Postcards to the Library

The Pingry School Library

Short Hills Campus

Summer Reading List 2013

Grades

4-5

Postcards

to the Library

June 2013

A Message to Pingry Families

Fostering a love of reading is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. The

Lower School Library Summer Reading Lists have been developed to encourage reading

and to guide our students with their book choices during the summer. Reading for

pleasure during this time will continue the development of reading skills and instill a love

of reading that will last a lifetime.

We recommend that students read a selection of books from their reading list. Many

different books, from challenging to easier titles, are listed. While specific book titles are

provided, students may read any title by the authors listed.

The books are divided into fiction, nonfiction, poetry, folktales, and biographies and the

titles are annotated to help in the selection process. Hopefully, every child will find

something on the list which will spark their interest in reading.

The following information and resources can be found in this booklet:

 Postcards to the Library Program - Students send picture postcards to the

library letting us know the books they are reading and how they are enjoying their

summer vacation. See directions for participation on the next page.

 Reading Log - Record the titles and authors of books read during the summer on

the reading log located in the back of the booklet. Count how many books are

read by the end of the summer!

 Lower School Library Website – Check out the website for Summer Reading

Lists and subscription databases for research and fun activities. Please see

directions on the back page of this booklet to access the website.

 Tumblebooks – An online collection of e-books offering animated, read-aloud

picture books and chapter books. It offers both fiction and non-fiction titles and

related games and activities. Log on information is on the back page.

 eBooks – Check out and read eBooks from the collection on the library website or

by using the free App, Follettshelf. View the selection on your computer, iPad,

iPhone, iPod, or tablet. See directions to download the books to enjoy reading

online or offline.

Have a Wonderful Summer and Happy Reading!

Sincerely,

Mrs. D’Innocenzo

Lower School Librarian

Send Postcards to the Library

The Pingry School

50 Country Day Drive

Short Hills, NJ 07078

How to Participate in Postcards to the Library:

 During the summer send picture postcards to the library at the

above address.

 A picture postcard can be sent from anywhere – even from your

own hometown or from Grandma’s house.

 Send one postcard for each book read. The more books read, the

more postcards can be sent.

 Include the book title, author’s name, and your first and last name.

 Write a short description of what you liked about the book and how

you are enjoying the summer vacation.

 Each postcard becomes an entry for a drawing to be held the first

week of school in September.

 Prizes of gift certificates to the Fall Book Fair will be awarded at

that time.

 All postcards will be displayed in the hallway at Back-to-School

Night and later placed in an album available in the library.

Have a wonderful summer!

Happy Reading!

Dear Mrs. D’Innocenzo,

I am having a wonderful time

at camp in Vermont.

I play sports, go swimming,

and have time to read every night

before dinner.

I have just finished reading

Charlie and the Chocolate

Factory by Roald Dahl. It was a

great book and I loved it!

Your friend,

Taylor Jones

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 1

The Pingry Lower School Library

2013 Summer Reading List

Students Entering Grades 4 and 5

Fiction

The titles are presented by genre. Enjoy different kinds of fiction!

Fiction – Adventure/Action

Balliett, Blue. Holdfast. Scholastic, 2013. The story of a girl, Early, whose father has disappeared

and now she, her mother and her brother have been forced to flee their apartment and move

into homeless shelter---and it is up to her to hold her family together and solve the mystery

surrounding her father.

Barry, Dave and Ridley Pearson. Peter and the Starcatchers. Hyperion, 2004. Peter, an orphan

boy, and his friend Molly fight off thieves and pirates in order to keep the secret safe from

the Black Stache and his evil associate Mister Grin. Also read the sequels, Peter and the

Shadow Thieves, Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, and Peter and the Sword of Mercy.

Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks. Random House, 2005.

While vacationing with their father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters share

adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother. Also read The

Penderwicks on Gardam Street and The Penderwicks at Point Mouette.

Carman, Patrick. Floors. Scholastic, 2011. Leo, the son of the maintenance man of the Whippet Hotel,

opens a series of cryptic boxes which reveals hidden floors, strange puzzles, and unexpected

alliances and leads him on an adventure to save the building and his future.

3 Below. Scholastic, 2013. (Sequel to Floors)Leo has explored the Whippet Hotel from top to

bottom, discovering trains, flying goats, and mazes, and when he learns the secret beneath the

hotel, a new adventure will begins.

DiCamillo, Kate. The Magician’s Elephant. Candlewick Press, 2009.

Ten-year-old orphan Peter Augustus Duchene meets a fortune teller who tells him his sister,

who was presumed dead, is actually alive. Peter embarks on a remarkable adventure to find her.

DuBois, William Pene. The Twenty-One Balloons. Viking, 1975.

After setting out from San Francisco in a hot-air balloon bound across the Pacific, Professor

Sherman is picked up in the Atlantic clinging to wreckage.

Gutman, Dan. Mission Unstoppable (Genius Files). Harper, 2011. On a cross-country vacation

with their parents, twins Coke and Pepsi, try to come to terms with being part of a top-secret

government organization known as The Genius Files. Includes Google Maps coordinates to

follow along. Read sequels: Never Say Genius (2012) and You Only Die Twice (2013).

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 2

Hiaasen, Carl. Chomp. Knopf, 2012.

The difficult star of the reality TV show “Expedition Survival” disappears on location in the

Florida Everglades. Wahoo Crane and his friend Tuna set out to find him.

Hiaasen, Carl. Scat. Knopf, 2009.

Nick and Marta are both suspicious when their biology teacher, the feared Mrs. Bunny

Starch, disappears, and they try to uncover the truth despite the police and headmaster’s

insistence that nothing is wrong

Johnson-Shelton, Nils. The Invisible Tower. Harper, 2012.

A twelve-year-old boy learns that he is actually King Arthur brought back to life in the

twenty-first century — and that the fate of the universe rests in his hands.

Korman, Gordon. Swindle. Scholastic, 2008.

After an unscrupulous collector cons him out of a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin

Bing and a band of friends plot to steal the card back, intending to use the money to finance

his father’s failing invention.

Korman, Gordon. Hideout. Scholastic, 2013. (5

book in Swindle series) Luthor's former owner,

Swindle, is back trying to reclaim his dog, and it is up to Griffin Bing, Savannah Drysdale

and their friends to hide the Doberman until they can come up with a plan to rescue him

from the vicious crook.

Korman, Gordon. Zoobreak. Scholastic, 2009.

After a class trip to a floating zoo where animals are abused and a missing pet monkey is

found in a cage, Griffin Bing and his band of misfits plan a rescue.

Lowry, Lois. The Willoughbys. Houghton Mifflin, 2008.

A tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes, in which the four Willoughby children set out to

become “deserving orphans” after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-

the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.

Mlynowski, Sarah. Fairest of All. Scholastic, 2013. After moving to a new house, ten-year-old Abby

and her younger brother Jonah discover an antique mirror that transports them into the Snow

White fairy tale.

If the Shoe Fits. Scholastic, 2013. (Sequel to

Fairest of All

). On their second adventure

through the magic mirror Abby and Jonah find themselves in the Cinderella fairy tale--and that

is when things start to go really wrong.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynold. Shiloh. Atheneum, 1991.

Marty finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, and tries to hide it from

his family and the dog’s real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season

and to mistreat his dogs. Newbery Medal 1961.

