MIDDLE SCHOOL A SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT

June 2008

Dear Parents and Middle School Students,

In preparation for next year's study of the rules people live by and how societies are organized, our focused reading list includes books that feature a wide range of rules. 

Students must read at least one book from the focused reading list below and answer in a thoughtful paragraph the following questions:

• Who is the protagonist?  What is s/he like and what are the circumstances of                                    his/her life?
• What sort of rules does the protagonist encounter?
• What sort of impact do these rules have on the protagonist? 
• Are the rules helpful?  Are the rules realistic?

The focused reading list includes the following books:

Finding Buck McHenry by Alfred Slote
Hang Tough, Paul Mather by Alfred Slote
The Big Field by Mike Lupica
Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica
The Chess Set in the Mirror by Massimo Bontempelli
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Game by Walter Dean Myers
The Outside Shot by Walter Dean Myers
The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation by M. T. Anderson

In addition, all students must read at least three other books. 

Eighth graders should write formal book reports about two of those books using the format given in Middle School Murders and write one file card with a brief informal review of the third book.

Seventh graders should write a formal book report of one of the books and brief informal reviews on the other two books.

Select titles from any of the following online book lists:

American Library Association Notable Children's Books
Bank Street College Best Children's Books
New York Public Library Best Books for Children
Green Mountain Book Award Master List

Happy reading! And have a great summer.

The Middle School A Teaching Team