Summer Reading for Eighth Graders - Englewood on the ...
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Science and Math assignments are accessible at our school website:
https://englewoodcharterschool.com/middle-school-2021-summer-assignments/
Summer Reading for Eighth Graders
1. All incoming eighth grade students are required to read at least three
books this summer. All students are required to read The Perks of Being a
Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky. Students are also required to choose two
other books. One choice book must be literary and the other must be
informational.
2. While reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, students will create a
“Matchbook Summary” for the book. Project details and rubric can be found
at the back of this packet.
3. After reading each choice book, students will choose one activity from the
list below. Refer to the attached rubric.
Activities: (Choose one for each book you read)
Write a letter to the author or illustrator
Choose two people or characters from two different books who you
think would be great friends. Why?
Choose one book location or setting to live in for a week- it can be
fiction or nonfiction. Which book would you choose and why?
Take a photo of the cover of each book you read. Create a small
photo collage.
Recommend a book to a friend or family member. Which title did you
choose and why did you recommend it?
Create a picture book version of the story that would appeal to
younger students.
4. Complete the attached reading log. Students are required to read at least
four days a week.
5. Please submit all of the above work on the first day of class. For every day
late you will lose 5 points.
1
Summer Reading
Grading Rubric-Total of 20 points
**Use this checklist to check your work**
Did I complete my project and turn it Yes No 2 points
in by the first day of school (You will lose 1 point for
each day it is late.)
Did I include my first and last name Yes No 2 points
on my project? (1 point for their first name,
1 point for their last name)
Is my work creative and original? Is Yes No 2 points
it neat and attractive?
Are my sentences 6 grade quality?
th
Yes No 5 points
Did I follow the project directions? Yes No 3 points
Are the title and author of the book Yes No 2 points
I read written on my project? (1 for the title, 1 for the
author)
Did I use correct spelling, Yes No 4 points
capitalization, grammar, and (1 point for accuracy in
punctuation? each category)
Final Score __________ points
2
6th Grade Summer Book Report Project
“Matchbook Summaries”
**These projects must be done for The Perks of Being a
Wallflower
By: Stephen Chbosky
Materials needed: one file folder
3.5 by 6 inches’ index cards or pieces of white construction paper.
Instructions:
After completing each chapter in your book, fold the bottom “tab” up of your index
card / paper about 1/2 inch.
The top side gets folded down until it lines up with the crease from the tab.
On the outside of the matchbook, draw and color your favorite scene from that
chapter. On the inside of the matchbook, write a summary of the chapter. Write a
5-7 sentence summary; no more, no less. Pick and choose the most important
event(s) to include in your summaries.
Use the small zip lock bag to store all of your matchbooks for the duration of the
novel study. Don't glue them into the file folder until the very end when all
matchbooks are complete. This allows you to arrange and fit them into the file
folder appropriately. They will look nice when they are all complete, and they
come in handy when you need to refer back to the text, but aren't exactly sure
where a particular event occurred in the book.
3
Create a detailed cover on the file folder to represent the book. Make sure the
title and author is present on the front. Cover the whole front of the file
folder. On the tab write the title of the book and your name.
Staple your reading log to the back side of your project.
Due the first day of school
Required Reading
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
Suggested Reading
8th Grade - Suggested Summer Reading List
An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by
Jim Murphy Provides an account of the yellow fever epidemic that swept through Philadelphia in
1793, discussing the chaos that erupted when people began evacuating in droves, leaving the city
without government, goods, or services, and examining efforts by physicians, the Free African
Society, and others to cure and care for the sick.
4Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech Thirteen-year-old Mary Lou grows up
considerably during the summer while learning about romance, homesickness, death, and her
cousin's search for his biological father.
Artificial Intelligence by Phillip Margulies History of and the quest for artificial intelligence.
Discusses the definition of artificial intelligence, the development of "thinking" machines, and
what computers may be able to do in the future.
