Summer Reading Program

Every summer, Saint Andrew School conducts our Summer Reading Program designed to keep students reading and motivated and to help them be prepared for school in August. Reading guidelines are listed below; letters with detailed instructions were sent home with students in late May/early June.

For students entering:

  • 2nd or 3rd grade - read at least 4 chapter books and keep a log of the books you read
  • 4th or 5th grade – read 2-3 books and write a short summary of each
  • 6th, 7th, or 8th grade – read the required book for your grade level (listed below) plus 2 other books and write a complete book report on the required book

  • 6th gradeChasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet
  • 7th gradeThe Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  • 8th gradeOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Reading logs should be given to the student’s new homeroom teacher during the first week of school (or sent via e-mail). Summaries for 4th and 5th grade should be sent via e-mail or the post office to their homeroom teacher from last school year (or turned in the first week of school). Book reports for middle school students are due on August 30, 2010.

You may follow the links below to a list of books recommended by our teachers. Students may substitute other books that are at their academic reading level.

Suggested for students entering 2nd and 3rd grade

  • Recommendations for Beginning Chapter Book Readers
  • Adler, David        Cam Jansen mysteries
    Berenstain, Stan        Berenstain Bears chapter books
    Bulla, Clyde Robert        A Lion to Guard Us
    Cameron, Ann        Many books
    Conford, Ellen        Jenny Archer books
    Dadey, Debbie        Bailey School Kids series
    Danziger, Paula        Amber Brown series
    Delton, Judy        Pee Wee Scouts series
    Duffey, Betsy        Hey, New Kid!
    Erickson, John R.        Hank the Cowdog books, many others
    Giff, Patricia Reilly        Polk Street School books
    Greenburg, Dan        Zack books
    Haywood, Carolyn        Betsy books
    Hoff, Syd        Many books
    Howe, James        Pinky and Rex books
    Hurwitz, Johanna        Class Clown, many others
    Kline, Suzy        Horrible Harry books, Song Lee books
    Krensky, Stephen        Arthur chapter books
    Lobel, Arnold        Frog and Toad books
    Osborne, Mary Pope        Magic Tree House series
    Park, Barbara        Junie B. Jones books
    Petersen, John Lawrence        The Littles books
    Parish, Peggy        Amelia Bedelia books
    Roy, Ron        A to Z Mystery series
    Rylant, Cynthia        Henry and Mudge series, Mr. Putter books, Poppleton books
    Sachar, Louis        Marvin Redpost books
    Scieszka, Jon        Time Warp Trio books
    Sharmat, Marjorie        Nate the Great books
    Various authors        American Girl books
    Van Leeuwen, Jean        Amanda Pig books
    Warner, Gertrude        Boxcar Children books
  • Recommendations for Established Chapter Book Readers
  • Avi        Ragweed, No More Magic
    Blume, Judy        Fudge books, Blubber, Are you There, God? It's Me, Margaret,Frecklejuice, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
    Bunting, Eve        The Day the Whale Came, Nasty, Stinky Sneakers, Some Frog
    Byars, Betsy        Many books
    Christopher, Matt        Soccer Cat books, many other sports novels
    Cleary, Beverly        Many books
    Coville, Bruce        Many books
    Dadey, Debbie        Bailey School Kids series
    Dahl, Roald        Many books
    Danziger, Paula        Amber Brown books
    Dixon, Franklin        Hardy Boys mysteries
    Fleischman, Sid        McBroom books
    Giff, Patricia        Minnie and Max mysteries, Lily's Crossing
    Gilson, Jamie        Many books
    Howe, James        Bunnicula, Celery Stalks at Midnight, Howliday Inn, Sebastian Barth mysteries
    Hurwitz, Johanna        Aldo Applesauce, and others
    Keene, Carolyn        Nancy Drew mysteries
    Kehret, Peg        Many books
    King-Smith, Dick        Babe the Pig books, and others
    Kline, Suzy        Herbie Jones books, Mary Marony books
    LeGuin, Ursula        Catwings series, Earthsea fantasies
    Lowry, Lois        Sam stories, Anastasia books, many other
    MacDonald, Betty        Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books
    Park, Barbara        Many books
    Rylant, Cynthia        Cobble Street Cousins books, A Fine, White Dust, Gooseberry Park, many others others
    Sobol, Donald        Encyclopedia Brown mysteries
    Sinykin, Sheri        Magic Attic Club
    Various authors        American Girl books
    Wallace, Bill        Many adventures
    Warner, Gertrude        Boxcar Children mysteries
    Wilder, Laura Ingalls        Little House books
    Wright, Betty Ren        Mysteries
    Yolen, Jane        Many

Suggested for Students Entering Grades 4 and 5:

