St. Andrew Apostle School
Summer 2009 Reading
Lorraine Bentley, St. Andrew Librarian Media Specialist.
Please note an * indicates a title on the required reading list.
Bearing six gifts, young Prince Jen embarks on a perilous quest and emerges triumphantly into manhood.
Besides being Commander-in-Chief for the American armies, George Washington was the super spymaster of an elaborate war spy network.
The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia lasted just five months, August to December, but for Mattie Cook and her mother and her grandfather, the five months of drought, heat, and fever were an eternity of fear, sorrow, and pain. For more information about this epidemic, read AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING STORY OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1793 by Jim Murphy.)
OR
When her owner dies from smallpox, Isabel and her younger sister Ruth become the property of her owner’s cruel nephew, a harsh Loyalist. Isabel is then faced with the decision of being loyal or becoming a spy for the American patriots.
While journeying from England to Rhode Island in 1802, Charlotte changes from a prim and proper girl to a swashbuckling mate of a mutinous crew.
In this first book in the Lost Years of Merlin epic, a young boy washes ashore on an unknown coast and begins a search for his true identity and the the secret to his mysterious powers.
Tree, at six feet, three and a half inches tall, is the tallest seventh grade boy in the history of Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School. Everyone expects him to be good at sports but he is not. In addition, he is trying to cope with his parents’ divorce.
13-year-old Michael, who is picked on at school by bullies because of his small size, confronts his fears during a trip to Colorado to see his father, who works as a whitewater rafting guide and whom Michael has not seen in eight years.
Sacajawea, age 16, newly married and a mother, travels with her husband and her baby on the Lewis and Clark expedition and tells her story of this incredible journey in alternating chapters with William Clark.
Willie Bannerman and her little brother TJ, orphaned when their parents die in a fire, are sent to live with an aunt and uncle in the Dakota Territory where Willie develops a bond with the mysterious horse, Snowbird, and begins to put her life back together.
Kidnapped from her parents on a crowded bus in Guatemala City at the age of four, Colibri is renamed Rosa and forced to steal and beg. “Uncle” keeps her by his side because a fortune teller told him that she would bring him luck. After eight years have passed and still no treasure, Uncle becomes angry, dangerous, and desperate.
After being arrested for stealing, orphan Samuel Collins finds himself in an orphanage and then on a ship sailing for Virginia as a page to Captain John Smith.
Hazel’s brother is off fighting the enemy, and her job is to be on the lookout for the enemy, Japanese who might want to invade Oregon. When she discovers that her neighbors are hiding a 12-year-old Japanese boy to protect him from an internment camp, she must decide if Sogoji is really the enemy.
When the Communists take over North Korea at the end of World War II, Sookan and her family make a dangerous escape to freedom in the South.
When his father takes a job at Alcatraz prison so his autistic sister Natalie can attend a special school, Moose finds himself trying to protect Natalie, live up to his parents’ expectations and to stay out of trouble. Once he meets the Warden’s daughter Piper, trouble is never very far away.
For adventure and money, Johnny volunteers his mules and wagon to take supplies to rebel troops. Then, he is captured by a Yankee -- Cush, a Black Union soldier!
Captured by Mohawk Indians from their Deerfield, Massachusetts, settlement in 1704, Mercy Carter and her family, their neighbors and friends, are forced to walk 300 miles in the snow and bitter cold north to French Canada where many of the surviving familes are then separated.
Nathan Field, a member of a theater company of boys who travel to London to perform in the newly constructed Globe Theater, falls asleep after a long rehearsal day and wakes up 400 years in the past, playing a part in the actual Globe Theater opposite William Shakespeare himself!
Elijah, the first born child in a settlement of former slaves in Canada, is “fra-gile”—afraid of snakes and talks too much. When money to be used to buy a slave’s family is stolen from a friend, the opportunity for Elijah to prove himself is there if he has the courage to pursue the thief!
An autobiography of the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory during the years he spent working for Shell Oil in Africa and flying with the Royal Air Force during World War II.
Five students, riding home on a school bus, are kidnapped and held for ransom.
When 15-year-old Frannie’s father dies, she must come to terms with his death with only a mysterious jigsaw puzzle he left behind to help her.
The year is 2194; the place, Zimbabwe. The Matsika children sneak out of the house on a forbidden adventure and disappear. Africa’s newest detectives -- the Ear, the Eye, and the Arm -- are called upon to help find the children.
One by one, people of many different ages and backgrounds transform a city lot into a garden and, in the process, learn about each other.
When the Sultan’s wife Shahrazad is about to run out of stories to tell to the Sultan and consequently lose her life, she summons Marjan, a young girl with a crippled foot and a fascination for storytelling, to the harem to help her with her stories.
Ned Wallis knows that he is not to touch the rifle in the attic, but he can't resist sneaking it out of the house ‑‑ just once ‑‑ to try it.
