Capistrano Unified School District

2008 Secondary Summer Reading List

MIDDLE SCHOOL FICTION

ACCELERATION by Graham McNamee

Seventeen-year-old Duncan is haunted by the fact that he was unable to save a drowning girl a

few yards away one fateful afternoon. Lexile 670L

AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS by Gennifer Choldenko

12-year-old Moose Flanagan and his family, including autistic sister Natalie, move to Alcatraz

Island in 1935, where his father gets a job in the prison which housed such noted criminals as Al

Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. Lexile 600L

BECOMING NAOMI LEON by Pam Munoz Ryan

Gram, Naomi, and Owen are happy at Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho until the day the

children's mother arrives. After being gone so long that they don't recognize her, Skyla enters

their lives, upsetting the way things were. Lexile 830L

CIRQUE DU FREAK: Hunters Of The Dark by Darren Shan

Darren Shan, the Vampire Prince, leaves Vampire Mountain on a life or death mission. As part of

an elite force, Darren searches the world for the Vampaneze Lord. Lexile 650L

THE CITY OF EMBER and THE PEOPLE OF SPARKS by Jeanne DuPrau

In The City of Ember, their light source is beginning to fail, and the domed city protecting the

remaining humans on Earth seems doomed. In the sequel, The People of Sparks, DuPrau

continues the adventures of Lina and Doon, who have led Emberites to the unfamiliar world

above. Lexile 680L

CRISPIN by Avi

After being declared a "wolf's head" by his manor's corrupt steward for a crime he didn't commit

(meaning that anyone can kill him like a common animal--and collect a reward), this timid boy

has to flee a tiny village that's the only world he's ever known. Lexile 780L

FAMILY REUNION by Caroline B. Cooney

Shelley, who has been through her parents' divorce and their subsequent remarriages views

another, non-divorced family as perfect, before discovering that no one configuration of people

means "family." Lexile 840L

FINDING OUR WAY by Rene Saldana Jr.

This collection features adolescents involved in dramas about family, first dates, going to the

prom, and getting expelled from school. Lexile 760L

HIDDEN TALENTS by David Lubar

Martin Anderson and his friends don’t like being called losers. One day, Martin makes an

incredible discovery: each of his friends has a special hidden talent. Lexile 630L

IDA B. AND HER PLANS TO MAXIMIZE FUN, AVOID DISASTER, AND (POSSIBLY) SAVE THE WORLD by

Katherine Hannigan

Ida B's childhood is idyllic--she is home-schooled by understanding parents on a family farm,

surrounded by natural beauty. But this perfect world is shattered when her mother begins

cancer treatment. Lexile 970L

THE JOURNAL OF DOUGLAS ALLEN DEEDS: The Donner Party Expedition, 1846 by Rodman Philbrick

A 15-year-old orphan's journal expresses the Donner Party's hopes for a new and better life in

California. Lexile N/A

KIRA-KIRA by Cynthia Kadohata

Katie and Lynn have trouble adjusting when their parents move the family from Iowa to a small

town in rural Georgia, where they are among only 31 Japanese-Americans. Lexile 740L

LOCOMOTION by Jacqueline Woodson

The kinetic energy of the aptly named Locomotion (the nickname of Lonnie Collins Motion)

shines through the 60 poems that tell his sad yet hopeful story. Lexile NP

THE MESSENGER by Lois Lowry

Strange changes are taking place in Village. Once a utopian community that prided itself on its

welcome to new strangers, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders. A companion book to The

Giver and Gathering Blue. Lexile 720L

MIRACLE’S BOYS by Jacqueline Woodson

Here are three brothers who are raising themselves after they lost their father to a drowning

accident and their mother to diabetes. Each boy deals with his grief in his own way, but

together, they can survive. Lexile 660L

OLIVE’S OCEAN by Kevin Henkes

Martha Boyle and Olive Barstow could have been friends. But they weren't -- and now all that is

left are eerie connections between two girls who both kept the same secret. Lexile 680L

OR GIVE ME DEATH by Ann Rinaldi

One of the few novels to deal with the problem of insanity in early America, this novel opens in

1771, as Patrick Henry's 16-year-old daughter, Patsy, realizes that her mother is going insane.

Lexile 530L

PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson

This is a prequel of sorts to Scottish dramatist J.M. Barrie's beloved Peter Pan stories. The result is a

fast-paced and fluffy pirate adventure. Lexile 770L

THE SCHWA WAS HERE by Neal Shusterman

Eighth-grader "Antsy" Bonano recounts his accidental relationship with Calvin Schwa, a

classmate who has an almost supernatural knack for going completely unnoticed. Lexile 790L

THE SHADOW CHILDREN SERIES by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This futuristic, science fiction series includes the following titles: Among the Hidden, Among the

Imposters, and Among the Betrayed. The author takes the reader to a place where the third

child in a family is illegal, and the population police are on the hunt for them. Lexile 690L

THE SILENT BOY by Lois Lowry

This story recounts the early 20th century childhood of Katy Thatcher and her special relationship

with an autistic boy. Told as a flashback by an elderly Katy, this is a poignant work of historical

fiction. Lexile 870L

SO B. IT by Sarah Weeks

Heidi and her mentally-challenged mother rely on their kindly neghbor, Bernadette, who has

accepted and loved them from the moment they arrived at her door. Lexile 860L

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX by Kate Dicamillo

Despereaux Tilling, the new baby mouse, is different from all other mice. Sadly, the romantic

Despereaux’s actions ultimately cause him to be banished by his own father to the foul, rat-filled

dungeon. Lexile 670L

THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Watson family is packed up, ready to make the drive from Flint, Michigan, straight into one

of the most chilling moments in America's history: the 1963 burning of the Sixteenth Avenue

Baptist Church with four little girls inside. Lexile N/A

WHAT WOULD JOEY DO? by Jack Gantos

Joey's dad just roared into town on a motorcycle, his mom is chasing her ex-husband away with

a broomstick, and his grandma's camped out on the couch behind a plastic shower curtain.

Welcome to Joey's world. Lexile 860L

THE WILD KID by Harry Mazer

Sammy, a pudgy 12-year-old with Down syndrome is made to stay outside because he insulted

his mother's boyfriend, "uncle" Carl. Lexile 450L

MIDDLE SCHOOL NON-FICTION

BABYSITTING by Frances S. Dayee

Here’s a well-written and informative guide for beginning or would-be babysitters. The book

includes valuable advice on safety, how to get jobs, decide on fees, and interact with the

children and their parents. Lexile N/A

BEN FRANKLIN’S ALMANAC: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman’s Life by Candance

Fleming

This biography, which springs from Fleming's lifelong fascination with the multitalented man, is

unlike anything that has come before, and it is designed more like a scrapbook than an

almanac. Lexile 1000L

CARTOON HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE by Larry Gonick

Gonick's hilariously informative history of the planet is a great addition to the growing field of

comic books. Lexile N/A

CAUGHT BY THE SEA: My Life on Boats by Gary Paulsen

Celebrated outdoorsman-turned-author Paulsen relates his lifelong romance with open water,

with this short and salty memoir. Paulsen packs adventure into every sentence of this 100-page

book. Lexile NC1210L