The Book List. Summer Dear Incoming LMS 7 th Grader:

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1 Summer 2018 Dear Incoming LMS 7 th Grader: Welcome to 7 th grade! Before we begin another school year this September, we are strongly encouraging you to choose 2 books from the following list during the summer months. Read as often and as much as you like. Please use the attached Story Elements Handout (Page 3) to track your learning. Fill one out for each book you read (up to two). Bring this handout(s) to your Language Arts teacher by September 24, Also attached (Page 4 and 5) are optional questions to think about as you read. Be prepared to answer these questions in September. Sincerely, Mrs. Chun and Mrs. Mulholland For levels P-Q: The Book List The Night Cross by Karen Ackerman o When the Nazi occupation of Austria spells danger for Clara and her Jewish family, the entire family packs up whatever they can carry and embark on a perilous journey to find safety in Switzerland. Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner o In spite of Tremendous Odds, a 10-year-old boy and his dog are determined to win a dogsled race and the $500 prize. Shipwreck by Gordon Korman o They didn t want to be on the boat in the first pace. They were sent there as a character-building experience. But now that the adults are one, the quest for survival has begun. For levels R-S-T: Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper o Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged, because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she s determined to let everyone know it somehow. Van Gogh Café by Cynthia Rylant o The Van Gogh Cafe, located in Flowers, Kansas, has magic in its walls, causing strange and mysterious events to occur there. Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher o Rachel, having chosen to be mute following the sudden death of a classmate, shares responsibility with the other sixth-graders, who decide not to report that the substitute teacher failed to show up. For levels U-V-W Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen o From their first meeting in 2nd grade through 7th grade, a young girl pursues her sweetheart, Bryce, but everything turns upside down the following year, when Bryce becomes the pursuer and she finally starts losing interest. 1

2 Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork o Marcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear--part of the autism-like impairment no doctor has been able to identify--and he's always attended a special school where his differences have been protected. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "the real world." The Pigman by Paul Zindel o John and Lorraine, two high school sophomores from unhappy homes, tell of their bizarre relationship with an old man named Mr. Pignati, whom they dub the Pigman. For levels X-Y: The Giver by Lois Lowry o Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives. Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt o The four Tillerman children, abandoned by their emotionally ill mother, travel on foot from New England to their paternal grandmother's Maryland farm in search of a place to call home. Will great-aunt Cilla welcome them? Or will they be caught by authorities and put in foster homes? Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan o In the mood for monsters and mythological heroes? Look no further than Rick Riordan's fun, fast-paced Percy Jackson series, which follows the adventures of young demigod (half mortal, half Greek god) Percy and his friends Annabeth and Grover. And the story continues in the thrilling Heroes of Olympus spin-off series. For levels Z+: The Beginning of Everything by Robert Schneider o Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra s knee, his athletic career, and his social life. The Maze Runner by James Dashner o When Thomas wakes up in a strange elevator, his memories lost, he has no idea what is going to happen. Thomas is accepted into the "Glade," full of other teenage boys who call themselves "Gladers." After learning about the Maze, Thomas becomes obssessed with finding a way out; which could mean certain death. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins o The hunger games is a novel that unfolds in Panem, an apocalyptic world. The story is centered on a 16- year-old girl, Katniss Everdeen and her struggle for survival in dystopia. Each year, as a punishment for the failed rebellion by District 13, the 12 Panem Districts are forced to pay tribute to the ruthless Capitol regime. The story begins on the day of reaping at District 12. A day that each district is required to offer two tributes, a boy and a girl aged 12 to 18 years to participate in the games. This was going to be the 74th hunger games. For an additional challenge: Ender s Game by Orson Scott Card o An expert at simulated war games, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin believes that he is engaged in one more computer war game when, in truth, he is commanding the last Earth fleet against an alien race seeking Earth's complete destruction. Lord of the Flies by William Golding o The classic study of human nature which depicts the degeneration of a group of schoolboys marooned on a desert island. So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away. And in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall." Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2

3 Name: Story Elements Book Title/ Author: Date Started: Date Finished: Directions: Fill in the blanks. You must fill in this handout as you read. If you want to gather post-it notes, you can stick them on the back of this page. Exposition Introduce the characters (tell about them a little bit): Setting (describe the importance of the setting- time period, place, events): Foreshadowing the problem: Rising Action Inciting Incident: What are the series of events that lead up to the main conflict? Climax Explain the climax: Falling Action How does the main character go about trying to resolve the conflict? Resolution How are the conflicts resolved? What does the main character learn? 3

4 Optional questions to think about as you read. Protagonist: Describe a main character by naming character traits. Be sure to back up answers up with text evidence from the book. Explain. Mood and Tone: What is the mood and tone throughout the book? Support with text evidence from the book. If you could be one character in the story, who would it be and why? Tell one way the story could have ended differently. Tell about your favorite part and explain why. (Opinion) This story made me think of (Connection to Self, Text, World) 4

5 The most important thing I learned from this book is (Theme) If I could talk to the author of this story, I would tell him/her Some other possible titles for this story might be Pretend you are a friend of one of the characters. Write him/her a letter giving advice about the struggling the character is going through. Dear, Sincerely, 5