Bring on Summer BrEAk!

For English Summer Work, please:

Read 3 Books

1 Grade-Level Book &

2 Books of Your Choice

Grade Level Reads

Going into 

6th Grade

Hoot 

by Carl Hiassen


Going into 

7th Grade

The Outsiders 

by S. E. Hinton 

Going into 

8th Grade

The Red Bandanna 

(Young Reader's Edition)

by Tom Rinaldi

Everybody loves Mother Paula's pancakes. Everybody, that is, except the colony of cute but endangered owls that live on the building site of the new restaurant. Can the awkward new kid and his feral friend prank the pancake people out of town? Or is the owls' fate cemented in pancake batter?


Welcome to Carl Hiaasen's Florida—where the creatures are wild and the people are wilder!

No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up on “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far.

The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of fiction that laid the groundwork for the YA genre. S. E. Hinton's classic story of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published. 

When the Twin Towers fell, Welles’s parents had no idea what happened to him. In the unbearable days that followed, they came to accept that he would never come home. But the mystery of his final hours persisted. Eight months after the attacks, however, Welles’s mother read a news account from several survivors, badly hurt on the 78th floor of the South Tower, who said they and others had been led to safety by a stranger, carrying a woman on his back, down nearly twenty flights of stairs.  After leading them down, the young man turned around.  “I’m going back up,” was all he said.

The survivors didn’t know his name, but despite the smoke and panic, one of them remembered a single detail clearly: the man was wearing a red bandanna.  

What is Considered a Choice Book?

What two books would you like to read? There's almost no limit on what you can choose! 


Three things to keep in mind: 


Any books that match that criteria can be your Summer Reading Choice Books!


Of course, when you can read so many books, sometimes it's hard to choose! 


If you'd like help picking out a book you might like, consider some of the suggestions below. 

How to Pick Your Choice Books

Books and Authors is a great resource built to guide you to your next read. Simply type in a book or genre you love to discover titles you may be interested in! 

Logging into Books and Authors

Books and Authors is a database that requires an EA Login. Please use your Computer Username & Password to sign in.  If you have any trouble, get in touch with the Tech Department to make sure you can login correctly. In the meantime, you can use these guest credentials to sign in:

Want to try an Award Winner?

Annual Award for Literary Excellence in Literature for Children. 

Award winners are typically around a 4th - 7th grade reading level.

Annual Award for Literary Excellence in Young Adult Literature.

Award winners are typically around a 8th - 12th grade reading level.


The book award selected by students! You can look at the list of Nominated Titles from any year to get an idea of what other students in PA have enjoyed.

There are plenty of book awards given out each year. You're welcome to explore the full list that the American Library Association has made. Maybe you'll find a book award that aligns with your interest? Such as the Corretta Scott King Award for outstanding books for youth by African American authors. Or the APALA's Award to honor work by Asian/Pacific Americans. Maybe you want to see who won the Pura Belprè Award for best Latino/Latina writer this year? You could always check out the Schneider Family Award to read a story that features the disability experience of a child. Not to mention the Stonewall Book Award for books with exceptional merit for the LGBTQIA+ experience.


As you can see, there's awards for many topics and interests. If you think one (or both!) of your Choice Books should be a book that has won recognition, feel free to explore your award-winning options!

Many corners of the internet want to help you find your next great read. You can use the following sites to search book titles that you know you like and find close recommendations. 

Please note: All of the following links lead to external sites where ads and cookies are outside of EA's administration. 

Still not quite sure what to read? Ask for suggestions! Your English teacher and Ms. Hay love talking about books!