Recommended Summer Reading
List
Marlboro Elementary Schools
Prepared by Jennifer Atkins, Media Specialist at
Marlboro Elementary School and Barbara Alstadt, Media Specialist at Milton and
Middle Hope Elementary
Schools.
ENJOY!!
Arnold, Tedd. Huggly Gets Dressed. Lovable Huggle is a monster every child will want to meet. He wants to do what human children do, but it’s never as easy as he thinks.
Brett, Jan. Hedgie’s Surprise. A tomten is stealing Henny’s eggs. She doesn’t know what to do about it, until her friend Hedgie comes up with a clever plan.
Curtis, Jamie Lee and Laura Cornell. I’m Gonna Like Me. “I’m gonna like me wearing flowers and plaid. I have my own style. I don’t follow any fad.” This is a fun book with lively artwork that shows kids how important it is to like yourself, because you are you.
Feiffer, Jules. Bark, George. “Bark, George,” says George’s mother, and George says: “Meow,” which definitely isn’t right for a dog. What’s going on with George? Find out is this fast and funny picture book.
Florczak, Robert. Yikes. Take your child on an exciting journey with wild and amazing creatures. Swing on a vine with orangutans and look a gorilla straight in the eye. The illustrations are large, bright and realistic. What could be more fun?
George, Lindsay. Around the Pond: Who’s Been Here? Children will love guessing what animal has left a clue behind at the pond.
McMullan.
I Stink! This truck’s got it all with ten wide tires, one
really big appetite and an even bigger smell.
Axelrod, Amy. My Last Chance Brother. Max makes an unusual wish. He wants his older brother, Gordon, to turn into a bug. Anyone with an pesty sibling will enjoy this book. Picture book.
Bailey, Linda. Stanley’s Party. If you like dogs, this is a book for you. Stanley pushes his luck when his people go out. He starts off by sneak sleeping on the couch and things progress from there. Picture book.
Brown, Marc. Arthur Goes to Camp. Arthur and the boys can’t seem to do anything right at Camp Meadowcroak. Awful food, poison ivy, and losing in sports to girls is more than he can take. Picture book.
Clements, Andrew. Ringo Saves the Day. Carol and Ray adopt a homeless orange kitten that changes their course of lives forever. It includes warm illustrations and a satisfying ending. Ready to read; 32 pages.
Hoff, Sid. The Lighthouse Children. When the lighthouse keeper and his wife leave their seaside home, they find a way for their old friends, the seagulls, to find them. A beginning I Can Read book; 32 pages.
Lobel, Arnold. Frog and Toad are Friends. Five short stories about Frog and Toad, two best friends, who share a series of misadventures that demonstrate to early readers the true meaning of friendship. Read alone, 64 pages.
Long, Melinda. How I Became a Pirate. When Braid Beard’s pirate crew invites Jeremy to join their voyage, he jumps right on board. Buried treasure, sea chanteys, pirate curses- who wouldn’t go along? Picture book.
Waber, Bernard. Ira Sleeps Over. Ira is invited to his first sleepover. But he has a big problem. Should he take his teddy bear? Picture book.
Cronin, Doreen. Diary of a Worm. A clever, humorous journal about the daily doings and hidden world of an underground dweller. Picture book.
Dadey, Debbie. Werewolves Don’t go to Summer Camp. There are some pretty weird grownups living in Bailey City. Could the camp director really be a werewolf? The Bailey School kids are going to find out. If you child likes this book, it is part of a series, so lots of summer reading choices. Chapter book; 92 pages.
Goodman, Susan. Brave Kids: Cora Frear. Cora loves riding through the wild prairie with her doctor father on his house calls. One day, they have a bigger adventure than they bargained for. Prairie Fire! Their old horses will never outrun the flames that are galloping right toward them! Biography; 51 pages.
Johnston,
Tony. Alien and Possum: Friends no Matter What. Possum is from Earth.
Alien is from another planet. Can these two ever be friends?
Without a doubt! Chapterbook; 48 pages.
Kirk, Daniel. Dogs Rule. Man’s best friend talks back in this humorous collection of dog poems. Poetry/picturebook.
Miller, Sara. Three Stories you can Read to your Dog. Stories kids can read to their dog written from the dog’s point of view. Chapterbook;42 pages.
Sharmat, Marjorie. Nate the Great and the Big Sniff. Nate the great detective, has lost his dependable dog Sludge inside a department store. Chapterbook; 48 pages.
Slobodkina, Esphyr. Caps for Sale. This story about a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys is filled with warmth, humor, and simplicity. Children will delight in following the peddler’s efforts to outwit the monkeys. Picturebook; 48 pages.
Honey, Elizabeth. Don’t Pat the Wombat. Wormz, Nicko, and their friends fear that their experience at a school camp in the Australian bush will be ruined by the presence of the dreaded Mr. Cromwell as a substitute chaperon.
