Middle School Summer Reading
2009-2010
7th Grade | 8th Grade | Printable Form
For additional titles beyond the “suggested list” see
the individual teachers.
Rising Sixth Graders
Rationale
Sixth grade literature focuses on stories of self: memoirs, autobiographies, and fictional accounts of coming of age. Students of
this age group are necessarily focused on their own development,
their place in the world, and the role models they meet in real life
and in the literary world. Each novel has a particular message for
adolescents and was chosen to capture the imagination and spark
the curiosity of the individual reader.
Required Reading
Books: The Cay AND one of the following: The Witch of
Blackbird Pond OR The Sign of the Beaver
Assignment: Students will read The Cay and one of two
Speare’s novels, and choose two novels from the sixth grade
additional reading list for a total of four books over the summer.
Each student will submit a one page essay that explains
how a character from any of the summer novels mirrors his or
her life. For example, Phillip, the main character in The Cay
is an only child who grows to love Timothy, a person very
different from himself.
Miss Drew's Top Dozen Authors for Summer Reading. Please e-mail me if
you have a burning desire to read an author not on this list.
Students must choose a minimum of two novels by any of the authors listed below
(two by the same author or two different authors). Additional titles may be selected
for extra credit. You may also choose another book by Theodore Taylor or
Elizabeth George Speare. Books chosen must be titles you have NOT read before.
Dan Gutman
Will Hobbs
E. L. Konigsburg
Gordon Korman
Jack London
Harry Mazer
Gary Paulsen
Ellen Raskin
Mildred Taylor
Wendelin Van Draanen
Lawrence Yep
Jane Yolen
Rising Seventh Graders
Rationale
As we study the themes of Identity and Idealism in the seventh
grade, students examine several unique literary characters living
in both idealistic and realistic worlds. In the required novels each
individual faces defining moments that lead him/her into radically
different diverse directions. Through examining the similarities
and differences of these main characters, the students discover
how different situations can shape a life forever.
Required Reading
Books: A choice of two of the following three texts: Stargirl,
Slam or Kira Kira.
Assignment: As you explore these distinctly different protagonists,
compare and contrast them in a graphic organizer
of your choice, and compose an essay that adheres to your
organizer. In addition to reading these two books, students
will read two books from the “suggested list” and create
movie advertisement brochures that include all the important
information about these books. The essay and movie brochures
will be due on the second day of school and should be
written independently.
Suggested Texts
7th Grade Choose at Least Two Books
Bloor, Edward...............................Tangerine
A legally blind seventh-grader has always lived in the shadow of his older brother. Things change when the family moves to Tangerine County, where bizarre natural disasters occur.
Cleaver, Vera ............................... Where the Lilies Bloom
In the Great Smoky Mountains region, a fourteen-year-old girl struggles to keep her family
together after their father dies.
Curtis, Christopher Paul .............. The Watsons Go To
Birmingham
The lives of the Watsons, an African American family living in Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.
Divakaruni, Chitra Bannerjee ....... The Conch Bearer
In a dingy shack in the poor Indian neighborhood he calls home, twelve-year-old Anand is
entrusted with a conch shell that possesses mystical powers. His task is to return the shell to
its rightful home. His quest will take him farther from home than he's ever been and will
teach him more than he ever imagined.
Filipovich, Zlata ............................. Zlata’s Diary
A young girl from Sarajevo writes her diary during the turmoil in her country.
Greene, Bette .................................. Summer of My German
Soldier
A 12-year-old Jewish girl in Arkansas befriends an escaped German prisoner of war, and this friendship leads to tragic results.
Hahn, Mary Downing ........................ Promises to the Dead
A Civil War era story about the interrelationships of white owners, black slaves, and their
offspring as told through the eyes of a 12- year old white boy.
Holt, Kimberly Willis ........................ Dancing in Cadillac Light
In 1968, Jaynell's life in the town of Moon, Texas, is enlivened when her eccentric Grandpap
comes to live with her family.
London, Jack .................................... Call of the Wild
The classic survival story of a dog stolen from his California home and made to work as a
sled dog during the Alaskan gold rush.
Lyons, Mary ..................................... Letters From a Slave Girl
A collection of fictional letters vividly recreates the life and times of Harriet Ann Jacobs, a
young slave girl who escaped to freedom in the 1840s and who became an author and abolitionist.
