6 8 summer reading program 2015

United Nations International School Hanoi

Grade 6-8 English A & B Summer Reading Program

An important part of the Middle Years Program for English is our focus on reading. We encourage free choice reading and discovering books that interest, inspire and challenge you.

Upon returning to UNIS on August 13th you need to have read at least TWO books for the English A or B class you are in.

The purpose of the summer reading program is to support you in your reading skills.

Reading Requirements:

• You will read two novels over the summer months. • One novel will be your own choice. • One novel will be from the Recommended Reading List (attached). Note that next to

each book is a number representing the level of language. Choose one that is appropriate and challenging for you. The reading level number loosely matches the average for that grade (in English A).

• Upon return to school you will be required to give an oral presentation on the novels you chose. Your teacher may also assign you a written task.

Please note that you can obtain e-‐copies of older novels FREE at sites such as www.gutenberg.org In general, books published before 1923 are public domain and available free.


Recommended Reading List

Title Author Reading level

Date Teacher faves

Brief description

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Jules Verne 10.1 1873 A league is 5.5 kilometers. 20 000 leagues is a long way to travel. Can you imagine what they find in this classic adventure novel?

A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens

6.7 1844 What do ghosts and Christmas have in common? They are both in this novel.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Betty Smith 5.8 1943 Growing up poor in New York.

A Wizard of Earthsea

Ursula K. LeGuin

6.7 1968 Ms Richey (7)

Wizards, dragons, magic, demons. What more could you want?

A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L'Engle

4.7 1962 Find out about the tesseract in this science fantasy novel.

Adventures of Pinocchio

Carlo Collodi 5.3 1833 The original book is not as nice as the Disney movie.

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

7 1892 Ms. Key Sherlock is the quintessential detective - read the original stories.

Alanna: The First Adventure

Tamora Pierce

4.5 1983 The first part of a fantasy series about a girl training to be a knight.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll 7.4 1866 Go down the rabbit hole to a world of talking animals and a queen who wants your head!

Animal Farm George Orwell

7.3 1945 A combination of talking animals and politics.

Anne of Green Gables

L. M. Montgomery

7.3 1908 Ms Richey & Ms Noullet (6)

A red haired orphan grows up in Canada. Interestingly, this story is very popular in Japan.

Because of Winn-Dixie

Kate DiCamillo

3.9 2000 Because of Winn-Dixie, a big, ugly, happy dog, Opal's life changes.

Black Beauty Anna Sewell 7.7 1877 Follows the life of the horse, Black Beauty.

Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson

4.6 1977 Get out the tissues for this one.

Charlotte’s Web E. B. White 4.4 1952 Maybe you need to buy more tissues.

Cry, The Beloved Country

Alan Paton 6.2 1948 How people were treated in South Africa.

Daddy Long Legs Jean Webster 6.1 1912 This story has been made into movies seven times, including Korean, Indian and Japanese versions.

Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank 6.5 1952 The actual diary of a girl hiding from the Nazis during world war 2.

Dragonsong Anne McCaffrey

6.8 1976 Science fiction and dragons in the one book.

Dragonwings Laurence Yep 5.3 1975 A Chinese boy moves to the US in 1909.

Enchantress From the Stars

Sylvia Engdahl

7.3 1970 What happens when someone from an advanced alien race meets a woodcutter?

Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury 5.2 1953 The main character is a fireman. His job is to burn books.

Frankenstein Mary Shelley 12.4 1818 Ms. Clinton (8)

The classic horror story that shows us what it means to be human.

Goodbye, Mr. Chips James Hilton 6.5 1934 The life of a teacher.

Great Expectations Charles Dickens

9.2 1861 Classic novel about life in England

Hatchet Gary Paulsen 5.7 1987 The sole survivor of a plane crash in Alaska, all 13 year old Brian has is a hatchet. How will he survive?

