Options for Middle School
All students will select one book from this list. Honors students will have an additional requirement.
Chinese Cinderella. Adeline Yen-Mah
A Chinese proverb says, "Falling leaves return to their roots." In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for -- the love and understanding of her family.
Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385740077?keywords=Chinese%20Cinderella&qid=1456422091&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
No Common Sense Media Review.
Memoir. Lexile 960
$8.68
A Chinese proverb says, "Falling leaves return to their roots." In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for -- the love and understanding of her family.
Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385740077?keywords=Chinese%20Cinderella&qid=1456422091&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
No Common Sense Media Review.
Memoir. Lexile 960
$8.68
The Red Pyramid. Rick Riordan
Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.
One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.
Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Pyramid-Kane-Chronicles-Book/dp/1423113454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456422732&sr=8-1&keywords=Red+pyramid
Common Sense Media Review:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-red-pyramid-the-kane-chronicles-book-1
Fantasy with a strong connection to Egyptian mythology. Lexile 650
$7.99
Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.
One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.
Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Pyramid-Kane-Chronicles-Book/dp/1423113454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456422732&sr=8-1&keywords=Red+pyramid
Common Sense Media Review:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-red-pyramid-the-kane-chronicles-book-1
Fantasy with a strong connection to Egyptian mythology. Lexile 650
$7.99
The Fourteenth Goldfish. Jennifer L. Holm
Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer.
Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far?
Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?
With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.
Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Fourteenth-Goldfish-Jennifer-L-Holm-ebook/dp/B00IQRN4PW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456423006&sr=8-1&keywords=14th+goldfish
Common Sense Media Link:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-fourteenth-goldfish
Imaginative fiction. Lexile 550
$6.79
Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer.
Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far?
Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?
With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.
Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Fourteenth-Goldfish-Jennifer-L-Holm-ebook/dp/B00IQRN4PW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456423006&sr=8-1&keywords=14th+goldfish
Common Sense Media Link:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-fourteenth-goldfish
Imaginative fiction. Lexile 550
$6.79
The One and Only Ivan. Katherine Applegate and Patricia Castelao
Winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal and a #1 New York Timesbestseller, this stirring and unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendship. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated novel is told from the point of view of Ivan himself.
Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.Winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal and a #1 New York Timesbestseller, this stirring and unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendship. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated novel is told from the point of view of Ivan himself.
Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/One-Only-Ivan-Katherine-Applegate/dp/0061992275/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456423992&sr=8-1&keywords=The+one+and+only+Ivan
Common Sense Media Link:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-one-and-only-ivan
Animal fiction. Lexile 570
$6.00
Winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal and a #1 New York Timesbestseller, this stirring and unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendship. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated novel is told from the point of view of Ivan himself.
Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.Winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal and a #1 New York Timesbestseller, this stirring and unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendship. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated novel is told from the point of view of Ivan himself.
Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/One-Only-Ivan-Katherine-Applegate/dp/0061992275/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456423992&sr=8-1&keywords=The+one+and+only+Ivan
Common Sense Media Link:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-one-and-only-ivan
Animal fiction. Lexile 570
$6.00
Zane and the Hurricane. Rodman Philbrick
Newbery Honor author Rodman Philbrick presents a gripping yet poignant novel about a 12-year-old boy and his dog who become trapped in New Orleans during the horrors of Hurricane Katrina.
Zane Dupree is a charismatic 12-year-old boy of mixed race visiting a relative in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits. Unexpectedly separated from all family, Zane and his dog experience the terror of Katrina's wind, rain, and horrific flooding. Facing death, they are rescued from an attic air vent by a kind, elderly musician and a scrappy young girl--both African American. The chaos that ensues as storm water drowns the city, shelter and food vanish, and police contribute to a dangerous, frightening atmosphere, creates a page-turning tale that completely engrosses the reader. Based on the facts of the worst hurricane disaster in U.S. history, Philbrick includes the lawlessness and lack of government support during the disaster as well as the generosity and courage of those who risked their lives and safety to help others. Here is an unforgettable novel of heroism in the face of truly challenging circumstances.
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Zane-Hurricane-Katrina-Rodman-Philbrick/dp/0545342392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456424200&sr=8-1&keywords=Zane+and+the+Hurricane
Common Sense Media Link: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/zane-and-the-hurricane-a-story-of-katrina
Historical/current even fiction. 860 Lexile
$6.99
Newbery Honor author Rodman Philbrick presents a gripping yet poignant novel about a 12-year-old boy and his dog who become trapped in New Orleans during the horrors of Hurricane Katrina.
Zane Dupree is a charismatic 12-year-old boy of mixed race visiting a relative in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits. Unexpectedly separated from all family, Zane and his dog experience the terror of Katrina's wind, rain, and horrific flooding. Facing death, they are rescued from an attic air vent by a kind, elderly musician and a scrappy young girl--both African American. The chaos that ensues as storm water drowns the city, shelter and food vanish, and police contribute to a dangerous, frightening atmosphere, creates a page-turning tale that completely engrosses the reader. Based on the facts of the worst hurricane disaster in U.S. history, Philbrick includes the lawlessness and lack of government support during the disaster as well as the generosity and courage of those who risked their lives and safety to help others. Here is an unforgettable novel of heroism in the face of truly challenging circumstances.
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Zane-Hurricane-Katrina-Rodman-Philbrick/dp/0545342392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456424200&sr=8-1&keywords=Zane+and+the+Hurricane
Common Sense Media Link: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/zane-and-the-hurricane-a-story-of-katrina
Historical/current even fiction. 860 Lexile
$6.99