Called Babe as a child because she could hit a baseball so well, Babe played on a women’s basketball team, won medals at track and field events, and walked away from the 1932 Olympics with three medals, two gold and one silver, then to become a professional golfer.
Kelly's report on the homeless begins as a joke, but her interest in Mr. Weems draws her into their plight as well as that of Vietnam veterans.
When they are stranded in the Canadian Northwest wilderness after the destruction of their floatplane and the death of the pilot, Gabe and his friend Raymond struggle to survive the harsh winter.
13-year-old Isabel struggles to preserve her family after her mother’s suicide.
This suspenseful environmental tale chronicles the attempt to save from extinction the ivory-billed woodpecker, once prevalent in the southeastern U.S. but last spotted in Cuba in 1987.
Teen spy, Alex Rider, investigates pop star and philanthropist Damian Cray, whose new video game venture hides his sinister motives involving Air Force One, nuclear missiles, and the International drug trade.
Abdullah, the rug merchant, purchases a threadbare magic carpet from a mysterious stranger. He then leaves his humdrum life far behind as he is whisked off into a series of adventures curiously resembling his own old daydreams.
Moon has lived hidden in the deep Alabama woods, away from the “government,” with his parents since he was a baby. At age 10, his parents both dead, he is determined to follow his father’s wishes and go to Canada.
Jerry's adjustment to his mother's death, his father, and to the Japanese culture are helped by his discovery of the Atami Dragons, a Japanese high school baseball team.
Cap has lived in isolation with his grandmother, a former hippie. When she falls from a tree and breaks her hip, Cap is sent to a foster home where he has to attend public school for the first time in his life.
During the political strife and famine of the 1980's, two Ethopian girls -- one Christian and one Jewish and blind -- are forced to face many difficulties including their prejudice toward each other as they flee the country that they know and leave the people that they love.
It's Iraq, and Tara's family are Kurds. "He" has put out the word, and they must flee for their lives.
After his father buys a former smugglers’ vessel, the ship Dragon, John Spencer sets out to sail it from Kent to London and becomes involved in a dangerous smuggling scheme. Sequel to THE WRECKERS and followed by THE BUCCANEERS.
Chan, a Korean American, moves with his family from Los Angeles to a small town in Minnesota, where the Kims are the only Asian family in town. Chan plays football where “necessary roughness” is a part of the game. Off the field however, it is a different ballgame.
Struggling to confront her grandfather's coming death, 16-year old Vicki finds herself the center of attention of three young men. When the inevitable crisis comes, she must rely on the love of others to overcome her grief.
When his father dies, Dave’s stepmother sends him to the Hebrew Home for Boys. Unable to accept the fact that he is an orphan whom no one wants, Dave escapes the orphanage during the night and discovers the excitement of the Harlem Renaissance.
Tess loves math, and she uses math concepts to help her understand things in life. Then, in 8th grade, math – and life – change!
While his father is flying bombing missions in Europe during World War II, Robert’s mother takes him and his sister to Rhode Island to live with his grandparents and his Aunt Nan, Uncle Jake, and cousin Elliott. During their stay, Robert uncovers the truth about his father’s limp and discovers a terrible family secret.
Catherine, age 12, just wants a normal life, but a brother with autism makes normal impossible!
Gossamer Dream Givers, Littlest One and Thin Elderly, who come to bestow dreams upon the sleeper, find themselves struggling with the Sinisteeds who are bringing nightmares to a young boy named Toby.
Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from Social Services after being banned from playing Little League baseball. He is so good, rival coaches doube he is only twelve years old, and he has no parents or birth certificate to provide the truth.
Virginia Dickinson, evacuated from war-torn England at age 7 and sent to a family in the U.S., must return "home" after five years and resume life with a family she barely knows in a strange country.
Rachel's grandfather is not an easy person to get along with; however, when Rachel learns that he is terminally ill, she takes the time to get to know him.
Jacob Raab, age 15, uses his brother’s I.D. to enlist in the Air Corp during World War II because he wants to fight Hitler.
Beauty tells the romantic unfolding of her love of Beast.
Accidently discovering that Jewish children are hiding in the countryside, Michael and his entire French village help them escape to Spain.
Father, author and poet, and son, illustrator, bring jazz to life with stunning paintings and thrilling musical poems for young readers.
When Jamal takes over the Harlem gang Scorpions, he finds himself treated with even more respect when he acquires a gun.
Ailin, a Third Sister in the Tao family, refuses to have her feet bound, breaking the ancient tradition and leaving her with no prospect of marriage in Chinese society. After her father’s death, her uncle forces her to make a choice -- to follow his command or to find her own way.
Donata, the daughter of a 16th century noble family in Venice, disguises herself as a boy and escapes her house in search of adventure in the streets.
Captain Scott O’Grady shares the exciting story of his survival and rescue in Bosnia after his plane had been shot down.
