Summer Fun: Dive into Reading
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”
-Joseph Addison
DIRECTIONS: You will choose one fiction book and one non-fiction book to read from the
lists. Next, you will complete two assignments for each book. All four assignments are due
the first day of school.
Fiction Assignment
Choose one of the following books to read and then do the 2 assignments below:
The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood. Widge, a likeable orphan, finds himself in the middle
of an adventure to steal and copy the play Hamlet from Shakespeare. He soon discovers that life in the Globe
Theatre is much better than the other places he has apprenticed.
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements. For fifteen-year-old Bobby Phillips of Chicago, life changes
dramatically when he wakes up one morning and finds out that he is literally invisible. His life becomes very
complicated as he tries to find the way to become visible again.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini. In Alagaësia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage named Eragon
finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power.
Parzival: The Quest of the Grail Knight by Katherine Patterson. Parzival, raised in the
wilderness away from civilization, becomes one of Arthur’s boldest and most respected knights. But when he
inadvertently dooms a king to suffering, he must sacrifice all that he holds dear to seek the Grail.
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz. Alex Ryder has lived with his uncle Ian since his parents were
killed in an accident when he was an infant. Now Ian has died in an accident as well, but as Alex looks deeper he
finds that everything he knew about his uncle was a lie. He wasn’t a banker; he was a spy for Britain’s M16, and his
death was no accident.
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck. This is a humorous story about Joey and Mary Alice
Dowdel’s annual summer visits to their gun-toting Grandma Dowdel’s home in a sleepy Illinois town between 1929
and 1935, the years of the Great Depression.
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck. Mary Alice’s childhood summers in Grandma Dowdel’s sleepy
Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and
faces a whole long year with Grandma, a woman well known for shaking up her neighbors—and everyone else! All
Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how life with Grandma might turn out… better not.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter spent the first ten years
of his life living with his aunt, uncle, and his cousin Dudley. They begrudgingly let him live with them because his
parents are dead, but they loathe the fact that he is not “normal.” Things change dramatically for Harry when a
letter arrives for him from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson. In 1793 sixteen-year-old Matty, who is forced to leave her home to
avoid the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, learns self-reliance and perseverance.
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddox. Luke, twelve years old and an illegally born
third child, has been hiding all of his life from the Population Police who are trying to eliminate “shadow children.”
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Percy learns that he has special powers after he makes his prealgebra teacher disappear. Further investigation reveals that he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon. To save
humankind, Percy embarks on an adventure to return a lightning bolt his father stole from Zeus.
Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech. Mary Lou Finney is less than excited about her
assignment to keep a journal over the summer. Then her cousin Carl Ray comes to stay with her family. Along with
Carl Ray comes a mystery that Mary Lou needs to solve as she records her events of the summer in her journal.
Dean Duffy by Randy Powell. Dean is assured of a scholarship until his pitching arm gives out and he
bats .052 in his last season. His future is questionable until he receives an offer from a small private college for a
one-semester scholarship.
Heat by Mike Lupica. Michael grows up right next to Yankee Stadium and longs to play there one day. If he
can pitch his Bronx all-star team to the district finals and get a shot at the Little League World Series, maybe his
dream will come true.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Esperanza is the only daughter of a wealthy Mexican landowner
and his wife. The day before Esperanza turns twelve, her father is killed. Esperanza and her mother are forced to
move to California where they find work on a company farm, picking and packing produce.
You will submit 2 assignments for your fiction reading.
Choose an assignment to complete from #1 AND #2 below.
1.
Choose one of the following:
a.
b.
2.
As you read, pay close attention to new vocabulary words. Create a list of 15-20 words that are
unfamiliar to you. Type or neatly write out the definitions for these words.
If you are familiar with the vocabulary, choose 10 advanced words from your book and write
down the sentence with the word and the page number from the book. Next, write a great
sentence of your own that shows your understanding of the word.
Choose one of the following:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Interview a character from the book.
Write questions the interviewer asks and write the answers given by the character.
Create a map of the setting of the story.
Design the map as you see it in your mind.
Write a letter from a secondary character to the main character in the novel, describing an
event from that character’s point of view.
Make a new book jacket.
It should include an attractive picture or cover design, an original summary of the
book, information on the author and illustrator, and information about other books by
the author. This assignment is fun, but it requires a little extra research on your part!
Discuss, in depth, the relevance of the title (1 well-developed paragraph in length).
