Saint Agnes School

Quality Catholic Education for Grades K to 8

Summer Reading Lists

First Grade - 2011

Please see the First Grade Booklist available at Robbins Library Children's Services, Arlington.  There are over one hundred books on this list.  However, your child's choices are not limited to this list.  The essential ingredient is to find books that spark your child's personal interest.

Required Activity:  After having read a few books have your child choose his/her favorite book on which to do the required reading assignment on a separate piece of paper:
    My favorite summer reading book is _______________________.
    Here is a picture of my favorite part.

Second Grade - 2011

It is important that you continue to read over the summer.  I have included a list of authors for you to choose for your reading pleasure.  I would like you to read three to five selections from the following authors:

    Nate the Great Series by Marjorie Sharmat
    Cam Jansen Series by Adler
    Dr. Seuss Series
    Horrible Harry Series by Suzy Kline
    Henry and Mudge Series by Cynthia Rylant
    Amelia Bedelia Series by Peggy Parish

Third Grade - 2011

Please see the Third Grade Booklist available at Robbins Library Children's Services, Arlington.  There are over one hundred books on this list.

It is important that you continue to read over the summer.  You should be reading many books to prepare you for third grade.  You are required to do two book reports which are due in September.  Click here for the form.

Fourth Grade - 2011

Please read two of the five books listed below.  The characters in the books meet with various problems or conflicts.  These conflicts help make the story interesting.

    Be ready to discuss your book choices upon return to school in September.
    Use the story outline below to help put your ideas together for a discussion about each book.
    Use a separate sheet of lined paper to outline each book.
    Bring these outlines to class on the first day of school.

James and the Giant Peach by Dahl
Hardy Boy/Nancy Drew Mysteries of any Mystery Book
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Outline:

    1. Title, Author
    2. Setting of Story:  Time and place
    3. Main character(s):  Write about three sentences describing each.
    4. Plot:  Write a short paragraph about the main events in the story.
    5. Resolution:  How did the story end?

Fifth Grade - 2011

Please read at least three of the eight books listed below.  The characters in the books deal with different problems or conflicts.  These conflicts make the story interesting.  

True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
Poppy by Avi
Strider by Beverly Cleary
Hank's Story by Jane Buchanan
Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
Tangerine by Edward Bloor

Outline:
1. Title, author and type of book (realistic fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, etc.)
2. Setting of the story (time and place)
3. Main character(s):  Write about three sentences describing each
4. Plot:  Write a short paragraph describing the main events in the story.
5. Resolution:  How did the story end?

Sixth Grade - 2011

Your sixth grade child is expected to read a total of three books during the summer.  These books are to be selected from the list below.  Upon completing the reading of each book and the report, please sign your name.  This indicates that your child has completed the work to your satisfaction.  Please have your child return the signed sheet to his or her homeroom teacher on the first day of school (click here for form).

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Fever by Laurie Anderson
Esperanza by Pam Munoz Ryan
The Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clement
Pravana's Journey by Deborah Ellis
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Zlata's Diary by Slata Filipovic
Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons by Ann Renaldi
Dragonwings by Lawrence Yep
Rosa Parks My Story by Rosa Parks
The Star Fisher by Lawrence Yep
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson
Woodsong by Gary Paulsen

Seventh Grade - 2011

Your seventh grade child is expected to read a total of three books during the summer.  These books are to be selected from the list below.  A check test will be given for each book read when you return in September.

Friedrich by Peter Richter
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

Eighth Grade - 2011

You are required to read a total of 3 books:  one from the History List and two from the General List.  If it is helpful for you to take notes as a memory aid, concentrate on major characters, setting, and a brief plot summary.

History-Related List (choose one)

Behind Rebel Lines:  The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds by Seymour Reit
The River Between Us by Richard Peck
An American Hero:  The True Story of Charles A. Lindbergh by Barry Denenberg
Fly Girl by Sherri Smith
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson
Left for Dead:  A Young Man's Search for Justice by Peter Nelson

General List (choose two)

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Boy by Roald Dahl
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kisella
The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by Gabriel Garcia Marques
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Night Hoops by Carl Deuker
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Nothing But the Truth by Ave
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
The Twenty-one Balloons by William Pene DuBois
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card