The Oliver Wendell Holmes School

I.S. 204 Queens

36-41 28th Street Long Island City, NY 11106 (718) 937-1463 Fax: (718) 937-7964

Principal Assistant Principals

Faye Erstejn-Kōtzer Gail Altan
Thomas Carroll

June 25, 2022

Dear Incoming Eighth Grade Student,

Below you will find your summer reading and writing assignments.  These assignments are due on the
first day of school to your ELA (English Language Arts) teacher. This will be the first major grade of the
marking period for your ELA class. Reading these books will help you get a jump start in ELA and help
with independent reading requirements.  It is important to take detailed chapter notes about the main
characters and events. Please make sure that the texts are read, and the writing is completed before the
first day of school.

After reading your books, choose one of the books to write a five-paragraph essay using the prompt on
the next page.  For the second book, please respond to the short response questions.  One of the
completed books will be used for your first independent reading test.  Please use the attached NYS
Writing Rubrics to guide your written responses. All responses should be written on loose-leaf paper or
typed in 12-point font.  Include any pre-written notes and drafts with your final essay. Please be sure to
proofread for errors in grammar and spelling prior to printing your final essay. 

Choose TWO novels from the following list to read independently in the summer.

The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

Refugee, Alan Gratz

Essay Prompt for Book 1 (Five paragraphs, multiple pieces of text evidence)

Respond to the following:  A theme is a message the author wants the reader to take away at the end of
the book. What are the themes of the book you read?  How did the author portray this theme through the
characters and the events in the story? Write a detailed five paragraph essay that:

 Introduce the book and character by giving us some background information.

 Explains the themes of the book
 Uses evidence to support how the author portrays the theme(s)
 Include a conclusion to wrap up the central ideas. 

Short Responses for Book 2

Respond to both questions with at least two details from the text:

 How did one of the characters change throughout the story?  What caused this change? Use
evidence from the text to support your answer.
 What was the conflict of the story? How was this event important to the events and characters in
the story? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.