MVMMS ENGLISH SUMMER READING LIST 2009

Students Entering Grade 8

You are required to read THREE books.

You must read one book from the following two choices:

  Red Scarf Girl: a memoir of the Cultural Revolution,by Ji-Li Jiang

                 OR

  Warriors Don't Cry: a searing memoir of the battle to integrate Little Rock's Central High School, by Melba Pattillo Beals (ISBN 978-0-671-86638-9) 

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Read any two books from the following list.

(You are encouraged to read the others.)

  Freak, by Marcella Pixley 

"For Miriam Fisher, a budding poet who reads the Oxford English Dictionary for fun, seventh grade is a year etched in her memory as 'clear as pain'. That's the year her older sister, once her best buddy and fellow 'alien', bloomed like a beautiful flower and joined the high school in-crowd." – from the publisher

  The Pact, by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt 

"We didn't lock hands in some kind of empty, symbolic gesture... We just took one another at his word and headed back to class, without even a hint of how much our lives were about to change." – from The Pact

  Peak, by Roland Smith 

When Peak, a 14-year-old tagger, is arrested for scaling Manhattan's Woolworth Building, he appears headed for a long stint in juvenile detention. Rescued by the father he barely knows, Peak unexpectedly finds himself trekking in China as part of his Dad's commercial climbing operation on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest.

  The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer

"Looks can be deceiving. Though he has grown up in relative isolation, young Mateo Alacràn looks like a normal boy of six. Yet on the day he meets his first outsiders, he discovers he is anything but a normal boy." – Erin Nita Miller

  The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick 

When Hugo, a twelve-year-old orphan living in the wall of the Paris train station, meets a mysterious toy seller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his most precious secret are put in jeopardy.

  The Art of Keeping Cool, by Janet Taylor Lisle

"Fear permeates the Rhode Island coastal town where Robert, his mother, and sister are living out the war with his paternal grandparents: Fear of Nazi submarines offshore. Fear of Abel Hoffman, a German artist living reclusively outside of town. And for Robert, a more personal fear, of his hot-tempered, controlling grandfather."

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Written Requirements

For the three required books you read from the MVMMS Summer Reading List, take notes on each of the items listed below. These notes should be either typed or neatly handwritten. Make sure your notes are complete but brief. Use an outline or bulleted format. Remember these are notes, NOT a report or essay.

o       Main Characters. Using adjectives, describe the characters' personalities. Also explain important relationships/friendships.

o       Setting  (time and place) of the book.

o       Conflicts/problems. Describe the key obstacles the main character(s) must overcome.

o       Conflict resolution. Describe how each of the key obstacles was resolved.

o       Most important lesson. Explain the main lesson the character(s) learn and how it is learned.

o       Favorite quote or passage. Record the page number of your favorite quote or passage. Explain why it is important to you and/or story.

o       Recommendation. Briefly explain why you would or would not recommend this book to a friend.

Summer Reading Expectations

Take notes on each book you read. Upon your first day of school, you will submit your notes. You will use these notes as pre-writing for a formal writing assignment that your English teacher will assess.

Required Signatures. A parent/guardian's signature must appear on each set of notes. Make sure your name appears on all sets of notes as well.

       Posted by Principal Brow - 05/26/09