WC Pryor Middle School Seventh Grade

Summer Reading Program 2009

Dear Parents and Students,

Beginning this year, Pryor will implement a summer reading program. All current 6th and 7th
graders will be required to read 1 novel over the summer and complete a packet of activities for
a language arts grade. We feel that this will keep students interested in reading, as well as
prepare them for the year ahead. We have prepared a list of book choices that we believe will
keep the students’ interest as well as challenge their reading skills. We are also including a list
of titles from Just Read Florida. We hope this will be helpful to you. It is highly recommended
that you choose a book from one of these two lists; however it is not required.

The book students choose, however, must be must be:

• A chapter book
• At least 175 pages in length
• A new read (student has never read the book before)

The book can be fiction, science fiction, a biography, autobiography, or anything else that
interests your child. As always, parents should preview their child’s reading choices to ensure
appropriateness for their individual child.

You may purchase the book, borrow from a sibling, or check one out from the public library. In
addition, the Pryor Library will be open on Wednesday mornings from 10:00—12:00 beginning
June 17 through July 29.

After reading the book, students will be required to complete two worksheets along with a brief
summary and a cover sheet. This packet must be turned in by Friday, August 28.

Please help us in encouraging an interest in reading in your child. We look forward to working
with you and teaching your child in the upcoming year.

Sincerely,

W.C. Pryor Language Arts teachers

 Directions for Pryor Summer Reading Assignment
(In-coming 7th Grade)
Book must be:
• A chapter book
• At least 175 pages in length
• A new read (you have never read the book before)
• Fun! Choose a book that you enjoy reading and that interests you.

Assignments to complete after reading:

1. Complete the Story Map—complete the diagram with characters, setting, problem and
solution. *Follow the directions on the worksheet.

2. Complete the Characterization Map worksheet—where you choose a character from

your book and sketch what they look like, describe how they act, give examples of what
they say, and tell how they’ve changed. *Follow the directions on the worksheet.

3. Then, on your own piece of paper, you will make a Book Cover and Summary.
*On the front of your piece of paper, you must have:
1. Your name
2. Title of your novel
3. Author
4. Illustration that shows something from the story (this can be a picture of
the setting or some characters, but it may not look the same as the real
book cover)

*On the back of your piece of paper, you must have:

1. Brief summary of the story (1-2 paragraphs in length)

The entire packet must be handed in by August 28, 2009

 Seventh Grade Summer Reading Suggestions

Down a Dark Hall, Lois Duncan

• Fourteen-year-old Kit Gordy never wanted to attend the Blackwood School for Girls, but boarding school is
her only option as her mother and stepfather are embarking on a year-long European honeymoon. Still, she
never expected the exclusive school (it has only four students) to be a place of evil. As Kit and her classmates
adjust to life at their new school, they begin to have odd, almost supernatural experiences that both terrify and
intrigue them.

Homecoming, Cynthia Voigt

• From the moment Momma told Dicey, Maybeth, Sammy, and James that they were going to visit (and maybe
move in with) Great Aunt Cilla, Dicey was suspicious. Then, midway through the trip, Momma suddenly
deserts them. Dicey, as the oldest sibling, feels it is up to her to care for the others, but how can she when ...

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck

• Steinbeck tells the classic story of three days in the lives of two migrant workers, Lennie Small and George
Milton. Lennie, a simple-minded giant who doesn't know his own strength, wants only to settle down with his
friend on a small farm where he will be allowed to feed the animals. When he inadvertently kills first a puppy,
then a woman--the ...

Redwall, Brian Jacques

• It seems like nothing can save the animals holed up in Redwall Abbey from the siege of the evil one-eyed rat
Cluny and his wicked band. Matthias, a young novice at the Abbey, vows to find the legendary sword of
Martin the Warrior, founder of the Abbey, and use it against Cluny. On his quest to find the sword, Matthias
befriends many animals, and ...

Second Stringer, Thomas Dygard

• When Kevin replaces the quarterback and football hero who suffers a knee injury, the second stringer needs
to prove that he can do the job and is not just a substitute.

Surviving the Applewhites, Stephanie Tolan

• Word is Jack Semple was kicked out of every school in his home state. Now, the only place that will take him
is the Creative Academy, a home school run by a chaotic, quarrelsome family named Applewhite. When Jake
meets E.D. Applewhite, a scruffy girl longing for order, the only thing they have in common is the
determination to survive the family's ...

Tangerine, Edward Bloor

• Life changes for Paul, a 12-year-old who is nearly blind, when he and his family move to the strange town of
Tangerine. By joining the local soccer team, Paul begins to emerge from the shadow of his overbearing,
football-hero older brother, Erik. Paul's surprising success on the soccer field gives him the confidence to
begin to remember the ...

