Middle School Summer Reading

Middle School Advisory:

This summer the entire Middle School Community will be engaging in summer reading that will connect to our Advisory theme of the 2025-26 School Year: Curiosity. Each student chose a book from a curated list and they will read the novel over the summer, thinking about the ways that curiosity and wonder impact the story.

A copy of the selected book was provided for all- if you are new to our Middle School Community, be sure to get a copy from the Admissions office. When we return to school in the fall, we will host book talk discussions and other fun activities! Find additional resources to guide your reading like sample reading calendars, ways to access audiobooks, and guiding questions here.

Although students already chose the book they would like to read, you can find the complete list of options here: 

• The Walking Fish - Burk & Burk
• The Mystery of Locked Rooms - Currie
• I Can Make This Promise - Day
• The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (As Told to His Brother) - Levithan
• The Secret Library - Magoon
• The Colossus of Roads - Uss

For English, choose one title from the list below:

• Out of my Mind - Draper 
• Fish in a Tree - Hunt 
• New Kid - Craft
• It Ain't So Awful, Falafel - Dumas

Please review this message from Middle School English teacher Taylor (Yurek) Hildebrand.

For English, choose one title from the list below:

• Genesis Begins Again - Williams 
• I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives - Ganda and Alifirenka
• Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus - Bowling
• The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise - Gemeinhart

Please review this message from Middle School English teachers Taylor (Yurek) Hildebrand and Nancy Emmerson.
 

For Spanish:

Students in Spanish should choose at least one of the summer reading options listed below. Before reading, be sure to check out Señora Hartung’s tips and suggestions.

Option 1: Las aventuras de Miguelito by Fabiola Canale
Option 2: Sebas en el patio by Nicole Hartung

For French:

Students taking French are strongly encouraged to explore the optional summer reading suggestions listed below in order to continue acquiring the language.

 Looking for screen-free options? Options from TPRS Books include:

• Pauvre Anne
• Pauvre Petite Anne
• Brandon Brown Veut un Chien
• Jean-Paul et ses bons amis
• Brandon Brown Dit la Vérité

For Mandarin:

Students in Mandarin will read at least four stories or chapters in DuChinese over the summer. As soon as you finish reading a story, you must complete this survey to get credit for your reading. You will choose one story to read to the class in the fall. 

For English, all students must read The Hunger Games (Collins) AND choose one title from the list below:

• House in the Cerulean Sea - Klune
• Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows - Calejo
• Elatsoe - Badger
• Children of Blood and Bone - Adeyemi
• Unwind - Shusterman
• The Beasts We Bury - Taylor
• Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky - Mbalia
• The Kingdom - Rothenberg
• Renegades - Meyer
• The Last Dragon on Mars - Reintgen
• Snow Globe - Park

Please review this message from Suzanne Hegarty for summer reading instructions.
 

For Spanish:

Middle school students in Spanish should choose at least one of the options listed below. Before reading, be sure to check out Señora Hartung’s tips and suggestions.

Option 1: Armando el alpaca aventurera by Teryn Henderson
Option 2: El camino de Samuel by Penny Dean
 

For French:

Students taking French are strongly encouraged to explore the optional summer reading suggestions listed below in order to continue acquiring the language.

Looking for screen-free options? Possible titles available on Amazon include:

• La Classe des Confessions by A.C. Quintero
• Le Beau Mensonge by A.C. Quintero
• Superhamburgers by Mike Peto
• Fama va en Californie by Blaine Ray
• La France en danger et les secrets de Picasso by Mira Canion
   

For Mandarin:

Students in Mandarin will read at least four stories or chapters in DuChinese over the summer. As soon as you finish reading a story, you must complete this short survey to get credit for your reading. You will choose one story to read to the class in the fall.