Matt, a resourceful cabin boy, and Kate, a passenger with a hidden agenda, both traveling on the airship Aurora, are drawn into the adventure of their lives that includes airships, sky pirates, and a fantastic new species called “Cloud Cats.” Sequel: SKYBREAKER.
14-year-old Jake finds himself becoming increasingly embarrassed by and angry at his grandfather’s suffering due to Alzheimer’s disease.
In feudal Japan, a young apprentice puppeteer searches for a mysterious bandit.
Nightjohn, a slave who had escaped north to freedom, risks everything to return to the south to teach his people to read. Sarny, a 12-year old female slave on the Waller plantation, takes a risk to learn.
In 1768 a gunsmith, Cornish McManus, creates a masterpiece, a perfect rifle that he eventually sells to John Byam, a man who uses the rifle in the Revolutionary War. Through the years, this rifle is passed on until it comes to hang over the fireplace of a mechanic named Harv. Then, one day, the rifle discharges.
Joey Dowdel recounts seven summer trips he and his sister made to visit their extraordinary grandmother in a small Illinois town. Its sequel, A YEAR DOWN YONDER, is the 2001 Newbery Award winner.
El Gato, a great goalie and winner of the World Cup, relates the story of his life in a remote South American village where he learned to play soccer on a secret field hewn from the jungle from a mysterious figure he knows only as the Keeper.
In her journal, sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family’s struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon causing tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
Max, son of “Killer Kane,” is large for his age and learning-disabled. Freak, suffering from a birth defect, is 2-feet tall but brilliant. Together, Freak and Max combine forces and make a powerful team, “Freak the Mighty.” The film version, THE MIGHTY, is excellent also.
After a tsunami destroys all that he has ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English girl who survived a shipwreck, together with a small band of refugees, begin rebuilding a community and all the things that are important in their lives.
When her grandmother is executed for being a witch, Mary Newbery, disguised as a Puritan, flees England for the New Land. Mary was raised to be an independent thinker and finds that her differences make her an outcast in the colonies.
During World War II, Annie and her sister, two young Jewish girls, are hidden from the Germans by a Gentile farm family.
Esperanza lives on Rancho de las Rosas in Mexico and has everything – fancy clothes, a beautiful home, many servants, and the promise of inheriting this estate. When a sudden tragedy ends her luxurious life, she and her mother are forced to flee to California and live in a Mexican farm labor camp.
Stanley Yelnat has so much bad luck that he is not surprised when he is falsely accused and convicted of a crime and then sent to a terrible boys’ juvenile detention center at Camp Green Lake. (Sequel: SMALL STEPS)
A 16-year-old Japanese boy from Hawaii enlists in the army and then, after Pearl Harbor, faces many race-based humiliations.
Every Wednesday afternoon when all his classmates and friends have religious instruction, Holling – the only Presbyterian, is left alone with his teacher, who, he is
Steven has an almost totally normal life, playing drums in a jazz band, having a crush on a girl in school, and being constantly annoyed by a younger brother Jeffrey. Then Jeffrey gets sick – very, very sick.
When Jeffrey Lionel Magee’s parents die, his life changed, and so did his name. And Maniac Magee became a legend!
Stargirl Carroway, a spirited, eccentric, new-girl-in-school, experiences popularity when her individuality and non-conformity become attractive to her classmates, but that popularity is not long-lived. (Sequel: Love, Stargirl)
British teen Sam Stern is a young enthusiastic chef who shares his teen-tested tips and recipes for everything from breakfast to dinner, desserts to brain-boosting snacks.
Irish teen J. J. Liddy discovers that time is leaking from his world into Tir na nOg, the land of the fairies. When he attempts to stop the leak, he finds out a lot about his family history, music he loves, and a crime his great-grandfather may or may not have committed. (Sequel)
Leon Tillage, custodian at The Park School in Baltimore, tells the story of his life and the hardships his sharecropping family faced in North Carolina before Civil Rights.
When Vidya’s father is seriously injured, her family must move their progressive household into that of her conservative grandfather’s extended family home where she must adjust to a new set of expectations for her own future.
Chinese law permits a family to have only two children, and a male child is preferred.. When Chu Ju’s mother gives birth to a second girl, her grandmother insists the baby be given up for adoption. To save her sister, Chu Ju runs away.
13-year-old Lyric is torn by love, anger, and embarassment as she helplessly watches her older sister Summer suffer from mental illness.
Ransom J. Powell, age 13, leaves his home and family to join the ranks of the Union army and fight in the Civil War. Two years later, he is captured and taken to the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia.
In one weekend, three brothers must make decisions that will affect the paths their lives will take.
15-year-old Joan Lee and her family find the adjustment hard when they move from Ohio to West Virginia in the 1920's.
As the result of a crank phone call, two teenagers, John and Lorraine, meet and befriend old Mr. Pignati, whom they name Pigman.
Copyright © 2009 by Lorraine Bentley