Wellesley Middle School Summer Reading List 2013/2014

Entering Seventh Grade

The Amazing Adventures of John Smith Jr., AKA Houdini by Peter Johnson Thirteen-year-old John "Houdini" Smith tries to write a book about what is happening in his life, from his parents' worries about money and his brother in Iraq, to his new understandings of people while he and his friends rake lawns in their East Side Providence, Rhode Island neighborhood. Cold Cereal* by Adam Rex A boy who may be part changeling, twins involved in a bizarre secret experiment, and a clurichaun in a red tracksuit try to save the world from an evil cereal company whose ultimate goal is world domination. I Represent Sean Rosen by Jeff Baron Sean Rosen knows what he wants. A ten-million dollar deal with a big Hollywood studio. The only problem is, he doesn't know a single person in show business. Figuring it out as he goes, Sean makes amazing progress in his quest, which no one else has a clue about. Except you, if you read this book.

The 2013/2014 Entering Seventh Grade Core Summer Reading Book is:

by Gordon Korman
All Cap knows is the isolated farm commune where just he and his grandmother, Rain, live. When Rain is hospitalized, Cap is taken in by a social worker and sent to a public middle school. Smart and capable, innocent and inexperienced (he learned to drive on the farm, but has never watched television), long-haired Cap finds it hard to fit in. From chapter to chapter, the first-person narrative switches from everyone from Cap himself, to his social worker, to her daughter, to the coolest kid in school, and so on. Through all their stories we see Caps unique way of dealing with his very unique situation.

Schooled

The Contender by Robert Lipsyte A Harlem high school dropout escapes from a gang of punks into a boxing gym. There, he learns that being a contender is hard and often discouraging work, but that you don't know anything until you try. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor An African-American family living in Mississippi during the Depression of the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination which the children do not understand. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

All students are required to read the 7th Grade Core Summer Reading Book as
well as one other book from the following list.

War Games by Audrey Couloumbis What were once just boys' games become matters of life and death as Petros and his older brother Zola each wonder if, like their resistance-fighter cousin, they too can make a difference in a Nazioccupied Greece. Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming Traces the life of female aviator Amelia Earhart from her childhood to her final flight, discusses the extensive search for her and her missing plane, and includes photographs, maps, handwritten notes by Amelia, and sidebars. Left for Dead by Peter Nelson Recalls the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis at the end of World War II, the Navy cover-up and unfair court martial of the ship's captain, and how a young boy helped the survivors set the record straight fifty-five years later. Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge Recounts the three months of protest that took place before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s landmark march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery to promote equal rights and help African-Americans earn the right to vote. Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree* by Lauren Tarshis A quirky and utterly logical seventh-grade girl named Emma-Jean Lazarus discovers some interesting results when she gets involved in the messy everyday problems of her peers. Fourmile by Watt Key Twelve-year-old Foster knows in his gut that Dax, the man dating his widowed mother, is a bad seed. When a mysterious stranger arrives at their Alabama farm, a former Army Ranger in Iraq rambling across the country, and Foster believes he has found an ally against Dax. A spurned Dax will be a dangerous enemy, but Foster is increasingly aware that the stranger is just as dangerous, if not more so. So B. It by Sarah Weeks After spending her life with her mentally disabled mother and agoraphobic neighbor, twelve-year-old Heidi sets out from Reno, Nevada, to New York to find out who she is.

Maze Runner (series)* by James Dashner Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape. The Silver Bowl by Diane Stanley From the age of seven when she became scullery maid in a castle, Molly has seen visions of the future which, years later, lead her and friend Tobias on an adventure to keep Alaric, the heir to the throne, safe from a curse.

Crazy Weekend by Gary Soto Seventh-grader Hectors and Mandos visit to Uncle Julio in Fresno turns unexpectedly exciting when their photograph of a robbery is published in the newspaper and they are pursued by the hilariously inept thugs. Guys Read: Funny Business* by multiple authors A collection of humorous stories featuring a teenaged mummy, a homicidal turkey, and the world's largest pool of chocolate milk. How Lamars Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen When thirteen-year-old, bowling-obsessed Lamar Washington finds out that his idol is coming to town, he finds himself involved in some unsavory activities as he tries to change his image to impress people.

Anyas War by Andrea Alban Anya Rosen moves with her family from Odessa to Shanghai in order to escape religious persecution from Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, but after Anya discovers a newborn baby abandoned in the middle of the street and her hero, Amelia Earhart, goes missing, Anya fears that there is no safe place for her family.
Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel In 1973, when a renowned Canadian behavioral psychologist pursues his latest research projectan experiment to determine whether chimpanzees can acquire advanced language skillshe brings home a baby chimp named Zan and asks his thirteen-year-old son to treat Zan like a little brother. Cinde*r by Marissa Meyer (sequel Scarlet is now available) Cinder, a gifted mechanic and a cyborg with a mysterious past, is blamed by her stepmother for her stepsister's illness while a deadly plague decimates the population of New Beijing, but when Cinder's life gets intertwined with Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle.

Cold Case by Julia Platt Leonard When thirteen-year-old Oz Keillor finds a dead body in his family's Santa Fe, New Mexico, restaurant, he is determined to solve the mystery in which his older brother is implicated, but which also involves their long-dead father, who was accused of being a spy.

Guys Read: Thrille*r by multiple authors A body on the tracks A teenage terrorist A mysterious wish-granting machine The world's worst private detective The second volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading is chock-full of mystery, intrigue, and nefarious activity. Featuring some of the best writers around, and compiled by certified guy Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Thriller is a pulse-pounding collection of brand-new short stories, each one guaranteed to keep you riveted until the final page. London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye ferris wheel, the two siblings must work togetherTed with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Katto try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.

Breakaway by Andrea Montalbano When seventh-grade soccer star L.J. befriends Tabitha, who could not be more different from her, L.J. learns to curb her competitive nature, which has been slowly alienating her friends. The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John H. Ritter The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato. Peak by Roland Smith After Peak is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. Peak chooses the latter, but quickly realizes that his fathers reasons for wanting Peak with him arent completely innocent.

Mouse Guard by David Petersen (series) A graphic comic about the world of Mouse Guard, mice with capes and swords defending themselves against their enemies as if they were Knights of the Round Table. Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale Rapunzel, raised in a grand villa surrounded by towering walls, dreams of a different mother than Gothel, the woman she calls Mother. She climbs over the wall and finds out the truth. Her real mother, Kate, is a slave in Gothel's gold mine. In this Old West retelling, Rapunzel uses her hair as a lasso and to take on outlaws. Satchel Page by James Sturm A graphic novel account of the career of Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige, discussing the show he put on as a popular player, as well as the respect he demanded as an African-American.

* These books have a sequel, companion, or are part of a

series. Any connected book counts towards the summer reading requirement.