Middle School Library

                         HUDSON  MIDDLE SCHOOL MEDIA CENTER
                                    Summer Reading Suggestions 2010
 
 
AIRBORN                                                     by Kenneth Oppel                   (adventure)
            Matt Cruse, a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that ferries wealthy passengers from city to city, meets Kate, a wealthy young girl traveling with her chaperone.  Matt was the last one to see Kate's grandfather alive and shares his dying words with Kate, as they begin an adventure of a lifetime searching for mysterious winged creatures never before seen and pirates of the air.   Great Adventure! Sequels: Skybreaker and Starclimber

BEEF PRINCESS OF PRACTICAL COUNTY    by Michelle Houts       (realistic ficiton)

           Twelve-year-old Libby, the daughter of an Indiana cattle farmer, raises two calves in hopes of winning the annual steer competition at the county fair, but fails to follow her father's warning about developing a bond with animals that are destined to be sold at auction. A 2010 Buckeye nominee!

BOUNCE                                                      by Natasha Friend                  (realistic fiction)

          Thirteen-year-old Evyn's world is turned upside-down when her father, widowed since she was a toddler, suddenly decides to marry a woman with six children, move with Ev and her older brother from Maine to Boston, and enroll her in private school. A 2009 Buckeye Book Award nominee.

CHAINS                                                        by Laurie Halse Anderson   (historical fiction)

          As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.

CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER               by James Swanson                (nonfiction)

         Recounts the twelve-day pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth, covering the chase through Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, with a discussion of Abraham Lincoln as a father, husband, and friend that examines the impact of his death on those close to him.

CRACKER! THE BEST DOG IN VIETNAM    by Cynthia Kadohata        (historical fiction)

          Rick Hanski, a young soldier in Vietnam, bonds with Cracker, his bomb-sniffing dog. A 2009 Buckeye Book Award nominee.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID                           by Jeff Kinney                           (realistic fiction)

         Greg records his sixth-grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship. Sequels: Rodrick Rules, The Last Straw, Dog Days

FOUND                                                       by Margaret Peterson Haddix    (science fiction)

        First in The Missing series. When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time. Sequel: Sent

GHOST OF SPIRIT BEAR                        By Ben Mikaelsen                    (realistic fiction)

       Cole Matthews returns to civilization after his year of exile in the Alaskan wilderness and is ready to face high school, but when the school bullies begin to target his friend, Peter, Cole feels his rage once again coming to the surface and worries high school may prove harder to survive than the wilderness. Sequel to Touching Spirit Bear.  A 2010 Buckeye nominee!

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK                        by Neil Gaiman    (fantasy/supernatural)

           The orphan Bod, short for Nobody, is taken in by the inhabitants of a graveyard as a child of eighteen months and raised lovingly and carefully to the age of eighteen years by the community of ghosts and otherworldly creatures. 2009 Newbery Award winner!

GYM CANDY                                               by Carl Deuker                        (realistic fiction)
            Groomed by his father to be a star player, football is the only thing that has ever mattered to Mick Johnson, who works hard for a spot on the varsity team his freshman year.  He tries to hold his edge by using steroids, and his use and abuse escalates despite the consequences to his health, family and social life.

HUNGER GAMES                                     by Suzanne Collins                 (science fiction)           

            In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place. Sequel: Catching Fire

THE LIGHTNING THIEF                           by Rick Riordan                     (fantasy)

            First in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. After learning that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea, Percy Jackson is transferred from boarding school to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods, and becomes involved in a quest to prevent a war between the gods. Sequels: Sea of Gods, Titan's Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian.
 
LOVE, STARGIRL                                      by Jerry Spinelli                      (realistic fiction)
            In the sequel to Stargirl, she has moved from Arizona, left Leo behind and started overbut she can't forget Leo.  She writes to him every day, but doesn't mail the letters.  Then she meets a wonderful, bizarre little girl named Dootsie, a neighbor who can't leave her house, and the mysterious Perry who decides Stargirl is his next girlfriend. A 2009 Buckeye Book Award nominee!

MARLEY, A DOG LIKE NO OTHER        by John Grogan                  (nonfiction)

            Follows the life story of an exuberant Labrador retriever that gets into perpetual trouble and experiences a range of inspiring adventures.