Heidi Johanna Spyri

8.2 1884 The Alps, cheese, goats and Heidi.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

8.2 1981 Ms Richey (8)

Discover the meaning of life in this comedy/science fiction classic.

Holes Louis Sachar 4.6 1998 Everything that goes wrong is because of Stanley's no-good-dirty-rotten pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.

Island of the Blue Dolphin

Scott O'Dell 5.4 1960 Ms Noullet (6)

Based on the true story of a girl left alone on an island for 18 years.

Ivanhoe Sir Walter Scott

12.9 1820 Kings, knights, ladies and Robin Hood.


Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

7.9 1847 Ms Richey (8)

Jane Eyre isn't like other girls in 18th century fiction. She is independent and finds her own way in the world.

Johnny Tremain Esther Forbes

5.9 1943 The lead up to the War of Independence in Boston.

Journey to Topaz Yoshiko Uchida

6 1971 A girl's experiences during the Japanese internment of World War 2

Julie of the Wolves Jean Craighead

5.8 1972 An Eskimo girl runs away. Can she survive with a pack of wolves?

Kidnapped Robert Louis Stevenson

7.6 1886 The kidnapping is only the first exciting thing to happen in this classic adventure tale.

Kim George Rudyard Kipling

7.7 1901 A boy living on the streets in India, a Tibetan lama and British spies. Interesting combination, don't you think?

Lassie Come Home Eric Knight 5.4 1940 Can Lassie the dog travel 100 miles to get back to Joe?

Little House in the Big Woods

Laura Ingalls WIlder

4.9 1932 Part of a series about the life of a young girl whose family is settling the American west.

Little Women Louisa May Alcott

5 1868 Ms. Key 4 very different sisters growing up during the American civil war.

Lord of the Flies William Golding

5 1956 A group of boys shipwrecked on an island. What could possibly go wrong?

Mary Poppins P.L. Travers 6.1 1934 A magical nanny who blows in on the east wind.

Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie

6.2 1934 Ms. Key Can the world famous Hercule Poirot solve the murder?

My Friend Flicka Mary O'Hara 6 1941 A boy and his horse in Wyoming.

National Velvet Enid Bagnold 5.5 1935 Can 14-year-old Velvet Brown win one of the most famous horse races in the world?

Number the Stars Lois Lowry 4.5 1989 The escape of a Jewish family from Copenhagen in World War 2.

Old Yeller Fred Gipson 5 1956 An old yellow dog comes to stay with the family, uninvited.

Peter Pan J.M. Barrie 7.2 1904 How to find Neverland: second star to the right and straight on till morning.

Pippi Longstocking Astrid Lindgred

5.2 1945 Pippi is the strongest (and maybe the naughtiest) girl in the world.

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen 12 1813 One of the most famous love stories in the world.

Redwall Brian Jacques

5.6 1986 High fantasy novel of knights, kingdoms, secrets and ... talking animals.

Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe 12.3 1836 Shipwrecked. Alone. On an island. And along comes Friday.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Mildred D. Taylor

5.7 1976 Ms Louvet (6)

If you are curious about the impact of racism in the American south, try this one.

Sarah, Plain and Tall

Patricia MacLachlan

3.4 1986 Anna and Caleb's mother died. Then Sarah comes from a long way away to see if she wants to be their stepmother.

Seven Little Australians

Ethel Turner 7.5 1894 The adventures of seven children growing up in Australia.

Story of My Life Helen Keller 6.8 1902 Ms Louvet (6)

The true story of a girl who is deaf, dumb and blind growing up to become a teacher.

Summer of My German Soldier

Bette Greene 5.2 1973 Ms. Key A Jewish girl growing up in the USA during WW2.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain 8.1 1876 Classic American novel about growing up on the Mississippi River.

The Black Stallion Walter Farley 5.2 1941 A boy is shipwrecked on an island with a horse.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Thornton Wilder

7.1 1927 Why did they die?

