Lake Zurich Middle School North HAL Program
Summer Reading List
Grade 8
2015
April 29, 2015
Dear Students and Parents,
During the summer prior to entering 8th grade, we are requesting that all HAL students read 3 novels: at least
one novel from the attached literature list, one from the science-related list, and our SS novel: The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain. Students must complete 3 of the attached book reports, one for each book.
The books and book reports should be completed before school starts. Students need to bring the book reports to
their 8th grade Humanities teacher (Ms. Haney or Mr. Multra) and Ms. Day (science teacher), on the first day of
the new school year.
In our effort to promote summer reading, students are encouraged to read as many books as they would like
from our list, but they are required to read one. Parents need to simply sign their name at the bottom of the
completed book report in order for their child to receive recognition.
The teachers are planning special activities relating to summer reading for the first week of 8th grade, so please
remember to have your child bring their book report with them to class during the first week of school. The
books on this list have been carefully chosen by the HAL8th grade teachers because of their recognized literary
merit and because they directly relate to the eighth grade social studies and literature curriculum.
Students may purchase a book(s) from our list through the MSN library by filling out the attached form. All
forms must be turned into Mrs. Dooley-Taylor in the library by Thursday, May 14. Purchased books will be
distributed to students before the last day of 7th grade. You may also obtain these books at the library or at a
local bookstore, as we will be providing our summer reading list to Barnes and Noble in Deer Park, and the Ela
Area Library. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer can be accessed electronically at:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/74/74-h/74-h.htm
You have received your child’s fall and winter MAP score and will be receiving his/her spring MAP score at
the end of the year. On these tests you will find a Lexile Score, which may assist you and your child in
selecting appropriate level novels for this summer reading assignment. If you would like more information
about Lexile Scores and how to use them in selecting appropriate reading material, please refer to
www.lexile.com.
We hope to make this summer reading initiative an enjoyable experience for all. Thank you for supporting us in
our efforts to keep students reading during the summer months and throughout the school year.
Sincerely,
The 8th Grade HAL Team
HAL Science Reading List:
Title
Author
Science Novels: choose 1
Under a Lucky Star
Roy Chapman
Andrews
E=mc2: A Biography of the
World’s Most Famous
Equation
David Bodanis
The Ghost Map: The Story of
London’s Most Terrifying
Epidemic–and How It
Changed Science, Cities, and
the Modern World
Steven Johnson
The Hot Zone: A Terrifying
True Story,
Richard Preston
Under a Lucky Star is the autobiography—the lifetime of adventure—of the
explorer and archaeologist Roy Chapman Andrews. Adored by the public and
pursued by the press, Andrews came as close to superstar status in the 1920s as
any explorer of the twentieth century. Much of Under a Lucky Starfocuses on his
grandest adventure, the Central Asiatic Expeditions, a series of five daring
journeys into uncharted expanses of the Gobi Desert that produced a previously
unknown treasure-trove of dinosaur remains. The Gobi region explored by
Andrews and his team of scientists proved to be one of the most fruitful sites on
earth for late dinosaurs and it continues to yield extraordinary paleontological
discoveries.
Generations have grown up knowing that the equation E=mc2 changed the shape
of our world, but never understanding what it actually means, why it was so
significant, and how it informs our daily lives today--governing, as it does,
everything from the atomic bomb to a television's cathode ray tube to the carbon
dating of prehistoric paintings. In this book, David Bodanis writes the
"biography" of one of the greatest scientific discoveries in history--that the realms
of energy and matter are inescapably linked--and, through his skill as a writer and
teacher, he turns a seemingly impenetrable theory into a dramatic human
achievement and an uncommonly good story.
It's the summer of 1854, and London is just emerging as one of the first modern
cities in the world. But lacking the infrastructure-garbage removal, clean water,
sewers-necessary to support its rapidly expanding population, the city has become
the perfect breeding ground for a terrifying disease no one knows how to cure. As
the cholera outbreak takes hold, a physician and a local curate are spurred to
action-and ultimately solve the most pressing medical riddle of their time.
In a triumph of multidisciplinary thinking, Johnson illuminates the intertwined
histories of the spread of disease, the rise of cities, and the nature of scientific
inquiry, offering both a riveting history and a powerful explanation of how it has
shaped the world we live in.
A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly
appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90
percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and
scientists is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic "hot" virus. The Hot
Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the appearance of
rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race. Shocking,
frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zone proves that truth really is
scarier than fiction.
