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St. Martin’s 6 & 7 Grade Summer Reading Program
The goal of summer reading for incoming 6th and 7th graders is for students to enjoy reading over the
summer and for your teachers to get to know you as a reader. All students are expected to read the
required book and one book from the list below. The books on the choice list meet the needs of
students at a variety of reading levels and cover a wide range of topics. You will be held accountable for
reading both books in the fall through writing, projects, discussions, and activities. Please select a book
that you have not previously read, and please bring both books with you on the first day of school.
Excerpts taken from barnesandnoble.com.
Assignment:
Part 1: As you read we would like for you to take notes in the book.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Circle any new characters.
Mark important moments in the story. Try to avoid marking up too much.
Write brief comments that describe important conflicts, make comments, and ask questions.
At the end of a chapter, write 2-3 bullet points of important plot points that occurred in that chapter.
Part 2: Make a creative representation of a part of the story.
Do not write a report. We will be completing writing assignments in the first week of school.
Create something! Here are some ideas: (no posters please) board game, diorama, movie,
painting, mural, artifact, diary/journal – 5 entries minimum, map, timeline, comic strip – 10 cells
minimum, flip book, travel brochure – or you can make something up yourself!
Required Book (All middle school students are required to read this book)
The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation) by Daniel James Brown
This book chronicles the powerful University of Washington crew team that took the gold in Berlin. The book
centers on one untrained rower, Joe Rantz, who was working his way through college. The team was guided by the
determined UW coach, Al Ulbrickson, whose obstacles to success were the rival rowing team from the University
of California, Berkeley, and his own inconsistent rowers.
Choice Book (Choose one book from the list below, but read more if you’d like!)
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which
he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a
tattered windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present. 6th grade appropriate
Call of the Wild by Jack London
The story opens at a ranch in the Santa Clara Valley of California when Buck is stolen from his home and
sold into service as a sled dog in Alaska. He progressively reverts to a wild state in the harsh climate,
where he is forced to fight to dominate other dogs. 6th & 7th grade appropriate
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Once again, the Earth is under attack. Alien "buggers" are poised for a final assault. The survival of the human
species depends on a military genius who can defeat the buggers. But who? Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless.
Cunning. 6th & 7th grade appropriate
Flush by Carl Hiassen
Noah's dad has a little problem with anger control. He tried to stop the Coral Queen casino boat's illegal dumping .
. . by sinking the boat. But his bold protest fizzles: within days the casino is back in business, and Noah's dad is
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behind bars and out of action. 6 grade appropriate
Heat by Michael Lupica
Michael Arroyo's lightning fastball makes him the envy of all his teammates, but this speedy southpaw
labors under a secret that allows him no rest. Soft-spoken 12-year-old Cuban refugee Mike worries that
he and his 17-year-old brother, Carlos, stand in danger of being separated, even deported. 6th & 7th
grade appropriate
Holes by Louis Sachar
It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green
Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the
truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption. 6th grade
appropriate
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia it s
Lynn who explains to her why people stop on the street to stare. And it s Lynn who with her special way
of viewing the world teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. 6th & 7th grade appropriate
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
This book introduce kids to the captivating story of Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund who step through
the wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia. There, they battle against the evil White Witch and her
minions and free Narnia from everlasting winter. 7th grade appropriate
Masterminds by Gordon Korman
A group of middle school students living in a small, isolated, peaceful town, discover that they are part of an
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experiment. 6 grade appropriate
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
This New York Times bestselling novel and National Book Award nominee from acclaimed author Walter Dean
Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial. Presented as a screenplay
of Steve's own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one single decision can
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change our whole lives. 7 grade appropriate
Owl in Love by Patrice Kindle
Part bird of prey, part teenage girl in love, and now part stalker, Owl Tycho’s life is complicated. It
becomes even more so when an inept new shape-shifter appears on the scene. Funny, smart, and
supernatural, Owl is a young woman worth getting to know. 6th & 7th grade appropriate
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred Taylor
Set in a small town in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this powerful, moving novel deals with
issues of prejudice, courage, and self-respect. It is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their
integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. 6th & 7th grade appropriate
Shadows of Sherwood: A Robyn Hoodlum Adventure by Kekla Magoon
Twelve year-old Robyn fights to find her parents and right the wrongs of a future city taken over by a corrupt
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government leader. 6 grade appropriate
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don't stand out—under any
circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes—for Leo and for the entire
school. 6th & 7th grade appropriate
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
As the only passenger and the only female on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, thirteen year-old Charlotte
finds herself caught between a murderous captain and a mutinous crew. 6th grade appropriate
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Doomed to—or blessed with—eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders
about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster
stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age is less a
blessing that it might seem. 6th & 7th grade appropriate
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The struggle of thirteen year old Salamanca (Sal) to understand and deal with her mother's
disappearance unfolds while on a cross-country trip with her eccentric grandparents. Sal tells them the
story of her friend Phoebe whose mother has also left home, but in reality it is her own story. 6th grade
appropriate
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Meg Murry, her extraordinary little brother Charles Wallace, and schoolmate Calvin O'Keefe make the
acquaintance of eccentric Mrs. Whatsit and friends. Together they journey through a wrinkle in time to
rescue the Murrys' missing father from an evil presence and a sinister brain called IT. 6th & 7th grade
appropriate
The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
Set in England during the Wars of the Roses, this swashbuckling historical novel tells of a young man
betrayed by his brutal guardian and forced to seek the help of a mysterious society. 7th grade
appropriate
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Pirates, buried treasure, and action aplenty--that's what's served up in this fine story, mates, and kids
will eat it up. After Jim Hawkins finds the map to a mysterious treasure, he sets sail in search of the
fortune. Little does he realize he's boarded a pirate ship, and that surprises and danger await
him...including a meeting with the inforgettable Long John Silver. 7th grade appropriate