Reading List, Middle School
Contents
Grade 6 GOR List
Avi: The Blue Heron, The Man Who Was Poe, Nothing But the Truth, Crispin, Cross of Lead, and others. Note: We will read The True Confessions of Charlo3e Doyle in Grade 6, so please DO NOT read this one on your own.
Lloyd Alexander: The Chronicles of Prydain (series) and others
Joan Aiken: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, and others
Laurie Anderson: Chains
Natalie BabbiA: Tuck EverlasHng
Blue Balliet: Chasing Vermeer
Joan Bauer: Hope Was Here, and others
Gary Blackwood: The Shakespeare Stealer
Betsy Byers: Summer of the Swans, The Midnight Fox and others
Gennifer Choldenko: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Andrew Clements: Frindle, Things Not Seen
Susan Cooper: The Dark is Rising (series)
Padriac Collum: The Golden Fleece
Zizou Corder: Lion Boy
Sharon Creech: Walk Two Moons, Bloomability, The Wanderer, and others, but not her shorter stories
Christopher Paul CurLs: Bud, Not Buddy, The Watsons Go to Birmingham
Karen Cushman: Catherine Called Birdie, The Midwife’s ApprenHce
Roald Dahl: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, MaHlda, and others
Kate DiCamillo: The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tiger Rising
Kathryn Erskine: Mockingbird
Paula Fox: Slave Dancer, One-Eyed Cat, Monkey Island
Cornelia Funke: The Thief Lord, Dragon Rider, Inkheart, Inkspell
Jack Gantos: Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, and sequels
Jean Craighead George: My Side of the Mountain, and sequels
Patricia Reilly Giff: Pictures of Hollis Woods, Lily’s Crossing
BeAe Greene: Summer of My German Soldier
Margaret Peterson Haddix: Among The Hidden
Karen Hesse: Out of the Dust, The Music of Dolphins, Stowaway, and others
Polly Horvath: Everything on a Waffle
Eva IboAson: The Secret of PlaWorm 13, and sequels
E.L. Konigsburg: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The View from Saturday, Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver, and others
Joseph Krumgold: Onion John, And Now Miguel
Cynthia Kadohata: Kira-Kira
Stephen Lawhead: The Dragon King Saga (series)
Madeleine L’Engle: A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A SwiZly TilHng Planet, Meet the AusHns, and many more.
Gail Carson Levine: Ella Enchanted, Dave at Night (not her shorter fairy tales)
KrisLn Levine: The Best Bad Luck I Have Ever Had
Lois Lenski: Indian CapHve
C.S. Lewis: Note: You will be required to read The Magician’s Nephew during the summer before Grade 6 as part of the summer reading program. (If you would like to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, or any of the other books in the Chronicles of Narnia series, these would be excellent choices for GOR.)
Lois Lowry: The Giver, Gathering Blue, The Messenger, Number the Stars, The Willoughbys, and others
Michelle Magorian: Goodnight Mr. Tom
Walter Dean Myers: Somewhere in the Darkness, and others ScoA O’Dell: Island of the Blue Dolphins
Linda Sue Park: A Single Shard, My Name Is Keoko, and others  Katherine Paterson: Bridge to Terabithia, Lyddie, Jip, and others
Gary Paulson: Hatchet, Dogsong, Brian’s Winter, and others
Richard Peck: A Long Way from Chicago, A Year Down Under
Rodman Philbrick: Freak the Mighty
Wilson Rawls: Where the Red Fern Grows, Summer of the Monkeys
Louis Sachar: Holes
Zilpha Snyder: The Bronze Pen
Elizabeth George Speare: The Witch of Blackbird Pond and others. Note: We will read The Bronze Bow together in Grade 6, so please DO NOT read this one on your own.
Armstrong Sperry: Call it Courage
Jerry Spinelli: Maniac Magee, Wringer, and others
J. R. R. Tolkien: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings (series)
Yoshiko Uchida: Jar of Dreams
Cynthia Voight: Homecoming, Dicey’s Song, Jackaroo, and others
Virginia Euer Wolff: True Believer
Lawrence Yep: Dragonwings, The Star Fisher, and others
Jane Yolen: The Devil’s ArithmeHc and others
- There are many other wonderful authors to choose from, but any addiLons to this list must be approved by one of your English teachers in order to count for independent reading. One guideline is to first check if a book that you would like to read has won any significant awards.
- Not all books are appropriate for every sixth grader; a book’s appropriateness may depend on one’s level of maturity, understanding of the topic, and familiarity with English. If you have a quesLon about whether or not a book is appropriate for you, please check with one of your English teachers, with one of the CAJ librarians, or with your parents.
