7th Grade- Class of 2029
Hello incoming 7th graders!
We hope that you have a fantastic summer filled with fun, relaxation, and some good books. We hope you even make time to do some reading that is not part of a school assignment!
You have many options for obtaining your summer reading books. You can buy them, check them out from a public library, or, if you are a returning student, check them out from the Dwight library or as ebooks using Sora.
If you are a returning student and would like more information on how to use Sora to check out ebooks for summer reading, make sure to visit the Sora page on this website.
We strongly recommend that each student read a minimum of four books over the summer break and prepare a list of the books they have read to share with their English teachers in the fall. Please write these in a document or journal, and bring a hard-copy with you on the first day of school.
To assist you in selecting your books, we have provided a list of suggestions below. You are required to read Riot by Walter Dean Meyers, while the rest can be from the suggestion list or books of your own choosing. In English class you will be expected to complete an assignment for Riot at the start of the school year.
While these lists offer excellent recommendations, we also encourage you to take some time this summer to explore library and bookstore shelves. There are also many other options available on Sora, as well. Discovering new books that ignite your passion for reading can be an exciting journey!
If you have any questions, or if you are not able to complete the reading before the start of school, email the Head of Middle School Humanities, Ms. Nieto, at mnieto@dwight.edu.
summer assignment
This summer you are strongly recommended to read four books. For Book 1, you must read Riot by Walter Dean Meyers. For the other books, you may select books from the suggestions below, or choose books of your own liking.
Riot by Walter Dean Myers
The inside scoop: "As the Civil War rages, another battle breaks out behind the lines. During a long, hot July in 1863, the worst race riots the United States has ever seen erupt in New York City. Earlier that year, desperate for more Union soldiers, President Abraham Lincoln instituted a draft- a draft that would allow the wealthy to escape serving in the army by paying a $300 waiver, more than a year's income for the recent immigrant Irish. And on July 11, as the first drawing takes place in Lower Manhattan, the city of New York explodes in rage and fire. Stores are looted, buildings set on fire, and black Americans are attacked, beaten, and murdered. The police cannot hold out against the rioters, and finally, battle hardened soldiers are ordered back from the fields of Gettysburg to put down the insurrection, which they do- brutally. Fifteen-year-old Claire, the beloved daughter of a black father and Irish mother, finds herself torn between two warring sides. Faced with the breakdown of the city- the home- she has loved, Claire must discover the strength and resilience to address the new world in which she finds herself, and to begin the hard journey of remaking herself and her identity."