Palacio, R.J. Wonder. Knopf, 2012. Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman was born with extreme facial

abnormalities and was not expected to survive. He goes from being home-schooled to

entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan where he endures taunts from

his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

.Peck, Richard. The Mouse With the Question Mark Tail. Dial, 2013. Mouse Minor, an

undersized orphan with a question mark-shaped tail, is uncertain of his heritage. He attends

a prestigious school but is bullied by his classmates. He flees beyond familiar territory and

ends up in the palace, where the staff is frantically preparing for the Queen's Diamond

Jubilee. All the while, Mouse Minor is unaware that spies are tracking his every move.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 3

Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. Atheneum Books, 1987. After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends

fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only a hatchet. Read the sequels

The River, Brian’s Winter, Brian’s Return, and Brian’s Hunt.

Stead, Rebecca. Liar and Spy. Wendy Lamb Books, 2012. Seventh-grader Georges adjusts to

moving from a house to an apartment, his father's efforts to start a new business, his

mother's extra shifts as a nurse, being picked on at school, and Safer, a boy who wants his

help spying on another resident of their building.

Stewart, Trenton Lee. The Mysterious Benedict Society. Little, Brown, 2007.

After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission

that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened,

where the only rule is that there are no rules. Read the sequels.

Fiction – Fantasy & Science Fiction

Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan. Harper, 2012.

When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets

Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a

better life. A story of friendship. Inspired by a true story. Newbery Award Winner 2013.

Baker, E. D. Wide-Awake Princess. Bloomsbury, 2010.

Annie, the younger sister of the princess known as Sleeping Beauty, is immune to magic.

Annie stays awake when everyone in the castle falls into an enchanted sleep, then sets out to

break the spell.

Unlocking the Spell : a Tale of the Wide-Awake Princess. Bloomsbury 2012.

Princess Annabelle, who is immune to magic and can temporarily reverse spells put on

others, encounters various fairy tale characters when she embarks on an expedition into the

woods to find a dwarf responsible for turning Sleeping Beauty's prince into a bear.

Banks, Lynne Reid. The Indian in the Cupboard. HarperTrophy, 2003, 1980.

A magic cupboard turns toys into live people and animals. Also read the sequels.

Birney, Betty G. Summer According to Humphrey. Putnams, 2010. When summer arrives,

Humphrey, the pet hamster of Longfellow School's Room twenty-six, is surprised and

pleased to learn that he will be going to Camp Happy Hollow.

Buckley, Michael. The Council of Mirrors (The Sisters Grimm: Book 9). Amulet, 2012.

Hoping to save their family and the citizens of Ferryport Landing from the evil plans of

Mirror, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm seek counsel from the other magic mirrors, who advise

them to join forces with the Scarlet Hand. Read series books 1-9.

Cole, Henry. A Nest for Celeste : a Story about Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home.

Katherine Tegan, 2012. Celeste, a mouse longing for a real home, becomes a source of

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 4

inspiration to teenaged Joseph, assistant to the artist and naturalist John James Audubon, at a

New Orleans, Louisiana, plantation in 1821.

Colfer, Eoin. Artemis Fowl. Hyperion Books, 2001.

When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and

demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a nasty troll.

D’Lacey, Chris. Dark Fire. Scholastic, 2010.

David Rain returns to help Lucy and the Pennykettle dragons find a drop of dark fire before

it is used to birth a darkling. In the Arctic, shrouded in mist, hide dragons that have at last

returned to Earth. Read the Last Dragon Chronicles.

Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Knopf, 2001, c1964.

Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr. Willy Wonka’s

mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the situation in their own way. A rags-to-

riches story, where poor little Charlie Bucket strives to outlast the selfish other four

candidates in the quest to win the grand prize.

Dahl, Roald. Matilda. Viking, 1988.

Matilda applies her mental powers to rid the school of the evil headmistress, Miss

Trunchbull, and restore her nice teacher, Miss Honey.

Dahl, Roald. BFG. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1982.

Kidsnatched from her orphanage by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who spends his life

blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie concocts a plan to save the world from nine other

man-gobbling cannybull giants.

Dahl, Roald. James and the Giant Peach. Knopf, 1961.

Wonderful adventures abound after James escapes from his fearsome aunts by rolling away

inside a giant peach.

DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux. Candlewick Press, 2003.

The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess he

loves, the servant girl longing to be a princess, and a rat determined to bring them all to ruin.

Newbery Medal 2004.

DiCamillo, Kate. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Candlewick Press, 2006. Edward

Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself, until he is separated from

the little girl who adores him. He travels across the country, acquiring new owners and

listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories.

D’Lacey,Chris. The Fire Within (Last Dragon Chronicles). Scholastic, 2001.

Magical story about mysterious hand crafted clay dragons who have unusual powers. When

David moves in with Liz and Lucy, he discovers a collection of hand crafted, clay dragons

that comes to life and has magical powers.

DuPrau, Jeanne. City of Ember. Random House, 2003.

The city of Ember has no natural light, and the blackouts of its old electrical grid are occurring

more frequently. Twelve-year-old friends Doon and Lina are determined to save the city.

Read the sequels in the series: The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, and

The Diamond of Darkhold.

Funke, Cornelia. Inkheart. Scholastic, 2003.

Meggie learns that her father (Moe) can “read” fictional characters to life when an evil ruler

is freed from the novel “Inkheart” and tries to force Moe to release an immortal monster

from the story. Read the rest of the trilogy, Inkspell and Inkdeath.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 5

George, Jessica. Tuesdays at the Castle. Bloomesbury, 2011. Princess Celie loves Tuesdays at

Castle Glower, because every Tuesday the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes a

whole new wing, and Celie likes to map the changes. When her parents, King and Queen

Glower are taken captive, Celie uses her knowledge of the castle to save the kingdom.

Gutman, Dan. Return of the Homework Machine. Simon & Schuster, 2009.

After discarding their homework machine, four friends find themselves in trouble in an

incident involving a powerful computer chip and a Grand Canyon treasure.

Gutman, Dan. Ted & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure. Harper, 2012.

When Stosh travels back in time to 1941, hoping to prevent the Japanese attack on Pearl

Harbor that brought the U.S. into WWII, he meets Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters

in baseball history. Read any title in this series.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. Simon & Schuster, 1998.

In a future where the law limits each family to only two children, third-child Luke has lived

in isolation and fear on his family’s farm, until another “third” convinces him that the

government is wrong. Read the Shadow Children series.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Found. (Missing Series). Simon & Schuster, 2008.

When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered

on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize

that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel.

Hale, Shannon. Princess Academy. Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2005.

While attending a strict academy for potential princesses, fourteen-year-old Miri discovers

unexpected talents and connections to her homeland.

Holt, Kimberly Willis. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. Holt, 1999.

During the summer of 1971 in a small Texas town, thirteen-year-old Toby and his best

friend Cal meet a sideshow star, 600-pound Zachary, the fattest boy in the world.

Hunter, Erin. Into the Wild (The Warriors S

eries). Harper Collins, c. 2003.

Four clans of wild cats share a forest. One clan decides to change “hunting rites” and their peace

is challenged. Read other books in the Warriors, The Seekers, and Omen of the Stars series.

Ibbotson, Eve. The Ogre of Oglefort. Dutton, 2011.

Ivo, an orphan boy, teams up with the Hag of Dribble and a troll called Ulf to rescue a princess

from the Ogre of Oglefort, but things turn out differently when they arrive at the ogre’s castle

only to find a contented princess and a depressed ogre inside.

Juster, Norton. The Phantom Tollbooth. Random House, 1961.

Milo travels through a magical tollbooth and journeys to the Kingdom of Wisdom, where he

and a “watch” dog named Tock try to end the feud between numbers and words..

Kessler, Liz. Emily Windsnap and the Siren’s Secret. Candlewick Press, 2009.

Emily Windsnap is enjoying a peaceful existence with the other merpeople on Allpoints

Island, until she learns they must return to Brightport to stop a construction project that

threatens a secret mermaid community.

LaFevers, R. L. Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos. Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

Theodosia can detect black magic and ancient curses cast on objects in the Museum of

Legends and Antiquities, where her father is curator. She discovers that an Egyptian artifact is

cursed and must be returned to its original tomb before disaster strikes.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 6

Law, Ingrid. Savvy. Dial Books, 2008.

The adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her “savvy” – a

magical power unique to each member of her family – just as her father is injured in a terrible

accident. Newbery Honor 2009. Coretta Scott King Award 2009.

Law, Ingrid. Scumble. Dial Books, 2010.

In this companion book to Savvy, M. B.’s cousin, Ledge, is disappointed to discover that his

“savvy” – his personal magical power – is to make things fall apart.

L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962.

Three extraterrestrial beings take Meg, her brother, and her friend to another world in search

of her missing father. Newbery Medal 1963.

Levine, Gail Carson. A Tale of Two Castles. Harper, 2011. Twelve-year-old Elodie journeys to Two

Castles in hopes of studying acting but instead becomes apprentice to a dragon, who teaches her

to be observant and use reasoning, thus helping her to uncover who is poisoning the king.

Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia). Harper Collins,

1950. Four English schoolchildren find their way through a wardrobe into the magic land of

Narnia and help Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch who has cursed the

land with eternal winter. Read all of the Chronicles of Narnia.

Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Little, Brown, 2009.

Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish and joins a dragon

who cannot fly a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon. Newbery Honor.

Lin, Grace. Starry River of the Sky. Little, Brown 2012 Companion book to: Where the Mountain

Meets the Moon. Rendi is a runaway, working at an inn in the Village of Clear Sky. No one

else seems to notice that the moon is missing and that the sky moans in pain all night long,

until the mysterious Madame Chang arrives and Rendi discovers that the visitor's stories

hold the key to returning the moon to the Starry River of the Sky.

Martin, Ann. The Doll People. Hyperion Books for Children, 2000.

A family of porcelain dolls that has lived in the same house for one hundred years is taken

aback when a new family of plastic dolls arrives and doesn’t follow The Doll Code of

Honor. Also read The Meanest Doll in the World and The Runaway Dolls.

Oliver, Lauren. The Spindlers. Harper, 2012. Accompanied by an eccentric, human-sized rat, Liza

embarks on a perilous quest through an underground realm to save her brother Patrick, whose

soul has been stolen by the evilest of creatures--the spider-like spindlers.

Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. Knopf, 2003.

The harrowing adventure of Eragon, a peasant boy who discovers a strange rock that

happens to be a lost, coveted dragon’s egg. Read sequels Eldest and Brisingr.

Prineas, Sarah. The Magic Thief. Harper Collins, 2008.

Conn’s life is changed forever after he tries to pick the pocket of the wizard Nevery, but

instead gets a strong jolt of magic. Rather than punishing the boy, Nevery begins teaching

him magic, and enlists Conn’s help in finding the person who has been stealing the city’s

dwindling magic supply.

Reiche, Dietlof. Freddy’s Final Quest. Scholastic, 2003.

In Book 5 of the Golden Hamster Saga, Freddy the hamster and his animal friends travel

back in time to Assyria.

. Read any title in the series

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 7

Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians). Hyperion, 2005.

Percy, expelled from six schools for his uncontrollable temper, learns that his father is the

Greek god Poseidon. Percy is sent to Camp Half Blood, where he is befriended by the

demigod daughter of Athena, who joins him in a journey to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus’s

lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war.

Lost Hero. Hyperion, 2010.

Jason, Piper, and Leo, three students from a school for “bad kids,” find themselves at Camp

Half-Blood, where they learn that they are demigods and begin a quest to free Hera, who has

been imprisoned by Mother Earth herself.

The Red Pyramid. (Kane Chronicles, Book 1). Hyperion, 2010.

The brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane accidentally unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who

banishes him to oblivion. Carter and Sadie Kane must embark on a dangerous quest to save

their father, in the first story of the Kane Chronicles.

The Throne of Fire (Kane

Chronicles Series, Book 2). Hyperion, 2011 The Serpent’s Shadow. Hyperion, 2012.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Scholastic, 1999, 1997.

Rescued from the neglect of his aunt and uncle, Harry, age 11, attends Hogwarts School of

Witchcraft and Wizardry where he fights evil forces. Read the entire Harry Potter series.

Sage, Annie. Magyk. Katherine Tegen Books, 2005. (Septimus Heap Series).

Jenna learns that she is a princess, and was found as a baby by the man she believed was her

father. Now she and Septimus, the seventh son of the seventh son, who was taken at birth

by the midwife, are being threatened by the evil wizard.

Seldon, George. A Cricket in Times Square. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c1960.

The adventures of a country cricket who unintentionally arrives in New York and is

befriended by Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat. Newbery Honor Book.

Selznick, Brian. Wonderstruck. Scholastic, 2011.

Relates the stories of twelve-year-old Ben, who loses his mother and his hearing in a short

time frame and decides to leave his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he has never

known in New York City; and Rose, who lives with her father but feels compelled to search

for what is missing in her life. Ben’s story is told in words; Rose’s in pictures

Fiction – Historical Fiction

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever, 1793. Simon & Schuster, 2000.

Sixteen-year-old Matilda, separated from her sick mother, learns perseverance and self-reliance

when she must cope with the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793.

Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004.

A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935, when guards’

families were housed there, and has to contend with his new environment in addition to life

with his autistic sister. Read the sequel, Al Capone Shines My Shoes (2009)

Conkling, Winifred. Sylvia and Aki. At the start of World War I, Japanese American third grader

Aki and her family are sent to an internment camp in Arizona, while Mexican American

third grader Sylvia’s family begins a fight to stop school segregation.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 8

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Elijah of Buxton. Scholastic, 2007.

Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, a haven for slaves fleeing the

American South in 1859, uses his wits to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has

stolen money intended to buy a family’s freedom. Newbery Honor 2008.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Mighty Miss Malone. Wendy Lamb Books, 2012.

Deza Malone, the smartest girl in her class in Gary, Indiana, accompanies her mother and

older brother on a trip to find her father, who left to find work after the Great Depression

hit. They end up in a Hooverville outside of Flint, Michigan, and her brother attempts to be

a performer while Deza and her mother search for a home.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963. Delacorte Press, 1995.

The everyday routines of the Watsons, an African-American family living in the North, are

changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in 1963 and see what life is like in the

South. Newbery Honor Book.

Cushman, Karen. Alchemy and Meggy Swann. Clarion Books, 2010.

Meggy Swann, a girl who walks with the aid of two sticks, arrives in Elizabethan London,

along with her goose, to stay with her father who really does not want her. While he pursues

his dream of transforming base metal into gold, Meggy undergoes a transformation herself.

Gantos, Jack. Dead End in Norvelt. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011.

In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the

summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly

neighbor with a most unusual chores. Newbery Award Winner 2012.

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Gingersnap. Wendy Lamb Books, 2013.

