7th grade Summer Reading project
This summer, you will be required to read two books and complete one project for each book.
Happy reading!
Required book for all incoming 7th graders:
Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli
Complete the following project to go along with Star Girl:
Create a scrapbook for the main character in your book. Your scrapbook must include:
-5 diary entries written in first person point of view. The entries must be written as
reflection about events and conflicts throughout the novel.
-2 letters from minor characters to the major character. The letters must be about major
events the novel
-3 visuals that reflect the story. They can be photos, illustrations or sketches with a
caption to describe each.
-4 pieces of memorabilia for the main character. These can be pictures/drawings of
items or real items that are put into the scrapbook. You must write a sentence along with each
item describing its significance.
Remember:
First person point of view
Spelling, punctuation, grammar
Neatness/organization
Choose one of the following books and choose a project from the table:
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Al Capone does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
Create a “soundtrack” for the
book. Choose 5 songs that reflect
the characters. themes, settings,
mood, etc. Give an explanation
for why you chose each song and
how it connects to the events or
characters in the song. Create a
CD jacket that includes a title for
your CD, the title, artist and lyrics
for each song.
Write a proposal to have the book
you have read made into a movie.
Include which actors will play the
main characters in the movie and
why you chose them to portray
each role. Include a location for
the film and why you chose it.
Create a movie poster for the
movie. It should be a full size
poster that includes elements
from a real movie poster: slogan,
the actors, and the rating. Include
at least one large background
picture and 3-4 smaller pictures
that pertain to the major
theme/themes of the story.
Visit Amazon.com or goodreads.com to see what
other readers thought of the book. Print out 3-4
reviews that represent a range of perspectives and
opinions. For each review, write a half page
response to the critic’s specific praises or
complaints. Cite examples using quotations from
the book to support your arguments. Include
whether your would recommend it to a friend and
say why or why not. RESPONSES SHOULD
NOT BE POSTED ONLINE!
Create a book jacket. The front
cover should include the title and
author of the book along with an
original drawing that goes along
with the story. The inside flap
will include an explanation of
why you chose the drawing on
the cover. On the back flap, you
will write a recommendation for
your book. On the back cover,
you will write a short summary
including events that happened at
the beginning, the middle and the
end.
Make a colorfully illustrated
timeline of events in the book.
The timeline should include at
least 10 events with a two
sentence description and a small
picture/drawing for each event.
Use paper that is 11 x 17 or
smaller-no large poster board.
Rewrite your story as a children’s book with
illustrations. Make sure your book is neat,
creative, and thorough (in other words, make sure
it covers major events of the plot).
Imagine that you are the author of
the book. In a short essay,
describe what happens to a
character years before or years
after the story takes place.
Pretend you are a talk show host
and the main character from the
book will be a guest on your
show. Create a transcript of the
interview which includes an
introduction of the character to
the audience and 5 “why” or
“how” questions that you would
ask the character. Then, answer
the questions in detail as if you
were the character.
Pretend you could put yourself in the book. Write
a short essay explaining what role you would play
in the book and how the story would change given
your presence.
Please remember that your
audience is your teacher! Do
not include songs that contain
offensive language!