Grade 7
| Required Reading: | Task: | Reviewed by: |
|---|---|---|
| 1 book from the GOR list | Book Recommendation
Poster |
English Teacher |
| Google Drive Survey | ||
| 1 book from content area
list (Bible, Math, Science, or Social Studies) |
2 Minute Presentation | Content Area
Teacher |
| Google Drive Survey | ||
| 1 free choice (must be on
grade level) |
Google Drive Survey | Homeroom Teacher |
• Additional books read should also be recorded on the Google Drive Survey, in order to count toward the class goal.
• Book list & instructions will be posted on the CAJ website.
• Today we will practice using the google drive survey!
TASK #1 - GOR BOOK POSTER
You are going to design a Book Recommendation Poster that will persuade others to read the book.
Requirements for the poster:
- Title and Author (spelled correctly) must stand out clearly
- A summary in your own words – Write 5-7 sentences that sum up the main action or conflict going on in the book. Don't say "This book is about . . ." Get us right into the action!
- Your Personal Recommendation – Write 2-3 sentences telling your classmates why you recommend this book. Be specific!
- 2 Adjectives (Example: ACTION-PACKED!) describing the book must stand out clearly on the page.
- Visuals: Add pictures, graphics, etc. that relate to the book
- Size: B5 (250 x 176 mm or 9.84 x 6.93 inches) or half of a construction paper
- Due: the first day of class (to your English teacher)
TASK #2 - CONTENT AREA PRESENTATION
You are going to give a short presentation in a content area class to explain to your classmates what you learned about a particular topic.
Requirements for the presentation:
- Tell the title and author name
- Give a brief summary
- Explain the most interesting thing that you learned from reading the book
- Script or notecards written for the presentation
- Due: the first day of class (to your content area teacher)
Requirements:
- 1 book from the Guided Outside Reading (GOR) list
- Task: book recommendation
- Reviewed by: English Teacher
- 1 book from a content area (Bible, Math, Science, or Social Studies )
- Task: 2 minute presentation - Title and Author
- Brief summary
- What you learned
- Reviewed by: Content Area Teacher
- Task: 2 minute presentation - Title and Author
- 1 free choice (must be on grade level but does not have to be on one of the reading list)
Guided Outside Reading List
English 7 Guided Outside Reading (GOR) List
| Alcott, Louisa M. | Little Women |
| Alvarez, Julia | Before we were Free |
| Avi | Nothing but the Truth |
| The Secret School | |
| Don’t you know there’s a War on? | |
| Crispin: Cross of Lead | |
| Balliett, Blue | Chasing Vermeer |
| The Wright 3 | |
| Bauer, Joan | Hope was Here |
| Birdsall, Jeanne | The Penderwicks |
| Chabon, Michael | Summerland |
| Creech, Sharon | Walk Two Moons |
| Chasing Redbird | |
| The Wanderer | |
| Ruby Holler | |
| Heartbeat | |
| Replay | |
| Curtis, Christopher Paul | Bud, Not Buddy |
| Elijah of Buxton | |
| Cushman, Karen | Catherine called Birdy |
| Midwife’s Apprentice | |
| Matilda Bone | |
| The Ballad of Lucy Whipple | |
| DiCamillo, Kate | The Tale of Despereaux |
| Dickens, Charles | A Christmas Carol |
| Farmer, Nancy | The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm |
| A Girl Named Disaster | |
| The House of the Scorpion | |
| The Sea of Trolls | |
| Frederick, Heather Vogel | The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed |
| Funke, Cornelia | The Thief Lord |
| Inkheart | |
| The Dragon Rider | |
| Inkspell | |
| Gantos, Jack | Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key |
| Joey Pigza Loses Control | |
| What would Joey Do? | |
| Griff, Patricia R. | Pictures of Hollis Woods |
| Grisham, John | Skipping Christmas |
| Haddix, Margaret P. | Running Out of Time |
| Among the Hidden | |
| Among the Barons | |
| Among the Betrayed | |
| Among the Imposters | |
| Escape from Memory | |
| Among the Brave | |
| Among the Enemy | |
| The House on the Gulf | |
| Double Identity | |
| Among the Free | |
| Hamilton, Virginia | The Mystery of Drear House |
| Hannigan, Katherine | Ida B. |
| Hiassen, Carl | Hoot |
| Hesse, Karen | Out of the Dust |
| Stowaway | |
| Horvath, Polly | Everything on a Waffle |
| The Vacation | |
| Jacques, Brian | Mattimeo |
| Mossflower | |
| Pearls of Lutra | |
| Redwall | |
| Taggerung | |
| The Bellmaker | |
| Jimenez, Francisco | Breaking Through |