MAXIMUM RIDE: THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT     by James Patterson    (science fiction)

             First in the Maximum Ride series. After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the "bird kids," who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose. Sequels: School's Out - Forever, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, The Final Warning, Max, Fang.

MAZE OF BONES                                      by Rick Riordan                   (mystery)

            First in the 39 Clues series. During the reading of their grandmother's will, Dan and Amy Cahill learn that their family is one of the world's most powerful--and the source of that power is hidden around the world in the form of 39 Clues. Sequels (each by a different author): One False Note, The Sword Thief, Beyond the Grave, The Black Circle, In Too Deep, The Viper's Nest, The Emperor's Code, The Storm Warning.

MONKEY TOWN                                        by R. Kidd                              (historical fiction)
            It's 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee.  In one of the most famous trials,  (Scopes Trial), sixteen year-old Frances has a crush on her teacher Johnny Scopes who is talked into becoming part of a trial to attract attention to their small town.  As the case quickly escalates, reporters and two of the country's most famous lawyers, Clarence Darrrow and William Jennings Bryon, pit themselves against each other in one of the most famous cases in history.
 
NIGHT OF THE HOWLING DOGS          by Graham Salisbury              (historical fiction)
            In 1975, eleven Boy Scouts, their leaders and some friends camp at Halape, Hawaii, and find their survival skills put to the test when a massive earthquake strikes, followed by a tsunami that sweeps everyone and everything before it.  Dylan and Louie, who do not like each other at all, find they must cooperate in order  to survive and help the others.                    Based on  real events!

PAINT THE WIND                                       by Pam Munoz Ryan              (realistic fiction)

         After her overprotective grandmother has a stroke, Maya, an orphan, leaves her extremely restricted life in California to stay with her mother's family on a remote Wyoming ranch, where she discovers a love of horses and encounters a wild mare that her mother once rode.

PEAK                                                             by Roland Smith                     (adventure)
            Fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello, is arrested for scaling New York's Woolworth Building,   To avoid punishment, he is given over to his father who is a world famous mountain climber, but he must move to Asia with him.  His father is determined to have Peak become the youngest climber ever to scale Mt. Everest.no matter what the price!

RUINS OF GORLAN                                 by John Flanagan

             First in the Ranger's Apprentice series. When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger. Sequels: Burning Bridge, Icebound Land, Battle for Skandia, Sorcerer of the North, Siege of Macindaw, Erak's Ransom, Kings of Clonmel.

SAVVY                                                          by Ingrid Law                           (fantasy)

         Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident. 2009 Newbery Honor book.

SCHOOLED                                               by Gordon Korman                  (realistic fiction)

            After his hippie grandmother ends up in the hospital, Cap Anderson is forced to leave the commune where he is homeschooled and attend Claverage Middle School, where his odd looks and behavior make him the target of bullies.

TRAVEL TEAM                                          by Mike Lupica                           (realistic fiction)

           After he is cut from his travel basketball team, the very same team that his father once led to national prominence, twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory. Sequel: Summer Ball

UNDERNEATH                                          by Kathy Appelt                         

           An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner's run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house, endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be reunited and free. A  Newbery Honor Award Book 2009 and 2010 Buckeye nominee!

WARRIOR HEIR                                            by Cinda Williams Chima     (fantasy)

             An Ohio teenager discovers he's part of an underground society of magical people living in hiding among the normal. What's more, he finds out he's one of the society's last warriors--and the feuding houses of the society are scouting for players for a magical tournament. Sequels: Wizard Heir, Dragon Heir.

YELLOW STAR                                          by Jennifer Roy                       (historical fiction)
            From 1939 , when Syvia is 4 years old, to 1945 a Jewish girl and her family struggle to survive in Poland's Lodz ghetto during the Nazi occupation.  When the Russians liberate the ghetto in 1945, only 800 of 150,000 Polish Jews were left and only 12 children survived. .  Told by the author whose aunt was Syvia.

ZOO BREAK                                              by Gordon Korman                 (adventure)

           After a class trip to a floating zoo where animals are mistreated and Savannah's missing pet monkey is found in a cage, Long Island sixth-grader Griffin Bing and his band of misfits plan a rescue.  A 2010 Buckeye nominee!