PORT JEFFERSON MIDDLE SCHOOLAdditional Summer Reading Ideas, Reading Levels: Grade 4 - 7

FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADES 6 AND 7

You are encouraged to read two books this summer of your own choice. If you wouldlike some suggestions, read through the titles and descriptions that follow.

Suggested Titles for Readers -Grades 4, 5, 6 & 7

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by KinneyMiddle school student Greg Heffley takes readers through an academic year's worth of drama. Greg's mother forces him to keep adiary ("I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I specifically told her to get one that didn't say'diary' on it"), and in it he loosely recounts each day's events, interspersed with his comic illustrations.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by KinneySecrets have a way of getting out, especially when a diary is involved. Whatever you do, don’t ask Greg Heffley how he spent hissummer vacation, because he definitely doesn’t want to talk about it. As Greg enters the new school year, he’s eager to put thepast three months behind him . . . and one event in particular. Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, knows all aboutthe incident Greg wants to keep under wraps. But secrets have a way of getting out . . . especially when a diary is involved.

Love That Dog by CreechNewbery Medal winner Sharon Creech's Love That Dog, a funny, sweet, original short novel written in free verse, introduces us toan endearingly unassuming, straight-talking boy who discovers the powers and pleasures of poetry, against his will. After all, "boysdon't write poetry. Girls do."

Lawn Boy by PaulsenLearning the workings of the free-market economy has never been more fun than in this tall tale of entrepreneurship set in EdenPrairie, MN. When the narrator's grandmother gives him an old rider mower for his 12th birthday, his life changes; he senses "somekind of force behind it." Almost as soon as he figures out how to run it, the boy is in business—by the second day he has eight jobs.When he mows the lawn of Arnold Howell, an aging hippie e-trader, the cash-poor man offers a stock-market account in lieu ofpayment. Arnold not only invests the money; he also offers business advice.

The Tale of Despereaux by DiCamilloA tidy tale of mice and men, exploring the "powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous" nature of love, hope, and forgiveness. This old-fashioned, somewhat dark story, narrated "Dear Reader"-style, begins "within the walls of a castle, with the birth of a mouse."Despereaux Tilling, the new baby mouse, is different from all other mice. Sadly, the romantic, unmouselike spirit that leads theunusually tiny, large-eared mouse to the foot of the human king and the beautiful Princess Pea ultimately causes him to bebanished by his own father to the foul, rat-filled dungeon.

Fig Pudding, by FletcherTwelve-year-old Cliff, the oldest of six children ("Abernathys always overdo everything”), recalls the past year inepisodes focusing on his brothers and his sister. The year was bittersweet. There were good times, but there werealso ones he'd like to forget--among them, the death of one brother, an event that will move readers to tears.Fletcher captures perfectly the humor, irritations, and sadness of life in a large, close-knit family and makes Cliff asympathetic and thoughtful narrator, occasionally bewildered by his siblings' antics but always a completelybelievable older brother.

The Tower Treasure (Hardy Boys), by Dixon"Come on, boys. I found a swell clue!" The Hardy Boys emerge from a 1927 time capsule, but amazingly, are unscathed. Theseyoung detectives--favorites to generations of young readers--burst into the twenty-first century, chasing a friend's stolen jalopy,uncovering a thief's disguise, digging in the garden of the Tower mansion.

The Report Card by Andrew ClementsFifth-grader Nora Rowley has a problem with grades, and her latest report card, with five D's and one C, proves it. What nobodyknows because she's kept it a secret is that she is really a genius and has earned those low marks on purpose because of her friendStephen. She doesn't like the way tests make him feel about himself (dumb); plus, she can do without the stress as teachersprepare students for the state achievement test. The plan she hatches to sabotage test scores eventually begins to backfire, andthe plot develops steadily around that crisis.

Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark is Rising, Book 1) by CooperThe first of Susan Cooper's series of five books, which comprise The Dark Is Rising, belie a series of sinister adventures. The Drewchildren Simon, Jane, and Barney find an old map in a hidden room while summering at the Grey House in Cornwall. Along withtheir Great-Uncle Merry, they become embroiled in a web of intrigue that surrounds an Arthurian legend.

Number the Stars, by LowryThe evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, wordgot out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance,population and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bringthis courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose familyharbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen's family out of the country.

Dear Mr. Henshaw by ClearyWhen, in second grade, Leigh writes to an author to tell him how much he "licked" his book, he never suspects that he'll still bewriting to him four years later. And he never imagines the kinds of things he'll be writing about: Dear Mr. Henshaw, I am sorry Iwas rude in my last letter... Maybe I was mad about other things, like Dad forgetting to send this month's support payment. Momtried to phone him at the trailer park where, as Mom says, he hangs his hat.It's not easy being the new kid in town, with recently divorced parents, no dog anymore, and a lunch that gets stolen every day (allthe "good stuff," anyway). Writing letters, first to the real Mr. Henshaw, and then in a diary to a pretend Mr. Henshaw, may be justwhat he needs.

Ralph S. Mouse by ClearyLiving in a knothole in a hotel room, Ralph, a mouse, has seen plenty of families come and go, some more generous with theircrumbs than others. But when young Keith and his parents check in to the hotel, Ralph gets his first chance to check out. He hasalways fantasized about venturing beyond the second floor, maybe even outside. Curiosity overcomes caution, and Ralph must havea go at Keith's toy motorcycle. Soon, the headstrong mouse finds himself in a pickle, when all he wanted was to ride a motorcycle.

Swindle, by Gordon KormanAfter a mean collector named Swindle cons him out of his most valuable baseball card, Griffin Bing must put together a band ofmisfits to break into Swindle's compound and recapture the card. There are many things standing in their way -- a menacing guarddog, a high-tech security system, a very secret hiding place, and their inability to drive -- but Griffin and his team are going to getback what's rightfully his . . . even if hijinks ensue.