Assignment:

Students are required to write a letter for each of the three books they read over the summer. The letters to your teacher should contain:

1. A brief description of the book, including information about the:

• Setting — where it takes place, time in history (minimum of 1 paragraph),
• Main characters — use appearance and personality traits (minimum of 1 paragraph).
  
• Conflicts the main character faces — tell how he/she solves these conflicts.  Remember, conflicts are struggles confronting the character; they may be character versus character, character versus nature, and character versus him/herself (minimum of 3 paragraphs).

2. Questions — What were some questions you had while you were reading?  Did you still have questions when you finished the book?

3. Connections — Make at least 2 connections. For example text to self, text to text, or text to world.

4. Would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not?

5. Vocabulary — Create a list of words (10 minimum) that you did not know.

Required Reading:

Shiloh  by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Marty finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home and tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner — a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.
On the web!: http://www.ipl.org/div/askauthor/Naylor.html

Choose at least two others from the titles below:

And Nobody Got Hurt! by Len Berman
The World's Weirdest, Wackiest True Sports Stories.

The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) by Roald Dahl
Sophie is snatched from her bed in the middle of the night by a giant with a stride as long as a tennis court. The world is full of guzzling and swallomping giants. Sophie and the BFG are determined to rid the world of these giants.
On the web!: http://www.roalddahl.com/

Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
A gift of a toy castle, complete with silver knight, introduces William to an adventure involving magic and a personal quest.

Class President by Johanna Hurwitz
When the new fifth-grade teacher announced that there would be an election for class president, Cricket was sure she was going to win. She is the most popular girl in school and wishes to become President of the United States. But all of a sudden Julio finds himself running for president. Can Julio win the election?

Donuthead by Sue Stauffacher
Franklin Delano Donuthead, a fifth-grader obsessed with hygiene and safety, finds an unlikely friend and protector in Sarah Kervick, the tough new student who lives in a dirty trailer, bonds with his mother, and is as "irregular" as he is.
On the web!: http://www.suestauffacher.com/

Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant
Twelve deeply moving short stories that capture the moment when someone's life changes -- when an animal causes a human being to see things in a different way, and, perhaps, changes his life.

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech
With the help of her wise old grandmother, 12-year-old Rosie manages to work out some problems in her relationship with her best friend, Bailey, the boy next door.
On the web!: http://www.sharoncreech.com

Holes by Louis Sachar
As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
On the web!: http://www.louissachar.com/

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toy seller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.
On the web!: http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com

The Liberation of Gabriel King by K. L. Going
In Georgia during the summer of 1976, Gabriel, a white boy who is being bullied, and Frita, an African American girl who is facing prejudice, decide to overcome their many fears together as they enter fifth grade.
On the web!: http://www.klgoing.com/

Morning Girl by Michael Dorris
Morning Girl, who loves the day, and her younger brother Star Boy, who loves the night, take turns describing their life on an island in pre-Columbian America; in Morning Girl's last narrative, she witnesses the arrival of the first Europeans to her world.

Pedro's Journal by Pam Conrad
Written as a diary by the ship's boy, this story presents a personal view of Columbus's first trip across the Atlantic and of his discovery of America.

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
Thirteen-year-old fraternal twins Dallas and Florida have grown up in a terrible orphanage but their lives change forever when an eccentric but sweet older couple invites them each on an adventure, beginning in an almost magical place called Ruby Holler.
On the web!: http://www.sharoncreech.com

Saving Shiloh (3rd book in series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Sixth-grader Marty and his family try to help their rough neighbor, Judd Travers, change his mean ways, even though their West Virginia community continues to expect the worst of him.

Shiloh Season (2nd book in series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
When mean and angry Judd, who has never known kindness, takes to drinking and mistreats his dogs, Marty discovers how deep a hurt can go and how long it takes to heal.

The Spiderwick Chronicles (any of the 5 books in the series) by Tony DiTerlizzi
When the Grace children go to stay at their Great Aunt Lucinda's worn Victorian house, they discover a field guide to fairies and other creatures and begin to have some unusual experiences.
On the web!: http://www.spiderwick.com/

Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
Knowing how to read and write is not enough for Louis, a voiceless Trumpeter Swan; his determination to learn to play a stolen trumpet takes him far from his wilderness home.

Turtle Summer: A Journal for My Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe
A mother's journal of a summer spent with her daughter on an island among loggerhead turtles. Includes "For Creative Minds" section with fun facts on endangered loggerhead sea turtles, as well as turtle crafts and scrapbook instructions.
On the web!: http://www.maryalicemonroe.com/

Uncle Daddy by Ralph Fletcher
When his long-absent father suddenly reappears, nine-year-old Rivers struggles with conflicting feelings and re-examines his relationship with the great-uncle who had served as his father.

The War With Grandpa by Robert Kimmell Smith
Upset that he has to give up the room he loves to his grandfather, Pete decides to declare war in an attempt to get it back.
On the web!: http://www.robertkimmelsmith.com/

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin
Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own life.
On the web!: http://www.gracelin.com

Email readingsummer@chelseaschools.com 
if you have questions about the books or the assignments.

These books can be checked out from:

The Chelsea Public Library
Hours: Mon & Tue 9am-9pm
Wed & Thur 9am-8pm
Fri 9am-5pm & Sat 9am-12noon
 
The Williams School Library
Monday-Thursday
12noon-3pm
July 7th - Aug 7th

...Or purchased at Barnes & Noble, Saugus.