Attention Grades 6-8
"EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT"
We want you to have a fabulou s summer break filled with rest, rela xat ion, and as little stress as
possible. Guess what? You can do all of this by getting hooked on a captivating novel that peaks your interest.
Better yet, you can do this while basking in the sun.
At Saint Mary Academy, we want to get you prepared for a successful school year starting in August,
and the foundation for every single academic class is reading. The better reader you are, the better you will
do in your classes. We are asking that you spend at least 100 minutes a week reading a novel; however you
divide up those minutes throughout the week is up to you. This may sound like a lot at first, but that's just 20
minutes a day,S days a week. Think about all the time that you spend over the break watching televis ion,
playing videogames, or surfing the internet. Make it a routine of reading every day! Then at the end of each
week, get one of your parents to sign your SMA Reading Log to give an accurate account of your reading for
that week; keep track of thi s paper throughout the summer, and bring it back to school in August .
Now that you know what is expected of you, spend an afternoon at a local bookstore or the public
library picking out novels that grab your attention. Below are some suggested novels.
Grade Six
Grades Seven & Eight
AI Capone Does My Shirts
An Acquaintance with Darkness
by Gennifer Chodenko
by Ann Rinaldi
Bud, Not Buddy
Far North
by Christopher by Paul Curtis
by Will Hobbs
City of Ember
Letters from Wolfie
by Jeanne Duprau
by Patti Sherlock
Foster's War
Nothing But the Truth
by Carolyn Rieder
by Avi
Lightning Thief
Peter and the Starcatchers
by Rick Riordan
by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
Lizzie Bright & the Buckminster Boy
Pirates
by Gary D. Schm idt
A Long Way From Chicago
by Richard Peck
So B. It
by Sarah Weeks
by Celia Rees
The Schwa Was Here
by Neal Shusterman
Tangerine
by Edward Bloor
Travel Team
Things Not Seen
by Mike Lupica
by Andrew Clement
When you return next fall, you will complete a booktrailer, booktalk or slideshow to promote ONE of these
books! This work will need to be in a digital format so it can be uploaded to Edmodo for your peers to enjoy.
These will also be a source of book recommendations. This work will be due two weeks after school starts. If
you want to get a jumpstart on this work, the rubrics are attached for your work. Keep exercising your brain
over summer break, & find books that YOU will enjoy. Happy reading!
(continued)
Name ____________________________
Summer Reading Rubric/Power Point/Booktrailer/Booktalk
(5)
Title
Story Elements
(35)
Characters_ _
Setting
Point of view
Plot
Conflicts
Theme
Awards, _ _ _ _ _ _ (5)
Opinion
(15)
Websites
(10)
Total
(100)