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Summer Reading

Reading Program -

Embark on a reading adventure!

Embrace this summer as an opportunity for exploration, imagination, and learning. Visit the Carden Bookshop, select your books, and let the summer reading adventure begin! This program is for students entering grades 3-8. Our program is designed to ignite a love for reading, fostering imagination and learning throughout the summer.

Here’s what you need to know to dive into the world of books this summer:

Required and Chosen Readings

Students will have the joy of exploring one mandatory title specific to their grade level, plus the freedom to select one or more additional book from a curated list of captivating reads.

Purchase Convenience

All selected summer reading books are conveniently available for purchase at the Carden Bookshop, located in our library. Simplify your summer planning by grabbing your books directly from us!

Engage Beyond Reading

Students are encouraged to express their insights and engage with the material on a deeper level through our Book Report Forms, designed for each specific grade level.

Reading & Forms

Embrace this summer as an opportunity for exploration, imagination, and learning. Visit the Carden Bookshop, select your books, and let the summer reading adventure begin! This program is for students entering grades 3-8. Our program is designed to ignite a love for reading, fostering imagination and learning throughout the summer. Here’s what you need to know to dive into the world of books this summer:

  • Required and Chosen Readings: Students will have the joy of exploring one mandatory title specific to their grade level, plus the freedom to select one or more additional book from a curated list of captivating reads.
  • Purchase Convenience: All selected summer reading books are conveniently available for purchase at the Carden Bookshop, located in our library. Simplify your summer planning by grabbing your books directly from us!
  • Engage Beyond Reading: Students are encouraged to express their insights and engage with the material on a deeper level through our Book Report Forms, designed for each specific grade level.

Upper Prep Summer Reading

  • Required
    • Tornado by Betsy Byars
  • Choice Read: 
    • A Mouse Called Wolf  by Dick King-Smith
    • The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith
    • The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla.
  • Upper Prep Book Report Form

A Form Summer Reading

  • Required
    • My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Gannett
  • Choice Read:
    • Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Florence and Richard Atwater
    • Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop
    • The Mystery of the Missing Lion by Alexander McCall Smith
    • Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • A Form Book Report Form

B Form Summer Reading

  • Required:
    • Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen
  • Choice Read:
    • The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
    • Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Brink
    • The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
    • The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
  • B Form Summer Reading Report Form

C Form Summer Reading

  • Required:
    • The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • Choice Read:
    • Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
    • A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
    • Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois
    • Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
  • C Form Summer Reading Report Form

D Form Summer Reading

  • Required:
    • The Giver – Lowry
  • Choice Read:
    • Elephant Run by Roland Smith
    • The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
    • Banner in the Sky by James Ullman
    • Soldier Dog by Sam Angus
    • My Side of the Mountain – George
  • D Form Summer Reading Report Form

E Form Summer Reading

  • Required
    • On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
  • Choice Read:
    • Savvy by Ingrid Law
    • Shackleton’s Stowaway by Victoria McKernan
    • Streams to the River, River to the Sea by Scott O’Dell
    • Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood
    • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
  • E Form Summer Reading Report Form

For any questions or more details on the bookshop hours, please don’t hesitate to contact our office. Happy reading, and we look forward to a summer filled with wonderful stories and discoveries!

Have Questions?

At Carden Memorial School, we’re more than just an educational institution; we’re a supportive community dedicated to providing a classical Christian education in a loving environment. Contact us today, and we’d love to answer more of your questions.

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