Reading is a skill, just like riding a bike or roller skating. The only way to continue to improve this skill, like any other, is to practice. In hopes of helping each student develop better reading skills and a love of reading, we have developed a summer reading plan that allows for flexibility and choice.
This summer, rising fourth graders will be required to read one book from the list below. They need to be prepared on the first day of school to take the Accelerated Reading Test on the book they chose to read. The book must be one they have not read before!!
Million Dollar Putt, by: Dan Gutman – Can a blind kid really win a million dollars playing a game of golf? Edward Bogart is going to try. He won’t let his disability stand in his way!
Ø Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, by: Sharon Creech – Twelve-year-old Rosie and her friend Bailey don’t always get along, but Granny Torrelli seems to know just how to make things right with her stories and family recipes. What a great story of friendship!
Ø Hachiko Waits, by: Leslea Newman – This is a story of a faithful dog that would never stop waiting for his master to come home. This novel is based on a true story of a Japanese Akita that became a national symbol of loyalty and devotion.
Ø The Lemonade War, by: Jacqueline Davies – Evan discovers that his younger sister Jessie will be skipping 3rd grade and will be in his fourth grade class next year. Normally buddies, now these two are finding themselves in a competition over the summer to see who can earn the most money before school starts.
Ø Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, by: Donald Sobol and Leonard Shorttail – This is the first book in the Encyclopedia Brown series. Leroy Brown, a ten-year-old detective, has an uncanny way of cracking cases. See if you can help him solve these mysteries!
Ø Mr. Popper’s Penguins, by: Richard and Florence Atwater – Mr. Popper, the neighborhood painter, loves to read about Antarctic explorers. Boy is he in for a surprise when he wins a competition and receives a pet penguin as the prize!
Ø The Get Rich Quick Club, by: Dan Gutman – When a group of neighborhood kids decide to create a club that will work towards making them millionaires, lots of money-making schemes come to light. Will any of them work??
Ø 100 Cupboards, by: N.D. Wilson – Twelve-year-old Henry York has to move in with his aunt and uncle when his parents go missing. It is at this farm house that he discovers 100 hidden cupboards. He and his cousin soon realize that these doors are actually portals to other worlds.
Ø The Secret School, by: Avi – When a one-room school in Colorado threatens to close, Ida, a fourteen-year-old, secretly takes over, so students can complete the year. Without taking her end of the year exam, she would not be allowed to go to high school, and her dream of becoming a teacher would come to an end.
Ø Bunnicula, by: Deborah and James Howe – Is he or isn’t he a vampire? Before it is too late, Harold the dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the pet in the Monroe household, a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual habits and fangs!
As part of Southampton Academy’s Summer Challenge, we are asking each student to keep track of the amount of time they read using their reading passports. Bring those back to school on the first day! We want to see how many reading minutes we can accumulate as a lower school. Will my fourth graders read the most?? I hope so!! Prizes will be given out to top readers! Have a great summer and HAPPY READING!!
