SUMMER READING: PRE-AP 8TH GRADE
May 1st, 2013
Dear Parents,
It is with great pleasure that I notify you that your child has been recommended to
participate in the 8th grade Pre-AP English program at Quest. This class will offer
students the opportunity to read, write, and engage in literary analysis of texts at an
accelerated rate. One of the requirements of this class is to complete the attached
summer reading. The two required novels are enjoyable and engaging. Let the Circle be
Unbroken is a follow-up novel to our 7th grade book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,
which addresses the plight of post-Civil War sharecroppers. The Hobbit is a book which
engages the children in the unique genre of fantasy. Each book has a project and other
activities that must be completed before school begins. A test will also be given within
the first week of school for each novel. Details are enclosed in the attachments. Your
child must complete this summer reading program in order to be in the Pre-AP
class. If your child opts not to participate, he or she will be placed in the regular English
class in the fall.
I hope the students enjoy this adventure of reading! They will put on their thinking caps,
get in the driver’s seat, and begin their journey.
Marci Hansard Stapp
Language Arts Instructor
Quest Middle School
1301 Waters Ridge
Lewisville, TX 75057
972-316-6700
The Hobbit – Set in a time "Between the Dawn of Færie and the Dominion of
Men", The Hobbit follows the quest of home-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins to win a
share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from
light-hearted, rural surroundings into more sinister territory. The story is told in the
form of an episodic quest, and most chapters introduce a specific creature, or type of
creature, of Tolkien's Wilderland. By accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey and
adventurous side of his nature and applying his wits and common sense, Bilbo gains
a new level of maturity, competence and wisdom. The story reaches its climax in
the Battle of Five Armies, where many of the characters and creatures from earlier
chapters re-emerge to engage in conflict.
Let the Circle be Unbroken - The story of one African American family fighting to
stay together and strong in the face of brutal racist attacks, illness, poverty, and
betrayal in the Deep South of the 1930s.
To:
FROM:
CONCERNING:
ENGLISH 8 PRE-AP STUDENTS
MS. HANSARD
SUMMER READING
You are now officially a part of the Pre-AP class! Congratulations!
Your summer reading books are Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred Taylor and The Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien. You need to purchase these as soon as possible from one of the local
bookstores (or check the books out from your local library, but you will need the books at the
beginning of the school year). The books must be the adult unabridged versions. As you read
them, please do the following:

For the novel The Hobbit, each student is expected to create a free-form map that
depicts a visual summarization of the entire plot of the novel – not just one scene, not just
a chapter, but the entire book!
A free-form map is a visual representation, using only pictures (original drawings or clip
art/internet pictures), symbols, diagrams, shapes, and other drawings, of the main
relationships and events of a work. NO WORDS ARE ALLOWED! A free-form map
does fill up the entire page you are working on, with all the detail conveyed through
pictures. Do not worry! You will not be graded on your artistic ability! You will want
to make your free-form map as visually pleasing as possible, so color, neatness, and
evidence of time and effort are important!
You must follow these rules for creating your free-form map:
1. You must organize your free-form map on a half sheet of poster board.
2. You may NOT use plain white paper or large poster board for this map!
3. You may NOT glue or paste any 3-dimensional objects to your poster board. In other
words, nothing should be sticking out from your map.
4. You may paste or glue pictures to help you illustrate some of the events and
relationships in the book.
5. Grading Criteria: You must depict all the main characters (clip art/internet/free
drawing) and their traits. You must depict all the major events in the novel. Neatness
and quality of work is always important.

For the novel Let the Circle be Unbroken each student will design a “WANTED”
poster.
You must follow these rules for creating your poster:
1. You must organize your wanted poster on a half sheet of poster board.
2. You may NOT use plain white paper or large poster board for this poster!
3. You may NOT glue or paste any 3-dimentional objects to your poster board. In other
words, nothing should be sticking out from your map.
4. You will write clearly at the top “WANTED” along with the name of the novel.
5. Criteria: You must draw and color a clear, neat picture (or use clip art/internet WITH
color) of the character you are asking people to help you find. Under the picture you
must include the following:
Name: Write any and all names that your character is called.
Description: Include at least ten adjectives to describe the character (physical or
behavioral characteristics). Use sentences, not just words.
Event: What major event was this character involved in that made him or her so
famous? Infamous? Be very descriptive and detailed here!
Location and Date Last Seen: For location, include a detailed description of the
setting in which your character was last seen. Also, include the date your character
was last seen. Don’t just make this up! Base it on what your book says!
Reward: What reward will be given to the person who “finds” your character?
Make this reward in line with time/setting of your book. Your reward could even be
something other than money (perhaps a bushel of apples, a pocket watch, a book,
gold nuggets, etc.) Remember that your reward should relate to your story!

These projects must be completed during the summer and brought to class on the first day
of school or you may bring it to the school office anytime during the summer. Each
project will receive a quiz grade. No late work will be accepted.

The tests over these two books will be the first week of school so have them completed
before school starts. You will be required to take a test over the novels before we have
any class discussions.

Remember, the best way to improve your STAAR scores is to read, read, read, and read
some more. I hope that you won’t limit your summer reading to these two books.
Sincerely,
Marci Stapp
Middle School English Language Arts Instructor