Sutcliff, Rosemary ............................ Black Ships Before
Troy: The Story of the Illiad
Retells the story of the Trojan war, from the quarrel for the golden apple, and the flight of
Helen with Paris, to the destruction of Troy.
Sutcliff, Rosemary .............................. The Wanderings
of Odysseus
A master storyteller and an award-winning illustrator evoke the golden age of mythical
Greece in this spirited retelling of The Odyssey.
Taylor, Mildred .................................... Let the Circle Unbroken
In 1935, the Logan family watches as their black friend is charged with murder and tried by a
hostile all-white jury.
Yolen, Jane ........................................... The Queen’s Own Fool
The fictionalized story of Mary, Queen of Scots, as told through the eyes of Nicola, a
court jester.
Rising Eighth Graders
Rationale
For our most mature middle schoolers the theme for eighth grade
literature is “The Journey of Self vs. Society” as students examine
the role of the individual in a structured society, and the challenges
this creates. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Scout Finch
challenges the harsh boundaries of racism, religion and gender to
define herself and her world. Animal Farm by George Orwell is
the classic allegory in which society resists social and political
control. These texts support our eighth grade journey into the
celebration of individuality.
Required Reading
Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Assignment: Please write a three or four paragraph essay
outlining which boundaries the book threatens: gender, racial,
or religious. You may choose two or three boundaries
for your essay due on the second day of class. We will use the
essay as a starting point for our writing unit.
Book: Animal Farm
Assignment: Complete the Animal Farm guides listed on Ms.
Keenliside’s webpage to explore Animal Farm on a deeper
level.
Extra Credit: Students may choose up to five novels from the
additional titles list. They will then complete one 3x5 note
card per text. Notecards must include: Title of the book,
author, student’s name, and point of view (first, second, or
third person). On the back of this note card summarize the
character’s metaphorical or literal journey.
Suggested Texts
8th Grade Choose up to Five for Extra Credit
Alexi, Sherman ................................ The Absolutely True Diary
of a Part-Time Indian
(some mature language)
An autobiography of a boy growing up on an Indian reservation and facing life outside of his
comfort zone.
Bat-Ami, Miriam Two Suns in the Sky
A Catholic American girl falls in love with a young Holocaust survivor, against her parents’ wishes. Based on a little-known camp in Oswego, NY, where Jewish refugees were held during
World War II.
Bradford, Richard ................................ Red Sky at Morning
A classic coming of age story, which takes place in the West during World War II.
Clarke, Arthur C. ................................... Childhood’s End
A science fiction classic involving a race of aliens who bring peace and prosperity to the Earth,
but who take away the freedom of mankind.
Davis, Samson The Pact
Three teenagers from a rough part of Newark, NJ make a promise to help each other get to
college.
Di Napoli, Donna ...................................... Beast
(she has written several good books which may be substituted).
Enger, Leif ............................................... Peace Like a River
Eleven-year-old Ruben narrates the story of his family’s journey throughout the West, searching
for his older brother Davy, who has been accused of murder.
Farmer, Nancy ......................................... The House of the Scorpion
In the futuristic country of Opium, Matt, a clone of the powerful drug lord, El Patron, discovers
the evils of his society. An imaginative science fiction story that looks at the social implications
of technology. (National Book Award)
Hesse, Karen .............................................. Witness
The story of a small town in the 1920s and its involvement with the Ku Klux clan.
Keyes, Daniel .............................................. Flowers for Algernon.
A retarded adult becomes a genius through an experimental operation.
Krakauer, Jon .............................................. Into Thin Air
A personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster.
Lowry, Lois .................................................. Gathering Blue
In a barbaric society of the future, a crippled orphan girl with a talent for weaving is given the
responsibility of preserving the memory of the culture. A companion volume to The Giver.
Mccaughrean, Geraldine .............................. The White Darkness
An unusual teenaged girl who embarks on a wild expedition to Antarctica with her lunatic Uncle
Victor.
Myers, Walter Dean ...................................... The Glory Field
Follows five generations of an African-American family from slavery to the present
Nolan, Han ..................................................... Dancing on the
Edge
(or anything else by Han Nolan)
Miracle McCloy struggles to become a prodigy like her writer father and a psychic like her
grandmother. In the process she has to discover who she really is and has to find truth in
the midst of lies told by her family. (National Book Award)
Zindel, Paul ..................................................... The Pigman
Two lonely high school students befriend a strange old man, Mr. Pignati.
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