It's 1944, W.W. II is raging. Jayna's big brother Rob is her only family and he is called to

duty. Jayna is left in their small town in upstate New York with their cranky landlady but the

right before he leaves, Rob tells Jayna a secret: they may have a grandmother in Brooklyn.

Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. Houghton Mifflin, 1989.

During the 1943 German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns to be

courageous when she shelters her Jewish friend from the Nazis. Newbery Medal Winner.

Park, Linda Sue. A Single Shard. Clarion Books, 2001.

Tree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge in a potters’ village

and longs to learn how to create delicate celadon ceramics. Newbery Medal 2002.

Rose, Carolyn Starr. May B. Scwartz & Wade, 2012.

When a failed wheat crop nearly bankrupts the Betterly family, twelve-year-old May’s father

pulls her from school and hires her out to a couple new to the Kansas frontier.

Ylisaker, Anne. Luck of Buttons. Candlewick Press, 2011. Iowa circa 1929, spunky twelve-year-old

Tugs vows to turn her family's luck around, with the help of a Brownie camera and a small-

town mystery that only she can solve.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 9

Fiction - Mystery

Balliett, Blue. Chasing Vermeer. Scholastic, 2004.

When strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-

year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.

Balliett, Blue. Wright 3. Scholastic, 2006.

In the midst of a series of unexplained accidents and mysterious coincidences, sixth-graders

Calder, Petra, and Tommy lead an attempt to keep Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Robie

House from being demolished.

Balliett, Blue. The Calder Game. Scholastic, 2008.

When seventh-grader Calder Pillay disappears from a remote English village along with an

Alexander Calder sculpture to which he has felt strangely drawn, his friends Petra and

Tommy fly from Chicago to help his father find him.

Birney, Betty. Mysteries According to Humpfrey. Putnam, 2012. After learning about Sherlock

Holmes, Humphrey the classroom hamster follows clues to try to discover why Mrs.

Brisbane is gone and Mr. E, a fun but not very educational substitute, is taking her place in

Room 26 at Longfellow School.

Beil, Michael. The Red Blazer Girls. Alfred Knopf 2009.

Three friends find themselves on a spooky scavenger hunt, in this literary debut for those

who love mystery, math, and a modest measure of mayhem.

Blackwood, Gary. The Shakespeare Stealer. Dutton Children’s Books, c.1998.

Widge, a likeable orphan, finds himself in the middle of an adventure to steal and copy the

play Hamlet from Shakespeare. He soon discovers that life in the Globe Theatre is much

better than the other places he has apprenticed.

Burnett, Francis Hodges. The Secret Garden. c. 1910 (various editions).

Ten-year-old Mary, a spunky orphan, comes to live in a lonely servant-run house on the

English moors. There she discovers her invalid cousin and the mysteries of a locked garden.

Can she find her own happiness and a key to the garden?

Clements, Andrew. We the Children (Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School). Atheneum,

2010. Sixth-grader Benjamin Pratt’s waterfront school is about to be torn down to make way

for an amusement park, but something seems fishy. When the school janitor gives him a

mysterious old coin, then dies suddenly, Benjamin is drawn into solving a mystery.

Creech, Sharon.Castle Corona. Joanna Cotler Books, c. 2007.

Two orphaned peasant children discover a mysterious pouch, the contents of which lead them

to the majestic Castle Corona, where their lives may be transformed forever.

Dowd, Siobhan. The London Eye Mystery. David Fickling Books, c. 2007.

When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eye Ferris Wheel, the two

siblings — Ted with his brain that is “wired differently” and impatient Kat — must work

together to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Salim.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 10

Fitzhugh, Louise. Harriet the Spy. First published Harper & Row, 1964.

Eleven-year-old Harriet keeps notes on her classmates and neighbors in a secret notebook, but

when some of the students read the notebook, they seek revenge.

Korman, Gordan. Framed. Scholastic, 2010.

Sequel to Swindle and Zoobreak. Griffin Bing is in big trouble when a Super Bowl ring

disappears from his middle school’s display case, replaced by Griffin's retainer, and the more

he and his friends investigate, the worse his situation becomes.

Riordan, Rick. Maze of Bones (39 Clues). Scholastic, 2008.

Amy and Dan, members of the powerful Cahill family, try to uncover the thirty-nine clues

which will reveal the secrets of their lineage and what really happened to their parents. Read

other titles in the 39 Clues series, each written by a different author.

Look for all the books in the

39 Clues

series, and the new series

Cahills vs. Vespers

Schlitz, Amy. Splendors and Glooms. Candlewick, 2013. When Clara vanishes after the puppeteer

Grisini and two orphaned assistants were at her twelfth birthday party, suspicion of

kidnapping chases the trio away from London and soon the two orphans are caught in a trap

set by Grisini's ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it is too late.

Newbery Honor Book 2013.

Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Scholastic, 2007.

When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living hidden in the Paris train station in 1931, meets

a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are

jeopardized. Caldecott Medal 2008.

Stanley, Diane. The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy. HarperCollins, 2008.

Eighth-grader Fanny is thrilled to be accepted at the elite Allbright Academy, where all the

students seem to be absolutely perfect. Maybe too perfect?

Turnage, Sheila. Three Times Lucky. Dial, 2012. Washed ashore as a baby, Mo LoBeau, now

eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a cafe

and co-parent of Mo, seems implicated in a murder. Newbery Honor Book 2013.

Wood, Maryrose. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Series.

The Mysterious Howling-. Balzer+Bray 2010. 15 year-old Penelope, a recent graduate of

the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, is hired as governess to three children

who have been raised by wolves and must teach them to behave in a civilized manner.

The Hidden Gallery. Balzer+Bray, 2011. The three Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place

learn they are under a curse after traveling to London in the company of their 15 year-old

governess Miss Penelope Lumley.

Unseen Guests. Balzer+Bray, 2012. The children and Penelope, their governess, leave

London and return to Ashton Place where Penelope decides to do some investigating to find

out the truth about the children, Lord Ashton, and herself.

Read Classic Mystery Series:

Nancy Drew

Hardy Boys

Boxcar Children

Encyclopedia Brown

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 11

Fiction – Realistic

Appelt, Kathi. The Underneath. Atheneum, 2008.

An old hound, who has been chained up at his hateful owner’s run-down shack, and two

kittens born underneath the house endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in

their quest to be reunited and free. Newbery Honor 2009.

Avi. S.O.R. Losers. Avon, 1984.

Each member of the seventh-grade soccer team at South Orange River (S.O.R.) School has

special talents, but not on the soccer field. Can they make their season a success after losing

their first game 32-0?

Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks. Random House, 2005.

While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters,

ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his

snobbish mother. Read the sequels: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (2008) and

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette (2012)

Blume, Judy. Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great. Dutton, 1972.

A summer in Tarrytown, N.Y., is a lot of fun for ten-year-old Sheila even though her friends

make her face up to some self-truths she doesn’t want to admit.

Clements, Andrew.About Average. Atheneum, 2012. As the end of sixth grade nears, Jordan Johnson,

unhappy that she is only average in appearance, intelligence, and athletic ability, reveals her

special skills when disaster strikes her central Illinois elementary school.

Clements, Andrew. Extra Credit. Atheneum, 2009. Three middle-school children in Illinois

exchange letters with children living in the mountains of Afghanistan, and begin to bridge a gap

across cultural and religious divides.

Clements, Andrew. Janitor’s Boy. Simon & Schuster, 2000.

