As a way to promote reading, the “One Book Program” has been instituted for the 2009-2010 school year.  All students are required, and parents and community members are encouraged, to read Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald.  Ms. McDonald will be at the school to discuss the book on October 13, 2009: there will be two assemblies during the day for students, and an evening presentation open to members of the community.  Formal assessment, projects and discussion groups will be implemented in all subject areas during the first weeks of school. In addition to Swallowing Stones, some classes will be required to read a second book; those classes and their respective reading assignments are listed below. An assessment will be administered during the first week of school.

Failure to complete the summer reading assignment will have a negative impact on your first marking period grade in all subject areas.  There will be no alternate assignment.

Grade 9 Honors I                     
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald &
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

College Prep I            
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

English I                     
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

LRC English I              
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

Grade 10 Honors II       
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald &
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

College Prep II                       
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

English II                    
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

LRC English II             
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald   
Grade 11

AP English III             
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald &
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Honors III                           
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald &
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut  

College Prep III                      
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

English III                               
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

LRC English III            
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

Grade 12

AP English IV             
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald &
Grendel by John Gardner

Honors English IV                 
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald &                                               
The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde  
                        
College Prep IV                     
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald &                                               
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

English IV                               
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

LRC English IV                       
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald
 

Dear Parents/Guardians: One of the most important values we can instill in our children is the desire to read. By doing so, we improve skills necessary for achievement in life while also fostering a love for literature and the written word. Furthermore, studies have shown that students who read independently have stronger literacy skills including vocabulary and comprehension. Therefore, the language arts department is asking for your cooperation in providing our students with valuable reading experiences not just during the school year, but throughout the summer as well.  With this letter you will find the summer reading list for students entering 7th and 8th grades. Each student must choose one novel from the appropriate list to read. Books may be obtained from local bookstores or libraries.  This is a mandatory assignment. A test will be given within the first week of school. This assessment will count as the first grade in your child’s reading class.  With your assistance, our summer reading program can guarantee that all students continue their learning throughout the year, and that is a definite benefit to their education. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Sincerely,   Hammonton Middle School Language Arts Department               

Students entering 6th Grade will select one of the following books:

6th Grade Reading List

The River by Gary Paulson

Because of his success surviving alone in the wilderness for fifty-four days, fifteen-year-old Brian, profoundly changed by his time in the wild, is asked to undergo a similar experience to help scientists learn more about the psychology of survival.

The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

A nine-year-old boy receives a plastic Indian, a cupboard, and a little key for his birthday and finds himself involved in an adventure when the Indian comes to life in the cupboard and befriends him.

Shiloh Season 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 Secret of the Attic by Sheri Cooper Sinykin

Four best friends find a golden key to a neighbor’s attic.  There they discover a trunk full of wonderful costumes and a special mirror that transports them into the past – to a party where they are the guests of honor. Students entering 7th Grade will select one of the following books:

7th Grade Reading List

The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

For the first time in the history of Epiphany Middle School, there was a chance that a sixth-grade team might beat the seventh grade.  Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent the sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

13-year-old Sal travels west with her Grams and Gramps in search of the truth about her mother who left and has not yet returned to the family.  Sal entertains her grandparents with stories of her friend, Phoebe, who sees “lunatics” around every corner, and the grandparents tell humorous stories from their long and loving marriage.  This pilgrimage wonderfully mirrors the journey of discovery that is adolescence, as Sal’s search helps her to discover the power of love, family, and a sense of humor even in the face of tragedy.         

Students entering 8th Grade will select one of the following books:

8th Grade Reading List

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Twelve-year-old Moose moves to Alcatraz in 1935 so his father can work as a prison guard and his younger, autistic sister, Natalie, can attend a special school in San Francisco. Moose must adjust to life on the island where there are many rules to follow and the consequences can be serious. Things become more complicated as Piper, the warden’s daughter, lures Moose into a plot that brings him dangerously close to some of the most notorious residents of the island. The characters are well developed and the story engaging in this warm coming-of-age novel.

Pigman by Paul Zindel

When sophomores John and Lorraine played a practical joke a few months ago on a stranger named Angelo Pignati, they had no idea what they were starting.  Virtually overnight, almost against their will, the two befriended the lonely old man; it wasn’t long before they were more comfortable in his house than their own.  But now Mr. Pignati is dead.  And for John and Lorraine, the only way to find peace is to write down their friend’s story – the story of the Pigman.

 

K going into First Grade
Students may choose any book to read with their parents and then write a brief   report on it. (A sentence and picture)

First Grade going into Second

I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt§  Zelda’s Secret by Pascal Lemaitre§  Bob n’ John in Bad to the Bones by Marilyn Sadler§  Pig at Play by Jon Buller§  Junie B. Jones and A Little Monkey Business by Barbara Clark§  Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman§  My New Boy by Joan Phillips§  The Magic School Bus (Any book fro mthe series)§  Henry and Mudge (Any book form the series)

Second Grade going into Third

Soccer Sam by Jean Marzollo

Horrible Harry Moves Up To Third Grade by Suzy Kline

The Zack Files: Great Grandpa's in the Litter Box by Dan Greenberg

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

You Can't Eat Your Chicken Pox Amber Brown by Paula Danzinger

Judy Moody Saves the World by Megan McDonald

The Bailey School Kids #5: Mrs. Jeepers Monster Class Trip by Debbie Dadey

Cam Jensen and the Mystery at the Monkey House by David A. Adler

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

Third Grade going into Fourth

The Kid in the Red Jacket by Barbara Par§  Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner

Fourth Grade going into Fifth

Bunnicula by Deborah Howe

The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon

Skinnybones by Barbara Park (the original Skinnybones, not the sequels)