabethan England.
 REALISTIC FICTION 
 Tangerine by Edward Bloor.
Paul’s whole life has been about the Erik Fisher football
dream. And now to support his older brother’s dream, the whole family is moving to
Florida. Paul plans to use this as a fresh start, and won’t allow his legally-blind status to
keep him off the soccer team. His whole life, his parents have told him he stared at an
eclipse too long, but he’s starting to remember something else—something that involves
Erik. How far will his father go to protect Erik’s dream?
 No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman.
Wallace Wallace is in trouble for writing a
negative book review about Old Shep, My Pal, one of those awful books where the dog
dies. His English teacher gives him detentions, keeping him off the football team, but
this allows him to suggest changes to the school play, an adaptation of—what else?—Old
Shep, My Pal. See the title for his best idea.
 Deep by Susanna Vance.
Thirteen-year-old Birdie is excited about a big change in her
family’s life—they’re moving to the Caribbean! But before they can even get to St. Petts,
Birdie is kidnapped from the dock at St. Maarten. Her only chance for rescue turns out
to be Morgan, a young woman who grew up at sea.
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
Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan. Rachel has lived her whole life in Africa
with her parents, who run a hospital. After they die in an epidemic, she is coerced by a
ruthless neighbor to masquerade as his daughter and visit his father in England. How
will she ever return to Africa?

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan. In this laugh-out-loud novel, a
young teen on the fast track to the juvenile detention center suddenly finds himself
living in rural North Carolina with the outrageously eccentric Applewhite family.
 FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION 
Dr. Franklin’s Island by Ann Halam.
Semi, Miranda and Arnie are the only survivors
of a plane crash. They think they are on a deserted tropical island, but the island is really
home to a mad geneticist who is performing horrifying experiments on humans
involving the transfer of animal genes.
 The Amulet of
Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. This is the first book of a new
fantasy trilogy that takes place in an alternative London ruled by magicians. Magicianin-training, Nathaniel, learns the true name of the djinni Bartimaeus and becomes
involved in intrigue when he tries to get revenge on Simon Loveland.
 Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. This is the first book in a series that also includes
Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind. “Aliens have
attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans
win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses—
and then training them in the arts of war...The early training, not surprisingly, takes the
form of 'games'...Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is
smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the
planet?” –The New York Times
 The Wind on Fire Trilogy by William Nicholson. This newer fantasy series comes highly
recommended by many of last year’s sixth graders. The three volumes are The Wind
Singer, Slaves of the Mastery and Firesong.
 The Thief
by Megan Whalen Turner. Gen is a thief, a very good thief, but the
important thing to remember is that he is not a liar. And while he does not lie, at the
end of the book you learn you have been entirely deceived… A Newbery Honor book with
a compelling narrator and an imaginative, evocative setting.
 ADVENTURES, REAL AND IMAGINED 
 Call of the Wild by Jack London. This classic tale of a man and his dog still captivates
readers today. We follow Buck from his comfortable backyard in California, to the goldrush-era Yukon territory, and eventually to his transformation into a wild wolf. An
exciting read.

Holes by Louis Sachar. One of the best books for young adults to come out in the
past decade. Holes tells the story of the very unlucky Stanley Yelnats, who winds up in a
juvenile detention camp in the middle of the desert after being falsely convicted of theft.
While he is there, he uncovers a mysterious past that involves him, his fellow prisoner
and friend, and the wicked camp warden. An absolute must-read.
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 Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H. L.
Hunley by Sally M. Walker. The Hunley was the first submarine to sink an enemy
vessel, but the same night the crew carried out their historic mission, the submarine
sank. Walker tells the story of the submarine’s discovery, excavation, and recovery from
the ocean floor, as well as explaining how scientists are working to solve the mystery of
what sank the Hunley.
 Touching the Void by Joe Simpson. British mountaineer Joe Simpson falls off the
sheer face of a mountain in the Peruvian Andes, separating himself from his partner and
breaking his leg, and miraculously lives to tell about it. Hailed by critics as “A brilliant,
vivid, gripping, heart-stopping account of their terrifying adventure. . .superbly written.”
 The Wanderer by Sharon Creech. The Wanderer was inspired by a sailing trip that
Creech’s daughter took across the Atlantic Ocean. Sophie, the main character, feels at
one with the waves, the wind and the dolphins; but as the journey continues, a dark
mystery unravels changing the lives of all on board.
 HISTORICAL FICTION 
 I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade by Diane Lee Wilson.
Historical fiction, set in
Mongolia at the time of Kublai Khan. Oyuna’s foot is crushed in an accident and her
tribe shuns her as bad luck. However, her grandmother inspires her to make her own
luck, for on horseback it doesn’t matter that she is crippled.
 The Boxer by Kathleen Karr.
In the 1880’s New York, 15 year old John Woods gets
sent to prison after boxing in a prize fight—a desperate attempt to win some money for
his family. In prison, John meets the man who turns him into a champion boxer, and
gives him the means to fulfill his dream—a permanent home for his family and an
education for himself.
 The Gadget by Paul Zindel.
It’s February, 1945, and Stephen’s family has just moved
from England so his father can work on a secret project in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
What are all the scientists working on? Why is it so secret? And can he trust the
Navagatskys?
 Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper.
After escaping the plague in London, in At the
Sign of the Sugared Plum, Hannah returns to the city in time for the Great Fire of
1666.
 The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence.
Written by a British author and located on the South
Coast of England, constant danger, violence and ‘strange things’ come together in this
fast paced sea adventure. The law says those who salvage goods from a shipwreck can
keep them—as long as there are no survivors. Who can John trust to find his father and
help him back to London? The story continues in The Smugglers and The
Buccaneers.
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
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Fever 1793 is based on an actual epidemic
of yellow fever in Philadelphia that wiped out 5,000 people--or 10 percent of the city's
population--in three months.
 LIFE STORIES 
 Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science by John
Fleischman. In 1848, a gunpowder explosion sent a 3 foot, 13 pound iron tamping rod
through Phineas Gage’s brain. Miraculously, he survived, but his personality was never
the same.
 At Her Majesty’s Request: an African Princess in Victorian England by
Walter Dean Myers. Sarah Forbes Bonetta was kidnapped by a rival tribe and rescued
from ritual sacrifice by a British officer. She was brought to London, where Queen
Victoria took an interest in her and provided for her education.
 Boy by Roald Dahl. In this funny and often bittersweet memoir, Dahl shares the
childhood experiences that informed such books as Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory and James and the Giant Peach. You can also read about Dahl’s
experience as a fighter pilot in WWII in his second memoir, Going Solo.
 Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah. Because Adeline’s mother died while giving
birth to her, she is considered “unlucky.” This memoir tells her story, growing up
unwanted and unloved by her family in China.
 My Losing Season by Pat Conroy. This author of popular adult novels shows us a
different side in this memoir about his love for basketball. Beginning with his childhood
embracing of the sport, Conroy takes us through his high school and college basketball
career and beyond. A must-read for sports fans.
 Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange by Elizabeth Partridge.
Lange took what is perhaps the most famous picture of the Great Depression era, and
gave us an indelible image of the poverty and suffering of that time. But there is much
more to her career and her life than just that photograph. Read about an outstanding
photographer and interesting woman in this picture-filled biography.
* YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE WEBSITES *
Find some new titles by looking at reviews and book lists on one of these websites. Good
luck!
* The Book Report Network: www.teenreads.com
* Reading Rants: http://tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/jen/
* Various lists from the American Library Association:
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2005/booklists.htm
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