Fifth grader Jack finds himself the target of ridicule at school when it becomes known that

his father is one of the janitors, and he turns his anger onto his father.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. Delacorte Press, 1999.

Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Michigan during the Great Depression, escapes

a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father — the

bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids. Newbery Medal 2000.

Davies, Jacqueline. The Lemonade War. Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Evan and his younger sister,

Jesse, battle it out through their lemonade stands, each trying to be the first to earn $100.

Includes mathematical calculations and tips for a successful lemonade stand.

The Lemonade Crime. Houghton Mifflin, 2011. Sequel to Lemonade War. When money

disappears from fourth-grader Evan's pocket and everyone thinks that his annoying

classmate Scott stole it, Evan's younger sister stages a trial involving the entire class, trying to

prove what happened.

Bell Bandit. Houghton Mifflin 2011. (Lemonade War Series). Jessie gets ready to celebrate

the New Year at his grandmother's house, except things are different after the fire and his

grandmother having to go to the hospital, but when the New Year's bell is stolen from atop

Lovell Hill, Jessie wonders how they will manage to ring in the new year without it.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 12

Candy Smash. (Lemonade War Series). Houghton Mifflin, 2013.

Jessie and Evan Treski have waged a lemonade war, sought justice in a class trial, and even

unmasked a bell thief. Now, they are at opposite ends over the right to keep secrets.

DiCamillo, Kate. Because of Winn Dixie. Candlewick, 2000.

Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida,

and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.

Frederick, Heather Vogel. The Mother-Daughter Book Club: Pies & Prejudice. Simon &

Schuster, 2010. Four girls and their mothers, continue their mother-daughter book club via

videoconference between Massachusetts and England, reading Jane Austen’s “Pride and

Prejudice,” and try to put friendship first. Fourth book in the series.

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Eleven. Wendy Lamb, 2008.

When Sam, who can barely read, discovers an old newspaper clipping just before his

eleventh birthday, it brings memories from his past. With the help of a new friend at school

and the castle they are building for a school project, his questions are answered.

Grimes, Nikki. The Road to Paris. Putnam, 2006.

Inconsolable at being separated from her older brother, eight-year-old Paris is apprehensive

about her new foster family but just as she learns to trust them, she faces a life-changing

decision. Coretta Scott King Honor Book, 2007.

Gutman, Dan. Nightmare at the Book Fair. Simon & Schuster, 2008. While Trip is on his way to

lacrosse tryouts, the PTA president asks him to help with the book fair. His resulting head

injury causes amnesia and leads to a strange journey home.

LaFleur, Suzanne. Eight Keys. Wendy Lamb, 2011.

When twelve-year-old Elise, orphaned since age three, becomes disheartened by middle

school, with its bullies, changing relationships, and higher expectations, keys to long-locked

rooms and messages from her late father help her cope.

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog. Little, Brown, 2006. Frustrated by her apparent lack of talent for

anything, a young Taiwanese-American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year

of the Dog, the gifts of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own life. Also read

the sequel The Year of the Rat.

Look, Lenore. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters. 2009.

Alvin makes a new friend and learns that he can be brave despite his fear of everything when

his father takes him camping, hoping to install a love of nature like that of their hometown

hero, Henry David Thoreau.

Lord, Cynthia. Rules. Scholastic, 2006.

Though Catherine loves her brother, David, who is

autistic, she is embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. She wants so

badly for him to be “normal” that she makes up rules for him to follow.

Martin, Ann. Candymakers. Little, Brown 2010. Four gifted twelve-year-olds, including Logan, the

candymaker's son, are set to be contestants in the Confectionary Association's national

competition to determine the nation's tastiest sweet, but nobody anticipates that a friendship

will form between them.

Martin, Ann. Ten Rules for Living with my Sister. Feiwel & Friends, 2011.

Lexie is Pearl’s older sister and she is popular. Pearl is not, mostly because of the

embarrassing Three Bad Things that happened in school and which no one has forgotten.

Everything Pearl does seems to drive Lexie crazy.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 13

Mass, Wendy. 11 Birthdays. Scholastic, 2009.

Amanda and Leo, born on the same day, have celebrated their birthdays together for ten years.

But after a year of not speaking to each other, Amanda spends her eleventh birthday without her

life-long friend. Peculiar things happen as their eleventh birthday repeats over and over again.

Mass, Wendy. Finally. Scholastic, 2010.

After her twelfth birthday, Rory checks off a list of things she is finally allowed to do, but

unexpected consequences interfere with her involvement in the movie being shot at her school,

while a weird prediction starts to make sense.

Palacio, R.J. Wonder. Knopf, 2012.

Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not

expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle

school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he

struggles to be seen as just another student.

Paulsen, Gary. Flat Broke. Wendy Lamb Books, 2011.

Fourteen-year-old Kevin is a hard worker, so when his income is cut off he begins a series of

businesses, from poker games to selling snacks, but his partners soon tire of his methods. A fun

lesson in cause and effect. Companion book to Liar, Liar (2011).

Pennypacker, Sara. Summer of the Gypsy Moths. Balzer & Bray, 2012.

Angel, a foster child, and twelve-year-old Stella are living with Stella’s great-aunt Louise at her

Inn on Cape Cod. They secretly assume responsibility for the vacation rentals when Louise dies

and the girls are afraid of being returned to the foster care system.

Shang, Wendy Wan Long. The Great Wall of Lucy Wu. Scholastic Press, 2010.

Eleven-year-old aspiring basketball star and interior designer Lucy Wu is excited about finally

having her own bedroom, until she learns that her great-aunt is coming to visit and Lucy has to

share her room, shattering her plans for a perfect sixth-grade year.

Spinelli, Jerry. Jake and Lily. Balzer+Bray, 2012. Twins Jake and Lily have a very close relationship,

but when they turn eleven, Jake begins to spend time with a group of neighborhood boys. Lily

is devastated as she struggles to make friends, and Jake is faced with a bully.

Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. Wendy Lamb Books, 2009.

As her mother prepares to compete on the 1980s TV show “The $20,000 Pyramid,” a

twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of anonymous notes that

seem to defy the laws of time and space. Newbery Medal 2010.

Urban, Linda. A Crooked Kind of Perfect. Harcourt, 2007.

Ten-year-old Zoe Elia dreams of a piano recital at Carnegie Hall, but instead must play the old

organ that her father buys, with positive results for her workaholic mother, her jittery father,

and her social life.

Wiles, Deborah. Love, Ruby Lavender. Harcourt, 2001.

When Ruby’s grandma goes to Hawaii for the summer, Ruby learns to survive on her own

by writing letters, befriending the chickens, and meeting the new girl in town.

Wolitzer, Meg. The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman. Dutton Books, 2011. Twelve-year-olds

Duncan Dorfman, April Blunt, and Nate Saviano meet at the Youth Scrabble Tournament

where, although each has a different reason for attending and for needing to win, they realize

that something more important is at stake than the grand prize.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 14

School Stories

Birney, Betty. School Days According to Humphrey. Putnam, 2011.

Humphrey the hamster is excited to return to room 26 on the first day of school, and though he

is at first shocked to see a new group of students, he soon comes to know and love them, and

gets nervous when he hears talk of moving him from Mrs. Brisbane's room.

Clements, Andrew. No Talking. Simon & Schuster, 2007.

The noisy fifth-grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud girls to

a “no talking” contest. Read other school stories by this author.

