The Foundation for a Meaningful Life Kindergarten - Grade 9 in Southborough, MA
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Summer Reading 2022
Summer Reading grades 3 and 4
Students entering grade 3 or 4 in September
Choose at least two books from this list to read over the summer and be ready to share which book was your favorite (and why) in reading class in September!
A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon. Camilla Cream loves lima beans, but she never eats them. Why? Because the other kids in her school don’t like them. And Camilla Cream is very, very worried about what other people think. In fact, she’s so worried that she’s about to break out in a bad case of stripes.
Babymouse: Queen of the World by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm (or any book in the series) An imaginative mouse dreams of being queen of the world, but will settle for an invitation to the most popular girl's slumber party.
Being Bee by Catherine Bateson Bee faces friction at home and at school when her widowed father begins seriously dating Jazzi, who seems to take over the house and their lives, but as shared secrets and common interests finally begin to draw them together, Jazzi accidentally makes a terrible mistake.
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (or any book in the series) While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eightyear- old Clementine gains several unique hairstyles and also helps her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building.
Face to Face with Frogs by Mark Moffett (or any other book in the “Face to Face” series). This series goes behind the scenes with the people who research and photograph wild animals to put the reader right in the action. Each title includes an experiment, glossary, and Facts at a Glance section.
Frankly, Frannie: Here Comes the ... Trouble by AJ Stern (or any Frankly, Frannie book in the series) Mayhem ensues when Frannie, thrilled to be the flower girl in the wedding of her best friend’s mother, discovers her latest calling--wedding planning.
I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll. One night, when Ethan checks under his bed for his monster, Gabe, he finds a note from him instead: “Gone fishing. Back in a week.” Ethan knows that without Gabe’s familiar nightly scares he doesn’t stand a chance of getting to sleep, so Ethan interviews potential substitutes to see if they’ve got the right equipment for the job—pointy teeth, sharp claws, and a long tail—but none of them proves scary enough for Ethan. When Gabe returns sooner than expected from his fishing trip, Ethan is thrilled. It turns out that Gabe didn't enjoy fishing because the fish scared too easily.
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (or any other book by Van Allsburg). Caldecott Honor. Left on their own for an afternoon, two bored and restless children find more excitement that they bargained for in a mysterious and mystical jungle adventure board game.
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford With summer coming to an end, about-to-befourth- grader Moxy Maxwell does a hundred different things to avoid reading her assigned summer reading book.
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary (or any Ramona or Henry Huggins book). Ramona meets lots of interesting people in school, including Davy whom she keeps trying to kiss, and Susan whose springy curls seem to ask to be pulled.
Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen (or any other in the Shredderman series) Creating a secret identity for himself when he writes an exposition of a bully for the school newspaper, Nolan Byrd launches Shredderman.com, a place where truth and justice prevail—and bullies get what’s coming to them.
Some Birthday! by Patricia Polacco (or any other book by this author). The entire family has forgotten Patricia’s birthday. And to make matters worse, Dad has proposed an evening trip to the Clay Pit at the edge of town— “one of the scariest places on earth.” Armed with campfire provisions and outfitted in rain gear and galoshes, Dad, Patricia, her brother Rich and cousin Billy embark on the eerie adventure. But when Dad walks off to investigate a mysterious rustling, the children are certain they've spotted the notorious Clay Pit Monster and run screaming all the way home. Belly laughs abound as Dad reveals the monster’s true identity, and then the real fun begins-a party for the birthday girl, complete with cake and presents.
Spirit Animals Book 1: Wild Born by Brandon Mull (or any other Spirit Animals book) As a dark force engulfs the land, the fate of Erdas has fallen on the shoulders of four young strangers who each have forged a rare bond with their spirit beasts--a bond that gives great powers to all of them.
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths (or any book in the series) Follows the efforts of Andy and Terry to meet a latest book deadline despite numerous distractions in their sophisticated tree house home, including flying cats, giant bananas, and sea monsters pretending to be mermaids.
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can’t draw - she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. “There!” she says. That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self discovery.
The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein When a scrappy alley cat named Aldwyn passes himself off as a magical animal companion to Jack, a young wizard in training, Aldwyn and his fellow “familiars,” a know-it-all blue jay and bumbling tree frog, must save the kingdom after the evil queen of Vastia kidnaps Jack and two other wizards.
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O’Connor After Owen captures an enormous bullfrog, names it Tooley Graham, and then has to release it, he and two friends try to use a small submarine that fell from a passing train to search for Tooley in the Carter, Georgia, pond it came from, while avoiding nosy neighbor Viola.
The Magic Thief (or any book in the Magic Thief series) by Sarah Prineas A young thief is drawn into a life of magic and adventure after picking the pocket of the powerful wizard Nevery Flinglas, who has returned from exile to attempt to reverse the troubling decline of magic in Wellmet City.
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (or one of the sequels) by Jeanne Birdsall National Book Award for Young People’s Literature While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of the boy’s snobbish mother.
