For Math, please see Ms. Reidy's site
Summer Reading Full Printable Document:
7th & 8th Summer Reading Full Printable Document
7th & 8th Grades Summer Reading
Our Lady of the Angels
Mrs. Dinsdale
In addition to enjoying all of the summer activities you have planned with family and friends, I want you to travel to different places, to different times, and/or meet new people! You only can do that through a great book! Stories allow us to experience the wonders of the world (or worlds) and make us laugh, scream, cry, curse, jump up and down, feel empathy, and learn to see life in a whole new way. Through stories, we see what it is to be human and all of the joys, trials, sorrows, and experiences that shape each unique person. Great stories teach us and transform us, so we never see the world the same way. Our minds are more open and our hearts are enlarged.
Requirements:
Community Books: The Middle School teachers have elected to continue with the Community Book. Each grade will have 1 book that each student must read as part of the overall summer reading requirements. I recommend that you read the community book as close to the beginning of school as possible. This way you will be able to remember it for when we discuss it in class.
All 7th Grade Students must read:
Preller, James. Bystander. New York: Square Fish, 2009. Print.
All 8th Grade Students must read:
Anderson, Laurie Hales. Speak. New York: Square Fish, 1999. Print.
In addition to the Community Book, each student is required to read a minimum of 2 other books of his/her choosing for a total of 3 books. These books must be age appropriate. The books on the attached list are titles recommended by your peers and others. They bridge a variety of genres, styles, and topics that both boys and girls your age have loved, so I encourage you to read through the selection. However, you do not have to select a book from this list. Find ones that interest you, and you will enjoy reading! Also, you do not have to stop at 2 books! Challenge yourself! Read as many books as you want…
You are required to keep a Reading Log (see attached). After you finish a book, complete a line entry on the log. Keep track of all the books you read on this log, have a parent initial each entry and sign the bottom, then bring it with you on the first day of school. We will record the number of books you read on our class reading log!
Finally, you will be responsible for 1 project on one of books you choose and the Recommendation Card on the other. Both are due on the first day of school.
Project
Consists of 2 parts
This project is your first Literature grade of the year (for 7th Grade, my first impressions of you as a student). It is worth a full project grade, which is a significant grade. Take the project seriously, and do not wait until the last moment to do it. Failure to complete the project on time will result in a 0.
Part 1: Graffiti Board/Scrapbooking Page
For your free-choice book, create a Graffiti Board or scrapbook page of ½ of a poster board size (approx. 11” x 14”). Use any materials you like; make it colorful (appropriate to the book) and bold. It is graffiti, so it should be a bit of organized chaos. On the board, you must include:
Title (Prominently Placed)
Author (Prominently Placed)
Your Name
3 Symbols that depicts an event, or a major character that is relevant to the story
3 Quotes that represent your character. It may be something that the character stated or a statement that represents the theme of the novel
3 Colors which represents the character or theme of the book (see below for the traditional symbolic meanings of the different colors)
Part 2: Written Part:
You will be writing 3 paragraphs explaining each of your choices. A paragraph is 7-9 sentences (including topic sentence and closing sentence), so be sure that you are complete and thorough in your explanation.
3 Quotes—Why did you select these quotations, and how are they important to the book?
3 Symbols—Why did you select these symbols? What do they represent? How are they important to the book?
3 Colors—Why did you select these colors? What do they represent? How are they important to the book?
The written portion must be typed, spellchecked, and proofread. Be sure that you are using proper grammar and mechanics. Follow this formatting:
Times New Roman Font
Size 12 Font
1” Margins all around
Double Spaced
The assignment must be printed for the 1st day of school, and it cannot be done electronically unless we are in a virtual school environment.
The Symbolism of Colors
Color
Meaning/Represents
Red
Excitement, Passion/Love, Bravery/Leadership, Aggression, Anger, Danger, All Things Intense
Orange
Energy, Balance, Enthusiasm, Warmth, Flamboyant (Demanding Attention)
Yellow
Happiness, Betrayal, Hope, Sunshine/the Sun, Cowardice (Weakness), Hazard, Deceit
Green
Nature, Good Luck, Renewal/Rebirth/Growth, Jealousy, Fraternity (Brotherhood), Inexperience, Wealth/Money
Blue
Peace/Tranquility, Cold, Calm/Stability, Harmony/Unity, Trust/Security, Depression/Sadness
Purple/Violet
Royalty/Nobility, Spirituality, Ceremony, Mystery, Transformation, Wisdom
White
Light, Goodness, Innocence, Purity, Cleanliness, Safety/Health
Black
Dark, Evil, Death, Power, Elegance, Formality, Fear, Mystery, Grief
****PLEASE BE SURE YOU PRINT OUT THE READING LOG TO RECORD THE BOOKS YOU READ (see Google Doc Link)****
Potential Books You May Enjoy
These books are not required just options from which you may choose. If you wish to read something not on this list you are free to do so. These are just some recommendations.
