NORTH COLONIE CENTRAL SCHOOLS
Shaker Junior High School
475 Watervliet-Shaker Rd
Latham NY 12110
7th Grade Summer Reading Project
May 2015
Dear Parents and Students:
In North Colonie, we believe that reading during the vacation months contributes
significantly to a student’s academic growth. As a result, we require that all 7th grade
students read two books and complete the attached Summer Reading Project.
Students may choose books from the attached 7th grade book list or may
substitute any other grade appropriate book. The attached 7th grade reading list has
been designed to provide for various reading levels and interests. We advise parents
and students to select books wisely. Summer reading should be an enjoyable
experience, and the books chosen should be appropriate for the student both in terms
of content and level of difficulty. The 7th grade book list can also be found on the SJHS
Library Webpage (http://sjhslibrarymediacenter2008.pbworks.com/FrontPage).
Additional summer reading packets and index cards are available at the Main
Office of Shaker Junior High School.
Any student experiencing difficulty with this assignment or having questions
should contact me at Shaker Junior High School, 785-1341, ext 4538.
Sincerely,
Dawn M. Lange, Hall Principal
Houston & Norris Halls
DML/jra
/attachments
SUMMER READING PROJECT
SEVENTH GRADE
On the front of a 5”X8” index card, supply the following information for each of the two
books you read:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Title
Author
Genre
Setting (time and place)
3 main events
On the back of the card, write a personal response/reaction that you as a reader
experienced during your reading of the book.
Note: You should have one index card for each book.
During the month of September, students will be using the information from their cards
to develop an in class writing piece that will be graded. The index cards will be due the
first week of school.
Remember: At least two books must be read.
Attached is a list of suggested books that have been highly recommended by last year’s
seventh graders.
SUMMER READING PROJECT
GRADE 7
INDEX CARD SET-UP
Your name:
1. Title:
2. Author:
3. Genre:
4. Setting (time & place):
5. Three main events:
(front ▲)
(back ▼)
Personal Response:
2015 SHAKER JR. HIGH SCHOOL 7TH GRADE SUMMER
Anderson, Laurie-Halse. Chains. Isabel tells the story of her
life as a slave. She was sold with her younger sister to a cruel
loyalist family even though the girls were to be free upon the
death of their former owner. Isabel has hopes of finding a way to
freedom and becomes a spy for the rebels, but soon realizes that
it’s difficult to trust anyone.
Applegate, Katharine. The One and Only Ivan. Ivan is a
silverback gorilla who lives at the Big Top Mall. Ivan is an artist
who draws all manner of things (mostly bananas). When the mall
owner gets a new baby elephant named Ruby, Ivan and his
animal friends agree to protect her. Ivan uses his art to capture
the attention of the humans and protect Ruby.
Armstrong, Jennifer. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the
World. Describes the events of the 1914 Shackleton Antarctic
expedition when, after being trapped in a frozen sea for nine
months, their ship, Endurance, was finally crushed, forcing
Shackleton and his men to make a very long and dangerous
journey across ice and stormy seas to reach land.
Bragg, Georgia. How They Croaked. Over the course of
history, men and women have lived and died. In fact, getting sick
and dying can be a big ugly mess, especially before the modern
medical care that we all enjoy today. This book relays all the gory
details of how nineteen world figures croaked.
Cabot, Meg. Abandon. Loosely based on the Greek myth of
Persephone, the story follows a young girl named Pierce who
returns from the dead after tricking the handsome, teenage
underworld deity John. Again in the world of the living, Pierce still
isn’t out of danger; something is after her. Will accepting John’s
help mean a return to the underworld?
Cappuzzo, Mike. Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark
Attacks of 1916. Details the first documented cases of sharks
attacking humans off the coast of New Jersey in 1916.
DeLaney, Joseph. The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the
Witch. When Thomas is apprenticed to the local Spook, whose
job is to fight evil spirits and witches, he expects a life of danger.
However, the boy doesn’t realize just how soon he’ll face a
powerful enemy alone, as Mother Malkin escapes her
confinement while the Spook is away.
Dowell, Frances O’Roark. Dovey Coe. When accused of
murder in her North Carolina mountain town in 1928, Dovey Coe,
a strong-willed girl, comes to a new understanding of others.
Flanagan, John. The Outcasts. Hal, Stig, and the other
outcasts don’t have the size and strength of the Skandians, but
when they face off against the Wolves and the Sharks in an
ultimate race for survival, they hope that their courage and
cunning are enough to help them win in a game that everyone
seems to think is a matter of life and death.
Flinn, Alex. A Kiss in Time. Jack wakes the cursed,
slumbering princess Talia. The princess is confused to find herself
st
in the 21 century. To escape the wrath of her angry father, Talia
flees with Jack. While learning the modern world (cell phones and
READING LIST
TV), Talia manages to charm everyone. Talia is not out of danger
yet; the evil witch who cursed her is after Talia again. This book is
a clever retelling of Sleeping Beauty.
Gilman, David. The Devil’s Breath. Tom Gordon, whose job
is to expose environmental crime, is missing and presumed dead.
Now his son, Max, must leave England and go to the wilds of
Namibia to search for him. Max is aided in his search by Sayid,
his boarding school friend and a computer whiz; a female pilot;
and a Bushman boy.
Hartinger, Brent. Project Sweet Life. When their fathers
insist that they get summer jobs, three friends in Tacoma,
Washington, dedicate their summer vacation to fooling their
parents into thinking that they are working, which proves to be
even harder than having real jobs would have been.
