Independent Reading Project for Mr. Pak
Due Date - TBA
Point Value – 100 pts each. (Projects are worth 20% of your grade.
Directions
1. Select an approved novel. See list below for recommendations.
2. Read book on your own time. Students will have to read two books by the end of
the fall semester.
3. Complete one of the projects listed below for each book.
Projects
All projects must demonstrate proof that the student read the book.
1) Create a website dedicated to the book. The website must contain content that proves
you read the book. The website must have a summary of the novel, character analysis,
theme analysis, reviews of the book, and creative visual content.
2) Draw a 15 page comic book adaptation about the book. The panels must descriptive.
3) Movie adaptation – Imagine you are a movie producer and are going to create a film
adaptation of the novel. Write a 150 – 200 word summary of the novel. Write a
detailed paragraph summary of each major character explaining their character traits
and their conflicts. For each character, cast an actor to play that part and why that
character fits that role. Finally, create a movie poster for the proposed film.
4) Create a highly creative plot arc for the novel. The plot arc should be creative and
artistic. It needs to diagram the plot of the story in GREAT detail.
5) Podcast – Create a 10-15 minute audio or video podcast where you talk about the
book. In the podcast summarize and give your opinion of the novel. Discuss the
themes. For this project students can work together if they are reading the same book.
6) Book-talk – In front of the class give a 5-10 minute presentation about the novel
where the student summarizes the plot, talks about the conflict and themes, and then
gives a thorough review of the book.
7) Be the teacher! Pretend you are the teacher and create a teaching unit on the novel.
You must create the following:
- Write a two page (or 500 words) summary of the novel.
- Make a list of thirty vocabulary words with definitions
- Create thirty comprehension review questions with answers.
- Create three short quizzes with answers
- Create a 50 question test with answers
- Create notes for literature terms where you give examples of metaphor, simile,
imagery, and the elements of plot
8) Book report – Write an old fashion book report. Write a three page (750 words)
summary of the book. It also must have a one page analysis of the theme and a two
page review. Finally you must turn the book into a poem. The poem must rhyme and
must be at least 75 lines and written in stanzas. The poem must use figurative
language.
9) Other – If a student has an idea for a project, he or she can talk to me and pitch their
idea. If I deem it acceptable, it can replace any of the above suggestions.
*All projects must be neat and proof read. Typing is not mandatory but recommended.
Do not fold papers. Nothing should have tears or marks in it. It should look like
considerable time, effort, and care was put into completing the project.
Recommended Fiction Books for 7th/8th Grade Independent Reading Projects
(students DO NOT need to select a book from this list)
*Nonfiction is not included in this list, but students are allowed to read nonfiction. Mr.
Pak still must approve the selection.
*All books must be approved by Mr. Pak
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Number the Stars – Lois Lowry
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle
The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret – Judy Blume
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
The Chocolate War – Robert Cormier
A Separate Piece – John Knowles
Watership Down – Richard Adams
Old Man and the Sea – Earnest Hemmingway
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
The Pearl – John Steinbeck
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury
Looking For Alaska – John Green
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Thirteen Reason Why – Jay Asher
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian – Sherman Alexie
The Call of the Wild – Jack London
Dune – Frank Herbert
My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult
Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenon
It’s Kind of a Funny Story – Ned Vizzini
The House on Mango Street – Sandra Cisneros
The Truth About Forever – Sarah Dessen
Before I Fall – Lauren Oliver
Unwind – Neal Shusterman
Wintergirls – Lauris Halse Anderson
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque
Around the World in Eighty Days – Jules Verne
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway
Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
I, Robot – Isaac Asimov
The Invisible Man – H.G. Wells
Ivanhoe – Water, Sir Scott
The Red Badge of Courage – Stephen Crane
Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe
The Time Machine – H.G. Wells
Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
Slam – Walter Dean Myers
Fallen Angels – Walter Dean Myers
Monster - Walter Dean Myers
Battle of Jericho – Sharon M. Draper
Fat Kid Rules the World – K.L. Going
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin – Josh Berk
Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
Nothing but the Truth – Avi
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Mildred D. Taylor
A Day No Pigs Would Die – Robert Netwon Peck
Hatchet – Gary Paulsen
My Side of the Mountain – Jean Craighead George
Stargirl – Jerry Spinielli
Divergent (series) by Veronica Roth
Shiloh – Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Shiver – Maggie Stiefvater
The Wednesday Wars – Gary D Schmidt
The Devil’s Arithmetic – Jane Yolen
Pretty Little Liars – Sara Shepard
Tangerine – Edward Bloor
Night – Elie Wiesel
The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
Animal Farm – George Orwell
Farewell to Manzanar – Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
Mexican Whiteboy – Matt de la Pena
The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls
A Long Way Gone – Ishmael Beah
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
Shooter – Walter Dean Myers
American Born Chinese – Gene Luen Yang
And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie
Thngs Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
The Gunslinger – Stephen King