Non-Fiction Assignment
Choose one of the following books to read and then do the 2 assignments below:
Shakespeare and the Globe by Aliki. Readers take a tour of Shakespeare’s life and times, through the
crowded streets of 16th-century London to the boisterous Globe Theater where his work flourished. Then they
follow Shakespeare’s legacy to the present day and learn, step-by-step, how the Globe Theatre has been
reconstructed.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston. Ralston recounts the harrowing story of his
near death and self-amputation alone on a canyon wall in Utah.
Return to Treasure Island and the Search for Captain Kidd by Barry Clifford. Find out
how a respected Englishman came to be wanted as a murderous pirate.
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by
Bethany Hamilton. Could you return to the water after losing an arm in a shark attack? Hamilton did.
Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams by Darcy Frey. Frey followed four star players,
including Stephon Marbury, from Lincoln High’s basketball team in New York. When you’re a talented basketball
player from the projects, there are a million things that can go wrong, and only one thing that can go right.
With their Eyes: The View from a High School at Ground Zero edited by Annie
Thomas. Tuesday, September 11, seemed like any other day at Stuyvesant High School, only a few blocks away
from the World Trade Center. The semester was just beginning, and the students, faculty, and staff were ready to
start a new year. Within a few hours that Tuesday morning, they would experience an event that transformed all
their lives completely. Here, in their own words, are the firsthand stories of a day none of us will ever forget.
A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. Lord interviewed 60 survivors from the Titanic to give the
reader a real understanding of what it was like the night the ship struck the iceberg.
Knots in My Yo-Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid by Jerry Spinelli. This is a look at
the author’s (Jerry Spinelli’s) childhood years. In it, Spinelli describe his feelings upon learning that his dog had
been hit by a car; his love of baseball; how he cut his friend’s face open when they were playing war; his first kiss;
and other childhood events.
The Moon and I by Betsy Byars. The Moon that inspires Betsy Bryars’s memoir isn’t the one in the sky,
but a huge, harmless blacksnake she finds in the rafters of her porch. This meeting begins an exploration of the
writing process. With energy, wit, and delight, the Newbery medalist shows how “the good scraps” of her life, from
a bully named Bubba to a gift-wrapped dime, weave into her work.
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story by Ben Carson. Ben Carson becomes a world-class pediatric
neurosurgeon at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Growing up in poverty-stricken Detroit
with his mother and elder brother Curtis, Ben could have never dreamed of the future that lay ahead for him.
When nine-year-old Ben’s father abandons his family, his heart is broken with the hurt that lasts a life-time.
Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley. Leonardo da Vinci is more than just the life story of one of the
world’s greatest artists and thinkers. It’s a blend of European history and art history, beautifully realized with
detailed illustrations and original reproductions. It’s also filled with fascinating facts and some surprises—hold the
back cover up to a mirror to reveal one of Leonardo’s trade secrets!
Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam by Diane Stanley. Forty years before the boy was born, a horde of
bloodthirsty barbarians thundered out of the west and conquered his native land. They had succeeded because his
people, ever at war with one another, had not fought together to defend their cities. In time the boy was destined
to become the very leader that was needed, a man with the courage and vision to unite his people and face the most
fearsome and brilliant warrior of the age.
Behind the Mask: The Life of Queen Elizabeth I by Jane Thomas. A compelling biography of
Elizabeth I that describes her triumphant reign as well as the childhood that shaped the woman she became,
making clear the precarious balancing act she had to perform her entire life to keep her head. Some of history’s
most persistent and intriguing questions are examined here and the myths surrounding Elizabeth are lifted,
allowing readers an unprecedented view of this powerful queen as a human being.
You will submit 2 assignments for your nonfiction reading.
Choose an assignment to complete from #1 AND #2 below.
1. Choose one of the following:
a.
b.
As you read, pay close attention to new vocabulary words. Create a list of 15-20 words that are
unfamiliar to you. Type or neatly write out the definitions for these words.
If you are familiar with the vocabulary, choose 10 advanced words from your book and write
down the sentence with the word and the page number from the book. Next, write a great
sentence that shows your understanding of the word.
2. Choose one of the following:
a.
b.
Top Ten List
Write 10 facts you learned from this book in complete sentences. Make sure your
facts are from the whole book—not just 10 facts from a single chapter!
Favorite Passage
Choose your favorite passage from the book (3 ore more sentences). Copy it down and
discuss what you found appealing about it (1 well-developed paragraph in length).
BE PREPARED TO SHARE THESE WITH YOUR NEW CLASSMATES!