Adler, David        Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds
Atwater, Richard        Mr. Poppers Penguins
Avi        True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Banks, Lynne Reid        THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD
Bellairs, John        THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS
Blume, Judy        Superfudge
Brewster, Hugh and Lauri Coulter        882 1/2 Amazing Facts about the Titanic
Brittain, Bill        THE WISH GIVER
Buck, Pearl        The Big Wave
Burnett, Frances        THE SECRET GARDEN
Byars, Betsy        Trouble River
Byars, Guy        Computer Nut
Catling, Patrick Skene        Chocolate Touch
Cleary, Beverly        Henry Huggins
Clements, Andrew        Frindle
Coerr, Eleanor        Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Coville, Bruce        Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
Coville, Bruce        My Teacher is an Alien
Curtis, Christopher Paul        Bud, Not Buddy
Cushman, Karen        The Midwife's Apprentice
Cushman, Karen        The Ballad of Lucy Whipple
Dahl, Roald        Matilda
DeFelice, Cynthia        WEASEL
Eager, Edward        Half magic
Elish, Dan        Jason and the Baseball Bear
Ellis, Deborah        The Breadwinner and its sequel Parvana's Journey
Farmer, Nancy        A Girl Named Disaster
Fitzhugh, Louise        Harriet the Spy
Fleischman, Paul        THE HALF-A-MOON INN
George, Jean Craighead        Julie of the Wolves
George, Jean Craighead        My Side of the Mountain
George, Jean Craighead        Summer of the Falcon
Gilson, Jamie        THIRTEEN WAYS TO SINK A SUB
Gilson, Jamie        Do Bananas Chew Gum?
Goble, Paul        The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
Grahame, Kenneth        THE RELUCTANT DRAGON
Hahn, Mary Downing        Dead man in Indian creek
Hall, Phillip        Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
Hamilton, Virginia        House of Dies Drear
Honeycutt, Natalie        The all new Jonah Twist
Horvath, Polly        Everything on a waffle
Howe, James        Bunnicula
Hunter, Bernice        Thurman THAT SCATTERBRAIN BOOKY
Hutchins, H.J.        THE THREE AND MANY WISHES OF JASON REID
Ibbotson, Eve        The Secret of Platform 13
Karr, Kathleen        The Great Turkey Walk
Kellogg, Steven        Paddle-To-The-Sea
Konigsburg, E. L.        From the mixed up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Korman        This Can't be Happening at MacDonald Hall
Lawson, Robert        Ben and Me
L'Engle, Madeline        A Wrinkle in Time
Lewis, C.S.        The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Lowry, Lois        All About Sam
Lowry, Lois        Attaboy Sam
MacGregor        The Screech Owls hockey team series
Manes, Stephen        Be a perfect person in just three days
McSwigan, Marie        Snow Treasure
Miles, Betty        Secret Life of the Underwear Champ
Milne, A. A.        Winnie the Pooh
Mowat, Farley        Owls in the Family
O'Brien, Robert        Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
O'Dell, Scott        Island of the Blue Dolphins
Orlev, Uri        Island on Bird Street
Park, Barbara        THE KID IN THE RED JACKET
Paterson, Kathryn        The Great Gilly Hopkins
Paulsen, Gary        The Tucket Series
Peck, Robert Newton        SOUP
Peck, Robert Newton        Soup and me
Pilkey, Dav        The Adventures of Captain Underpants
Pinkwater, Daniel Manus        Fat Men From Space
Randsome, Arthur        The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
Rice, Bebe Faas        The year the wolves came
Richler, Mordecia        Jacob two-two meets the hooded fang
Roberts, Ken        Nothing Wright
Roberts, Willo Davis        The Girls with Silver Eyes
Robinson, Barbara        The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!
Rockwell, Thomas        How to eat fried worms
Ryan, Pam Munoz        Esperanza Rising
Rylant, Cynthia        Cobble Street Cousins series
Rylant, Cynthia        The Van Gogh Cafe
Sachar, Louis        Holes
Service, Pamela        Stinker From Space
Shannon, George        Stories to Solve: Folktales from Around the World
Smith, Doris Buchanan        A Taste of Blackberries
Smith, Robert Kimmel        Chocolate Fever
Snyder Zilpha Kathy        The Egypt Game
Sobol, Donald J.        Encyclopedia Brown
Speare, Elizabeth George        Sign of the Beaver
Speare, Elizabeth George        Witch of Blackbird Pond
Stolz, Mary        Cat Walk
Wilder, Laura Ingalls        Farmer Boy
Wilder, Laura Ingalls        Little House on the Prairie
Yolen, Jane        The Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History
Yolen, Jane        The Devil's Arithmetic

Suggested Free Choice Book List for Rising 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders

Alcott, Louisa May        Little Women
Avi        Nothing but the Truth
Bosch, Pseudonymous        The Name of this Book is Secret
Broach, Elise        Shakespeare’s Secret
Carbone, Elisa Lynn        Stealing Freedom
Choldenko, Gennifer        Al Capone does my Shirts or Al Capone Shines my Shoes
Cooney, Caroline B        The Face on the Milk Carton
Covey, Stephen        The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens
Creech, Sharon        The Wanderer or Walk Two Moons
Cushman, Karen        Catherine, Called Birdy
DuPrau, Jeanne        The City of Ember or The People of Sparks
Frank, Anne        The Diary of Anne Frank
Funke, Conelia        The Thief Lord, Inkheart, or Inkspell
Giblin, James        Good Brother, Bad Brother:The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth
Haddix, Margaret Peterson        Uprising
Hesse, Karen        Witness, Letters from Rifka, or Aleutian Sparrow
Horowitz, Anthony        Alex Rider Adventure Series
Jacques, Brian        Redwall
Kielburger, Craig        Free the Children
Krull, Kathleen        Leonardo da Vinci
Lowry, Lois        The Messenger or Gathering Blue
Lupica, Mike        Heat, Travel Team, or Summer Ball
Peck, Richard        A Long Way from Chicago or A Year Down Yonder
Riordan, Rick        Percy Jackson and the Olympians (any book in the series)
Rowling, J. K.        Harry Potter #6 or #7
Sachar, Louis        Holes or Small Steps
Schusterman, Neal        The Schwa was Here
Stewart, Trenton Lee        The Mysterious Benedict Society
Taylor, Mildred        Let the Circle be Unbroken (or any in the Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry series)
Tolkien, J.R.R.        The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Twain, Mark        Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn
Weeks, Sarah        So B. It
Zusak, Markus        The Book Thief (Recommended for 8th grade only)