Required Reading List for entering 7^th Grade Students

Choose One:

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton – Since his parents’ death, Ponyboy’s loyalties have been to his brothers and his gang.  But when his best friend kills a member of a rival gang, Ponyboy finds himself caught up in a nightmare of violence.

The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake – “Bullying at school can be a terrible experience, and yet sometimes it can be quite hard to see the reason for the bullying. Why, for instance, would a black boy tease a black girl about being black? This is one of those stories where you can see things going from bad to worse in front of your very eyes. Maleeka is in a difficult situation and there doesn't seem to be anyone she can turn to. She makes some pretty bad mistakes before she finally realizes that the new English teacher, the outspoken Miss Saunders, really is on her side.” http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/book

Taking Sides by Gary Soto – Taking Sides is about a teen Lincoln Mendoza, who lived in the barrio (Mission Street District, San Francisco) and then moved to the tree-lined streets of the suburb. He is a hotshot teen basketball player. To escape rampant crime, he and his divorced mother move from the San Francisco barrio to a middle class suburb. 'Linc' misses his friends from the old neighborhood, with their macho survival attitudes and sense of adventure.

Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat – It is election time in Haiti, and bombs are going off in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. During a visit from her home in rural Haiti, Celiane Espérance and her mother are nearly killed. Looking at her country with new eyes, Celiane gains a fresh resolve to be reunited with her father in Brooklyn, New York. The harsh winter and concrete landscape of her new home are a shock to Celiane, who witnesses her parents' struggle to earn a living, her brother's uneasy adjustment to American society, and her own encounters with learning difficulties and school violence.

Required Reading List for entering 8^th Grade Students

Choose One:

Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper – Andy Jackson was driving the car that crashed one night after a game, killing Robert Washington, his best friend and the captain of the Hazelwood High Tigers.  It was late, and they had been drinking, and now, months later, Andy can’t stop blaming himself.  As he turns away from family, friends, and even his girlfriend, he finds he’s losing the most precious thing of all—his ability to face the future.                                                                                                                        

Taste of Salt by Frances Temple –Djo has a story: Once he was one of "Titid's boys," a vital member of Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide's election team, fighting to overthrow military dictatorship in Haiti. Now he is barely alive, the victim of a political firebombing.Jeremie has a story: Convent-educated Jeremie can climb out of the slums of Port-au-Prince. But she is torn between her mother's hopes and her own wishes for herself ... and for Haiti. Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide has a story: A dream of a new Haiti, one in which every person would have a decent life ... a house with a roof ... clean water to drink ... a good plate of rice and beans every day ... a field to work in. At Aristide's request, Djo tells his story to Jeremie -- for Titid believes in the power of all of their stories to make change. As Jeremie listens to Djo, and to her own heart, she knows that they will begin a new story, one that is all their own, together.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini - When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands . . .

Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez – Anita de la Torre never questioned her freedom living in the Dominican Republic. But by her twelfth birthday in 1960, most of her relatives have immigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared, and the secret police terrorize her family for their suspected opposition of the country’s dictator. While her middle school years should only focus around school, boys, big sisters, and puberty, Anita also struggles with code words, close escapes, and assassination plots. Inspired by her family’s perseverance and immeasurable strength, Anita struggles to overcome her fears and to make a dramatic escape to freedom, leaving all she once knew behind.