Libraries
Middle School Reading Page

 

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

                                                                             -Albert Einstein

 

Welcome to the MS Reading Page
Summer offers a perfect opportunity to rediscover the pleasure of reading at a leisurely and enjoyable pace.  Connecting to stories that are exciting and engaging is key to developing lifelong reading habits, and students are encouraged to read widely and sample a variety of genres.  Reading, writing and success in school are closely interrelated. Even more importantly reading engages the imagination like no other medium, transporting you into the hearts and minds of others.

 


 

Featured Titles

Inside out and Back Again
by Thannha Lai 
Recommended for Grade 5 and up After her father has been missing in action for nine years during the Vietnam War, 10-year-old Hà flees with her mother and three older brothers. Traveling first by boat, the family reaches a tent city in Guam, moves on to Florida, and is finally connected with sponsors in Alabama, where Hà finds refuge but also cruel rejection, especially from mean classmates. Based on Lai’s personal experience, this first novel captures a child-refugee’s struggle with rare honesty.

 Wonderstruck
by Brian Szelnick  
Recommended for Grades 6 and up
(Realistic fiction book by the author of The Invention of Hugh Cabret.) Having lost his mother and his hearing in a short time, twelve-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he never knew in New York City, and meets there Rose, who is also longing for something missing from her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures.		 The Near Witch 
by Victoria Schwab
Recommended for Grades 7 and up
Sixteen-year-old Lexi, who lives on an enchanted moor at the edge of the village of Near, must solve the mystery when, the day after a mysterious boy appears in town, children start disappearing.

Summer Reading for students entering Grades 5 and 6
 Entering Grade 5 Reading List (pdf)
Entering Grade 6 Reading List (pdf)

Instructions:

  1. Read three titles from the grade list, or, if the book is part of a series, you may choose another a title in the series. In addition read two books of your own choice.
  2. Keep a complete list of all the books you read over the summer. Record the author, title and genre on the list.   Rate each title with a 1 – 5 star rating, with 1 being poor and 5 being terrific.  Bring that list to school with you the first week.
  3. Write a short book review of a favorite book you read from the reading list, and bring the review to school the first day back.  The review should include information about the genre, characters, setting, and plot.  It should also include your opinion as to why you might recommend the book to another student in the middle school. Putting questions in the review help to entice another to read the book.

  4. Bring a copy of one of the books that you enjoyed from the reading list to school. The book may be in electronic or paper format.  You will be asked to create a piece of writing based on the book during the first two weeks of school.

Summer Reading Instructions for students entering Grade 7 and 8
 Entering Grade 7 Reading List (pdf)
Entering Grade 8 Reading List (pdf)

Instructions:

  1. Keep a complete list of all the books you read over the summer. Record the author, title, and genre on the list.   Rate each title with a 1 – 5 star rating, with 1 being poor and 5 being terrific.  Bring that list to school with you the first week.
  2. Read daily if possible.
  3. Read three titles from the grade level list or by an author on the list. In addition, read two of your own choice.  Feel free to choose to read a biography of a person of interest to you.
  4. Select one book from the reading list that you especially enjoyed. You will write a creative response about this book. This writing piece will be due September 5th.  Type your piece using Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced.  Pay attention to correct spelling, punctuation, and complete sentences.
  5. Writing Project Choices, choose one: A) Write a letter to the author about an incident or important idea in the book that struck you as particularly interesting. Please use specific examples from the book in your letter. B) Consider the following: "A fine writer involves the reader so deeply in the minds of the characters that for a time they share identities and experiences. Reading changes the reader." Write a response to this idea. How did reading this book change your view of life or the way you look at things? Did the book make you reconsider of any of your own life experiences? Did you become a slightly different person as a result of reading the book? C) Write a brief new scene or "mini-chapter" for the story. This scene could be one that might occur within the story line, or it could provide a new ending. Be sure to include characteristics (setting, dialogue, characters, etc.) that are typical of the book.

Great Ways to Locate and Access Books
 Destiny Quest: a new way to access summer reading lists on the iPad, iPhone, iPod or computer.
In addition to the printable PDF versions of the reading lists available above, students may access the lists by using our student-friendly searching interface Destiny Quest.  Read More

To access the Summer Reading Lists through the online PDS Destiny Catalog, first click here. Click on resource lists on left, then public lists on right. Destiny Quest also offers a free mobile app for download in the Apple App Store or is available on the web here. The PDS id for Destiny Quest is pds.follettdestiny.com and a "network" username and password is needed to access the full features of the app/website. Parents can use the guest login or their child’s login to access Destiny Quest. Once in Destiny Quest students may create wish lists for books, find out more information about particular titles, and discover read-alike titles. Please note that Destiny Quest is a catalog, not a place to download e-books. During the school year, students will be able to reserve books from the PDS libraries via Destiny Quest.

E-books
Students may read titles in electronic or print format. Read More

The libraries at PDS will have several apps available for students to use on iPads to access ebooks. We have begun to pilot two reader apps both for reference as well as fiction titles. Right now we are trialing books through both a iPad app called Follett Shelf as well as an app called Blio. In addition, ebooks are available through the e-subscription page under Virtual Library. We understand that electronic format is the way in which reading is going and we intend to find the best sources to access the titles through the library.


Need help finding your next book? Want to look up books by topic or genre?
Try NoveList. PDS students will need the library username and password to access this subscription from a device off-campus. Ask any librarian for this information.

 

 

 

 

Tips and Ideas for Summer Reading

  • Create a reading partnership with a friend or family member, and discuss the book as you read.
  • Sample a variety of authors, genres and writing styles. Try using Novelist to find books aligned to your interests.
  • Connect books to activities that interest you.  For example, read Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick; then visit the American Museum of Natural History, NYC.
  • Set aside reading time each day if you are able.
  • Read aloud to family and friends.
  • Begin meal times by reading a poem or other written work.
  • Explore the local public library.
  • Join a summer reading program.
  • Reread books you have loved.
  • Read a classic title that you’ve always wanted to read but haven’t the time for.

Lists of Award Winning Books & Other Links
 Coretta Scott King Award: To encourage the artistic expression of the African American experience via literature and the graphic arts, including biographical, historical and social history treatments by African American authors and illustrators.

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Award Established in 1950, the National Book Award is an American literary prize given to writers by writers and administered by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization.

All PDS students are eligible to have a library card at the Princeton Public Library. They have wonderful programs and a great collection.


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