The Serpent Came to Gloucester by M.T. Anderson. Rhyming text tells of a sea serpent that plays off the coast of Massachusetts the summer of 1817. Upon the serpent’s return the following year, adventurers from far and near come to hunt it down. Includes a page of facts upon which the story is based.
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. Ferdinand is the world’s most peaceful – and beloved – little bull. While all of the other bulls snort, leap, and butt heads, Ferdinand is content to just sit and smell the flowers under his favorite cork tree.
The Thing about Georgie by Lisa Graff In this touching story peppered with comedy, nine-year-old Georgie Bishop struggles to grow up when he isn’t getting any taller.
100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson After his parents are kidnapped, timid twelveyear- old Henry York leaves his sheltered Boston life and moves to small-town Kansas, where he and his cousin Henrietta discover and explore hidden doors in his attic room that seem to open onto other worlds.
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo Newbery Honor During the summer that India Opal Buloni and her father, the preacher, move to Naomi, Florida, Opal goes into the supermarket—and comes out with a dog. Opal adopts the lovable, mangy dog whose personality changes her life and the lives of the quirky characters in this rural community.
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary Beezus Quimby’s four-year-old sister, Ramona, is exasperating. Ramona always manages to get her way. Poor Beezus! She must be the only tenyear- old in the world with such a pest for a sister. How can she learn to love and accept this four-year-old terror?
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell When Emmy discovers that she and her formerly-loving parents are being drugged by their evil nanny with rodent potions that can change people in frightening ways, she and some new friends try everything possible to return things to normal.
Far-Flung Adventures: Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart (or any other book in the Far-Flung Adventures series) Nine-year-old Fergus Crane’s life is filled with classes on the school ship Betty Jeanne, interesting neighbors, and helping with his mother's work until a mysterious box flies into his window and leads him toward adventure.
Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers (or any other in the Beastologist series) In 1928, when timid ten-year-old Nate learns that his parents have been lost at sea, he joins his father's cousin on a flight to Arabia where they must oversee the death and rebirth of the phoenix, thus beginning his training as a “beastologist.”
Heidi Heckelbeck Has a Secret by Wanda Coven (or any other Heidi Heckelbeck book) Heidi Heckelbeck seems like any other eight-year-old, but she has a secret: she’s a witch in disguise. Careful to keep her powers hidden (but excited to use them), Heidi is learning to live like any other kid—who just happens to be witch.
Judy Moody (or any Judy Moody book) – Megan McDonald Third grader Judy Moody is in a first-day-of school bad mood until she gets an assignment to create a collage all about herself and begins creating her masterpiece, the Me collage.
Mr. Chickee's Funny Money by Christopher Paul Curtis Flint Future Detective Club members Steven Carter, his friend Russell, and Russell’s huge dog Zoopy solve the mystery of a quadrilliondollar bill with the image of James Brown on it.
Out Standing in My Field by Patrick Jennings Although fifth-grader Ty Cutter is named after baseball great Ty Cobb, he is the worst player on the Brewer’s team—a team that happens to be coached by his overly-competitive father.
Peter and the Starcatchers (or one of the sequels) by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on the ship Never Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island.
Rules by Cynthia Lord Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence. Her world becomes even more complicated when she befriends a young paraplegic.
Savvy by Ingrid Law Newbery Honor This unforgettable story recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her “savvy” -- a magical power unique to each member of her family -- just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.
Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson Odge Gribble, a young hag, joins an old wizard, a gentle fey, and a giant ogre on a journey from their magical island kingdom to London through a tunnel which opens every nine years for nine days, to try and rescue the young prince who had been stolen as an infant nine years before.
Shiloh by Phyllis Naylor Newbery Medal When Marty Preston comes across a young beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, it is love at first sight—and also big trouble. Marty tries to hide the dog from his family and from the dog’s real owner.
Soccer Halfback by Matt Christopher (or any other Matt Christopher book) All Jabber Morris wants to do is play soccer; that's what he does best. But almost everyone, including his mother, brother and uncle, wants him to give it up for football. Jabber has to decide what he wants.
Summer Reading is Killing Me! (or any book in the Time Warp Trio series) by Jon Scieszka At the beginning of summer vacation Joe, Sam, and Fred find themselves trapped inside their summer reading list, involved in a battle between good and evil characters from wellknown children’s books.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick Caldecott Medal When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toy seller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.
The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O’Connor In Fayette, South Carolina, the highlight of Popeye’s summer is learning vocabulary words with his grandmother until a motor home gets stuck nearby and Elvis, the oldest boy living inside, joins Popeye in finding the source of strange boats floating down the creek.
The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi (or any book in the Amulet series) After chasing the tentacled monster that kidnapped their mother, Emily and Navin find themselves in a magical but dangerous world of man-eating demons and shadowy enemies, where they must learn to control a powerful amulet given to them by their inventor grandfather.
Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins Subtitled “Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic,” this is a collection of six stories that relate the adventures of three best friends—who just happen to be toys.