Gutman, Dan. Miss Kraft is Daft! Harper 2013. A.J. and his friends find their school days getting

even more odd when Mr. Granite gets sick and their substitute teacher, Miss Kraft, uses

unconventional methods like doing magic tricks to teach them.

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal. Amulet Books, 2007.

Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend,

Rowley, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic

measures to save their friendship. Read the sequels, including the latest, Cabin Fever.

Konigsburg, E.L. A View from Saturday. Atheneum, c. 1996.

Four students develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, who chooses

them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition. Newbery Medal 1997.

Korman, Gordon Schooled. Hyperion, 2007.

Cap has been raised in isolation and home-schooled by his hippie grandmother. When she falls

and breaks her hip, Cap is sent to a foster home and experiences his first year in public school.

Korman, Gordon. Ungifted. Balzer + Bray, 2013. Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker

Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for

gifted and talented students, after pulling a major prank at middle school.

Patterson, James. Middle School, the Worst Years of my Life. Little, Brown, 2011.

When Rafe Kane enters middle school, he teams up with his best friend, “Leo the Silent,” to

create a game to make school more fun by trying to break every rule in the school’s code of

conduct. There’s a place for everyone even if you don’t fit the mold.

Peirce, Lincoln. Big Nate and Friends. Harper, 2010.

“Big Nate” comic strips that follow the adventures of sixth-grader Nate Wright and his middle

school friends. Graphic novel series.

Sachar, Louis. Sideways Stories from the Wayside School. Morrow Junior Books, c1978.

Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, which was

accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each story.

Spinelli, Jerry. Loser. Joanna Cotler Books, 2002. Even though his classmates from first grade on

have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff’s optimism and the support of his

loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 15

Fiction – Sports

Aronson, Sarah. Beyond Lucky. Dial Books, 2011.

Twelve-year-old Ari Fish is sure that the rare trading card he found has changed his luck and

that of his soccer team, but after the card is stolen he comes to know that we make our own

luck, and that heroes can be fallible.

Gutman, Dan.Roberto & Me. Harper, 2010. (Baseball Card Adventure Series).

Stosh travels back to 1969 to try to prevent the untimely death of Roberto Clemente, a

legendary baseball player and humanitarian, but upon his return to the present, he meets his

own great-grandson who takes him into the shocking future.

Lupica, Mike. Game Changers. Scholastic, 2012.

When the coach’s son, Shawn, is chosen to play quarterback, eleven-year-old Ben McBain is

not surprised — but when he tries to be a good teammate and help Shawn, he is startled to

learn that his new friend does not really want the position.

Lupica, Mike. Game Changers: Play Makers. Scholastic, 2013. (Game Changers Series). Ben

McBain is considered the best point guard in the league, but his teammate Chase Braggs is

the complete opposite of Ben who likes to talk on the court and show off.

Lupica, Mike. Million Dollar Throw. Philomel, 2009. Eighth-grade star quarterback Nate’s family is

feeling the bad economy, and Nate is frantic because his best friend Abby is going blind, so

when he gets a chance to win a million dollars if he can complete a pass during the halftime

of a New England Patriot's game, he is overwhelmed by the pressure. Read the series.

Lupica, Mike. Shoot-Out. Walden Media, 2010. When his family moves, twelve-year-old Jake must

leave his championship soccer team to play on a new team with a losing record. Read any

title by this author.

Lupica, Mike. The Underdogs. Puffin Books, 2011.

Small but fast twelve-year-old Will Tyler, an avid football player in the down-and-out town

of Forbes, Pennsylvania, takes matters into his own hands to try and finance the city's

football team, giving the whole community hope in the process.

Park, Linda Sue. Keeping Score. Clarion 2008. During the 1950s, young Maggie struggles to will her

beloved Brooklyn Dodgers to a victory in the World Series and wishes that her friend Jim, a

soldier in Korea, would answer her letters

Ripken, Cal. Hothead. Hyperion, 2011.

Connor Sullivan, All-Star third baseman on his Babe Ruth League team, has a terrible

temper and problems at home, but when the sports editor of the school paper threatens to

publish an embarrassing story about his tantrums, Connor must make a change.

Wallace, Rich. Benched. Alfred Knopf, 2010. (The Kickers Series).

Nine-year-old Ben, having been benched for aggressive play during an important soccer

game, tries to help his team earn a spot in the tournament from the sidelines

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 16

Books about Fourth Grade

Blume, Judy. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Dutton, 2002, c. 1972.

Peter finds his demanding two-year-old brother an ever-increasing problem.

Dowell, Frances. Phineas L. Macguire Erupts! The First Experiment. Atheneum, 2006.

Fourth-grade science whiz Phineas MacGuire is forced to team up with the new

boy in class on a science fair project, but the boy's quirky personality causes Phineas to

wonder if they have any chance of winning.

Fleming, Candace. The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School. Schwartz & Wade,

2007.

An unlikely teacher takes over the disorderly fourth-grade class of Aesop Elementary School

with surprising results.

Salisbury, Graham. Calvin Coconut, Dog Heaven. Wendy Lamb Books, 2010.

Fourth-grader Calvin creates a unique way to express his desire for a dog after his teacher

asks him to write a persuasive argument about something he really wants.

Books about Fifth Grade

Clements, Andrew. Homework Machine.Simon & Schuster, 2006.

Four fifth-grade students--a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker--as well as their

teacher and mothers, each relate events surrounding a computer programmed to complete

homework assignments.

Clements, Andrew. Landry News. Simon & Schuster, 1999

Mr. Larson challenges his fifth-grade students to create a real newspaper. Soon The Landry

News gets more attention than either Cara or her teacher bargained for, as the principal uses

the paper to try to get Mr. Larson fired.

DeClements, Barthe. Nothing’s Fair in Fifth Grade. Viking, 1981.

Initially repelled by an overweight new student who has serious home problems, the fifth

grade class finally learns to accept her.

Gantos, Jack. Jack on the Tracks. Farrar, Straus &Giroux

Jack Henry, a fifth grader, is the narrator of this collection of stories about the new friends

he makes after his family moves from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to Miami. Jack’s zany

adventures were inspired by the author's childhood journals.

Shreve, Susan Richards. Joshua T. Bates Takes Charge. Dell, 2000.

Eleven-year-old Joshua, worried about fitting in at school, feels awkward when the new

student he is supposed to be helping becomes the target of the fifth grade’s biggest bully.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 17

Nonfiction

This is only a sampling of all the wonderful nonfiction books available.

Visit your library for more choices.

Chaiken, Andrew. Mission Control, This is Apollo: The Story of the First Mission to the

Moon. Viking, 2009. Recounts important events from the history of space exploration,

covering the Mercury missions, the voyage of Apollo 17, and more, with illustrations by ex-

NASA astronaut Alan Bean, who walked on the moon during the Apollo 12 mission.

Cook, Sally. Hey Batta Batta Swing! The Wild Old Days of Baseball. M. K. McElderry Books,

2007. Describes the old days of baseball before there were pitching mounds, and contains

trivia about players’ nicknames, team names, and the design of the uniforms.

Evans, Lady Hestia. Mythology: The Gods, Heroes, and Monsters of Ancient Greece.

Candlewick Press, 2007.

Introduces Greek mythology, exploring gods and goddesses, origins of mankind, monsters,

beasts, and battles, featuring fold-outs, pop-ups, maps, “secret” messages, and other

interactive features. Read other “-ology” books, such as Egyptology, Pirateology,

Wizardology, Monsterology, and Dr. Drake’s Dragonology, all by different authors.