The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis

• In this novel set in war-torn Afghanistan, an 11-year-old girl named Parvana takes desperate measures to
help her family survive. Because Afghanistan's Taliban regime has ruled that only men may work or earn
money--and that women may not even venture out of their homes unless they are accompanied by a male
relative--Parvana takes the extreme step ...

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien

 • This 1937 fantasy is the prequel, or “prelude” to the classic epic triology The Lord of the Rings. Bilbo Baggins
is the hobbit of the title: a short, round, and hairy-footed creature fond of small comforts and his rural home.
What he doesn’t like (or at least thinks he doesn’t like) is adventure, but that’s just what he gets when a
wizard and…

The Sea of Trolls, Nancy Farmer

• Berserkers kidnap 11-year-old Jack and his sister Lucy from their small island in A.D. 793, and they're
enslaved by Viking chieftain Olaf One-Brow. A harrowing ocean voyage takes them to Ivar the Boneless, a
fierce king dressed in a cape stitched together from the beards of men he's killed, and Queen Frith, Ivar's
shape-shifting half-troll wife. ..

The Silent Storm, Sherry Garland

• Thirteen-year-old Alyssa has not spoken since her parents died three years ago during a hurricane. Now
living with her grandfather and younger brother, she is fearful when she hears reports that another hurricane
is headed for her town. When tragedy strikes it is up to Alyssa to speak and save her grandfather and brother-
-but will she be able to ...

The Skin I’m In, Sharon Flake

• Miss Saunders, a teacher with a skin condition, is teased by the students in the school because of what she
looks like. Miss Saunders may be the only who can help 13-year-old Maleeka, an African-American girl,
overcome her feelings of being an outcast because her skin is so dark. But will Maleeka see that she's no
different from the rest of the ...

Z for Zachariah, Robert C. O’Brien

• Sixteen-year-old Ann Burden believes herself to be the only survivor of a nuclear war. Living on a surprisingly
lush and fertile farm, Ann is shocked to see a stranger arrive on her land. After secretly observing the man for
several days, Ann comes to his aid when he falls ill from bathing in a contaminated stream. As she nurses the
man back to ...
 Recommended Reading from Just Read, Florida!
Commissioner Winn announces the K-12 recommended reading list which parents and educators can use to
encourage students to continue reading during the summer months. There are a variety of interesting titles
available that will spark their interest, imagination and most of all their love of reading.

Middle School

• The Big Nothing, Adrian Fogelin

• Granny Torelli Makes Soup, Sharon Creech
• Trick of the Eye, Dennis Haseley
• This Must Be Love, Tui Sutherland
• Backstage Pass, Gaby Triana
• Razzle, Ellen Wittlinger
• The Mozart Season, Virginia Euwer Wolff
• Gotta Get Some Bish Bash Bosh, M.E. Allen
• The Princess Diaries, Volume I & II, Meg Cabot
• Breaking Through, Francisco Jimenez
• Born Confused, Tanuja Desai Hidier
• Aquamarine, Alice Hoffman
• Peter and the Starcatchers, Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
• The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Lemony Snicket
• Small Steps, Louis Sachar
• Artemis Fowl Book I, Eoin Colfer
• The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton
• The Giver, Lois Lowry
• Hatchet, Gary Paulson
• Dicey’s Song, C. Voight
• Bridge to Terabithia, K. Paterson
• Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson
• Animal Farm, George Orwell
• Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul, Jack Canfield, Mark Hansen, Patty Hansen, and Irene Dunlap
• Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan
• Hoot, Carl Hiaasen
• Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
• Old Yeller, Fred Gipson
 Story Map
Directions: Complete the diagram below. You can use phrases or lists. Under characters, please include some
characteristic traits as well as the name of the character. If you need more room, you can redraw this story map
on your own paper. However, you are allowed to write on this one.

Main Characters Setting

Problem
Supporting Characters Title &
Author

Solution
 Characterization Map for Novel
Directions: As you read your novel, choose one character you want to get to know more closely. Write that
character’s name on the line at the top. Fill out each of the boxes below about that one character while
following the directions in each section.

Character’s Name: _________________________

Looks Acts
In this box, sketch the character. Include features In this box, describe how the character acts. What
from how the novel describes his/her appearance. do they do? How do they treat others?
(Answer in at least 3 complete sentences)

Says Changes
In this box, list 3 quotes from your novel, that are In this box, describe how the character changes
either talking about the character or spoken by the throughout the novel by filling in the blanks.
character, which show what kind of person they are.
► At the beginning of the novel, I would describe
the character as _________________,
1. ___________________, and
__________________. (Use 3 adjectives here)
I used these words because___________________
______________________________________
Page # of quote 1: ____ _____________________________________.
2. ► At the end of the novel, I would describe the
character as _________________,
___________________, and
__________________. (Use 3 adjectives here)
I used these words because___________________
Page # of quote 2: ____ ______________________________________
3. _____________________________________.
How has the character changed?
__________________________________
Page # of quote 3: ____ __________________________________