Springton Lake Middle School
1900 N. Providence Road
Media, Pennsylvania 19063-2493
Telephone 610.627.6500
Fax 610.566.8665
www.rtmsd.org
James M. Wigo, Sr.
Superintendent of Schools
Robert Salladino, Jr., Ed.D., Principal
Don Di Paulo, M.A., Assistant Principal
Kathy White, M.S., Assistant Principal
Spring 2015
Dear Springton Lake Students and Parents:
As the end of the school year draws closer, we hope you’re making plans to enjoy your
summer, relax, and…read. There are many reasons to read: to learn something new, to keep
reading skills sharp, and also to dream, to laugh, to wonder, and to grow. Our SLMS Summer
Reading List has been designed to help students do all of this, as well as increase the amount of
reading they do in their free time and provide a number of common texts for students and
teachers to refer to as mentor texts throughout next year.
As you read this summer’s selections and discover young people making connections and
searching for friendship, perhaps it will help to keep this idea in mind. Since reading can be a
wondrous rehearsal for life, we’re encouraging both students and their parents to read from the
selections on this year’s list. This will create an opportunity for you to have some great dinner
table conversations this summer and to share family ideas, feelings, and experiences.
Students are expected to read at least two books this summer. You will read one book
from the list that has been selected for the entire grade you will be entering in September, as well
as one self-selected title that is appropriate for that grade. ELA students are also expected to
read a third book, selecting an additional title from the ELA choices. Please note that
Springton Lake’s summer reading list is not optional: it is required.
Should parents prefer that their child not read a particular title for his/her grade level,
parents may opt to have their child read one of the other grade level titles.
To assist in book selection for the required titles, language arts teachers will preview
books in their classrooms. Titles for grade level reads will be on sale at the Spring SLMS Book
Fair at Springton Lake’s library.
In September, students will be evaluated on their summer reading books. Please
complete the enclosed Literary Text Analysis assignments over the summer (one for each book).
These assignments will be useful to refresh students’ memories of plot, characters, and other key
issues, especially if books are read early in the summer.
Local bookstores will stock copies of each title, and the Middletown and Media-Upper
Providence Libraries will make additional copies of the books available for your use. The
summer reading books will also be listed on both the district cable channel (Channel 11) and the
Rose Tree Media School District website.
Families can find an additional suggested list of titles by genre on the SLMS Library
webpage. These are being provided to offer a variety of titles that may be of interest to students
who are looking for additional ideas for other good reads.
At the back of this packet, you will find a summer reading contract. We ask that both
students and parents read the contract, sign it, and return it to your language arts teachers by
Friday, May 29th.
REMEMBER:
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Read, sign, and return your summer reading contract by Friday, May 29,
2015.
Read one book from the list of titles for the grade you’re entering in
September and complete a Literary Text Analysis.
Read a second, self-selected and grade-level appropriate title, and
complete a Literary Text Analysis for that title as well.
ELA students read an additional book from the two ELA choices given and
complete a Literary Text Analysis.
Enjoy your summer, relax, and READ!
Sincerely,
SLMS Language Arts Department
Grade 8 Summer Reading List 2015
Springton Lake Middle School
Directions:
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Every 8th grader will read one of the stories from the following selections, as well as a
second, grade-appropriate, self-selected title. ELA students must also read a third book
from the two choices listed below.
Fill out Literay Text Analysis for each book.
If your parents also read a book, record their reactions on the parent interview form.
An optional list is also provided with many suggestions for exciting summer reading in
a variety of genres.
Students entering Enhanced Language Arts are strongly encouraged to select a work
from one of the authors on the list following the required titles.
All Incoming Eighth Graders Read One of the Following Titles:
Grimes, Nikki. Bronx Masquerade. New York: Speak, 2003.
While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poems
they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their formerly clueless
classmates. Students share experiences ranging from dyslexia to low self-esteem, teenage
motherhood, physical abuse, and their perceptions of race and gender.
Bloor, Edward. Tangerine. San Diego, California: Harcourt, 2006.
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.
Koja, Kathe. Buddha Boy. New York: Farrar, Speak, 2004.
Justin spends time with Jinsen, the unusual and artistic new student whom the school bullies
torment and call Buddha Boy, and ends up making choices that impact Jinsen, himself, and the
entire school. (Occasional use of language that may be offensive)
All Incoming ELA 8th Graders
Must ALSO Read One of the Following Titles:
Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Life As We Knew It. New York: Harcourt Children’s Books, 2008.
Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the
earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the
coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? Told in journal
entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important
resource of all—hope—in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.
Oliver, Lauren. Delirium. New York: Harper Collins, 2011.
The government requires that all teenagers be cured of love, a.k.a. deliria, to keep society safe.
But 95 days before her treatment, Lena Haloway falls for a boy--and must face the truth about
her own feelings and the world in which she lives.
Suggested Authors for Self-Selected Summer Reading:
Students seeking a more challenging reading may select a title from one of these authors. While
these authors’ works are considered classics in English and American literature, care should be
used when selecting titles from this list, as some of the works are intended for an older audience.
The student will need to fill out a story map worksheet for this second title as well.
Jack London
John Steinbeck
Mark Twain
Zane Grey
Maya Angelou
Ernest Hemingway
Amy Tan
Richard Wright
Barbara Kingsolver
Robert Heinlein
Isaac Asimov
Ray Bradbury
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Joseph Conrad
Charles Dickens
Juan Ramon Jimenez
H.G. Wells
Agatha Christie
Robert Louis Stevenson
Parents: Try reading the same summer reading selection as your child and then let them
interview you! 
SPRINGTON LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL SUMMER READING PROGRAM
OPTIONAL PARENT INTERVIEW
Once you and your parent have read your book(s), discuss these questions together. Then, record
your interview results below. Ask your parent to write any comments and to sign the bottom of
this sheet.
Student’s Name: ________________Parent’s Name: ________________________________
Book Title and Author: ________________________________________________________
1. Which character did you find the most interesting? Why?
2. What was your favorite part of the story? Why?
3. What lessons/morals do you think this book can teach?
4. What did you learn from reading this book?
5. Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Parent comments:
Parent Signature: _______________________________________________________________
Literary Text Analysis For__________________
Title of Book:____________________________________ Name_________________________________________
Author:_________________________# of pages:______ Point of View Story is told from 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.
Protagonist:_____________________________________ Antagonist:_____________________________________
How does the setting impact the story:_______________________________________________________________
Author’s Purpose: Let’s think about what the author intended when writing this novel.
The categories below will assist you with this task.
CONFLICT: Name the type and describe in no more than 5 sentences the major conflict that the protagonist faces.
How does the antagonist complicate the conflict with the protagonist?
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CHARACTER GROWTH: What changes in character did the protagonist go through? Antagonist? Explain what
they were like at the beginning of the novel and how they changed by the end. Give specific text evidence from the
story to support how the characters grew from the beginning to the end of the book.
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THEME: Identify the theme of the story. (What was the message or lesson the author wanted to convey?) How
does the author show the development of the theme? Give text evidence from the beginning, middle and end.
Theme:_______________________________________________________________________________________
Beginning:___________________________________________________________________________
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Middle:______________________________________________________________________________
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End:________________________________________________________________________________
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FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Give an example of figurative language used in the novel (simile,
metaphor, hyperbole, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia). You could also give an example of
imagery. Detail how the use of figurative language or imagery enhances the reader’s understanding of
the novel.
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My Reaction: How was the author able to connect to me as a reader?
The categories below will assist you with this task.
Personal Connection: The connection I made with this novel is: text to self, world, text, or media.
Give specific details on your connection in about 5 sentences.
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RATING: Rate this book on a scale of 1 to 10. What qualities of a good book does this novel
demonstrate or not demonstrate? Why did you give this rating? Who would enjoy this book?
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Summer Reading Contract - 2015
Grade 8
I have read the summer reading letter and understand that I am expected to:
Read one of the five required titles.
Complete a Literary Text Analysis for the title I have selected.
Read a second, grade-level appropriate self-selected title.
Complete a Literary Text Analysis for the second title.
AGP/ELA students should read an additional book of their choice and complete a Literary Text Analysis.
____________________________
(Student Signature)
____________________________
(Student Name Printed)
I have read the summer reading letter and understand that my child is responsible for
completing the following for the Summer Reading Program at Springton Lake Middle
School:
Read one of the five required titles.
Complete a Literary Text Analysis for the title I have selected.
Read a second, grade-level appropriate self-selected title.
Complete a Literary Text Analysis for the second title.
AGP/ELA students should read an additional book of their choice and complete a Literary Text Analysis.
____________________________
(Parent Signature)
____________________________
(Parent Name Printed)
Please return this summer reading contract to your
Language Arts Teacher
by Friday, May 29, 2015