Beyond Jupiter: the Story of Planetary Astronomer Heidi Hammel by Alfred Bortz Presents a
look at the life and career of planetary astronomer Heidi Hammel, providing information on her
childhood, her education, and her work using the world's most powerful telescopes to study the
planets.
Christy by Catherine Marshall In 1912, nineteen-year-old Christy Huddleston leaves her
comfortable home to teach in a one-room schoolhouse in an isolated area of the Great Smokies.
The Cold War Pigeon Patrols and Other Animal Spies by Danielle Denega How animals are
used for espionage in a setting that deals with war.
Computer Game Developer by Mary Firestone Presents the history of computer game design,
and describes the various types of computer games, the tools of a game designer, and how to
become a computer game designer.
Crash by Jerry Spinelli Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with
his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his
grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.
Criminal Profiling by Barbara J. Davis Examines the techniques used by law enforcement to
create and apply criminal profiles in investigations of violent crime, exploring the origins of
profiling, methods, motive, modus operandi, and signature, and discusses real cases.
Do U Read Me? Famous Cases Solved by Handwriting Analysis! by Diane Webber The
science of forensics in the world of crime and criminal investigations.
Downriver by Will Hobbs Jessie and the other rebellious teenage members of a wilderness
survival school team abandon their adult leader and try to run the dangerous white water of the
Grand Canyon.
Edgar Allan Poe: A Biography by Milton Meltzer Examines the troubled life of the nineteenth-
century writer whose poetry and short stories broke new ground in American literature.
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien Frodo the hobbit and a band of warriors from the
different kingdoms set out to destroy the Ring of Power before the evil Sauron grasps control.
Fields of Fury: The American Civil War by James M. McPherson Richly illustrated with
photographs, paintings, and maps, this book examines the causes, events and effects of the
American Civil War. The
5Fighting Ground by Avi Thirteen-year-old Jonathan goes off to fight in the Revolutionary War
and discovers the real war is being fought within himself.
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their
feelings about themselves, each other, and how their families have changed over the years.
The Ebola Virus by Kris Hirschmann Provides information about the Ebola virus, explaining
what it is and its causes, and discussing its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and
outbreaks.
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry A sequel to The Giver. Lame and suddenly orphaned, Kira is
mysteriously removed from her squalid village to live in the palatial Council Edifice, where she
is expected to use her gifts as a weaver to do the bidding of the all-powerful Guardians. See
Messenger on this list, the third title in this science fiction trilogy.
A Gathering of Days by Joan Blos The journal of a 14-year-old girl, kept the last year she lived
on the family farm, records daily events in her small New Hampshire town, her father's
remarriage, and the death of her best friend.
Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary Follows the popular children's author from her childhood
years in Oregon through high school and into young adulthood, highlighting her family life and
her growing interest in writing.
The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss Each of the girls in a middle-school clique reveals the strong,
manipulative hold one of the group exerts on the others, causing hurt and self-doubt among the
girls.
The Greatest: Muhammad Ali by Walter Dean Myers An illustrated biography of boxing great
Muhammad Ali that addresses his politics, his fight against Parkinson's disease, and boxing's
dangers.
Guts by Gary Paulsen The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his
books about the character, Brian Robeson.
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson Sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks inherits her uncle's
homesteading claim in Montana in 1917 and encounters some unexpected problems related to
the war in Europe
Helen Keller: Rebellious Spirit by Laurie Lawlor. An illustrated biography of Helen Keller,
sharing aspects of her personality and sometimes radical beliefs, and discussing her relationship
with her teacher Annie Sullivan and other important people in her life and work.
The Hero of Ticonderoga by Gail Gauthier When Therese is chosen to do the coveted oral
report on Ethan Allen, she learns a great deal about the Vermont hero and also discovers what
pleasure she gets from writing and presenting the report.
Hoops by Walter Dean Myers A teenage basketball player from Harlem is befriended by a
former professional player who, after being forced to quit because of a point shaving scandal,
hopes to prevent other young athletes from repeating his mistake.
