Deserted Island Book Bag

What should I tell my 6th- 8th grade students to read over summer vacation? What books would I want them to have if they were stranded on a deserted island? If I was to create a “Librarian’s Emergency Backpack” with books that I felt my students should read, what would be in it? Books that would teach them about life and also foster a love of reading, books they could read over and over again and hopefully encounter something new each time. There are so many books to consider and I know that I will want to amend this list as soon as I post it, but for now here is what would be in my backpack:

• Charlotte’s Web
• Where the Sidewalk Ends
• Dune
• All Creatures Great and Small
• The Killer Angels
• The Greatest Generation Speaks

For girls I would add: Are You There God It’s Me Margaret, Harriet the Spy, Anne of Green Gables, and Pride and Prejudice

For boys I would add: Phineas Gage: a gruesome but True Story, Hatchet, Brian’s Song and Chasing Lincoln’s Killer

What would you put in your backpack?