Newton County Middle Schools’ Summer Reading List Students must read one (1) book from the list below for the grade level in which they will be enrolled at the beginning of the school year. Students should also respond to the literature by completing two (2) activities from the Choice Board. The summer reading assignments will be taken for a grade in the student’s English Language Arts (ELA) class within the first two weeks of school. As a means of recognizing the student’s efforts, each assignment will be graded and counted as a performance task grade for the first marking period of the 2012‐
2013 school year. Quest students must read two (2) books and complete three (3) activities from the Quest Choice Board. 6th Grade 7th Grade
8th Grade
Black Pearl by O’Dell
A Wrinkle In Time by L’Engle A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Carver, a Life in Poems by Nelson Absolutely Normal Chaos by Creech Movement from 1954‐1968 (non‐fiction) Crispin: The cross of Lead by Avi Adam of the Road by Gray & Lawson Across Five Aprils by Hunt Ender’s Game (and/or its sequels) by Card An American Plague by Murph Aria of the Sea by Calhoun Artemis Fowl (and/or its sequels) by Colfer Eragon (and/or its sequels) by Paolin Animal Farm by Orwell Face on the Milk Carton by Cooney Belle Prater’s Boy by White Anne of Green Gables (unabridged) by Getting Near to Baby by Couloumbis Bloomability by Creech Montgomery A Girl Named Disaste by Farmer Bridge to Terabithia by Patterson Around the World in Eighty Days by Verne The Hobbit by Tolkein Bud Not Buddy by Curtis Bless Me, Ultima by Anaya Hoot by Hiassen Crispin: At the Edge of the World by Avi Call of the Wild by London Dicey’s Song by Voight Hope Was Here by Bauer Cold Sassy Tree by Burns Ella Enchanted by Levine The House of the Scorpion by Farmer Dogsong by Paulsen Esperanza Rising by Ryan I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Craven Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Stevenson (classic) The Fledgling by Langton Inkheart by Funke Eleanor Roosevelt by Freedman Flush by Hiaasen Island of the Blue Dolphins by O’Dell Fever, 1793 by Anderson Izzy Willy Nilly by Voight The Girl who Owned a City by Nelson Flannery O’Connor: A Biography by Jacob Have I Loved by Patterson House of Dies Drear by Hamilton Simpson Julie of the Wolves by George It’s Like This, Cat by Neville Gathering of Days, A by Blos Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Yee Joyful Noise (Poetry) by Fleishchman The Great Fire by Murphy The Lan by Taylor Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by The Grey Kin by Cooper Lily’s Crossing by Giff O’Brien Hannibal by Abbott (classic) Miracle’s Boys by Woodson No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War by Lobel The Hero and the Crown by Cooper (non‐fiction)
My Brother Sam is Dead by The High King by Alexander Collier Outcasts of 19 Schyler Pleace by Hound of the Baskervilles Old Yeller by Gipson Konigsburg (unabridged) by Conan Olive’s Ocean by Henkes Phoenix Rising by Hesse I, Juan de Pareja by Borton de Trevino On My Honor by Bauer & Kozielski Rasco and the Rats of NIMH by O’Brien Lincoln: A Photobiography by Freedman One Crazy Summer by Williams‐ Garcia Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Taylor A Little Princess (unabridged) by Barnett Our Only May Amelia by Holm The Second Mrs. Giaconda by Konigsburg Nothing but the Truth by Avi Rascal: Memoir of a Better Era by North Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Staples Pride and Prejudice by Austen (non‐fiction)
Soldier Boys by Hughes Savannah by Price Shadow Children Series by Haddix Soldier’s Heart by Paulsen The Secret Garden by Burnett Sing Down the Moon by O’Dell Sounder by Armstrong A Single Shard by Park Surviving the Applewhites by Tolan Slam by Myers Summer of My German Soldier by Greene Swiftly Tilting Planet by L’Engle Slave Dancer by Fox The Swiss Family Robinson (unabridged) by The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Twain Wyss Sounder by Armstrong The Devil’s Arithmetic by Yolen Stones in Water by Napoli The Lottery Rose by Hunt The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey The Midwife’s Apprentice by Cushman The Tale of Despereau by Decamillo to Cuba by Engle The Black Pearl by O’Dell The Outsiders by Hinton The House of the Scorpion by Farmer The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Speare The Red Pony by Steinbeck The People Could Fly by Hamilton Timothy of the Cay by Taylor The Road to Memphis by Taylor Walk Two Moons by Creech The Sign of the Beaver by Speare The Thief by Turner The Watsons go to Birmingham 196 by The Skin I’m In by Flake Up a Road Slowly by Hunt Curtis Touching Spirit Bear by Mikaelsen Watership Down by Adams Woodsong by Paulsen Treasure Island by Stevenson What Hearts by Brooks Yolanda’s Genius by Fenner The Wanderer by Creech Which Way Freedom by Hansen The Westing Game by by Raskin White Fang by London Wind in the Door by L’Engle The Wolves of Willough Chase by Aiken Zlata’s Diary by Filipovic The Wright Brothers (Freedman) Additional Selections: Any award winning book or book from the list above that is within the student’s Lexile range. Regular Education Choice Board
Directions: Choose two activities to complete as you read your book this summer.
Draw or paint your favorite scene from
the book you read. You may do this on
traditional canvas or poster board; or you
may be ultra creative and choose your
own medium.
Create an alternate ending to the book
you read. This ending must be at least 2
pages. Please edit for spelling,
punctuation, and usage.
Compare and contrast the writing style of
the book you read to that of a book you
read last school year. Think about the use
of description, dialogue, word choice, and
character development.
Create a “word web” (see instructions
below) with 10 vocabulary words you
learned while reading your book.
Synonym
WORD
Sentence
Create a visual presentation comparing
and contrasting the main character
(protagonists and antagonists) from the
book you read and the main character of
a book you read last school year.
Antonym
Imagine that the main character from the book
you read accidentally meets a character from a
book you read in class last year. Write a
2-page dialogue introducing these characters
to each other.
Create a movie poster from the book you read.
Think about which current actors/actresses
would play each part and design a poster
accordingly.
Illustration
Create a diorama or table model of the
setting of the book you read.
Write a letter to the author of the book. Explain
your opinion of the book. What did you like or
dislike? (one page in length)
QUEST Choice Board
Directions: Choose three activities to complete as you read your book this summer.
You should choose three activities in a row from the options below (across, down, or diagonally).
Compose an essay in which you
summarize the novel in paragraph one;
analyze the characterization, author's use
of stylistic devices, figurative language,
and symbolism in paragraphs two through
five, and develop a concluding paragraph
that states if you would recommend this
book to other teens and if you believe this
book should win a book award.
Create/build a habitat based on two scenes
from your novel. This may be done as two
separate habitats, or you may create one
habitat merging the two scenes from the
different novels.
Create a comic strip that represents
comparisons and differences between the
main characters (protagonists and
antagonists) from the book you read. Be
sure to include information that will show
the way the main characters change,
including what the change is and what
brought about the change. Include quotes
from the story that will provide
information about the character.
Compare and contrast the writing style of
the book you read to that of a book you
read last school year. Think about the use
of description, dialogue, word choice, and
character development. Provide examples
of shared styles as well as how the styles
differ. You may include why you feel the
author used a specific style when writing
the novel.
Imagine that the main character from the
book you read accidentally meets a
character from a book you read in class
last year. Write a 2-page dialogue
introducing these characters to each other.
Draw, paint, or take photos to create a
scene representing this encounter. You
may do this on traditional canvas or poster
board; or you may be ultra-creative and
choose your own medium such a comic
strip creator, glogsteredu, prezi, etc.
Create a “Fakebook” page
Create a movie poster depicting the book
you read. Think about which current
actors/actresses would play each part and
design a poster accordingly. Include a
digital or written trailer that introduces
the book’s ideas and themes as you view
them personally. Be sure to include quotes
representing the theme or ideas.
(http://www.classtools.net/fb/home/page)
or a "Facebook" page (on poster board--not
really on the world wide web) for the main
characters in the book. On your page,
make sure to have sections that allow for a
picture of the character, the character's
status for the day (ex. Willy Wonka
is_________________), his/her
relationship status, political and/or
religious views, Contact information (email, current town), Personal Info
(activities, interests, favorite music,
favorite movie, favorite book, favorite
_____(you choose another favorite for
your character). This page should include
10 vocabulary words you learned while
reading these books.
Create a game based on your novel’s
themes and character interaction. Be sure
to included rules and directions. You may
also choose to build a sociogram instead of
creating a game.
Write a letter to the author of your book
stating your recommendation for the book
to receive an award. Explain your opinion
of the book. What did you like or dislike
along with suggestions for improving the
book to make the best seller’s list? (one
page in length)