Summer Reading List

Incoming 6th Graders for the 2015-2016

Students may choose one of the books for their summer reading. Assessments of summer reading will be done the first week of school.

Title / Author / Genre / Synopsis
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry / Mildred D. Taylor / Historical Fiction / Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie's story—Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect.
Bearing The Cross / By David Garrow / Biography / This monumental biography delves into the life of the great American civil rights hero, detailing a portrait of a man beyond his vision and frailties. Based on extensive research and more than 700 interviews with King’s associates and opponents, historian and professor David Garrow traces King’s life from his beginning as a young pastor through to his premature death, while giving the readers a glimpse into life behind closed doors.
La Linea / Ann Jaramillo / Fiction / Miguel has dreamed of joining his parents in California since the day they left him behind in Mexico six years, eleven months, and twelve days ago. On the morning of his fifteenth birthday, Miguel's wait is over.
Or so he thinks. The trip north to the border-la línea-is fraught with dangers. Thieves. Border guards. And a grueling, two-day trek across the desert. It would be hard enough to survive alone. But it's almost impossible with his tagalong sister in tow.
Anne of Green Gables / L.M. Montgomery / Fiction / This classic novel begins the adventures of the spirited redhead Anne Shirley, who comes to stay at Green Gables and wins the hearts of everyone she meets.
Because of Winn Dixie / Kate DiCamillo / Fiction / Abandoned by her mother years ago, Opal, a 10-year-old girl, moves with her preacher father to a small town in Florida. Lonely and missing her old friends, Opal is ecstatic to find companionship with a rambunctious little dog she names Winn-Dixie, after the store where she found the pup. With Winn-Dixie's help, Opal befriends several colorful townsfolk and even begins mending her relationship with her father.