The Greenwich Country Day School
7
th
Grade English
SUMMER READING AND WRITING
Please complete the following during the summer months:
1. Complete the attached creative writing assignment.
2. Read and summarize at least four (4) total books, including one book from the
attached list. You may type your summaries or write them on the attached
reading log.
3. Sign the Honor Code form pledging that you have completed the work
without assistance.
Bring your completed assignment—including your written assignment, your reading
log, and the Honor Code pledge—to school on the first day, Wednesday, September
9. Be sure that your name is on your response and that there are no loose papers.
We strongly suggest that both parents and students peruse the
2015 EX MULTIS, our Upper School literary magazine. We believe it
showcases some of our best writing efforts.
The Greenwich Country Day School
7
th
Grade English
SUMMER WRITING ASSIGNMENT
What To Write
Please choose ONE of the following two writing prompts and write a creative response.
1. You wake up by the side of the road lying next to a bicycle, with no memory, no
money, and no cell phone. What happens in the next hour?
2. You wake up in an open field wearing an astronaut suit and lying on a surfboard.
What happened?
How To Write
Write artfully and show, don’t simply tell! Let your own personal voice shine through.
Consider using these elements of effective writing:
 Engage the five senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, hearing.
 Use figurative language—simile, metaphor, personification.
 Employ vivid verbs and lively description.
Finally, be sure to begin with a strong hook to capture our interest, and end with good
closure. Remember, this is the first piece of writing that your teacher will have from you!
Please type your response, double-spacing it and using a legible, 12-point typeface. Your
response should be about two pages double-spaced. Structure your writing into three
paragraphs (a beginning, a middle, and an end).
NOTE: You will be handing in your written response on the first day of school,
Wednesday, September 9. Be sure your name is on your response, number the
pages, and staple them together.
The Greenwich Country Day School
7
th
Grade English
SUGGESTED TITLES FOR SUMMER READING
 Choose at least one of the books from this list.
Remember, you are also to read three other books of your choice, any genre, over the
summer. Summarize and review the books you read on the reading log (separate sheet) or
on a separate typed document. You will be reading a total of four books.
Watership Down
Richard Adams
An epic novel whose main characters are very realistic rabbits (yes, you read
that right), Watership Down is a classic novel with a grand adventure. You’ll
learn a bit of the rabbit language (Lapine), and follow Fiver and his friends as
they search for a home. While this novel may appear to be about rabbits,
you’ll find that the lessons apply just as clearly to humans.
Ship Breaker
Paolo
Bacigalupi
A young man scavenges for copper in the shipyards of the gulf coast, breaking
up oil tankers. He makes a surprising find and his life takes a different turn.
You are sure to enjoy this fast-paced, wonderfully written novel about a
fascinating sub-culture and the differences between human experiences.
Young Samurai:
The Way of the
Warrior
Chris Bradford
Washed up on the Japanese coastline, a twelve-year-old British boy, Jack
Fletcher, faces an uncertain future in 17th century Japan as he enters a world of
daimyos, samurais, and ninjas. With his father and the crew of his father’s
merchant ship dead, Jack’s own life is in peril as he has been entrusted with his
father’s precious rudder. This book is part of a series—any book in the series
will fulfill this requirement.
A Wrinkle in
Time
Madeleine
L’Engle
An unlikely heroine, Meg is the school outcast . . . until she finds herself on a
magical, thrilling journey to save her father. She has help from unlikely places,
and this gorgeously written book fits nicely with the themes in seventh grade
English. If you choose this book, you may read the original or the new graphic
novel version adapted by Hope Larson.
Stewart and Ashley are polar opposites—he is bright and loves school, and she
We Are All
Made of Molecules is popular and couldn’t care less about her grades. When their parents marry,
they are forced to interact. This book is narrated from both protagonists’
Susin Nielsen
points of view, and it is laugh-out-loud funny!
Bomb
Steve Sheinkin
This is the riveting story of how the first atomic weapon was built, beginning
the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. This true story
is told like an adventure novel and offers fast-paced information about the
deadliest weapon in human history.
The Greenwich Country Day School
7
th
Grade English
Harry Potter
Series
J.K. Rowling
This series needs no introduction. If you have not read any of these books, or
you stopped after only a few, pick up the next one and give it another try. Any
book in the series counts for this assignment. No re-reading, though!
The Statistical
Probability of Love
at First Sight
Jennifer E.
Smith
In this well-written, sweet story about love at first sight, Hadley Sullivan finds
herself seated on a plane next to a handsome stranger. She is American and he
is British, and she is only in London for her father’s marriage (to a woman
she’s never met). It’s up to fate to decide if their initial attraction will blossom
into something bigger – like love!
The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit from the Shire, is not someone who would ever go on
an adventure. Not, that is, until a wandering wizard named Gandalf shows up
at his doorstep with a group of dwarves who are seeking to regain their
homeland. If you read this book, you will encounter elves, goblins, giant
spiders, and a quest for gold. Even small hobbits can have big adventures!
American Born
Chinese
Gene Luen
Yang
In this graphic novel, Jin Wang is the only Chinese-American student at his
school, until a new student from Taiwan enrolls in his class. He is worried
about how this new student will affect his love life.
The Greenwich Country Day School
7
th
Grade English
SUMMER READING LOG
Name: ______________________________________________
By writing my name here, I certify that I have completed all the books listed below.
Incoming seventh graders must read a minimum of four (4) books over the summer. At least one of the
books must be from the list of suggested titles on pages 3-4 of the summer packet. You are encouraged
to read more if you are so inclined! Type or use this log to summarize the books you read (see sample
below).
TITLE and AUTHOR: Spite Fences by Trudy Krisher
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SUMMARY: Maggie is a white teenager who lives with her family in a small Georgia town in the
early 1960s. Her family, which is poor, has problems getting along, and many of the people in her town
are prejudiced against blacks. Maggie becomes friendly with some black activists and then witnesses the
horrible beatings they receive.
TITLE and AUTHOR:
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The Greenwich Country Day School
th
Grade English
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Please feel free to photocopy this sheet if you need to.
The Greenwich Country Day School
7
th
Grade English
UPPER SCHOOL
SUMMER PACKET HONOR CODE
Name (please print): ______________________________
I did all the work in this summer packet independently. I did not receive help from any tutor or
outside source.
Student Signature ____________________________
Parent Signature _____________________________
Date ____________________
This form should be signed and handed in with your completed summer work.