Westridge School
6th Grade Summer Reading List for 2016
Required Reading
Besides all of great books you will choose to read on your own this summer, Project Mulberrywill be a part of how we start our year. Below are some questions to get you thinking. These will be jumping off points for our 6th grade year in Humanities and Science.
- Project Mulberry, by Linda Sue Park
Please answer each of the following sets of questions, using the attached template for the book. Cut out the square along the outside dotted lines and answer the questions using the front (green) and the back (white). Please write or print neatly! If you need more space for the answers, you may make another square like the one at the back of the package. Just put them together.
- What is important about family heritage? What are the stories you want to keep about your family? What do you share and celebrate?
- Why do you think the author has a conversation with her main character?
- How are Patrick and Julia different? How are they similar? How does their friendship evolve (change)?
- In the story, where do you see the cultural heritage of one person influencing or enriching someone else’s life? Quote a passage in the book that illustrates your example.
Independent Reading
There is nothing better than having lots of time to read good books at the beach, in the park, in the quiet of your room or private corner. And the more we read the better we read…AND the better we write. Yep, it’s true!! Writers become good writers by reading what other writers write! (Whew! Say that quickly twenty times!)
Please tell me about two more books you read, this summer. I would like to get to know about you as a reader. What do you pick to read when it isn’t a school assignment? What are your favorite things to read?
- Print off the template of the leaf that is attached. Trace two copies of it onto any color of paper and cut them out. (You may also design your own leaf shape to cut out.)
- On one side of a leaf, print the title of one of your books. Don’t forget to underline or italicize the title of the book. Under the title, write the author’s name, and below that, write your name.
- On the opposite side of your leaf, write a personal response to your book. Describe a short scene, share something you liked about the book, share something that surprised you, describe a favorite character, etc. Please do NOT write a book review. I do not want you to write a summary, just your personal response to the book.
- Now, do the same with one more book!
You may choose books from the attached list or find your own books that bring you joy and challenge as you read them. The goal is for you to expand your horizons to discover something new! And by all means, read as many books as you want…..the more, the merrier!!! (You may also make more leaves, if you wish!)
All summer reading assignments are DUE by
Wednesday, August 31st(Convocation Day).
Enjoy!!!
See you in August…
Ms. Kiphart
Here are some reading suggestions to get you started:
Classics:
Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Around the World in 80 Days, Jules Verne
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
Frankenstein, Mary Shelly
The Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Lord of the RingsorThe Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
Mark Twain’s Tales of Mystery, Mark Twain, Menton Matthews III
Contemporary (some old goodies, some new stars):
Al Capone Shines my Shoes, GenniferCholdenko
Across Five Aprils, Irene Hunt
Among the Orangutans, Evelyn Gallardo
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple, Karen Cushman
The Beautiful Stories of Life: Six Greek Myths, Retold, Cynthia Rylant
The Black Pearl, Scott O’Dell
Bloomability, Sharon Creech
Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo
Born to Fly, Michael Ferrari
Boy, Roald Dahl
Breaking Stalin’s Nose, Eugene Yelchin
Bridge to Terebithia, Katherine Paterson
Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis
Callie’s Rules, Naomi Zucker
Child of the Owl, Laurence Yep
Cracker: the Best Dog in Vietnam, Cynthia Kadohota
Criss Cross, Lynne Rae Perkins
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night, Joyce Sidman
Dead End in Norvelt, Jack Gantos
Dewey: The Small-town Library Cat Who Touched the World, Vicki Myron
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney
Dragon, Jeff Stone
Dragon’s Gate, Laurence Yep
The Dreamer, Pam Muñoz Ryan
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery, Russell Freedman
Esperanza Rising, Pam Muñoz Ryan
Everything on a Waffle, Polly Horvath
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Jacqueline Kelly
Feathers, Jacqueline Woodson
Fever Crumb, Philip Reeve
Flawed Dogs: The Novel: the Shocking Raid on Westminster, Berke Breathed
Freak the Mighty, Rodman Philbrick
*From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
*The Giver, Lois Lowry
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, Laura Amy Schlitz
Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
Hattie Big Sky, Kirby Larson
Heart of a Samurai,Margi Preus
The Higher Power of Lucky, Susan Patron
Holes, Louis Sachar
Hoot, Carl Hiaasen
Inside-Out and Back Again, Thanhha Lai
Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O’Dell
Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead George
Kira-Kira, Cynthia Kadohata
Lily’s Crossing, Patricia Reilly Giff
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, Gary D. Schmidt
A Long Way from Chicago, Richard Peck
The Magician’s Elephant, Kate DiCamillo
The Meanest Doll in the World, Ann M. Martin
The Midwife’s Apprentice, Karen Cushman
Millicent Min, Girl Genius, Lisa Yee
Missing May, Cynthia Rylant
Mockingbird, Kathryn Erskine
Moon Over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool
Morning Girl, Michael Dorris
My Life in Dog Years, Gary Paulsen
My Life in Pink and Green, Lisa Greenwald
My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead GeorgeNewsgirl, Liza Kethum
Ninth Ward, Jewel Parker Rhoads
Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
Olive’s Ocean, Kevin Henkes
One Crazy Summer, Rita Williams-Garcia
Outlaw: the Legend of Robin Hood, Tony Lee
Penny From Heaven, Jennifer L. Holm
Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
Pictures of Hollis Woods, Patricia Reilly Giff
Poppy, Avi
PrincessAcademy, Shannon Hale
Punished!, David Lubar
The Rock and the River, KeklaMagoon
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor
Rules, Cynthia Lord
Savvy, Ingrid Law
A Season of Gifts, Richard Peck
Silverwing, Kenneth Oppel
Sing Down the Moon, Scott O’Dell
A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park
Sounder, William H. Armstrong
Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom, Margarita Engle
Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbit
Turtle in Paradise, Jennifer Holm
The Underneath, KathiAppelt
The View from Saturday, E. L. Konigsburg
The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle
for Equal Rights, Russell Freedman
Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, Christopher Paul Curtis
The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
When My Name Was Keoko, Linda Sue Park
When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead
Whittington, Alan Armstrong
Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck
Yolanda’s Genius, Carol Fenner
Series (pretty much all fantasy/science fiction):
Eragon Series, Christopher Paolini
The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Pyrdain,Lloyd Alexander
Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowling
His Dark Materials Trilogy, Philip Pullman
The Kane Chronicles or Heroes of Mt. Olympus, Rick Riordan
WHEW!!! Didn’t find what you wanted? Take a stroll through Amazon.com; there’s a scroll bar at the bottom of each book you call up with more suggestions. You can also find some great biographies by searching “children’s biographies.” OR take a day trip downtown and visit the Los Angeles Public Library. Not only is it a way cool building, they are a tremendous resource. For that matter, the same is true for our library here in Pasadena. You can also look on line for the Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People and the Newberry Medal winners.
Project Mulberry Question Template