Goods Book Choices For Summer Reading

Third Grade

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink, is a book about a girl who is very adventurous and courageous and does not want to be the polite working girl that people expect her to be. Caddie likes to play with her brothers and does not want to knit and cook like her mother. Caddie feels like her mother and family don’t understand her and the way she is. She has friends that are Indians but her family and neighbors are scared of them. Caddie Woodlawn’s fun and adventurous personality has made this book a fun and exciting book to read for third graders.

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath is a book about a girl named Primrose Squarp, who thinks her parents died at sea but does not know for sure. She ends up in an adoption agency. The adoption agency finds a baby sitter but they are tired of paying. They finally find a relative which is her uncle. He takes her in and cares for her as if she was his daughter. To find peace and tranquility she goes a restaurant called  “The Girl in the Swing”. This restaurant serves waffles that can come with everything on it. The boss of  the restaurant, Miss Bowzer, gives Primrose advice and a listening ear.

Because of Winn Dixie by Harper Lee and Carson McCullers is a story about a girl named Opal who one summer moves to Naomi, Florida with her father,and  the preacher. Opal goes into the Winn-Dixie supermarket, and ends up getting a dog. A big, boney, ugly, suffering dog with a sense of humor. A dog she names Winn-Dixie,because of Winn-Dixie, the preacher that  tells Opal ten things about her mother that’s not there. One for each year Opal has been alive. Winn-Dixie is better at making friends than anyone Opal has ever known, and together they meet the local librarian, Miss Franny Block, who fought off a bear with a copy of War and Peace. They meet Gloria Dump, who is nearly blind but feels with her heart, and Otis, an ex-con who sets the animals in his pet shop loose after hours. This is a loving and wonderful story that everyone would enjoy.

The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler is a tail about a girl who was never aloud to go into water until her mom finally agreed to let her take a swim class. On the first day of seventh grade swim class she finds out she is half mermaid. Her new life at a new school is becoming a lot harder than she expected. She also is going on a mission to reunite with her father. Liz Kessler reels us in with an enchanting tale of family secrets, friendships , and the power of love.

Rules by Cynthia Lord is a story about Catherine, a twelve year old girl who loves art and would like to have a friend.Catherine is the sister and sometimes babysitter for her brother David, who has autism. She usually has a hard time fitting in with her classmates because of David’s behaviors.  She works to help David be more “normal,”  Her best friend is away for the summer visiting her father, so Catherine is happy when she learns that the family moving in next door includes a girl her age. Catherine spends most of her summer  helping her mother with David, visiting the clinic where David receives occupational therapy, and hoping that Christy, her new neighbor, will not be scared off by David.  At the clinic, Catherine befriends a wheelchair-bound boy named Jason who “talks” through a communication book he keeps with him at all times. Catherine must choose whether or not to invite Jason to a community dance when challenged to do so by Christy, who doesn’t know about David’s disability.

Fourth Grade

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White is a great story about a girl named Fern, who has a special love for a pig named Wilbur. Wilbur becomes too big to be a house pig so the big is given to her uncle who puts Wilbur on his farm. Wilbur meets a spider named Charlotte who lives in a web at the top corner of his pen. Charlotte and Wilbur become the best of friends. Charlotte makes Wilbur a very famous pig and helps Wilbur in his new journey in his new home.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo is a fascinating tale about the life of a mouse named Despereaux Tilling, who wants to be more than what his family thinks of him. He loves music, literature, and is in love with a princess named Pea. This book also tells the story of a rat named Roscuro who lives in the dark murky walls of the castle. But wait there is another person who has a story. Her name is Miggery Sow and she is a serving girl who has a simple impossible wish. These three characters will embark on a journey that will lead them in the dark dungeon to the top of the wonderful castle and their stories will intertwine.

Granny Torelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech is a story about a wise Italian grandmother who gives advice about life, and cooking, to her 12 year old granddaughter.  Granny Torelli uses lessons from her own childhood to help her granddaughter Rosie in her current problem with Bailey who is their neighbor and who is only a week apart from Rosie.  Rosie and Bailey are growing farther apart and need Rosie’s Grandmother’s wisdom to help their friendship get back on track. While cooking in the kitchen with Rosie and Bailey Granny helps heal their  friendship and gives them words of wisdom to keep their friendship strong.

