Summer Reading - Middle SchoolYou will read two books. Each class is assigned one mandatorybook and you will then choose one other book from the attachedlist. This assignment is due Friday, September 10, 2021.For each book, you will answer the following questions:

Name: Date:

Title: Author:

Publisher: Copyright date:

Summarize the book in one well-written paragraph.

Choose two of the following questions. Answer them in detail.1. Choose a character in the book and describe how you are similar to or

different from him or her.

2. Describe how the setting is important to the plot. Give specific examples.

3. Suggest an alternative title for the book and explain why you think it wouldbe appropriate.

4. Name one theme in the story and give specific events that support it.

5. If you could change one thing in the novel, what would it be? Explain yourreasons.

These books are required:

Entering 6th grade: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.Frankweiler by E.L KonigsburgEntering 7th grade: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. TaylorEntering 8th grade: The Misfits, by James HoweIn addition, you will choose one book from this list:

Middle School Summer Reading List

Wonder, by R.J. Palacio

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity thatprevented him from going to a mainstream school―until now. He’sabout to enter fifth grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever beenthe new kid, then you know how hard that can be. The thing isAuggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But canhe convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despiteappearances?

The Lions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine

As twelve-year-old Marlee starts middle school in 1958 LittleRock, it feels like her whole world is falling apart. Until she meetsLiz, the new girl at school. Liz is everything Marlee wishes shecould be: she's brave, brash and always knows the right thing to say.But when Liz leaves school without even a good-bye, the rumor isthat Liz was caught passing for white. Marlee decides that doesn'tmatter. She just wants her friend back. And to stay friends, Marleeand Liz are even willing to take on segregation and the dangers theirfriendship could bring to both their families.

Cheaper by the Dozen, by Frank Gilbreth

What do you get when you put twelve lively kids together with a father -- a famous efficiencyexpert -- who believes families can run like factories, and a mother who is his partner ineverything except discipline? You get a hilarious tale of growing up that has made generations ofkids and adults alike laugh along with the Gilbreths in Cheaper by the Dozen.

Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father whenthe single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brianfinds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but atattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as apresent—and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart sincehis parent’s divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self pity, ordespair—it will take all his know-how and determination, and morecourage than he knew he possessed, to survive.

The Cay, by Theodore Taylor

Phillip is excited when the Germans invade the small island ofCuraçao. War has always been a game to him, and he’s eager toglimpse it firsthand–until the freighter he and his mother are travelingto the United States on is torpedoed.When Phillip comes to, he is on a small raft in the middle of the sea.Besides Stew Cat, his only companion is an old West Indian, Timothy.Phillip remembers his mother’s warning about black people: “They aredifferent, and they live differently.” But by the time the castawaysarrive on a small island, Phillip’s head injury has made him blind anddependent on Timothy.

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L.Konigsburg

When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, she knows shedoesn't just want to run from somewhere, she wants to run tosomewhere -- to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and, preferably,elegant. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

City. Knowing that her younger brother Jamie has money and thus can help her with a seriouscash-flow problem, she invites him along.Once settled into the museum, Claudia and Jamie find themselves caught up in the mystery of anangel statue that the museum purchased at auction for a bargain price of $225. The statue ispossibly an early work of the Renaissance master, Michelangelo, and therefore worth millions. Isit? Or isn't it? Claudia is determined to find out. Her quest leads her to Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,the remarkable old woman who sold the statue, and to some equally remarkable discoveriesabout herself.

Red Kayak, by Priscilla Cummings

Brady loves life on the Chesapeake Bay with his friends J.T. and Digger.But developers and rich families are moving into the area, and whileBrady befriends some of them, like the DiAngelos, his parents andfriends are bitter about the changes. Tragedy strikes when the DiAngelos’kayak overturns in the bay, and Brady wonders if it was more than anaccident. Soon, Brady discovers the terrible truth behind the kayak’ssinking, and it will change the lives of those he loves forever. PriscillaCummings deftly weaves a suspenseful tale of three teenagers caught in awicked web of deception.

Letters From a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs, by Mary E.Lyons

Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery; it’s the only life she has everknown. Now, with the death of her mistress, there is a chance she will begiven her freedom, and for the first time Harriet feels hopeful. But hopingcan be dangerous, because disappointment is devastating. Harriet has onelast hope, though: escape to the North. And as she faces numerousordeals, this hope gives her the strength she needs to survive.

A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah

Memoirs of a boy soldier, Beah, tells a powerfully gripping story. At agetwelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land renderedunrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by thegovernment army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he wascapable of truly terrible acts. At sixteen, he was removed from fighting by

UNICEF, and through the help of the staff at his rehabilitation center, he learned how to forgivehimself, to regain his humanity, and, finally, to heal.

The Pigman, by Paul Zindel

In The Pigman, what begins as a teenage prank soon becomes a timelessexamination of grief, acceptance, and the transformative power offriendship. High-school sophomores John and Lorraine had no idea whatthey were starting when they made a prank phone call to a stranger namedAngelo Pignati. Virtually overnight, they befriended the old man. But nowMr. Pignati is dead. And for John and Lorraine, the only way to find peaceis to write down their friend’s story—the true story of the Pigman.

Edward’s Eyes, by Patricia MacLachlan

Jake is a part of an extraordinary family. He has a life filled with art,music, and long summer nights on the Cape. He has hours and days andmonths of baseball. But, more than anything in this world, Jake knows hehas Edward. From the moment he was born, Jake knew Edward wasdestined for something. Edward could make anyone laugh and everyonethink. During one special year, he became the only one in theneighborhood who could throw a perfect knuckleball. It was a pitch youcould not hit. That same year, Jake learned there are also some things youcannot hold.

Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli **This book is an option only for 8thgraders**ONLY

Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color andsound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” Shecaptures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spiritrevolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. Atfirst.Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything thatmakes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her

to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity,Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity andthe thrill and inspiration of first love.