COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
DIRECTIONS: For your summer reading you must read one texts from the book list
(below). In addition to reading the text, you must complete one of the project options
(p.10), due the first day of class.
2015 Grade 6-7 Summer Reading Choices
1. Wonder, R.J. Pallacio
2. First Test, Pierce
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Rowling
4. Number the Stars, Lowry
5. Ella Enchanted, Levine
6. The Wednesday Wars, Schmidt
7. Artemis Fowl, Colfer
8. Liar and Spy, Stead
9. The One and Only Ivan, Applegate
10. Dead End in Norvelt, Gantos
11. Where the Red Fern Grows, Rawls
12. Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, DiCamillo
13. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
14. The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones (Book 1 in the series), Rick Riordan
15. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, Karen Foxlee
16. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 1, Jeff Kinney
17. Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli
18. Wonderstruck, Brian Selznick
19. The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus, Book 1), Rick Riordan
20. Watsons Go To Birmingham--1963, Curtis
21. The Egypt Game, Snyder
22. The Acorn People, Jones
23. Island of the Blue Dolphins, O’Dell
24. Hatchet, Paulsen
25. Freak the Mighty, Philbrick
26. The Incredible Journey, Burnford
27. The Squire’s Tale, Gerald Morris
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
First Test, Tamora Pierce – first book of the Protector of the Small quartet
In the medieval and fantastic realm of Tortall, Keladry of Mindelan (known as Kel) is the first
girl to take advantage of the decree that permits females to train for knighthood. But Kel is not
a girl to underestimate. . . . “Part school story . . . part fantasy . . . part animal story . . . this is a
splendidly rousing feast.”—Booklist
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling—first book in the Harry Potter series
Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
From Publishers Weekly
Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943, this 1990 Newbery winner tells of a 10-year-old girl
who undertakes a dangerous mission to save her best friend. Ages 10-14.
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
From Publishers Weekly
This lighthearted fantasy and recent Newbery Honor book re-invents the Cinderella story. "A
winning combination of memorable characters and an alluring fantasy realm."
The Wednesday Wars, Gary D. Schmidt
From Booklist
*Starred Review* On Wednesday afternoons, while his Catholic and Jewish schoolmates attend
religious instruction, Holling Hoodhood, the only Presbyterian in his seventh grade, is alone in
the classroom with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, who Holling is convinced hates his guts. He feels
more certain after Mrs. Baker assigns Shakespeare's plays for Holling to discuss during their
shared afternoons. Each month in Holling's tumultuous seventh-grade year is a chapter in this
quietly powerful coming-of-age novel set in suburban Long Island during the late '60s. The
slow start may deter some readers, and Mrs. Baker is too good to be true: she arranges a
meeting between Holling and the New York Yankees, brokers a deal to save a student's father's
architectural firm, and, after revealing her past as an Olympic runner, coaches Holling to the
varsity cross-country team. However, Schmidt, whose Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
(2005) was named both a Printz and a Newbery Honor Book, makes the implausible believable
and the everyday momentous. Seamlessly, he knits together the story's themes: the cultural
uproar of the '60s, the internal uproar of early adolescence, and the timeless wisdom of
Shakespeare's words. Holling's unwavering, distinctive voice offers a gentle, hopeful, moving
story of a boy who, with the right help, learns to stretch beyond the limitations of his family,
his violent times, and his fear, as he leaps into his future with his eyes and his heart wide open.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer—first book in the Artemis Fowl series
From an Amazon.com review
Artemis Fowl combines the astuteness of Sherlock Holmes with the sang-froid of James Bond
and the attitude of Attila the Hun. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he
kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of bedtime
stories. These fairies are armed, and they’re dangerous. Artemis thinks he’s got them just
where he wants them, but then they stop playing by the rules.
Liar and Spy, Rebecca Stead
From School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Georges's life is turned upside down when his father loses his job, forcing his mother to
take on extra nursing shifts and prompting the family to move from their house into an
unfamiliar Brooklyn apartment. At school, Georges is a bit of an outcast, having been
abandoned by his one and only friend and often the subject of bullies' taunts. Then he sees a
sign advertising a Spy Club and meets Safer, a homeschooled loner who lives in his building,
and Safer's warm, welcoming, and quirky family offers him respite from the stress at home.
Together the boys track a mysterious building resident who Safer is sure is hiding a sinister
secret. As the investigation progresses, Georges grows increasingly uncomfortable with Safer's
actions. Stead has written a lovely, quiet, and layered novel that explores friendship in all its
facets. She particularly examines truths, secrets, deceptions, and imagination and whether these
can destroy or ultimately strengthen a friendship. The ending twists readers' entire perception
of the events and creates a brilliant conclusion to an insightful novel.
The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate
From Amazon.com
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has
grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely
misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.
Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant,
and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango
or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.
Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their
home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and
it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person
narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
Dead End in Norvelt, Jack Gantos
(Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal for the year’s best contribution
to children’s literature and the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction.)
From Amazon.com
Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an
incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are
shot down when he is “grounded for life” by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad
blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack’s way
once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—
typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As
one obituary leads to another, Jack is launched on a strange adventure involving molten wax,
Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a
trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder.
Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
Amazon.com Review
Author Wilson Rawls spent his boyhood much like the character of this book, Billy Colman,
roaming the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma with his bluetick hound. A straightforward,
shoot-from-the-hip storyteller with a searingly honest voice, Rawls is well-loved for this
powerful 1961 classic and the award-winning novel Summer of the Monkeys. In Where the Red
Fern Grows, Billy and his precious coonhound pups romp relentlessly through the Ozarks,
trying to "tree" the elusive raccoon. In time, the inseparable trio wins the coveted gold cup in
the annual coon-hunt contest, captures the wily ghost coon, and bravely fights with a mountain
lion. When the victory over the mountain lion turns to tragedy, Billy grieves, but learns the
beautiful old Native American legend of the sacred red fern that grows over the graves of his
dogs. This unforgettable classic belongs on every child's bookshelf. (Ages 9 and up)
Wonder, R.J. Pallacio
From Amazon.com Review
August Pullman is a 10-year-old boy who likes Star Wars and Xbox, ordinary except for his
jarring facial anomalies. Homeschooled all his life, August heads to public school for fifth grade
and he is not the only one changed by the experience--something we learn about first-hand
through the narratives of those who orbit his world. August’s internal dialogue and
interactions with students and family ring true, and though remarkably courageous he comes
across as a sweet, funny boy who wants the same things others want: friendship,
understanding, and the freedom to be himself.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
The first book in the wonderful Chronicles of Narnia series.
The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones (Book 1 in the series), Rick Riordan
The first book in this groundbreaking multimedia series sends readers around the world on the
hunt for the 39 Clues.
Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible
decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue."
Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from
Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39
Clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to
assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's
important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, Karen Foxlee
A wonderful retelling of the Snow Queen, this is the story of unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane
Worthington-Whittard who doesn't believe in anything that can't be proven by science. She
and her sister Alice are still grieving for their dead mother when their father takes a job in a
strange museum in a city where it always snows. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia
discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a prisoner of Her Majesty the
Snow Queen. And he has been waiting for Ophelia's help.
As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will
be tested. Along the way she learns more and more about the boy's own remarkable journey to
reach her and save the world.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 1, Jeff Kinney
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Kinney's popular Web comic, which began in 2004, makes its way to print as a
laugh-out-loud "novel in cartoons," adapted from the series. Middle school student Greg
Heffley takes readers through an academic year's worth of drama. Greg's mother forces him to
keep a diary ("I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I
specifically told her to get one that didn't say 'diary' on it"), and in it he loosely recounts each
day's events, interspersed with his comic illustrations.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli
From Amazon.com Review
Maniac Magee is a folk story about a boy, a very excitable boy. One that can outrun dogs, hit a
home run off the best pitcher in the neighborhood, tie a knot no one can undo. "Kid's gotta be a
maniac," is what the folks in Two Mills say. It's also the story of how this boy, Jeffrey Lionel
"Maniac" Magee, confronts racism in a small town, tries to find a home where there is none and
attempts to soothe tensions between rival factions on the tough side of town. Presented as a
folk tale, it's the stuff of storytelling. "The history of a kid," says Jerry Spinelli, "is one part fact,
two parts legend, and three parts snowball." And for this kid, four parts of fun. Maniac Magee
won the 1991 Newbery Medal.
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, Kate DiCamillo
From School Library Journal
Flora, obsessed with superhero comics, immediately recognizes and gives her wholehearted
support to a squirrel that, after a near-fatal brush with a vacuum cleaner, develops the ability to
fly and type poetry. The 10-year-old hides her new friend from the certain disapproval of her
self-absorbed, romance-writer mother, but it is on the woman's typewriter that Ulyssespours
out his creations. This touching piece of magical realism unfolds with increasing urgency. The
soft-penciled illustrations, at times in the form of panel art, further the action.
Wonderstruck, Brian Selznick
From Amazon.com Review
In a return to the eye-popping style of his Caldecott-award winner, The Invention of Hugo
Cabret, Brian Selznick’s latest masterpiece, Wonderstruck, is a vision of imagination and
storytelling . In the first of two alternating stories, Ben is struck deaf moments after
discovering a clue to his father’s identity, but undaunted, he follows the clue’s trail to the
American Museum of Natural History, in New York City. Flash to Rose’s story, told
simultaneously through pictures, who has also followed the trail of a loved one to the museum-only 50 years before Ben. Selznick’s beautifully detailed illustrations draw the reader inside the
museum’s myriad curiosities and wonders, following Ben and Rose in their search for
connection. Ultimately, their lives collide in a surprising and inspired twist that is breathtaking
and life-affirming.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus, Book 1), Rick Riordan
From School Library Journal
This book will delight fans of The Lightning Thief (Hyperion, 2005) as Percy, Annabeth, and
others play roles in the new prophecy and its subsequent quest. A few months after The Last
Olympian (Hyperion, 2009) ends, Jason wakes up on a bus filled with problem kids from the
Wilderness School who are headed to the Grand Canyon. He has no memory of his previous
life, but seems to be with his girlfriend, Piper, and his best friend, Leo. The action takes off
quickly: storm spirits attack them and capture their coach, who turns out to be a Satyr.
Searching for Percy, who is missing, Annabeth arrives and takes the three to Camp Half-Blood,
where they learn that they are demigods. Their parents are gods in their Roman rather than
Greek personae. By sunset of the solstice in three days, the teens must rescue Hera, Queen of
the gods, or Porphyrion, the giant king created to destroy Zeus and unseat the gods of
Olympus, will rise.
A Squire’s Tale (The Squire’s Tales, Book 1)
From Amazon.com
Growing up an orphan in an isolated cottage in the woods, young Terence never expected
much adventure. But upon the arrival of Gawain, his life takes a surprising turn. Gawain is
destined to become one of the most famous knights of the Round Table. Terence becomes
Gawain's squire and leaves his secluded life for one of adventure in King Arthur's court. In no
time Terence is plunged into the exciting world of kings, wizards, knights, wars, magic spells,
dwarfs, damsels in distress, and enchanters. As he adjusts to his new life, he proves to be not
only an able squire but also a keen observer of the absurdities around him. His duties take him
on a quest with Gawain and on a journey of his own, to solve the mystery of his parentage.
Filled with rapier-sharp wit, jousting jocularity, and chuckleheaded knights, this is King
Arthur's court as never before experienced.
