seventh grade summer reading assignments check list - Harbor Day ...

Dear Seventh Grade Students,
Hooray for summer! You will have free time now, so find some good books and dig in. You
will want to start with The Ear, the Eye and the Arm, an adventurous tale of three siblings who
are kidnapped while a genetically engineered blue monkey distracts them. When you finish this
book, keep reading! You will find some Young Adult (YA) authors in your packet. You can get
additional recommendations for fiction or non-fiction books from friends, librarians or
bookstore owners.
Please complete the comprehension questions for The Ear, the Eye and the Arm. You will write
on two of the three additional books that you read this summer. You may choose a Reading
Activity from the list in your packet for these two written assignments. These activities are a
good opportunity to practice your writing and critical thinking skills.
Have a great summer. You have worked hard this school year. Reward yourself by reading! See
you in September. Love,
Mrs. Mailloux
SEVENTH GRADE SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS CHECK LIST
____ I have read The Ear, the Eye and the Arm.
____ I have completed the required written activities.
____ I have read 3 additional books this summer.
____ I have completed two Reading Activities on two of the other books I have read.
____ I have listed and rated the three books I have read this summer (not The Ear, the Eye and
the Arm.)
Rate on a scale of 1 (not enjoyable) to 10 (one of the best books I have read.)
1. Title: ______________________________________________________________________
I rate this a___ because_________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Title: ______________________________________________________________________
I rate this a___ because_________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Title: ______________________________________________________________________
I rate this a___ because________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
(You may list additional titles on the back.)
____ My work is in a folder ready to take to school on September 7 th , 2012.
Name___________________________
Parent Signature__________________________

Part 1
Directions: Choose and answer any four questions for The Ear, the Eye and the
Arm. Please make sure that each answer is well thought out, nicely written, and at
least one half page in length (full page if you are writing by hand). If a question
has more than one part, be sure to answer all the parts!
1. In your opinion, what was the most exciting part of the story? Why?
2. Which one of the three detectives was the most valuable? Explain.
3. Nancy Farmer created some exciting locals for her story, such as Dead Man’s
Vlei, Resthaven and the Mile-high Mac-Ilwaine. With her rich descriptions, it was
easy to picture each of these places. Choose you favorite and draw a picture of how
it would look. Include a few sentences explaining your drawing.
4. Describe the character She-Elephant. Did you like her by the end of the book?
Explain.
5. Humor is sprinkled throughout the novel. Describe two funny events, or
characters from the novel. Why was it important for the reader to laugh ?
6. What was the Mellower’s job? Could we use someone like that in our homes?
Why?
7. Explain the significance of the ndoro that Tendai found. Why did he believe in
its magic?
8. Most of the characters changed by the end of the book. Choose one character
and describe some of the changes that took place. Give two examples of what
caused these changes.
Part 2
Please select two books you have read this summer and complete a reading activity
for each. Refer to the guidelines included in your packet.

Reading Activities for Grades 5, 6, 7 Summer Reading
Directions: After you finished reading your book, choose one activity to complete. Your written responses
should be at least ¾ of page in length. Please do activities for 2 of your summer reading books.
1. Compare this book with another you have read that was similar (another mystery, or has
same time period, for example.)
2. Could you imagine a different ending for this book? Write one! Explain why your version
works.
3. Think about the theme, or big idea for this book. Write a poem or rap that talks about this
theme. Compose at least eight stanzas.
4. Create a flow chart that includes the main events of the plot in your book. Use arrows to
indicate if event was happy (up) or sad (down.)
5. Design a postcard for one of the characters to send. Have a message on one side, and a
picture on the other. Be prepared to explain your choices.
6. Write a diary entry for one of the characters in your book. Your entry should talk about a
major event in the book, and that character’s thoughts.
7. Review this book. Discuss the book’s strengths and weakness, your opinion of the
writing, characters, plot, and audience.
8. Could your book have a sequel? Write your ideas for the plot of the second book. (Avoid
doing this activity if your book has a sequel)
9. Make and label three or more drawings from your book. Choose your favorite scenes to
illustrate.
10. What are the top 10 websites a character from your book would visit? Write two or three
sentences explaining why your character would enjoy those sites. Ask permission from
your parents to be on the Internet.
11. Students Entering 6 th Grade ONLY: Create a glog with title, author, characters,
summery, recommendation, author info and one link.

Some Good Fiction, Non-fiction and Series Recommendations for Grades 6 and 7
Blackwood, Gary. Around the World in 100 Days.
Bragg, Georgia. How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous.
Bradford, Chris. Young Samurai series.
Brucha, Joseph. The Fourth Dragon Castle.
Bristow, David L. Sky Sailors: True Stories of the Balloon Era.
Carmen, Patrick.Trackers series.
Catanese, P. W. The Books of Umber series.
Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Mighty Miss Malone.
Dasher, James. Maze Runner Trilogy, 13 th Reality series.
DiTerlizzi, Tony. Search for WondLa series.
Deedy, Carmen Agra. The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale.
Doyle, Roddy. A Greyhound of a Girl.
Engle, Margarita Engle. Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck.
Fagan, Deva. Circus Galacticus.
Flavin, Teresa. The Blackhope Enigma.
Fleming, Candace. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart.
Garcia, Rita Williams. One Crazy Summer.
Gantos, Jack. Dead End in Novelt.
Gordon, Roderick. Tunnels series.
Green, Tim. Pinch Hit.
Grisham, John. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer series.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Always War, The Missing series.
Harnett, Sonya. The Midnight Zoo.
Healy, Christopher. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom.
Hirsch, Jeff. The Eleventh Plague.
Horowitz, Anthony. Alex Rider Adventure series.
Jacobson, Jennifer Richard. Small as an Elephant.
Kirpatrick, Katherine. The Story of Kennewick Man.
Levine, Kristin.The Lions of Little Rock.
Lai, Thanhha. Inside Out and Back Again.
LaFleur, Suzanne. Eight Keys.
Lawrence, Caroline. The Case of the Deadly Desperados: Western Mysteries, Book One.
London, C. Alexander. An Accidental Adventure series.
Lore, Pittacus. Lorien Legacies series.
Macy, Sue. Wheels of Change: How Women rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the
Way)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Glorious Adventures of the Sunshine Queen.
McMann, Lisa. The Unwanteds series.
Martin, Ann M. Ten Rules for Living with My Sister.
Nelson, Kadir. Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans.
Patterson, James. Witch and Wizard series.
Peacock, Shane. The Boy Sherlock Holmes series.
Ritter, John H. Fenway Fever.
Rose, Caroline Starr. May B.
Rubin, Susan Goldman, Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein.
Turnage, Sheila. Three Times Lucky.
Walker, Sally M. Frozen Secrets: Antarctica Revealed.
Walsh, Pat. The Crowfield Curse series.
Wood, Maryrose. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place.
Urban, Linda. Hound Dog True.
Yolen, Jane. Snow in Summer: Fairest of them All.