Fiction
Echo, Pam Muñoz Ryan
Otto is lost in a forbidden forest when he suddenly encounters three mysterious sisters. At that moment, his destiny becomes linked to the unusual search that involves a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California become interwoven when the same harmonica reaches them. These children will face major challenges: rescuing a parent, protecting a sibling, and keeping a family together. Richly imagined and masterfully crafted, Echo pushes the boundaries of genre, form, and storytelling innovation to create a wholly original novel that will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne
Two young boys encounter the best and worst of humanity during the Holocaust in this powerful read that USA Today called "as memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank.”
Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance.
But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare:
Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1687. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met.
Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit’s friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed by the colonists to be a witch, proves more taboo than she could have imagined and ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty.
Dovey Coe, Frances O’Roark Dowell:
My name is Dovey Coe and I reckon it don't matter if you like me or not. I'm here to lay the record straight, to let you know them folks saying I done a terrible thing are liars. I aim to prove it, too. I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I didn't kill him.
Dovey Coe says what's on her mind, so it's no secret that she can't stand Parnell Caraway. Parnell may be the son of the richest man in town, but he's mean and snobby, and Dovey can't stand the fact that he's courting her sister, Caroline, or the way he treats her brother, Amos, as if he were stupid just because he can't hear.
So when Parnell turns up dead, and Dovey's in the room where his body is discovered, she soon finds herself on trial for murder. Can the outspoken Dovey sit still and trust a city slicker lawyer who's still wet behind the ears to get her out of the biggest mess of her life?
The Length of a String, Elissa Brent Weissman:
Imani is adopted, and she's ready to search for her birth parents. Anna has left behind her family to escape from Holocaust-era Europe to meet a new family—two journeys, one shared family history, and the bonds that make us who we are. Perfect for fans of The Night Diary.
Imani knows exactly what she wants as her big bat mitzvah gift: to find her birth parents. She loves her family and her Jewish community in Baltimore, but she has always wondered where she came from, especially since she's black and almost everyone she knows is white. Then her mom's grandmother—Imani's great-grandma Anna—passes away, and Imani discovers an old journal among her books. It's Anna's diary from 1941, the year she was twelve and fled Nazi-occupied Luxembourg alone, sent by her parents to seek refuge in Brooklyn, New York. Anna's diary records her journey to America and her new life with an adoptive family of her own. And as Imani reads the diary, she begins to see her family, and her place in it, in a whole new way.
Fish in a Tree, Lynda Mullaly Hunt:
Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike
Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom:
Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"
A Wrinkle in Time Series, Madeleine L’Engle:
It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.
"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien:
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Narnia Series), C.S. Lewis:
The classic story of Narnia, the fantastic land that lies beyond an ordinary wardrobe door.
On the other side of that wardrobe door lies a world full of magic. A world frozen in the perpetual winter of the White Witch’s enchantment. A world where Christmas never comes. Would you have the courage to stand shoulder to shoulder with Aslan, the Great Lion, and fight the Witch to free the land of Narnia? Are you brave enough to share the adventures that change the lives of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy forever.
Truth (Chasing Yesterday), Robin Wasserman:
J.D. can't run from her past any longer. She knows the truth now - that she's dangerous; a weapon. If she can't learn to control her powers, there's no telling what, or who, she'll destroy next. To finally unlock the secrets in her mind, she will have to return to the Institute that created her. But going back won't be easy. Almost nobody goes in - and no one ever gets out.
Found (The Missing: Book 1), Margaret Peterson Haddix:
Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he's never thought it was any big deal. Then he and a new friend, Chip, who's also adopted, begin receiving mysterious letters. The first one says, "You are one of the missing." The second one says, "Beware! They're coming back to get you."
Hope Was Here, Joan Bauer:
Ever since the boss promoted her from bus girl two and a half years ago when she was 14, Hope has been a waitress--and a darn good one, too. She takes pride in making people happy with good food, as does her aunt Addie, a diner cook. The two of them have been a pair ever since Hope's waitress mother abandoned her as a baby, and now they have come to rural Wisconsin to run the Welcome Stairways café for G.T. Stoop, who is dying of leukemia. But he's not dead yet, as the kindly and great hearted restaurant owner demonstrates when he decides to run for mayor against the wicked and corrupt Eli Millstone.
