2008 SUMMER READING LIST

Entering Grades 4 through 6

NON-FICTION

Adler, David.  Fraction Fun
A basic introduction to the concept of fractions.

Bardoe, Cheryl.  Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas
This picture-book biography of the father of genetics describes his early life, his quest for education, and the research that resulted in his significant contribution to the world of science.

Borden, Louise. The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H. A. Rey
How Curious George, and the people who created him, almost fell into Nazi hands.

Branzei, Sylvia.  Grossology: The Science of Really Gross Things!
A science book for those who are very curious and who have really strong stomachs for learning about gross things.

Dahl,Roald.  Going Solo
Autobiography of Roald Dahl’s war time exploits.

Dash, Joan.  A Dangerous Engine: Benjamin Franklin, from Scientist to Diplomat
Ben Franklin was first and foremost a scientist.  Then he became involved in the politics of forming a new nation.

Freedman, Russell.  Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery
1994 Newbery Honor.

Fritz, Jean.  Homesick - My Own Story
This is the autobiographical account, told with warmth and understanding, of Fritz's childhood in pre-revolutionary China .  The story captures the Chinese mistrust of foreigners who controlled their land at the time.

Geisert, Arthur.   Roman Numerals I to MM
A search and count math concept game.

Giblin, James Cross.  Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth
The story of two brothers who live very different lives.

Jimenez, Francisco. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child
A powerful, autobiographical account of a family's journey to the fields of California - moving from strawberry fields to cotton fields, from tent cities to one-room shacks - seen through the eyes of a boy who longs for an education and a home.

Keegan, Marcia.   Pueblo Boy: Growing Up in Two Worlds
Timmy, a 10 year old boy, lives in a New Mexico pueblo combining contemporary American culture and Native American traditions.

Krull, Kathleen.  Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought)
Includes 20 well known authors - cozy companion to any collection of the classics.

Meltzer, Milton.  Ten Queens : Portraits of Women of Power
Essays about Esther, Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great, and others.

Montgomery, Sy. Search for the Golden Moon Bear: Science and Adventure in Southeast Asia
Lively writing and engaging photographs of rare Asian animals show how scientists are making new natural discoveries.

Murphy, Jim.  An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
The true story of the plague that terrorized Philadelphia in1793.

Murphy, Stuart.  Too Many Kangaroo Things To Do
Introduction to the concept of multiplication.

Schwartz, David.  How Much Is A Million?
Meet Marvelosissimo the mathematical magician.

Schyffert, Uusma. The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon