Penn Wood Middle School
th
Incoming 8 Graders’ Summer Reading List & Assignment 2015
Reading List: Choose 1 book from this sheet to read this summer and complete 3 of the activities
from the Tic-Tac-Toe board. Then, complete all of the questions in the packet. All assignments are due
on or before Friday September 11, 2015. Books are available at Delaware County libraries
(www.delcolibraries.org), bookstores, or on-line.
Mystery/Suspense
Double Identity
Eleven
Acceleration
The Missing Girl
Scat
Author
Margaret Peter Haddix
Patricia Reilly Giff
Graham McNamee
Norma Fox Mazer
Carl Hiaasen
Sports Fiction
The Big Field
Center Field
Runner
Author
Mike Lupica
Robert Lipsyte
Carl Deuker
Classics
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Anne of Green Gables
Treasure Island
Lord of the Flies
Historical Fiction
The Book Thief
Chains
The River Between Us
Alphabet of Dreams
Hiroshima: A Novella
Poetry or Novels in
Verse/Short Stories
Guys Read: Funny
Business
Pieces of Georgia
The Raven and Other
Poems
1
Author
Betty Smith
L.M. Montgomery
Robert Louis
Stevenson
William Golding
Author
Markus Zusak
Laurie
Halse-Anderson
Richard Peck
Susan Fletcher
Laurence Yep
Author
Jon Scieszka
Jen Bryant
Edgar Allen Poe
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Divergent
Lightning Thief
Hush, Hush (Series)
Keys to the Kingdom
Author
Veronica Roth
Rick Riordan
Becca Fitzgerald
Garth Nix
Non-Fiction
Sugar Changed the World
A Long Walk to Water
Into Thin Air
Rosa Parks: My Story
The Great Fire
Night Sky
Joseph Stalin
Author
Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos
Linda Sue Park
Jon Krakauer
Rosa Parks and Jim Haskins
Jim Murphy
Giles Sparrow
Sean McCollum
Realistic Fiction
A Mango Shaped Space
That was Then, This is Now
A Girl Named Disaster
Out of My Mind
The Fault in Our Stars
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
A Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida
Author
Wendy Mass
S.E. Hinton
Nancy Farmer
Sharon Draper
John Green
Chris Crutcher
Victor Martinez
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Tic-Tac-Toe. Each student is responsible for completing three activities from the following list. The
activities do not have to come from any certain row or column.
Scene It! Pick a pivotal scene from
a novel or book to dramatize.
Record the scene using digital
technology. Props, musical
instruments, prerecorded music,
and costumes may be used.
Performances may be no longer
than 5 minutes.
Dear Diary! Pretend to be one of
the main characters from your novel
or book and write a diary entry from
their point of view. Explain how this
character is thinking/feeling about a
pivotal event, major decision, etc.
Reflect on what is happening as well
as how the character may be
changed. (Must be over one page.)
Book Trailer! Prepare a video
trailer for your chosen novel or
book. The trailer should be 3-5
minutes long, and a positive
presentation of the subject. The
trailer must contain original
footage, or copyright free media.
Ex:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Wr7tqhL_u9Y
http://blachan.com/shahi/
http://freeplaymusic.com/
Sneaky Snoop! As an
investigative reporter, you sneak
into the home of the main character
in your novel, or a museum
containing artifacts relating to your
nonfiction book. Report at least 10
items that you find and include a
picture (handdrawn or digital) for
each item. Also, include a written
explanation (2-3 sentences per
item) identifying how each item
connects to the main character or
subject of your nonfiction book.
These items may or may not have
been mentioned in the text…feel
free to use your imagination.
Author Inquiry! Write a letter to
the author of your chosen text.
Explain what you liked and disliked,
ask any questions that you have
about the story/characters/subject,
explain what you would have changed
if you were the author, and mention
at least one thing that you will always
remember about this book and why.
(Should be written in letter format!
Must be over one page.)
Poetry Corner! Write a poem or
song lyrics that connect to your
book. You can focus on the plot
(what happened), characters,
subject, or personal connections
you have with this book. *Must be
30 lines or longer
Artist’s Alley! Create a
cartoon/story board (minimum of 8
panels) that is based on your book.
It may focus on a pivotal series of
events or summarize the entire text
in chronological order.
Alternate Timeline! Create an
alternate timeline… change a major
event or decision in the text and
explain how this change would have
affected the characters and the plot.
Would this have been a better
direction for the novel to take?
Why/Why not? Explain in 1 page and
create a new timeline that reflects
this change.
Information Cube! Make an
information cube about your book
with the following on the 6
different sides of the cube:
title/author, characters, setting(s),
favorite part, theme (what lesson
or truth is revealed in this novel),
and an illustration of the novel’s
resolution/ending. For a nonfiction
text, include important people and
information from the book on your
cube.
3
Name ______________________________________________ Date ______________________
Penn Wood Middle School Summer Reading Packet: Grade 8
Due Friday, September 11, 2015
 Step 1: Complete 3 of the activities on the Tic-Tac-Toe board.
 Step 2: Reading Response Activity (80 points)
Directions: Answer all parts of the following with complete sentences. Use correct grammar,
spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
A theme is the message or insight about life or human nature that a writer presents to the reader.
Although some works are written purely for entertainment and don’t have a clear-cut theme, in these
books, the writers make at least one point about life or the human condition. The theme is usually not
stated directly, and therefore, you will have to make an inference. One way to discover the theme of a
work is to consider what you can learn from the main character. The importance of that event, stated in
terms that apply to all human beings, is the theme. (4 points)
List three themes found in your book.
1
2
3
Give one example from your book (quote and page number) to support each of the themes
you listed above. List an instance or character that explains your theme. Be as specific as
possible.
(6 points)
1
2
3
Describe the setting of your book. What year do the events take place? What is the season? Where does
most of the action take place? What are the economic conditions? What are the customs unique to this
novel? (10 points)
4
Describe two conflicts in your book. Briefly explain the circumstances surrounding each conflict. Specify
what kinds of conflicts are taking place (man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. society, man vs. nature, man vs.
fate) (5 points each) What is the climax (turning point in the story; point of highest tension)? When do
things begin to change? Explain in detail how this changes the outcome of the novel. (10 points)
Refer back to the two conflicts you already listed. How are each of these conflicts resolved? Be as specific
as possible including character names and types of conflict. (5 points)
Characterization: This is the method used by the writer to develop and help the reader get to know a
character. A character can be developed in many ways, such as telling or showing the reader the following:
1
2
3
4
5
What the character looks like
What the character says (dialogue)
What a character does (actions)
What the other characters say and feel about the character
Identify the main characters and their roles in each novel. Describe their personalities, and provide
specific examples from the text to support the character traits you have listed. (20 points)
Character
6
Role in the Story
Character Traits (Use details
from the Characterization
List)
Evidence From the
Text (Quotation and
Page number)