6Knots on My Yo Yo String by Jerry Spinelli This Italian-American Newbery Medalist presents
a humorous account of his childhood and youth in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
Left for Dead: A Young Man’s Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson
Recalls the sinking of the USS Indianapolis at the end of World War II, the navy coverup and
unfair court martial of the ship’s captain, and how a young boy helped the survivors set the
record straight fifty-five years later.
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson Impoverished Vermont farm girl Lyddie Worthen is determined to
gain her independence by becoming a factory worker in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1840s.
Memories of Summer by Ruth White In 1955, thirteen-year-old Lyric finds her whole life
changing when her family moves from the hills of Virginia to a town in Michigan and her older
sister, Summer begins descending into mental illness.
Messenger by Lois Lowry In the third title of Lowry’s science fiction trilogy that includes The
Giver and Gathering Blue, teenage Matty lives with his caregiver in the Village, a place that
initially seemed a refuge. However, the Village people are changing, and many have voted to
build a wall to keep the newcomers out.
Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica After her mother's death, twelve-year-old Molly learns
that her father is a basketball star for the Boston Celtics.
Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse Thirteen-year-old Nyle learns about relationships and death
when fifteen-year-old Ezra, who was exposed to radiation leaked from a nearby nuclear plant,
comes to stay at her grandmother's Vermont farmhouse.
Pillow of Clouds by Marc Talbert Angry at being forced to decide which of his divorcing
parents will get custody of him, Chester is further burdened with guilty feelings about the parent
he is leaving behind.
Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of
a chain of successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is trying to
force her to retire, and along the way Jenna hones her talents as a saleswoman and finds the
strength to face her alcoholic father.
The Silent Storm by Sherry Garland Thirteen-year-old Alyssa has not spoken since seeing her
parents die in a hurricane, and now, three years later, another storm threatens the home she
shares with her grandfather on Galveston Island.
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan Jake, a budding juvenile delinquent, is sent
for home schooling to the arty and eccentric Applewhite family’s Creative Academy, where he
discovers talents and interests he never knew he had.
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen After his anger erupts into violence, fifteen-year-old
Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on
the Native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter
with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life.
7Ultimate Basketball: More Than 100 Years of the Sports Evolution by John Hareas Presents a
photographic chronicle of the history of professional basketball from 1891 through 2003, with
accounts of notable players, coaches, arenas, fans, and other aspects of the game, and a look at
basketball on the international stage, in the Olympics, in the women's league, and the hall of
fame.
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old
Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts
the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.
The Winter People by Joseph Bruchac Fourteen-year-old Saxso, a member of the Abenaki tribe
in Canada, embarks on a dangerous rescue mission when his mother and two younger sisters are
taken hostage during an attack by the British on their unprotected village in 1759.
The Wish by Gail Carson Levine Wilma, granted her wish to be the most popular girl in school,
forgets that she will graduate from eighth grade in three weeks and her popularity will vanish.
Woodsong by Gary Paulsen For a rugged outdoor man and his family, life in northern Minnesota
is a wild experience involving wolves, deer, and the sled dogs that make their way of life
possible. Includes an account of the author's first Iditarod, a dogsled race across Alaska.
Series
Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz The novels revolve around an orphan teenager, Alex
Rider, being recruited by MI6 to be sent out on various missions.
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket After the sudden death of their parents, the
three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the
distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get
their fortune.
The Redwall Series by Brian Jaques A popular fantasy series about a kingdom of mice that has
gripped the imagination of readers. In the first title Redwall, the peaceful life of ancient Redwall
Abbey is shattered by the arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes, Matthias, a
young mouse, determines to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior which, he is
convinced, will help Redwall's inhabitants destroy the enemy.
Shadow Children Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix In a future where the Population Police
enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke Garner and other "thirds" (whose
very existence is a capital crime) struggle to stay hidden and to gain the right to live.
8Summer Reading Log
You are required to read 45 minutes each weekday and record it on this log. Please
bring this log in on the first day of school with your book reports.
Name: ______________________________
Date Title and Chapter Author Type of Book Parent’s Signature
910
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