Middle School Reads!

by Janet Tashjian Lexile:  880 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Summer cannot get here fast enough for Derek Fallon.  He and his friend Matt have all kinds of plans - none of which include the summer reading list they were sent home with.  And if that weren't bad enough, Matt's family decides to take a vacation to the East coast and Derek's parents have decided to send him to Learning Camp.  Suddenly, summer doesn't look like much fun.

by Suzanne Weyn Lexile:  720 Genre:  Science Fiction Everybody is getting a bar code tattoo.  It makes your life so much easier.  But Kayla isn't so sure.  She has watched her friends and family change after getting the tattoo.  The more she learns, the more she is sure she doesn't want one.  However, the country is changing and soon the law will require the tattoo. If Kayla decides to refuse it, she has to be prepared to suffer the consequences.

by Michael Grant Lexile:  550 Genre:  Science Fiction Things are changing on Perdido Beach and not for the better.  People who were dead, are coming back to life. The town council is at odds with each other.  Zil and his human crew are growing more powerful.  And Orsay claims that she has been communicating with people on the the other side of the barrier.  Fear begins to reign and the kids are going to be forced to make desperate choices.

by Julie Schumacher Lexile:  ??? Genre:  Realistic Fiction CeeCee, Adrienne, Wallis, and Jill are not friends.  But their mothers come up with the fabulous idea of starting a summer book club and they will all be participating, whether they like it or not.  The girls and their mothers draft a list of books that will meet the requirements for their summer reading and writing assignments for AP English 11.  Adrienne would rather be at camp with her friend Liz, but an injured knee has prevented her from going.  CeeCee crashed her car so her parents cancelled her trip to Paris. Jill's mother wants her to socialize more.  And Wallis?  She is a true mystery. Will this unlikely foursome survive the summer?

by Trent Reedy Lexile:  670 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Zulaikha wants to learn to read and write.  But her family needs her help running the household.  She is growing up in post-Taliban Afghanistan and times are changing everyone - both inside of her home and out.  Zulaikha was born with a cleft lip and the Americans think they might be able to help her get the surgery she needs to correct it.  Her sister is getting married and going to leave their home for good. Her father and brother have gotten a new work contract.  And there is going to be a new baby.  Will Zulaikha get a chance to pursue her dreams?

by Margi Preus Lexile:  760 Genre:  Historical Fiction Manjiro and his four friends don't know if they are going to survive.  They have been stranded on a desert island after a storm destroyed their fishing boat.  They are near death when they are rescued by some American sailors from a whaling boat.  Manjiro has heard terrible stories about these barbarians, but not everything he has heard is true.  An unlikely friendship grows between Manjiro and the captain that causes Manjiro think long and hard about what his hopes and dreams are for the future.

by Matthew J. Kirby Lexile:  670 Genre:  Fantasy Solveig, Asa, and Harald have been sent away by their father, the king, to protect them from harm while their kingdom is at war.  He thought they would be safe in the hidden ice fortress he sent them to, but what he didn't know was that there was a traitor or two in the midst.  At first, Solveig wants nothing more than to just survive, but her life changes as she begins to suspect that those who have vowed to protect her, might very well be her enemies.