The Magician’s Boy by Susan Cooper is about a boy who works for a Magician. He does all kinds of chores, like polishing the Magician’s wands and looking after the Magician’s six white rabbits that the Magician pulls out of his hat. While the boy works, he wishes he would learn some magic from the Magician. The Magician still says that it is not the right time. Even though the boy isn’t happy he loves to operate the puppets for the Magician’s famous puppet show. The story if the play is “Saint George and the Dragon.” During a performance at the christmas party, the boy can’t find one of the puppets. He can’t find the puppet of saint George. The Magician is very mad and sends the boy to search for the lost puppet. The boy ends up in the Land of Story where he meets some weird and familiar characters from fairy tales and nursery rhymes. It will not be easy but with persistence and bravery the boy will go and find Saint George… if the Dragon doesn’t find him first.

Fifth Grade

Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher  by Bruce Coville is a story about a boy named Jeremy Thatcher who is embarrassed about an incident that happened in art class and to avoid his classmates on the way home he takes some back streets and ends up right in front of a place called “Elives’ Magic Shop,” and being a curious boy he decides to go in.  The shop is full of strange and bizarre things but the one object which he cannot take his eyes off is a shining multi-colored ball. At first Mr. Elives does not want to sell the ball to Jeremy but after the boy holds the ball, the old man changes his mind. He sells the boy the ball for twenty-five cents and he gives Jeremy a care sheet to go with it. When Jeremy gets home he takes a look at the care sheet and is astonished to read the words “How to Hatch a Dragon’s Egg” at the top of the paper. Jeremy Learns how to hatch a dragon and begins his journey with what becomes to be his newly found best friend… a dragon.

Double Dog Dare by Lisa Graff  is a story about two fourth graders, Kansas Bloom and Francine Halata who are fighting for the job of being the school’s very own news anchor. They will go to no end to get that job. They are coming up with insane dares for one another.To be news anchor, you must have completed the most dares by Winter Break, and neither Francine, nor Kansas want to be the one to lose. Although they start off as archenemies, over the competition, Francine and Kansas learn more about one another and realize that they may have more in common than they originally thought. Could the job of news anchor be shared?

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann is a story about  a place called Quill where every year, thirteen year olds are sorted into categories… the strong, intelligent, and the artistic. The strong and intelligent ones are kept and are sent to universities. The artistic ones are the unwanteds and are sent to their deaths. Thirteen year old Alex tries his hardest to be intelligent and strong when his fate is announced as unwanted. He was leaving his twin , Aaron, who is a Wanted. While coming to an end, or so he thought, when he came to the “death farm”, there is instead a place called Artime which is where all the unwanteds go. In Artime, each teen is taught to improve their creative abilities and learn how to embrace them and how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex was expecting changed in an instant. No matter what you may think , this place is not always happy. Alex faces a problem because him and his brother’s bond is stretched beyond compare and it seems that later on there will be a threat where him and his brother will have to face each other but not in a nice way but in a magical battle.

Floors by Patrick Carmen is a story about  a place called The Whippet Hotel. This place is a very strange hotel filled with secrets and strange people. Each floor has its own perks and secerts. Leo,the maintenance man’s son, know most of the hotel but nothing like his is going to see. A whole slew of mysteries are thrown his way when a series of cryptic boxes are left for him. These boxes lead him to hidden floors, strange puzzles, and strange alliances. Leo better be watching his back because the fate of the building he loves and leo’s own future is in danger and Leo is  the only person that can save it.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Drannen is a book about when second-graders Bryce and Juli first meet. Beginning that day, and for the next six years, young Bryce does everything he can to keep his outspoken wannabe girlfriend at arm’s length, which isn’t easy since they go to the same school and live across the street from each other. Smart, dreamy, independent and willing to stand up for what she believes in, Juli is different from anyone else he knows and, frankly, it’s a little overwhelming. There’s just no telling what Juli will do next, and Bryce is one guy who’d rather be safe than sorry. Though disappointed by Bryce’s unwillingness to see things her way, or even to see the things in life she finds most meaningful. Until those doubts stack up so high that she finally thinks maybe she was wrong about him. It’s just about the same time Bryce starts to think maybe he was wrong about her, too. But is he too late?