Uglies, Scott Westerfeld:
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there. But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty.
The Gift (or any of the Witch and Wizard Series), James Patterson:
When Whit & Wisty were imprisoned by the wicked forces of the totalitarian regime known as the New Order, they were barely able to escape with their lives. Now part of a hidden community of teens like themselves, Whit and Wisty have established themselves as leaders of the Resistance, willing to sacrifice anything to save kids kidnapped and brutally imprisoned by the New Order.
Saga, Conor Kostick:
Ghost is part of a street hacker airboard gang who lives to break rules. When they realize that their world—Saga—is being periodically invaded by strange human beings, they don't know what to do. That is, until they learn the complicated truth: Saga is not just their world. It is a sentient computer game, the replacement to Epic on New Earth, and it's addictive. The Dark Queen who controls Saga is trying to enslave both its people and the people of New Earth. And she'll succeed unless Ghost and her friends—and Erik, from Epic, and his friends—figure out what to do.
Somewhere in the Darkness, Walter Dean Myers:
Jimmy hasn’t seen his father in nine years. But one day he comes back - on the run from the law. Together, the two of them travel across the country - where, along the way, Jimmy discovers a lot about his father and himself: that while things can’t always be fixed, sometimes they can be understood.
The Devil’s Arithmetic, Jane Yolen:
Hannah resents the traditions of her Jewish heritage until time travel places her in the middle of a small Jewish village in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Monster, Walter Dean Myers:
Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon can scarcely believe what has happened to him. Somehow he has ended up incarcerated in the Manhattan Juvenile Detention Center for his alleged role in the robbery of a neighborhood drugstore in which the owner of the store was killed. Now he's been charged with felony murder! As the trial begins, Steve feels that this can't possibly be his real life. Everything is suddenly out of control.
In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez:
From the author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents comes this tale of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic during the rise of the Trujillo dictatorship. A skillful blend of fact and fiction, In the Time of the Butterflies is inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters who, in 1960, were murdered for their part in an underground plot to overthrow the government.
The Immortal Instruments Series, Cassandra Clare:
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing — not even a smear of blood — to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
Beastly, Alex Flinn:
A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster. You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.
One Fat Summer, Robert Lipsyte:
No summer vacation could be less promising than Bobby Mark's. Bobby Marks hates hot weather. It's the time when most people are happy to take off their heavy jackets and long pants. But for Bobby, who can't even button the waist of his jeans or reach over his belly to touch his toes, spending the summer at Rumson Lake is pure torture. This particular summer promises to be worse than usual.
Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card:
Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them in the arts of war... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, E. L. Konigsburg:
Twelve year old Margaret Rose Kane is incorrigible. Not only does she refuse to bend to the will of her manipulative cabin mates at Camp Talequa, she stands up to and inadvertently insults the camp director and Queen-in-residence, Mrs. Kaplan. The intimidating and cruel confrontations that threaten to break Margaret's spirit only serve to strengthen her resolve, and everyone is happy when Margaret is finally banished/rescued from Camp Talequa. Luckily for her, with her parents in Peru, this means she can spend the rest of the summer with her delightfully eccentric Hungarian great-uncles, Alexander and Morris Rose.
I Am Number Four (any in the Lorien Legacies Series), Pittacus Lore:
We may be walking past you right now. We are watching as you read this. We may be in your city, your town. We are living anonymously. We are waiting for the day when We will find each other. We will make our last stand together—if We win, We are saved, and You are saved as well. If we lose, all is lost.
Gym Candy, Carl Deuker
Freshman running back Mick Johnson works hard to make his dream of football stardom come true, finding the edge he needs to become bigger, stronger, and faster with the help of steroids which cause consequences to his health and social life.
Maze Runner Series, James Dashner:
Teenagers are picked at random to be lab rats in a government project. They enter a place called the Glade and must find the exit of the government-made maze. Everything changes when a 16 year-old boy named Thomas enters the Glade.
Stormbreaker: Alex Rider Series, Anthony Horowitz
The book begins with Alex Rider learning of the death of his uncle and adopted parent, Ian Rider. He is told that Ian died from being in a car accident where he was not wearing a seatbelt, which Alex and his housekeeper find strange. Alex digs a little deeper and unexpectedly finds out a surprise about his uncle that leads him on an exciting new path.
