The Bryant Library

Letter from Josh Cabat, English Department Chairperson
(lists on school website are good for printing)

"Reading is both enjoyable and important, and the summer months often provide a more
relaxed opportunity to pursue some worthwhile titles.  As a student about to enter
fifth grade in September, you will be required to read one selection from the following
list.  Of course, given the many wonderful selections... we encourage you to read as many 
additional titles as you wish.  In the fall, your classroom teacher will evaluate your summer reading."

Maureen Berman, Harbor Hill Principal and Melissa Krieger, East Hills Principal 

  

    

    
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater

The unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an 
Anarctic penguin changes the life and fortunes of Mr. Popper, 
a housepainter obsessed by dreams of the Polar Regions.
  
  

    

    
The Penderwicks  by Jeanne Birdsall

While vacationing with their widowed father in the Bershire 
Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages 4 through 12, share adventures 
with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother.
  
  

    

    
A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements
The 5th grade's annual camping trip in the woods tests 
Mark's rvival skills and his ability to relate to a 
teacher who seems out to get him.
  
  

    

    
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech

With the help of her wise old grandmother, 12-yr-old Rosie 
manages to work out some problems in her relationship with 
her best friend, Bailey, the boy next door.
  
  

    

    
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
 by Kate DiCamillo

Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only 
himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores 
him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners 
and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories.
  
  

    

    
Joey Pigza Swalloed the Key by Jack Gantos

To the constant disappointment of his mother and his 
teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling 
his mood swings when his prescription meds wear off and 
he starts getting worked up and acting weird.
  
  

    

    
Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff

When Sam, who can barely read, discovers an old newspaper 
clipping just before his 11th birthday, it brings forth memories 
from his past, and, with the help of a new friend at school 
and the castle they are building for a school project, 
his questions are eventually answered.
  
  

    

    
Getting Air by Dan Gutman

After foiling a terrorist hijacking aboard their airplane, 
14-yr-old Jimmy, his younger sister, and two 
skateboarding friends crash-land the plane and try to 
survive in a forest wilderness until help arrives.
  
  

    

    
Running Out of Time  by Margaret Peterson Haddix

When a diptheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, 
13-yr-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1995 
tourist site under unseen observation by heartless 
scientists, and it's up to Jessie to escape the 
village and save the lives of the dying children.
  
  

    

    
The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse
Using sophisticated computer technology, a 15-yr-old girl who 
has been raised by dolphins, records her thoughts about her 
reintroduction to the human world.
  
  
Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath

11-yr-old Primrose, who lives in a small fishing village in 
British Columbia, recounts her experiences and all that she 
learns about human nature and the unpredictability of life 
in the months after her parents are lost at sea.

    

    
From the Mixed-Up Files of 
Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

Two suburban children run away from their Connecticut 
home and go to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, 
where their ingenuity enables them to live in luxury.
  
  

    

    
Heat by Mike Lupica

Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from 
social services after being banned from playing 
Little League baseball because rival coaches doubt 
he is only 12-yrs-old and he has no parents to offer proof.
  
  

    

    
The Doll People by Ann M. Martin

A family of porcelain dolls that has lived in the same house 
for 100 years is taken aback when a new family of plastic dolls 
arrives and doesn't follow The Doll Code of Honor.
  
  

    

    
Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen

In 1848, while on a wagon train headed for Oregon, 14-yr-old 
Francis Tucket is kidnapped by Pawnee Indians and then falls 
in with a one-armed trapper who teaches him how to live int he wild.
  
  

    

    
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

A 13-year-old girl gains a much more sympathetic 
understanding of her relationship with her mother 
when she has to spend a day in her mother's body.
  
  

    

    
Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka

Presents a memoir of what it was like to grow up in 
the 1950s and other almost true stories by American 
children's author Jon Scieszka, first National 
Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
  
  

    

    
Doing Time Online by Jan Siebold

After he is involved in a prank that led to an ederly woman's injury,
12-yr-old Mitchell must make amends by participating in a police
program in which he chats online with a nursing home resident.
  
  

    

    
Rewind by William Sleator

Not long after learning that he was adopted, 11-yr-old 
Peter is hit by a car and then given several chances to 
alter events that could lead to his death.
  
  

    

    
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life 
becomes legendary, as he accomplishes athletic and 
other feats, which awe his contemporaries.