Summer Reading 2006

A Break with Charity: A Story About the Salem Witch Trials
by Ann Rinaldi
Based on historical accounts of the Salem witch trials, Rinaldi's story has a twist--its heroine, Susanna, is a girl who knows that the witches' accusers are lying but is afraid to come forth. Susanna English actually lived in Salem at the time, but Rinaldi discloses in her afterword that Susanna's role in the "witchcraft business" is unknown. Here, Susanna is a key player who wants to join the circle of girls listening to the stories of the slave, Tituba, but because Susanna is of the gentry, the others don't want her around. Led by Ann Putnam, the girls in the circle begin naming witches in the community. Ann confesses to Susanna that their accusations are lies but threatens Susanna and her family, so the girl keeps silent. As witches are jailed and hanged, Susanna knows that she should come forward, but she must conquer her own fears and superstitions before she has the courage to disclose what she knows. $7.00
Click on the title below to see if the Peabody Institute Library has a copy on the shelf.
A Break with Charity : A Story about the Salem Witch Trials (1992)

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Students must complete a second book from the choices listed below
and complete one assessment choice on it. ASSESSMENT OPTIONS

The Ransom of Mercy Carter by Caroline B. Cooney
In 1704, in the English settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts, eleven-year-old Mercy and her family and neighbors are captured by Mohawk Indians and their French allies, and forced to march through bitter cold to French Canada, where some adapt to new lives and some still hope to be ransomed. $6.00
Click on the title below to see if the Peabody Institute Library has a copy on the shelf.
The Ransom of Mercy Carter (2001)

Basher 5-2: The True Story of F16 Fighter Pilot Capt. Scott O'Grady by Capt. Scott O'Grady and Michael French
U.S. Air Force pilot Scott O'Grady tells how he evaded capture and stayed alive with little water and no food in enemy territory after the F-16 he was flying on a peace-keeping mission in Bosnia was shot down. $5.50
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Basher Five-Two : The True Story of F-16 Fighter Pilot Captain Scott O'Grady (1997)

I, Dred Scott: A Fictional Slave Narrative Based on the Life and Legal Precedent of Dred Scott by Sheila P. Moses

Few people know why the Dred Scott decision is considered one of the causes of the Civil War. This fictionalized slave narrative humanizes the struggle of brave Dred Scott and supplies extensive historical notes that explain the complex legal facts. Scott, born a slave, traveled with his master to several northern states. Sixteen years later he discovered that, according to the Missouri Compromise, his slavery ended when he "stepped foot in free territory." Abolitionist lawyers helped him sue for freedom, and although he triumphed at first, his owners appealed and won, with the Supreme Court eventually deciding that slaves like Scott were not free--a notorious decision that polarized the country. $17.00
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coming soon

Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez

Having come from Mexico to California ten years ago, fourteen-year-old Francisco is still working in the fields but fighting to improve his life and complete his education. $7.00
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Breaking Through (2001)

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left. $7.00
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Walk Two Moons (1994)

The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
Seventeen-year-old Josh, a loner-philosopher who wants to make a difference in the world, tries to maintain his secret identity as the author of a web site that is receiving national attention. $6.50
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The Gospel According to Larry (2001)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young women in mid-nineteenth-century New England. $7.00
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Little Women

Inventing Elliot by Graham Gardner
Elliot, a victim of bullying, invents a calmer, cooler self when he changes schools in the middle of freshman year, but soon attracts the wrong kind of attention from the Guardians who "maintain order" at the new school. $6.00
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Inventing Elliot (2004)

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland, lost in the woods after she wanders off to escape the bickering between her mom and her brother, boosts her courage by imagining that her hero, Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Tom Gordon, is with her, helping her survive an unknown enemy. $8.00
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The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999)

At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
Father Tim, a bachelor rector in the small hill town of Mitford, North Carolina, gets more than he bargained for when he yearns for more excitement in his life and suddenly finds himself dealing with a large dog, a very attractive new neighbor, a jewel thief, and an unloved boy. $8.00
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At Home in Mitford (0629)

Journey to the Center of the Earth
by Jules Verne

Three men dare to adventure into a subterranean world full of danger and beauty discovering many unusual things on their trip to the Earth's mysterious core. $6.00
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Journey to the Center of the Earth