Penn Wood Middle School
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Incoming 7 Graders’ Summer Reading List & Assignment 2015
Reading List: Choose 1 fiction or nonfiction book from this list to read this summer and complete 3 of
the activities from the Tic-Tac-Toe board. Then, complete the fiction or nonfiction book report form.
All activities are due on or before Friday, September 11, 2015. Books are available at the
Delaware County libraries (www.delcolibraries.org), bookstore, or on-line.
Fiction:
Al Capone Does My Shirts (Gennifer Choldenko)
The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman)
Bud Not Buddy (Christopher Paul Curtis)
Heat (Mike Lupica)
Miracle’s Boys (Jacqueline Woodson)
That Was Then, This is Now (S.E. Hinton)
Uglies: Book 1 (Scott Westerfield)
Gathering Blue (Lois Lowry)
Freak the Mighty (Rodman Philbrick)
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie)
One Crazy Summer (Rit Williams-Garcia)
Eleanor and Park (Rainbow Rowell)
Divergent (Veronica Roth)
Nonfiction:
Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini (John Fleischman)
Soul Surfer (Bethany Hamilton)
Boy: Tales of Childhood (Roald Dahl)
Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson (Barry Denenberg)
Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille (Russell Freedman)
The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank)
Rosa Parks: My Story (Rosa Parks)
Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story (Lila Perl)
Bad Boy: A Memoir (Walter Dean Myers)
The President Has Been Shot! The Assassination of John F. Kennedy (James L. Swanson)
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science (Sid Fleischman)
Eyewitness Books & Handbooks (series by DK Publishing; variety of topics such as Dogs,
Rocks & Minerals, Art, Shells, Stars & Planets, Weather, etc.)
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.
Name_____________________________________________________Date_______________
Penn Wood Middle School Summer Reading Book Report: FICTION Form Due Friday, September 11, 2015
Directions: Complete this report about the FICTION book you selected from the Incoming 7th Graders’
Summer Reading List.
Book Title:_____________________________________________________________________
Author:___________________________________ Number of pages:__________________
I. Plot and Summary
A. Exposition:
Who are the characters (people and animals in a story)?
What is the setting (where and when a story takes place)?
What is the main conflict (struggle or clash between opposing characters or opposing forces)?
What kind of conflict is it? Choose one of the conflict types below and explain why you made that choice
using examples from the text to support your opinion. External conflict: a character struggles against
some outside force Internal conflict: takes place inside the character’s mind
B. Rising Action:
How does the conflict get worse or more complicated?
C. What is the Climax (the turning point of a story)?
D. What is the Falling Action (events that help bring the story to a close)?
E. How is the conflict resolved (ending of story)?
F. Write a brief summary of your book.
III. Genre
What genre is your book? Be specific. How do you know?
IV. Recommendation
Write a recommendation to someone your age about your book. Recommend they read it or not read it.
Explain your recommendation.
Name_____________________________________________________Date_______________
Penn Wood Middle School Summer Reading Book Report: NONFICTION Form
Due Friday, September 11, 2015 Directions: Complete this report about the NONFICTION book you
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selected from the Incoming 7 Graders’ Summer Reading List.
Book Title:_____________________________________________________________________
Author:__________________________________ Number of pages:________________
I. Elements of Nonfiction
A. Is your book about a person, animal, object, event, idea, or place? Explain.
B. Where and when does your book take place – if applicable? (Setting)
C. What genre of nonfiction is your book? Below are some examples of nonfiction genres.
(Examples: memoir, biography, autobiography, essay, letter, article, guide, handbook, reference
material)
D. How do you know your book is the genre you picked in letter C?
E. Why do you think the author write this book?
F. Did the author include anything, besides words, that helped you understand, enjoy, and/or learn from
the book? Describe what they included.
G. Summarize your book.
H. Recommendation
Write a recommendation to someone your age about your book. Recommend they read it or not read it.
Explain your recommendation.
I. Visualization of an Important Scene, Idea, Place, Object, Person, or Animal
Draw a picture below of an important scene, idea, place, object, person, or animal from your book. Write
a brief description below your picture about its importance. (Don’t worry if you’re not a great artist; just
try your best.)