Elgin Middle School
Pre-AP Required Summer Reading List
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:
As summer begins, it is time to start thinking about the pleasures of summer reading. The purpose of Summer
Reading is to keep students’ reading muscles in shape, expose students to quality literature that they might not
pick up on their own, and promote independent reading, inquiry, and scholarship which will aid students to
become life-long learners.
All Pre-AP students entering sixth, seventh, and eighth grades will select, and read, a book from their grade
level list below. Students will also choose ONE Reader’s Project from the list (on the back of this page) to
complete about the book they read. The project will be due to the student’s Reading teacher by the end of the
first week of school for a MAJOR Grade. Additionally, students will take a quiz over their novel during the first
3 weeks of school.
We encourage students to visit the Elgin Public Library or local bookstores to find the novel of their choice. If a
novel has an asterisk, it may be borrowed from the Elgin Middle School Front Office, Monday- Thursday from
8a-12p, prior to June 30th.
If you have any questions, feel free to call the Front Office of Elgin Middle School at 281-3382.
6th Grade
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
Holes by Louis Sachar
Island of the Blue Dolphins by
Scott O’Dell
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
by Lewis Carrol
The Red Pyramid (#1) by Rick
Riordan
7th Grade
Lincoln’s Grave Robbers by Steve
Sheinkin
Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward
Miller and Zack Stentz
The Wave by Todd Strasser
The Absolutely True Diary of a
Part-Time Indian by Sherman
Alexie
That Was Then, This is Now by
S.E. Hinton
8th Grade
And Then There Were None by
Agatha Christie
Bomb: The Race to Build- and
Steal- the World’s Most Dangerous
Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
The House of the Scorpion by
Nancy Farmer
How Not To Be Popular by Jennifer
Ziegler
Monster by Walter Dean Meyers
*Your project is due to your Reading teacher by the end of the first week of school for a Major Grade.*
Reader’s Project List
Models- Using a material like clay, wood, soap, etc., make 3-D models of three objects which were important
to the book in some way. On a card attached to each model, explain why that object was important in the book.
Character Diary- Choose a character from the novel and write a diary from their perspective. This diary should
include a minimum of 15 entries. Each entry should be 5-7 sentences long and provide information on feelings,
thoughts, conflicts, and dreams of the character you chose.
Poem- Write and illustrate a poem about the story, or a character in the story. The poem should be at least
fifteen lines in length.
Television Commercial- Write and video tape a commercial to sell the book to others. It should be at least
three minutes in length. Be sure to include a written script.
Board Game- Using poster board, create a board game that relates to the main point of the novel. Include some
of the following: 20 question or trivia cards, game pieces, dice, money, point system, characters and settings
from the novel.
Soundtrack- Create a “soundtrack” for the book. Choose 10 songs that fit the book. Explain how each song
connects to the events or characters in the book. Include the title, artist, and lyrics for each song.
Movie Poster- Write a 2-3 paragraph proposal to have the book made into a movie. Include which actors will
play the main characters in the movie and why, and the location where the movie will be filmed and why.
Create a movie poster for the book. It should include elements from a real movie poster, such as slogan, actors,
rating, etc.
Children’s Picture Book- Write a simple version of your novel that a first grader could read and understand.
Create a small book out of white paper and write and illustrate your book. It must be a minimum of 10 pages
long.
Song, Rap, Cheer, Jingle- Compose a song, rap, cheer, or jingle about the novel, about a character, or from
one character to another, etc.
News Article- Choose an exciting part of the novel or use the entire novel and write a news article describing
who, what, where, when, and why. Include one illustration with a caption.
Comic Strip- Write and illustrate a scene from the novel in comic strip form. This must be a minimum of 5
squares.
Chapter Add-on- Write the next chapter to the novel. It should be a minimum of 4 pages in length.