Description
HAL Literature Reading List:
Titanic: Voices from the
Disaster
Hopkinson,
Deborah
Scholastic
2014
1040L
In this award-winning book, critically acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson weaves together the voices and stories of real TITANIC survivors
and witnesses to the disaster -- from the stewardess Violet Jessop to Captain Arthur Rostron of the CARPATHIA, who came to the rescue of
the sinking ship. Packed with heartstopping action, devastating drama, fascinating historical details, loads of archival photographs on almost
every page, quotes from primary sources, and painstaking back matter, this gripping story, which follows the TITANIC and its passengers
from the ship's celebrated launch at Belfast to her cataclysmic icy end, is sure to thrill and move readers.
Lincoln’s Grave Robbers
Sheinkin, Steve
Scholastic
2013
930L
A true crime thriller -- the first book for teens to tell the nearly unknown tale of the brazen attempt to steal Abraham Lincoln's body!
The action begins in October of 1875, as Secret Service agents raid the Fulton, Illinois, workshop of master counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Soon
after Boyd is hauled off to prison, members of his counterfeiting ring gather in the back room of a smoky Chicago saloon to discuss how to
spring their ringleader. Their plan: grab Lincoln's body from its Springfield tomb, stash it in the sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and demand,
as a ransom, the release of Ben Boyd --and $200,000 in cash. From here, the action alternates between the conspirators, the Secret Service
agents on their trail, and the undercover agent moving back and forth between the two groups. Along the way readers get glimpses into the
inner workings of counterfeiting, grave robbing, detective work, and the early days of the Secret Service. The plot moves toward a wild
climax as robbers and lawmen converge at Lincoln's tomb on election night: November 7, 1876.
The President Has Been Shot:
The Assassination of John F.
Kennedy
Swanson, James L.
Scholastic
2013
1080L
A breathtaking and dramatic account of the JFK assassination by the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of CHASING LINCOLN'S
KILLER!
In his new young-adult book on the Kennedy assassination, James Swanson will transport readers back to one of the most shocking, sad,
and terrifying events in American history. As he did in his bestselling Scholastic YA book, CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER, Swanson will
deploy his signature "you are there" style -- a riveting, ticking-clock pace, with an unprecedented eye for dramatic details and impeccable
historical accuracy -- to tell the story of the JFK assassination as it has never been told before.
The book will be illustrated with archival photos, and will have diagrams, source notes, bibliography, places to visit, and index
8th Grade Summer HAL Book Report
(Due on the first day of school-Please fill out completely, in ink! You may print or type your response.)
Student’s Name: ________________________________________________Date Finished Reading:____________
Please use the following words in your responses:
protagonist, antagonist, symbol, and characters traits.
Title of Book:____________________________________________
Setting-
Key characters with description of character traits:
Plot/Main Events-
Conflicts-What types of conflicts are present in the novel?
Climax-
Key Quote & what does it reveal about the main character(s)?
Resolution-
Theme-
Please list five new words that you found in the book.
Word
Page #
Meaning
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
Book Impressions: Triple Draw and Write
Draw three of the major scenes or ideas from the book you have read, and write about each
picture.
1.
2.
3
I, __________________________________, have completely read this book.
Student signature: ________________________Parent Signature_____________________________________
8th Grade Summer HAL Book Report
(Due on the first day of school-Please fill out completely, in ink! You may print or type your response.)
Student’s Name: ________________________________________________Date Finished Reading:____________
Please use the following words in your responses:
protagonist, antagonist, symbol, and characters traits.
Title of Book:____________________________________________
Setting-
Key characters with description of character traits:
Plot/Main Events-
Conflicts-What types of conflicts are present in the novel?
Climax-
Key Quote & what does it reveal about the main character(s)?
Resolution-
Theme-
Please list five new words that you found in the book.
Word
Page #
Meaning
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
Book Impressions: Triple Draw and Write
Draw three of the major scenes or ideas from the book you have read, and write about each
picture.
1.
2.
3
I, __________________________________, have completely read this book.
Student signature: ________________________Parent Signature_____________________________________
8th Grade Summer HAL Book Report
(Due on the first day of school-Please fill out completely, in ink! You may print or type your response.)
Student’s Name: ________________________________________________Date Finished Reading:____________
Please use the following words in your responses:
protagonist, antagonist, symbol, and characters traits.
Title of Book:____________________________________________
Setting-
Key characters with description of character traits:
Plot/Main Events-
Conflicts-What types of conflicts are present in the novel?
Climax-
Key Quote & what does it reveal about the main character(s)?
Resolution-
Theme-
Please list five new words that you found in the book.
Word
Page #
Meaning
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________
____________
_______________________________________________________________
Book Impressions: Triple Draw and Write
Draw three of the major scenes or ideas from the book you have read, and write about each
picture.
1.
2.
3
I, __________________________________, have completely read this book.
Student signature: ________________________Parent Signature_____________________________________