Dear 7th Graders and Parents,
This club welcomes any 7th grader who would like to join and any parent who wishes to volunteer as
a meeting assistant!
Harmony Book Club will meet once a month, starting in October. Students will have lunch in the
library on a designated day each month (schedule to follow once groups have been assigned) while
they discuss the book of the month in a small group setting. Discussions will be facilitated by
students. The included books are those that have been nominated for the Middle School Level of
the 2014-2015 Virginia Reader’s Choice Award as well as other “must-read” books recommended by
Harmony students and staff for this age group. Upon conclusion of the program, each student will
have a chance to vote for the book that he/she thinks should win the prestigious Virginia Reader’s
Choice (VRC) award! Our votes will be tallied with all other participating Virginia schools at the
annual Virginia State Reading Association conference in the spring. The Virginia Reader’s Choice
winner will then be awarded! The selections for this year are:
1) Ungifted (VRC) by Gordon Korman: When Donovan Curtis pulls a major prank at his middle school,
he thinks he’s finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of
getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for
gifted and talented students. Although it wasn’t exactly what Donovan had intended, the ASD
couldn’t be a more perfectly unexpected hideout for someone like him. But as the students and
teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about
anything), he shows that his gifts may be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.
2) One for the Murphys (VRC) by Lynda Mullaly Hunt: Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep
her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the
Murphys, she's blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never
thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household. Despite her
resistance, the Murphys eventually show her what it feels like to belong--until her mother wants
her back and Carley has to decide where and how to live. She's not really a Murphy, but the gifts
they've given her have opened up a new future.
3) Drums,Girls,and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick: Thirteen-year-old Steven has a totally
normal life: he plays drums in the All-Star Jazz band, has a crush on the hottest girl in the school,
and is constantly annoyed by his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey. But when Jeffrey is diagnosed with
leukemia, Steven's world is turned upside down. He is forced to deal with his brother's illness and
his parents' attempts to keep the family in one piece. Salted with humor and peppered with
devastating realities, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie is a heartwarming journey through a year in
the life of a family in crisis.
4) Trash by Andy Mulligan: In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three
“dumpsite boys” make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large
city. One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious. So
mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its
return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use
all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers. It’s up to Raphael, Gardo, and Rat—
boys who have no education, no parents, no homes, and no money—to solve the mystery and right a
terrible wrong.
5) Endangered (VRC) by Eliot Schrefer: When one girl has to follow her mother to her Congo
sanctuary for bonobos, she's not thrilled to be there. It's her mother's passion, and she'd rather
have nothing to do with it. But when revolution breaks out and their sanctuary is attacked, she must
rescue the bonobos and hide in the jungle. Together, they will fight to keep safe, to eat, and to
survive.
6) Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein: Kyle Keeley is the class clown,
popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word
games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative
gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town
library. Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight
of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and
the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route.
And the stakes are very high. This book is like a cross between Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory and A Night in the Museum!
7) How They Croaked (VRC) by Georgia Bragg: Over the course of history men and women have
lived and died. In fact, getting sick and dying can be a big, ugly mess-especially before the modern
medical care that we all enjoy today. How They Croaked relays all the gory details of how nineteen
world figures gave up the ghost. Readers will be fascinated well past the final curtain, and feel
lucky to live in a world with painkillers, X-rays, soap, and 911.
8) Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix: One night a plane appeared out of nowhere, the only
passengers aboard: thirty-six babies. As soon as they were taken off the plane, it vanished. Now,
thirteen years later, two of those children are receiving sinister messages, and they begin to
investigate their past. Their quest to discover where they really came from leads them to a
conspiracy that reaches from the far past to the distant future—and will take them hurtling
through time.
9) Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper: Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but
she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever
experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her
classmates in her integrated classroom—the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally
challenged, because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral
palsy. And she’s determined to let everyone know it…somehow. In this breakthrough story—
reminiscent of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly—from multiple Coretta Scott King Award-winner
Sharon Draper, readers will come to know a brilliant mind and a brave spirit who will change forever
how they look at anyone with a disability.
Students participating in the Virginia Reader’s Choice Program must read a minimum of 4 (out of
10) nominated books to be eligible to vote in April. The remaining nominees (not assigned to a
specific month) are:
Bomb - The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
Cinder by Marissa Mayer
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lia
Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
On the Day I Died by Candace Fleming
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
*Read some of these as well if you have time  They will be listed on the VRC Ballot in April!
The 7th Grade Book Club program is new to Harmony this year! We encourage your child to take this
opportunity to read some amazing books and share his/her thoughts regarding the books with their
peers.
All students wishing to participate should fill out the attached registration form and return to
school no later than OCTOBER 7TH. On the attached page, you will see an order form for the
books we will be reading. If you wish to purchase the books, please fill out the form, attach a check
payable to “Harmony Middle School”, and return it with your order. Our Library has limited copies
of each book; these books will be available on a first come, first serve basis. These books are also
available through the Loudoun County Public Library.
HELP! We need the participation of parents in order to make this program possible. It is only a 30
minute per month obligation. Parent assistants will simply provide supervision of student groups and
guidance when necessary. Once all applications have been received and we have secured parent
volunteers, we will send home a letter with your child that lists his/her group, group contact
information, and the dates of each meeting.
Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Wendy Ricci
CCE Library Media Specialist
(703) 957-4480
wendy.ricci@lcps.org
REGISTRATION AND BOOK ORDER FORM
Please complete and return by OCTOBER 7TH
________(please
check)
1. Yes, I would like to sign my child up for Harmony Book Club!
Child’s Name_________________________________________________________
Block 3 Teacher______________________________________________________
Block 7 Teacher______________________________________________________
English Teacher_______________________________________________________
Parent’s email address__________________________________________________
(By providing this address, you agree to be added to our Book Club email contact list which will be shared with our
parent assistants and book club members. It is our primary means of communication for the school year. If you wish
to be contacted another way, please provide the necessary information above.)
2. My child DOES/DOES NOT
(circle one)
have food allergies that would be a concern
during the book club meeting. If so, please specify any
accommodations______________________________________________________.
________(please
check)
3. Yes, I would like to be a Parent Assistant!
Name_______________________________________________________________
Home Phone________________________Cell Phone__________________________
3. Complete the order form below (many students like to have their own copies of the
books we readFall Book Fair)
books will be ordered from Scholastic and profits will benefit our school in the same way as the
OR
___________(please
check)
My child will get a copy of each book from the Harmony
library (if available), public library, an eReader, or another way.
4. Make check payable to “Harmony Middle School” and attach check to form.
HARMONY BOOK CLUB ORDER FORM
Please mark the books you would like to order for Harmony Book Club:
Quantity
Title
Endangered
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
How They Croaked
One for the Murphys
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
Ungifted
Out of My Mind
Price
6.99
6.99
9.99
6.99
9.99
6.99
6.99
(Free @ LCPL- 1 Book 1 Community Program!)
Trash
Found
TOTAL FOR ALL BOOKS $70.91
8.99
6.99
Total
payment
Total