Runner, Carl Deuker:
When a new job falls his way, Chance jumps at the opportunity, becoming a runner who picks up strange packages on a daily route and delivers them to a shady man at the marina. Chase knows how much he will earn—what he doesn’t know is how much he will pay. Suspenseful, fast-paced, and timely, this novel avoids easy answers as it examines issues of terrorism and patriotism, fear and courage, and lives of privilege and poverty.
Catalyst, Laurie Halse:
Meet Kate Malone-straight A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, girlfriend, unwilling family caretaker, emotional avoidance champion. Kate manages her life by organizing it, as logically as the periodic table. She can handle it all-or so she thinks. Then, like a string of chemical reactions, everything happens: the Malones' neighbors get burned out of their home and move in. Because her father is a Good Man of God (and a Not Very Thoughtful Parent), Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch, and Teri's adorable, troublemaking little brother. And through it all, she's still waiting to hear from the only college she has applied to: MIT. Kate's life is less and less under control-and then, something happens that blows it all apart, and forces her to examine her life, self, and heart for the first time.
Twisted, Laurie Halse Anderson:
High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.
Hoot, Carl Hiassen:
Unfortunately, Roy's first acquaintance in Florida is Dana Matherson, a well-known bully. Then again, if Dana hadn't been sinking his thumbs into Roy's temples and mashing his face against the school-bus window, Roy might never have spotted the running boy. And the running boy is intriguing: he was running away from the school bus, carried no books, and -- here's the odd part -- wore no shoes. Sensing a mystery, Roy sets himself on the boy's trail. The chase introduces him to potty-trained alligators, a fake-fart champion, some burrowing owls, a renegade eco-avenger, and several extremely poisonous snakes with unnaturally sparkling tails.
Non-Fiction
With their Eyes: The View from a High School at Ground Zero, Annie Thomas:
September 11, 2001 started as a normal day for the students of Stuyvesant High School, four blocks away from the Twin Towers in New York City. Read firsthand accounts from the students about living in the shadow of the World Trade Center attack.
A Night to Remember, Walter Lord:
Before Leonardo DiCaprio was even born, this was the book about the Titanic. First published in 1955, A Night to Remember remains a completely riveting account of the Titanic’s fatal collision and the behavior of the passengers and crew, both noble and ignominious. Some sacrificed their lives, while others fought like animals for their own survival.
I Had a Hammer—The Hank Aaron Story, Hank Aaron:
Aaron's autobiography is the first-hand account of the prejudice faced by Aaron and his contemporaries who followed Jackie Robinson into the big leagues. The narrative is modest yet supremely confident; from it emerges a picture of an incredibly talented man who fought for the opportunities he deserved.
Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of The Salem Witch Trials, Marc Aronson:
Acclaimed historian Aronson sifts through the facts, myths, half-truths, and theories about the witch trials in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, to present a vivid narrative of one of the most compelling mysteries in American history.
Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo, Zlata Filipovic:
From September 1991 through October 1993, young Zlata Filipovic kept a diary. When she began it, she was 11 years old, concerned mostly with friends, school, piano lessons, MTV, and Madonna. As the diary ends, she has become used to constant bombing and snipers, severe shortages of food, water, and gas, and the end of a privileged adolescence in her native Sarajevo.
Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution, Ji-li Jiang:
Told with simplicity and grace, this is the true story of one family’s courage and determination during one of the most terrifying eras of the twentieth century.
Terry Francona: The Red Sox Years, Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy
When Terry Francona took over as manager of the Boston Red Sox in 2004, the storied franchise hadn’t won a World Series championship in eighty-six years. Led by Francona, the team won two over the course of four years. During the full eight years of Francona’s tenure, the Red Sox were transformed from “cursed” into one of the most successful and profitable teams in baseball history—only to fall back to last place as soon as Francona was gone.
Reading Recommendation Card
On a separate paper, please type the following information for one of your books. Be sure to include your name and grade.
Title of the Book:
Author:
Genre:
Setting: In a few sentences, describe where and when the book took place.
Summary: Write a short summary of the plot of the book. Please include main characters and an 8-10 sentence summary of the story. If your book is nonfiction, summarize the information that the book presented.
Opinion: In a few sentences, tell why you liked or disliked this book.
Recommendation: In a few sentences, tell if you would recommend this book, and, if so to what type of reader.
Connection: Think of a book, story, poem, movie, or real-life person or event that reminds you of some aspect of this book that you read. In a paragraph, explain this comparison.