Summer Reading

For the 2020-2021 school year, summer reading is highly recommended but not required.

8th Grade Summer Reading Book Titles

*All students are encouraged to read two books from the following list of titles upon entering 8th grade.

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing--and their lives--forever.

Ransom by Lois Duncan

The lives of five captives hang in the balance while their families gather the ransom. Two brothers, their family frantic to find their sons. A loner whose uncle doesn’t even know he’s missing. An Army brat whose family will never be able to raise enough money. And a cheerleader who can’t count on her stepdad, but knows her father will come through.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

In an alternate United States, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the Cure. Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Portland, Maine, Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. She watched love destroy her mother and isn't about to make the same mistakes.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena meets enigmatic Alex, a boy from the Wilds who lives under the government's radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

Reboot by Amy Tintera

Wren Connolly died five years ago, only to Reboot after 178 minutes. Now she is one of the deadliest Reboots around . . . unlike her newest trainee, Callum 22, who is practically still human. As Wren tries to teach Callum how to be a soldier, his hopeful smile works its way past her defenses. Unfortunately, Callum’s big heart also makes him a liability, and Wren is ordered to eliminate him. To save Callum, Wren will have to risk it all.

I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Emily Bell believes in destiny. To her, being forced to sing a solo in the church choir--despite her average voice--is fate: because it's while she's singing that she first sees Sam. At first sight, they are connected.

Sam Border wishes he could escape, but there's nowhere for him to run. He and his little brother, Riddle, have spent their entire lives constantly uprooted by their unstable father. That is, until Sam sees Emily. That's when everything changes.

As Sam and Riddle are welcomed into the Bells' lives, they witness the warmth and protection of a family for the first time. But when tragedy strikes, they're left fighting for survival in the desolate wilderness, and wondering if they'll ever find a place where they can belong.

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?

But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.

And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team.

But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.
 

7th Grade Summer Reading Book Titles

This year incoming 7th grade students may choose a summer reading book from the list provided. An assignment for the book will be given at the beginning of the school year. 

1. A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
2. Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
3. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer 
4. The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (or any The 39 Clues book) 
5. From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess by Meg Cabot 
6. I Funny: A Middle School Story by James Patterson 
7. QB1 by Mike Lupica

6th Grade Summer Reading Book Titles

1. Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan (any in series)
2. 39 Clues by Rick Riordan (any in series)
3. Rules by Cynthia Lewis
4. Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis (any in series)
5. Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman
6. Pay It Forward Young Reader's Edition by Catherine Hyde
7. Last Man Out by Mike Lupica
8. One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
9. The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter
10. Fish in a Tree by Lynda Hunt
11. New Kid by Time Greene