Holm, Jennifer. The Fourteenth Goldfish. Ellie has never
liked change. She misses her old best friend and her dearly
departed goldfish. Life gets weird when Ellie’s grandfather, a
scientist who’s always been obsessed with immortality, shows up
at her home as a pimply, young boy. Did Ellie’s grandfather find
the secret to eternal youth?
Jacques, Brian. Castaways of the Flying Dutchman. A
boy and dog trapped aboard the legendary ship, the Flying
Dutchman, are sent off on a journey by an angel, roaming the
Earth throughout the centuries in search of those in need. Their
travels lead them to a nineteenth century village whose very
existence is at stake. Only by discovering the buried secrets and
solving the dust-laden riddles can the ancient village be saved.
Kehet, Peg. Ghost Dog Secrets. Rusty comes across a
German Shepherd chained outside with no food, water, or shelter,
and knows he has to do something about it. He begins by
sneaking food to the dog but when a ghostly apparition of a collie
appears to Rusty, and he realizes the dog has been hurt, he
decides he has to do more. With the help of his friend Andrew, he
rescues the animal and gives it a home in their old fort. But is it
rescuing or stealing?
Key, Watt. Alabama Moon. Moon has spent most of his life
in a camouflaged shelter in the forest with his father, a Vietnam
veteran who distrusts people and the government. Pap has
educated him in both academics and survival skills. His life
suddenly changes when his father dies.
Gibbs, Stuart. Belly Up. Animal loving Teddy is in heaven
living with his gorilla-researcher mom and wildlife-photographer
dad at the world's largest zoo. When the zoo's hippo mascot is
murdered, Teddy decides to track down the killer.
If you like this, try Spy School.
Lupica, Mike. QB 1. Jake is the freshman quarterback on his
high school football team. He is also the son of a legendary NFL
quarterback and the younger brother of Wyatt, who led his team
to the State Championship last season. All of this leaves Jake in a
big shadow and under a lot of pressure. Inspired by the real-life
Manning family of quarterbacks.
Also by Lupica: Travel Team. When talented but short Danny
th
doesn't make the prestigious 7 grade travel team, he and his
dad, a former NBA player, form their own travel team.
just in a classroom, but when the hurricane of the century hits, he
will be tested in ways he never imagined.
Vance, Alexander. The Heartbreak Messenger. Quentin
Lynch, Chris. Gold Dust. In 1975, Richard befriends
Napoleon, a Caribbean newcomer to his Catholic school, hoping
that he will learn to love baseball and the Red Sox, and will win
acceptance in the racially polarized Boston school.
Miller, Kirsten. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City.
Anaka, a 7th grader at an expensive school, likens her life to
flavorless mush. But when she wakes up one morning and finds
that the small park across the street has become a sinkhole, her
decision to explore it transforms her life. She meets the
mysterious Kiki Strike, and subsequently the group of girls (each
with a particular talent), who call themselves the “Irregulars”
embark on an adventure of exploring the Shadow City.
offers a simple but valuable communication service; he delivers
break-up messages. For a small fee, he will deliver such a
message to your soon-to-be ex. But as he interacts with the
message recipients, it doesn't take him long to start questioning
his new business. Quentin discovers the game of love and the
emotions that go with it are as complicated as they come.
Westerfeld, Scott. Midnighters: The Secret Hour. A few
nights after Jessica arrives in Bixby, Oklahoma, she wakes up at
midnight to find the entire world frozen except for her and a few
others who calls themselves “midnighters.” Dark things with a
mysterious interest in Jessica haunt the midnight hours.
If you like this, try The Uglies
Murphy, Jim. An American Plague. History, science,
politics, and public health come together in this dramatic account
of the disastrous Yellow Fever epidemic that hit the nation’s
capital more than 200 years ago.
Ness, Patrick. A Monster Calls. At seven minutes past
midnight, Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom
window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. The
monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient, wild, and it wants
something from Conor. It wants the truth. Patrick Ness has spun a
haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters
both real and imagined.
Paulsen, Gary. Guts, or How I lived the same as
Brian Robeson. The author relates incidents in his life and
how they inspired parts of his books about the character, Brian
Robeson.
Perkins, Lynne Rae. All Alone in the Universe. Debbie is
dismayed when her best friend, Maureen, starts spending time
with ordinary, boring Glenna.
If you like this, try Criss Cross.
Rhatigan, Joe. White House Kids. Fascinating and
mysterious collection of the presidential kids combined with fun
poetry and factoids about the U.S. presidents and their families.
Roberts, Kristi. My Thirteenth Season. After moving to a
new town, star baseball player Fran Cullers discovers that she is
not welcome on the boy’s team. Her father’s grief over her
mother’s death prevents him from being much help. Although the
coach is removed from the team, Fran is badly shaken and falls
into a slump. She decides to give up the game, but finds that
living without baseball is like living without her mom.
Swanson, James. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. Tracks John
Wilkes Booth and his conspirators from Lincoln's assassination to
their escape over land and water to the climactic shootout leading
to Booth's death.
If you like this, try Bloody Times: Funeral of Abraham
Lincoln and the manhunt for Jefferson Davis
Schmidt, Gary D. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster
Boy. From the sad and shameful actual destruction of an island
community in 1912, Schmidt weaves a haunting novel.
Smith Roland. Storm Runners. Chase and his father are
“storm runners,” racing across the country in pursuit of hurricanes
and tornadoes. Anywhere bad weather strikes, they are not far
behind. Chase is learning more on the road than he ever would
Ebooks are available
all summer!
Check out the SJHS
Library Website.