7th Grade Summer Reading List
2009
Students entering the 7th Grade at Midland Elementary/Middle School in the
fall will be required to read two novels during the summer. Assessments
related to both novels will be graded. All students must read the novel,
Witness by Karen Hesse. It is expected that students will read this book
and be prepared for novel activities/test at the beginning of the 2009-10
school year. Students may either purchase this novel or check out a copy of
the novel from the Carnegie Library in Midland where 20 copies will be on
reserve for Midland students only. It is recommended that students read
this book at the end of summer so that it is fresh in their minds. Students
may read books independently or parents may read to students.
Students will also be required to choose one book from the following book
list to read and then complete a book report (format included with this
letter). Summary information is available for each book; in addition, all
books are available at Carnegie Library unless otherwise noted. Students are
responsible for choosing a book they have never read before. All novels on
the list are Accelerated Reader books.
Why Summer Reading?
*Reading on a regular basis this summer will prepare students for the
upcoming school year..
*Reading will help to prevent loss of reading ability over the summer months.
*Reading can be enjoyable if you find something that interests you.
*Successful completion of books will count toward your end-of-the-year trip!
***
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt
Toby Wilson is having the toughest summer of his life. It’s the summer his
mother leaves for good; the summer his best friend’s brother returns from
Vietnam in a coffin; and the summer that Zachary Beaver, the “fattest boy in
the world,” arrives. There are heartaches, friendships gained, and old
friendships renewed. And it’s Zachary Beaver who turns the town of Antler
upside down and leaves everyone, especially Toby, changed forever.
Themes: fitting in, 1970s, friendship
***
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the
childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
Themes: fairy tales, fantasy
***
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another
boy’s attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed
construction site.
Themes: owls, environmental protection, Florida, friendships
***
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend
and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome
experiments in the Far North.
Themes: fantasy, science fiction, adventure
***
Bull Rider by Marilyn Halvorson (not available at Carnegie Library)
Sixteen-year-old Layne faces a dangerous challenge when he defies his mother
and enters himself in a bull ridng contest—the same rodeo event in which his
father was killed.
Themes: rodeos, family relationships, adventure
***
Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan
Suspicious and uneasy about the atmosphere at her new boarding school, 14-
year-old Kit slowly realizes why she and the other students at the school
were selected.
Themes: mystery, suspense
***
Slam! By Walter Dean Myers
Sixteen-year-old “Slam” Harris is counting on his noteworthy basketball
talents to get him out of the inner city and give him a chance to succeed in
life, but his coach sees things differently.
Themes: basketball, prejudice, adolescence
***
A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi (not available at Carnegie Library)
While waiting for a church meeting in 1706, Susanna English, daughter of a
wealthy Salem merchant, recalls the malice, fear, and accusations of
witchcraft that tore her village apart in 1692.
Theme: Salem Witch Trials
***
Redwall by Brian Jacques
When the peaceful life of ancient Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival
of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes, Matthias, a young mouse,
determines to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior which, he is
convinced, will help Redwall’s inhabitants destroy the enemy.
Themes: animal fantasy, adventure
***
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
As the lone “young lady” on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns
that the captain is murderous and the crew rebellious. But a mere girl
couldn’t do anything about that, could she?
Themes: Sea stories, adventure, pirates, survival
***
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Inspired by his teacher, 11-year-old Lonnie begins to write about his life
in a series of poems in which he discusses his feelings about his friends,
his foster mom, his little sister Lili, and the death of his parents.
Themes: family life, African Americans, friendships, poetry
***
Money Hungry or sequel Beggin for Change by Sharon G. Flake
All 13-year-old Raspberry can think of is making money so that she and her
mother never have to worry about living on the streets again.
Themes: single parent families, inner city life, friendships, African
Americans
***
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (or any from series—Inkdeath, Inkspell)
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father Mo, a bookbinder, can “read”
fictional characters to life when an evil ruler named Capricorn, freed from
the novel “Inkheart” years earlier, tries to force Mo to release an immortal
monster from the story.
Themes: fantasy, magic, books
***
The Lost Years of Merlin by TA Barron
A young boy who has no identity nor memory of his past washes ashore on the
coast of Wales and finds his true name after a series of fantastic
adventures.
Themes: fantasy, wizards, Merlin, adventure.
***
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
The 13-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in
which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for
adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being
married off.
Themes: Middle Ages, diaries, growing up
***
Jazmin’s Notebook by Nikki Grimes (not available at Carnegie Library)
Jazmine, a teenager who lives with her older sister in a small Harlem
apartment in the 1960s, finds strength in writing poetry and keeping a
record of the events in her sometimes difficult life.
Themes: poetry, diaries, sisters
***
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother
Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness, and
slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight.
Themes: fitting in, diaries, brothers, sight
***
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic
crossing abourd the Wanderer, a forty-five foot sailboat, which, along with
their uncles and another cousin, is en route to visit their grandfather in
England.
Themes: ocean voyages, family life, sea stories
***
Free the Children by Craig Kielburger (not available at Carnegie Library)
This passionate and astounding memoir chronicles the efforts of 12-year-old
Craig Kielburger and his human rights organization Free the Children, a
group which aims to stop child labor in foreign countries.
Themes: memoirs, child labor, human rights, non-fiction
***
The City or Ember or sequel, The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau
In the city of Ember, 12-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a
Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps
even to glimpse Unknown Regions.
Themes: fantasy, good vs. evil, city dwelling, survival
***
Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa
Violet Paz, a Chicago high school student, reluctantly prepares for her
upcoming “quince,” a Spanish nickname for the celebration of an Hispanic
girl’s fifteenth birthday.
Themes: Cuban American social customs, coming of age
***
Book Report Format
This book report format is to be used for your choice book that you
selected from the reading list. It will be due the first week of school,
and I suggest completing it over the summer immediately after you have read
the novel.
Follow the directions carefully below, as this report will be
graded. This report may be typed (size 12 font, double spaced) or neatly
handwritten.
Students will write a five paragraph report, and the contents of
each paragraph are listed below:
Introduction
The introduction should include the book title (underlined or italicized),
the author, genre (fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, etc.), setting,
main character, and other characters.
Paragraph 2
Summarize/Explain in your own words what happens in the beginning of the
novel in 5—8 sentences.
Paragraph 3
Summarize/Explain in your own words what happens in the middle of the novel
in 5—8 sentences.
Paragraph 4
Summarize/Explain in your own words what happens at the end of the novel in
5—8 sentences.
Conclusion
The conclusion should include answers to the following questions. Make sure
that your responses “flow” from one answer to another—use transition words;
it should not read as if you are simply listing answers to the questions:
What did you like/admire about the main character? What made you want to
read the book? Did you like the book? Explain why/why not.