Kimmel, Eric A. Websites of the Cracked Cookies. While trying to play the games at a seemingly harmless website, Jess and her friend Matt are sucked into a cyberworld filled with characters from familiar fairy tales, all controlled by the evil Granny Goose.
King-Smith, Dick. George Speaks. George is an extraordinary baby who is born with the ability to speak in complete sentences.
Levy, Elizabeth. Vampire State Building. Sam Bamford's on-line chess pal is in New York to play in a tournament, but Sam's brother and cousin are wary because Vlad has pointy teeth, comes from Romania, and admits to keeping secrets.
McKenna, Colleen O’Shaughnessy. Doggone…Third Grade. Third-grader Gordie is not only having problems with his best friend, he also has to teach his not-so-smart dog some tricks for the upcoming school talent show.
Myers, Walter Dean. Three Swords for Granada. In 1420 Spain, three young cat friends join the warrior cats as they struggle to save their beloved Granada from the vicious dogs of the Fidorean Guard.
Pennypacker, Sara. Stuart’s Cape. Bored because there is nothing to do in the house to which his family has just moved and worried about starting third grade in a new school, Stuart makes a magical cape out of his uncle's ties and has a series of adventures.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. The Girls Revenge. As Christmas approaches, Caroline Malloy continues the feud between her sisters and the Hatford brothers by making Wally Hatford be her partner for a special project at school.
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. A Traitor Among the Boys. Despite a New Year's resolution to be nice to their neighbors the Malloy girls, the Hatford boys find themselves continuing their rivalry and war of practical jokes.
Sachs, Marilyn. The Four Ugly Cats in Apartment 3D. After a neighbor in her apartment building dies, ten-year-old Lily tries to find homes for his four ugly, noisy cats.
Blume, Judy. Double Fudge. His younger brother's obsession with money and the discovery of long-lost cousins Flora and Fauna provide many embarrassing moments for twelve-year-old Peter.
Curry, Jane Louise. The Egyptian Box. Tee is happy to find that the ancient Egyptian box she inherits holds a spirit who will serve her, until she notices changes in her servant's appearance and behavior.
DeFelice, Cynthia. The Ghost and Mrs. Hobb. Hindered by a fight with her friend Dub and a series of mysterious fires, eleven-year-old Allie investigates the fire seventeen years earlier which claimed the lives of the husband and infant son of a school cafeteria worker, as well as the handsome young man whose ghost asks Allie for help.
Spinelli, Jerry. The Library Card. Collection of four stories in which the lives of four young people in different circumstances are changed by their encounters with books.
German, Carol. Dork on the Run. Having reluctantly agreed to run for sixth-grade president, Jerry, who has been trying to change his image as a cork, finds his opponent playing dirty tricks on him.
Ibbotson, Eva. Dial-a-Ghost. A family of nice ghosts protects a British orphan from the diabolical plans of his evil guardians.
Kwasnosky, Laura McGee. One Lucky Summer. Moving from Santa Cruz, California, to Sacramento, Steven, a ten-year-old baseball player, spends the summer trying to make friends with ballet-loving Lucinda.
Lawrence, Michael. The Poltergoose: a Jiggy McCue story. After moving to a new house Jiggy is haunted by the ghost of a goose, and his friends join him in trying to lay her spirit to rest.
McKay, Hilary. Saffy’s Angel. After learning that she was adopted, Saffron's relationship with her eccentric, artistic family changes, until they help her go back to Italy where she was born to find a special memento of her past.
Shreve, Susan. Trout and Me. Ben's troubles at school get progressively worse when he starts hanging around Trout, a new boy in his fifth grade class, who is also labeled as learning disabled.
Alexander, Lloyd. The Rope Trick. Motivated by her quest to learn a legendary rope trick, the magician Princess Lidi and her troupe embark on a journey through Renaissance Italy that intertwines adventure, love, and mystery.
Avi. Crispin. Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.. 2003 Newbery Medal winner.
Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen. When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it.
DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux. The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
Funke, Cornelia. The Thief Lord. Two brothers, having run away from the aunt who plans to adopt the younger one, have found shelter with--and protection from--Venice's "Thief Lord."
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Pictures of Hollis Woods. A troublesome twelve-year-old orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her.
Johnston, Tony. Any Small Goodness. Arturo and his family and friends share all kinds of experiences living in the barrio of East Los Angeles--reclaiming their names, playing basketball, championing the school librarian, and even starting their own gang.
Ross, Amy Goldman. The Girls. Each of the girls in a middle-school clique reveals the strong, manipulative hold one of the group exerts on the others, causing hurt and self-doubt among the girls.
Mikaelson, Ben. Touching Spirit Bear. After his anger erupts into violence, fifteen year-old Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life.
Waugh, Sylvia. Earthborn. Upon suddenly learning that her parents are researchers from another planet and they must leave in seven days or risk discovery, twelve-year-old Nesta decides to stay in their York, England, home, whether or not her parents go.