Information for students & parents/GUardians

Summer Reading Program for Incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders

The goal of Bird Middle School's Summer Reading program is to encourage recreational reading by providing a diverse list of titles, authors, genres, and subjects. According to a recent article from Edutopia, recreational reading provides many benefits such as “increasing verbal and creative skills, nourishing our capacity for empathy, and even reducing prejudice against stigmatized groups—all skills that are developed as readers become accustomed to inhabiting unfamiliar worlds, seeing things from new perspectives, and contemplating how a chain of events can lead to unforeseen outcomes.” Each incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th grader is required to read one book from our summer reading list. Students will get to know their classmates in the fall through small group discussions and activities in ELA class where they will share what they enjoyed about their summer reading book.

We truly believe that summer reading should be fun and not a struggle. You may find that your student may not be able to read for more than 15 minutes at a time. This may be the summer to encourage your student to try an audiobook while doing a relaxing activity like drawing or coloring. Audiobooks build listening skills, are engaging, and can help increase comprehension of a book's plot. Summer reading can also be a shared family activity. Each family member can read (or listen to) the same book or have a weekly dinner in which each family member shares what they are reading.

A note for parents: Please help your student select a book that fits their interest, maturity, and reading ability. We have provided a short summary including genre, page length, and age range for each title on our diverse list that address the varied interest levels of students in grades 6-8. Titles with an asterisk* after them are for mature readers. We also encourage you and your student to look at reviews on Goodreads or Barnes & Noble. Common Sense Media is a good place to check for details on potentially sensitive topics that may be covered in each book.

The Walpole Public Library, Sora, Park Street Books in Medfield, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Barnes & Noble in Walpole, and Amazon should have most of the titles available.

If you have any summer reading questions, please feel free to email Anne O'Malley, Library Media Specialist at aomalley@walpole.k12.ma.us.

Works Cited

Terada, Youki. “The Benefits of Reading for Fun.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 23 April 2021, https://www.edutopia.org/article/benefits-reading-fun.

Click below for a printable copy of the summer reading list.