Farndon, John. Do Not Open. DK Publishing, 2007.

Provides information on a variety of unbelievable topics and mysterious places including

Area 51 and the hidden secrets of the Mona Lisa.

Krull, Kathleen. The Boy Who Invented Television: The Story of Philo Farnsworth. Knopf, 2009.

The biography of Philo Farnsworth, who created the world’s first television image in 1928.

Macaulay, David. The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body. Houghton

Mifflin, 2008. A visual exploration of the inner workings of the human body, with close-ups

and cross-sections to look at the different body systems and how they function.

Mortenson, Greg. Three Cups of Tea (Young Reader’s Edition) Puffin Books, 2009.

The story of Dr. Greg Mortenson, who was rescued and healed by Himalayan villagers after

his failed attempt to climb K2. He returned to build schools for young girls previously

denied education by the Taliban.

St. George, Judith. So You Want to be an Explorer? Philomel Books, 2005.

Studies some of the great explorers throughout history, including Christopher Columbus,

Marco Polo, Alexander the Great, Chuck Yeager, Amelia Earhart and many more.

Tang, Greg. Math Potatoes: Mind-Stretching Brain Food. Scholastic, 2005.

Presents a colorful collection of rhymes and riddles that help children develop their math

and problem-solving skills.

Weitzman, David. Pharoah’s Boat. Houghton Mifflin, 2009.

Provides an illustrated account of the construction of Egyptian pharaoh Cheops’ funeral

boat, and discusses its discovery centuries later during an archaeological dig.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 18

Picture Books for Older Students

Cole, Joanna. Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures: Imperial China. Scholastic Press, 2005.

Ms. Frizzle is invited to celebrate Chinese New Year with her student and travels back in

time one thousand years to ancient China where she and her young friends embark on a

journey.

Karas, G. Brian. Young Zeus. Scholastic, 2010.

The story of how young Zeus, with the help of six monsters, five Greek gods, an enchanted

she-goat, and his mother, became god of gods, the ruler over all.

Logan, Claudia. The 5,000-Year-Old Puzzle: Solving a Mystery of Ancient Egypt. Farrar,

Straus, Giroux, 2002.

A fictionalized account of the excavation of a secret tomb at Giza, Egypt, in 1925, told

through the experiences of a young boy who accompanies his father on an archeological dig.

McCully, Emily Arnold. Bobbin Girl. Dial Books, 1996.

A ten year-old girl working in a textile mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1830s must make

a difficult decision — whether or not she will join the first workers' strike in Lowell to fight

for women’s rights.

Morris, Gerald. The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great. Houghton Mifflin, 2008.

Sir Lancelot arrives in King Arthur’s court and has many grand adventures after becoming

the king’s bravest and greatest knight. The adventures of are told in a humorous way.

Moses, Will. Legend of Sleepy Hollow. (Retold from the original story by Washington Irving).

Philomel Books, 1995.

A superstitious schoolmaster’s courtship is spoiled by a terrifying encounter with a headless

horseman.

Polacco, Patricia. Pink and Say. Philomel Books, 1994.

Tells of the friendship between Pink, a fifteen-year-old African-American Union soldier, and

Say, a poor wounded white boy, as one nurses the other back to health and both are

imprisoned at Andersonville. Based on a true story.

Sis, Peter. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. Francis Foster, 2007.

Describes what it was like growing up in a Communist country and discusses how Western

culture influenced his life. Seibert Medal 2008.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 19

Biography

Allen, Thomas B. George Washington, Spymaster. National Geographic, 2004.

This illustrated biography of George Washington focuses on his use of spies to gather the

intelligence that helped the colonies win the war.

Douglass, Frederick. Escape from Slavery. Boyhood of Frederick Douglass in His Own

Words. Knopf, 1994.

The boyhood of Frederick Douglass, told in his own words.

Fleischman, Sid. Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini. Greenwillow Books, 2006.

Biography of the great magician, ghost chaser, aviator, and king of escape artists.

The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West. Greenwillow

Books, 2008. The story of the childhood and youth of writer Mark Twain, recounting

his beginnings as an author, and also as a steamboat pilot, a journalist, a prospector,

a lecturer, and an adventurer who didn’t mind a little trouble.

Freedman, Russell. The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle

for Equal Rights. Clarion, 2004.

Tells the story of the struggle to ensure civil rights in America during Marian Anderson’s life

as an artist, and today.

Washington at Valley Forge. Holiday House, 2008. Provides an account of the six months

when the soldiers in George Washington's command camped at Valley Force,

enduring the harsh winter of 1777-78 without adequate food, clothing, or blankets.

Giblin, James. The Many Rides of Paul Revere. Scholastic, 2007.

Sets the record straight on Paul Revere’s life and his role in the American Revolution.

Describes his childhood, his work as a silversmith, and his roles in the American Revolution.

Krull, Kathleen. The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss.

Random House, 2004.

Introduces the life of children’s author and illustrator Ted Geisel, popularly known as

Dr. Seuss, focusing on his childhood and youth in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Krull, Kathleen. Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame, and What the Neighbors Thought.

Harcourt, 2011.

Focuses on the lives of all the presidents as parents, husbands, pet-owners, and neighbors,

with humorous, little-known facts about hobbies, diets, hairstyles, and unusual habits.

Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves,

Deputy U. S. Marshal. Carolrhoda Books, 2009.

The story of Bass Reeves, a former slave, who was recruited as a deputy U. S. Marshall,

based on his ability to communicate with the Native Americans in the Oklahoma territory.

The Pingry Lower School Library 2012 Summer Reading List 20

Poetry

Franco, Betsy. Mathematickles. McElderry Book, 2003. Poems written in the form of

mathematical problems are grouped according to seasonal themes.

Florian, Douglas. Insectlopedia: Poems and Paintings. Harcourt Brace, 1998.

Presents twenty-one short poems about such insects as the inchworm, termite, cricket, and

daddy longlegs. Science and silliness join together.

Grandits, John. Technically, It’s Not My Fault: Concrete Poems. Clarion, 2004.

A collection of poems in which words and art combine to make pictures of the life of an

11-year-old boy.

A Kick in The Head: an Everyday Guide to Poetic Form. Candlewick, 2005.

A collection of poems that showcase 29 poetic forms, each with a brief definition.

Lewis. J. Patrick. Doodle Dandies: Poems at a Glance. Atheneum Books, 1998. A collection of

poems, each of which appears on the page in the shape of its subject, such as baseballs, a

skyscraper, a snake, an umbrella and other objects.

Lupton, Hugh. Adventures of Odysseus. Barefoot Books, 2006. An illustrated adaptation of

Homer’s classic tale of Odysseus and his adventures after the long Trojan War.

Park, Linda Sue. Tap Dancing on the Roof. Clarion, 2007. Presents twenty-six sijo, traditional

Korean syllabic poems, on “inside” and “outside” themes.

Prelutsky, Jack. Good Sports: Rhymes about Running, Jumping, Throwing, and More. Knopf,

2007. An illustrated collection of children’s poems about various sports activities.

Rex, Adam. Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich & Other Stories You’re Sure to Like. Harcourt, 2006.

A collection of twenty funny poems about the bad habits, anxieties, and other fears and foibles

of monsters.

Rumford, James. Beowulf: A Hero’s Tale Retold

Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

A simplified retelling of the Anglo-Saxon warrior, Beowulf, and how he came to defeat the

monster Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon that threatened the kingdom.

Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends. Harper Collins, 1974.

A boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale are only two of the characters in a

collection of humorous poetry illustrated with the author's own drawings. Read A Light in

the Attic and other titles by this poet.

Schlitz, Laura Amy. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. Candlewick,

2007.

A collection of short one-person plays (monologues) featuring characters between ten and

fifteen years old, who live in or near a thirteenth-century English manor. Newbery Medal 2008.

Worth, Valerie. Animal Poems. Farrar, 2007.

An illustrated collection of twenty-three poems about snails, whales, bats, camels, and other

animals.

The Pingry School Library 2012 Summer Reading List

Newbery Medal Winners, 1922 to Present

Choose any of these award-winning Fiction titles.

The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate, 2013

Dead End in Norvelt, Jack Gantos, 2012

Moon Over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool, 2011

When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead, 2010

The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman, 2009

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, Laura Amy Schlitz, 2008

The Higher Power of Lucky, Susan Patron, 2007

Criss Cross, Lynne Rae Perkins, 2006

Kira Kira, Cynthia Kadohata, 2005

The Tale of Despereaux, Kate Dicamillo, 2004

Crispin: The Cross of Lead, Avi, 2003

A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park, 2002

A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck, 2001

Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Curtis, 2000

Holes, Louis Sachar, 1999

Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse, 1998

The View from Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg, 1997

The Midwife’s Apprentice, Karen Cushman, 1996

Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech, 1995

The Giver, Lois Lowry, 1994

Missing May, Cynthia Rylant, 1993

Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, 1992

Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli, 1991

Number the Stars, Lois Lowry, 1990

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, Paul Fleishman, 1989

Lincoln: A Photobiography, Russell Freedman,

1988

The Whipping Boy, Sid Fleishman, 1987

Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan, 1986

The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley, 1985

Dear Mr. Henshaw, Beverly Cleary, 1984

Dicey’s Song, Cynthia Voigt, 1983

A Visit to William Blake’s Inn, Nancy Willard, 1982

Jacob Have I Loved, Katherine Paterson, 1981

A Gathering of Days, Joan W. Blos, 1980

The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin, 1979

Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson, 1978

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred Taylor, 1977

The Grey King, Susan Cooper, 1976

M.C. Higgins, The Great, Virginia Hamilton, 1975

The Slave Digger, Paula Fox, 1974

Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead George, 1973

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Robert C. O'Brien, 1972

The Summer of Swans, Betsy Byars, 1971

Sounder, William H. Armstrong, 1970

The Pingry School Library 2012 Summer Reading List

The High King, Lloyd Alexander, 1969

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg, 1968

Up the Road Slowly, Irene Hunt, 1967

I, Juan De Pareja, Elizabeth Borton de Trevino, 1966

Shadow of a Bull, Maia Wojciechowska, 1965

It’s Like This, Cat, Emily Neville, 1964

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle, 1963

Bronze Bow, Elizabeth George Speare, 1962

Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell, 1961

Onion John, Joseph Krumgold, 1960

The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare, 1959

Rifles for Watie, Harold Keith, 1958

Miracles on Maple Hill, Virginia Sorenson, 1957

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Jean Lee Latham, 1956

The Wheel on the School, Meindert Dejong, 1955

...And Now Miguel, Joseph Krumgold, 1954

Secrets of the Andes, Ann Nolan Clark, 1953

Ginger Pye, Eleanor Estes, 1952

Amos Fortune, Free Man, Elizabeth Yates, 1951

The Door in the Wall, Maguerite De Angeli, 1950

The 21 Balloons, William Du Bois, 1948

Miss Hickory, Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, 1947

Strawberry Girl, Lois Lenski, 1946

Rabbit Hill, Robert Lawson, 1945

Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes, 1944

Adam of the Road, Elizabeth Janet Gray, 1943

The Matchlock Gun, Walter D. Edmonds, 1942

Call It Courage, Armstrong Sperry, 1941

Daniel Boone, James Daugherty, 1940

Thimble Summer, Elizabeth Enright, 1939

The White Stag, Kate Seredy, 1938

Roller Skates, Ruth Sawyer, 1937

Caddie Woodlawn, Carol Ryrie Brink, 1936

Dobry, Monica Shannon, 1935

Invincible Louisa, Cornelia Meigs, 1934

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze, Elizabeth Lewis, 1933

Waterless Mountain, Laura Adams Armer, 1932

The Cat Who Went to Heaven, Elizabeth Coatsworth, 1931

Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, Rachel Field, 1930

The Trumpeter of Krakow, Eric Kelly, 1929

Gay Neck, The Story of a Pigeon, Dhan Gopal, 1928

Smoky, The Cowhorse, Will James, 1927

Shen of the Sea, Arthur Bowie Chrisman, 1926

Tales from Silver Lands, Charles Finger, 1925

The Dark Frigate, Charles Boardman Hawes, 1924

The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle, Hugh Lofting, 1923

The Story of Mankind, Hendrik van Loon, 1922

TITLE

AUTHOR

The Pingry School

Short Hills Campus

2013 Summer Reading List Log

Name: ______________________________ Grade in September: _____

TITLE AUTHOR

FollettShelf

eBooks



ReadeBooksonacomputer,iPad,iPod,iPhone,orAndroidTablet/phone.

TherearetwopartstoFolletteBooks:

1. FollettShelf–http://wbb30200.follettshelf.comWebsiteviewedwherethe

booksresideonavirtualbookshelftocheckoutandreadonline.

2. FollettDigitalReader–AppforiPadsandtabletstodownloadandreadbooks

offlinewithoutinternetaccess.



USINGaniPadorAndroidTablet:

DownloadFollettDigitalReaderAppfromtheAppStore(FREE).

OpentheDigitalReaderApp,checkout,anddownloadbooks:

1. Tolog‐in,entertheschoolwebaddress–wbb30200

2. Enteryourusername–yourfirstinitialandlastname(nospaces,alllowercase).

3. Enterthepassword–bookworm

4. SelectandcheckouteBooks(youwillbereadingthroughyourbrowser

whichisstreamingonlineandslower).

5. TodownloadtheeBook–reopentheFollettAppanddownloadtheeBookto

readoffline(offlineisfasteranddoesnotrequireinternetaccess).



USINGaPCorMAC(min.AppleSafari5),iPod,iPhone,orAndroidphone:

Gotohttp://wbb30200.follettshelf.com

1.Enteryourusername–firstinitialandlastname(nospaces,alllowercase).

2.Enterpassword–bookworm



3.SelectandcheckouteBooks.YouwillbereadingthroughtheTextFlowReader.

Bookswillreturnautomaticallyattheendofthelo adperiod.ENJOY!

The Pingry Lower School Library

Presents

The Summer Reading Lists

On the Library Website

www.pingry.org/page.cfm?p=788

Or go to:

www.pingry.org

Click - Quicklinks

Select - Libraries

Select - Short Hills – Lower School

Click - Summer Reading Lists icon

Select 2012 Summer Reading List by grade level

TumbleBook Library

TumbleBook Library is an online collection of animated,

read-aloud picture books, both fiction and nonfiction, which

encourage young children to enjoy reading in a new format.

Enjoy a great selection of computer and iPad-accessible books.

Click on the TumbleBook icon on the Library webpage, or go to:

www.TumbleBookLibrary.com

Username: pingry Password: books

Browse the library webpage for links to

Subscription Databases and the Library Catalog.