Holy Spirit Catholic School
Middle School Summer Reading List 2014
Choose one book from each column (Reading and Social Studies) to read over
your summer break.
The AR level is listed for each book, so you can choose a book according to
your reading level. Be prepared to take the AR test for the Social Studies
book the first week of returning to school in August 2014.
Students are required to complete each of the following assignments based
on their reading novel:
 Open- ended questions (100 points)
 Creative project (100 points)
READING
6th
SOCIAL STUDIES
Leap of Faith
Long Walk to Water (fiction)
One for the Murphys
Curse of the Pharaohs (non-fiction)
The Girl Who Threw Butterflies
Diamonds in the Shadow (fiction)
Football Hero
Voices of Ancient Egypt (non-fiction)
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 4.2
by Lynda Hunt 3.4
by Mark Cochrane 5.1
by Tim Green 5.1
by Linda Sue Park 5.0
by Zaiti Hawass 7.0
by Caroline B Cooney 5.1
by Kay Winters 5.5
Kimchi & Calamari
by Rose Kent 4.6
7th
Homecoming
by Cynthia Voight 4.4
Wonder
by R.J. Palacio 4.8
Savvy
byIngrid Law 6.0
Journey to the New World, Diary of
Remember Patience Whipple (fiction)
by Kathryn Lasky 6.0
Thomas Jefferson Life, Liberty and the
Pursuit of Happiness (biography)
by Amy Kukla 8.0
Apothecary
Healing Our World: Inside Doctors
Without Borders (non-fiction)
War Horse
Fever 1793 (fiction)
by Maile Meloy 4.9
by Micahel Morpurgo 5.9
by David Morley 8.0
by Laurie H Anderson 5.2
8TH
READING
Five People You Meet in Heaven
by Mitch Albom 4.7
SOCIAL STUDIES
Johnny Tremain (fiction)
by Esther Forbes 5.9
Ungifted
Upstairs Room (fiction)
Book Thief
Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent
Pigman
Amos Fortune Free Man (non-fiction)
Bystander
Jefferson’s Sons (fiction)
by Gordon Korman 5.2
by Marcus Zusak 5.1
by Paul Zindel 5.5
by James Preller 4.2
by Johanna Reiss 3.9
(non-fiction) by Thomas B Allen 6.5
by Elizabeth Yates 6.5
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 3.9
Lincoln’s Last Days (non-fiction)
by Bill O’Reilly 7.5
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS (100 points)
 Respond to each of the open-ended questions.
 Be sure to answer the questions completely, using supporting details
from the novel.
 The scoring rubric has been provided to help guide your writing.
This assignment DOES NOT require students to use any reference books or
internet sites in order to answer the questions.
RUBRIC: Each question will be scored separately using the 4 point rubric.
Point breakdown is as follows: (total points earned for the 5 questions=final grade)
 rubric score of 4= 16-20 points
 rubric score of 3= 11-15 points
 rubric score of 2= 6-10 points
 rubric score of 1= 1-5 points
*Responses that are found to be plagiarized will receive 0 points.
Rubric score
Criteria
4
A 4-point response clearly demonstrates understanding of the task,
completes all requirements, and provides an insightful explanation
that links to aspects of the text.
_________________________________________________________________
3
A 3-point response demonstrates an understanding of the task,
completes all requirements, and provides some explanation using
situations or ideas from the text as support.
_________________________________________________________________
2
A 2-point response may address all of the requirements, but
demonstrates a partial understanding of the task, and uses text
incorrectly or with limited success resulting in an inconsistent
explanation.
_________________________________________________________________
1
A 1-point response demonstrates minimal understanding of the
task, does not complete the requirements, and provides only a
vague reference to or no use of the text.
_________________________________________________________________
0
A 0-point response is irrelevant or off-topic or has been
plagiarized.
________________________________________________________________
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
1. Characterization
Characters in a story tend to experience a change in either behavior or outlook.
Choose a dynamic character ( a character that changes) from the story and explain
how this character changes throughout the story. Would you make the same
decision or take the same actions as this character if you were in the same situation?
Why or why not?
2. Conflict
Conflict moves plot forward in stories. Conflict is the struggle between the
protagonist and another character or force. It may be internal or external. The
internal conflict is between the character and himself(ex. Fear), or an external
struggle with others, society, nature or technology.
Describe the main conflict of the story. How did the main conflict of the story affect
the ending?
3. Setting
Setting is the time and place in which the story occurs. When and where does this
story take place? Describe it using specific details from the story.
4. Theme
A theme is an essential part of any story. Identify and explain a theme (moral) from
the story. Explain how it relates to your life and experiences.
5. Would you recommend this book to a friend? Give three reasons why you would
or would not recommend this book to a friend. Use details from the novel in
your response.
CREATIVE PROJECTS
Students must choose ONE OF THE PROJECTS below to complete at home.
The project will be due the second week of school.
Choice #1:Book Jacket
Create a colorful, engaging book jacket that includes the following:
Cover: New cover for the book with illustration, title, author, and student name
Inner Flap (left side):
 summary-sequential summary of key story events from the exposition, rising
action, climax, falling action and conclusion of the novel.
Inner Flap (right side):
 Text connections (text to text, text to self or text to world)
Back Flap: Theme-Description of the theme supported with examples from the story.
RUBRIC:
The summary is detailed and well written, the jacket is colorful, neat, and eye catching,
the text connection is meaningful, careful proofreading is evident, and the theme is
thoughtful and clearly explained. (100 points)
 Story summary (50 points)
 Picture (10 points)
 Text connection (10 points)
 Theme (10 points)
 Grammar, spelling, mechanics (20 points)
Choice #2 Scrapbook
The scrapbook will include pictures, artifacts, and a short description that demonstrates
the students’ understanding of the novel. In addition, the student will design an
attractive cover or title page including the title of the novel and the author. (100 points)
Pages





should include the following topics (organized in this order)
Setting
Characters
Major plot events
Themes/lessons learned
One significant quote
RUBRIC:
 Cover with title and author noted (20 points)
 Each page topic includes pictures and a short description that explains its
relevance to the novel (40 points)
 Correct spelling, grammar, and mechanics (20 points)
 Creativity, neatness (20 points)