The Call of the Wild Jack London 8 1903 The story of a dog who is stolen and taken to Alaska to work as a sled dog.

The Chocolate War Robert Cormier

5.4 1974 Ms. Key Power and control in a high school. What if you are one against many?

The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexander Dumas

8.8 1844 His best friend sends Edmund to jail, so that he can marry Edmund's fiancé. And that is just the first chapter.

The Giver Lois Lowry 5.7 1993 Ms. Key Is the town where Jonas lives really so perfect?

The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien

6.6 1937 Ms Richey (7)

You have seen the movie. The book is a million times better.

The Horatio Hornblower Series

C.S. Forester 7.2 1937 Life in the navy in the 17th century.


The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Victor Hugo 11.8 1831 The Disney movie has little to do with this novel.

The Incredible Journey

Sheila Burnford

7.6 1961 Ms. Clinton (6)

Three pets travel 500 km through the Canadian wilderness.

The Jungle Book Rudyard Kipling

7.4 1894 Mowgli is raised by wolves in the Indian jungle.

The Last of the Mohicans

James Fenimore Cooper

12 1826 Indians, soldiers, frontiersmen in the American west.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Irving Washington

7.9 1820 The story of the headless horseman. Need I say more?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

C. S. Lewis 5.7 1950 The most famous of the Chronicles of Narnia.

The Little Prince Antoine de Saint- Exupery

11 1943 3rd most translated book in the world, a pilot stranded in the desert meets a young prince fallen to Earth from a tiny asteroid.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

Howard Pyle 8.6 1883 The story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, and their fight against the evil sheriff.

The Outsiders S.E. Hinton 4.7 1967 The story of a group of boys growing up on the wrong side of the tracks.

The Pearl John Steinbeck

4.5 1947 Louvet (6) Kino discovers a pearl and thinks he can save his son.

The Phantom Tollbooth

Norton Juster 6.7 1961 Ms. Clinton (7)

Milo is bored, but then a package arrives. Milo won't be bored anymore.

The Pigman Paul Zindel 5.5 1968 How you treat other people is important.

The Red Badge of Courage

Stephen Crane

8 1895 Louvet (7/8)

Courage in the American civil war.

The Red Pony John Steinbeck

6.1 1932 Louvet (6/7)

Another classic story of a horse and his boy.

The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett

6.3 1911 Louvet (6) A girl moves from India to England and is miserable. But then she discovers a secret.

The White Mountains

John Christopher

6.2 1967 A post-apocalyptic novel where humans have been enslaved by "tripods" from another planet. The first novel in a series.

The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Graham

8.2 1907 Mole gets sick of cleaning, so goes rowing with Rat. A classic children’s story.

The Wizard of Oz L. Frank Baum

7.4 1902 We're off the see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The Yearling Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

5 1938 Life is pretty tough in 18th century Florida. Read about it here.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee 5.6 1960 Louvet (8); Ms. Key

Ranked as the 'best novel of the 20th century', winner of the Pulitzer prize. Amazing!

Tom’s Midnight Garden

Philippa Pearce

6.1 1958 Every night, when the clock strikes 13, Tom goes back in time.

Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson

8.3 1884 Pirates, parrots, treasure and ships. A great adventure.

Tuck Everlasting Natalie Babbit 5 1975 Do you want to live forever?

Walk Two Moons Sharon Creech

4.9 1994 Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins

War of the Worlds H.G. Wells 9.1 1897 Louvet 6/7 The first ever sci fi novel. Martians invade the Earth.

Watership Down Richard Adams

6.2 1972 Don't be put off by the fact this book is about rabbits.

Where the Lilies Bloom

Vera Cleaver 5.2 1974 Life is tough in Carolina.

Where the Red Fern Grows

Wilson Rawls 4.9 1961 A boy and his dogs

Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte 11.3 1847 Louvet (8); Ms. Key

Drama! Endless love! Death! Ghosts! The famous gothic romance.

6 8 summer reading program 2015

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