Watsons Go To Birmingham--1963, Curtis (A Newberry Honor book)
A wonderful middle-grade novel narrated by Kenny, 9, about his middle-class black family, the
Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan. When Kenny's 13-year-old brother, Byron, gets to be too
much trouble, they head South to Birmingham to visit Grandma, the one person who can shape
him up. And they happen to be in Birmingham when Grandma's church is blown up.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
The Egypt Game, Snyder (A Newberry Honor book)
The first time Melanie Ross meets April Hall, she’s not sure they have anything in common.
But she soon discovers that they both love anything to do with ancient Egypt. When they
stumble upon a deserted storage yard, Melanie and April decide it’s the perfect spot for the
Egypt Game. Before long there are six Egyptians, and they all meet to wear costumes, hold
ceremonies, and work on their secret code. Everyone thinks it’s just a game until strange things
start happening. Has the Egypt Game gone too far?
The Acorn People, Jones
from Lincoln Journal
This true story of a boy who must overcome prejudice and weakness to treat a group of special
needs children with the respect—and love—they deserve “will give your innards a bear hug. . . .
You will read this book with a lump in your throat.”
Island of the Blue Dolphins, O’Dell
from Amazon.com
The Newberry Medal-winning story of a 12-year old girl who lives alone on a Pacific island
after she leaps from a rescue ship. Isolated on the island for eighteen years, Karana forages for
food, builds weapons to fight predators, clothes herself in a cormorant feathered skirt, and finds
strength and peace in her seclusion. A classic tale of discovery and solitude.
Hatchet, Paulsen (first book of Brian’s Saga series)
Since it was first published in 1987, the story of thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson's survival
following a plane crash has become a modern classic. Stranded in the desolate wilderness, Brian
uses his instincts and his hatchet to stay alive for fifty-four harrowing days.
Freak the Mighty, Philbrick
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-By Rodman Philbrick. Max has been taunted all of his life as stupid and slow. When
he meets Kevin, a tiny Einstein in leg braces, they defend the weak, right every wrong, and
solve the mystery of Max's past.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
The Incredible Journey, Burnford
Instinct told them that the way home lay to the west. And so the doughty young Labrador
retriever, the roguish bull terrier and the indomitable Siamese set out through the Canadian
wilderness. Separately, they would soon have died. But, together, the three house pets faced
starvation, exposure, and wild forest animals to make their way home to the family they love.
The Incredible Journey is one of the great children's stories of all time.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
Project Options:
1. Complete a scrapbook based on the events in the novel.
2. Design and draw a mural of the important events in the novel or of one
particular scene. This can be done on 2X3’ poster board.
3. Write and perform a rap/song about the characters, plot, theme, or setting
of the novel.
4. Design and complete a PowerPoint presentation of at least 5 slides,
covering plot, character, setting, theme, and a biography of the author. Use
lots of images and custom animation. SHOW rather than tell. You should
have very little text on your slides. You will be presenting this orally and
should not read from the slides.
5. Design and create a board game or computer game based on the novel.
6. Write a journal (Literature Response Journal template below) from the
perspective of one of the characters. Make sure the journal covers all of the
main events in the novel. A final product should have at least 10 entries of
100-150 words.
7. Develop a short scene from the novel into a short play. Include set design,
costumes, props, and written dialogue.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
Literature Response Journal (Option #6)
Name:
Book Title:
Author:
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. You
may write in the spaces provided or type your answers on a separate sheet.
Good luck! 
1. In your own words, describe what the book was about.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
2. List the main characters here and describe their relationships to each
other (friends, parent and child, etc.)
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
3. List a quote from each of the main characters that you listed in question
2 that shows their personality.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
4. The biggest conflict in the book was when . . .
5. The conflict was resolved when . . .
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
6. Describe three major events in the book and give details.
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
7. I thought this book was . . . (Give three or more supported reasons
why you did or did not like this book.)

Reason 1:

Support (example):

Reason 2:

Support (example):

Reason 3:

Support (example):
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COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY SUMMER READING
ASSIGNMENTS (6TH & 7TH GRADE)
Summer, 2015
I would/would not recommend this book to a friend because . . .
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