7th Grade Honors Summer Reading
You MUST read the following book and complete the packet.
Freak the Mighty -Rodman Philbrick Meet Maxwell Kane, narrator of Freak the Mighty. He’s a timid soul stuck in the body of a teenage giant with size 14 shoes. Haunted by a dark secret in his past, he hides out in his basement room, avoiding the world. But when a new kid moves in next door Max’s life changes forever. The two outcasts form the ‘normal’ world team up to become “Freak the Mighty.”
Choose ONE of the following books to read. You will be assigned a project and an essay over this book within the first week of school.
Belle Prater’s Boy - Ruth White When Belle Prater disappears, Belle’s boy, Woodrow, comes to live with his grandparents in Coal Station, Virginia. Woodrow’s cousin Gypsy is the town beauty, but she has hidden sorrows and secrets of her own. She wonders how Woodrow can accept his mother’s disappearance when she’s never gotten over her father’s death. That’s when Woodrow tells Gypsy the secret about his mother.
Monster - Walter Dean Myers Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I'll call it what the lady who is the prosecutor called me.
The House on the Gulf- Margaret Petterson Haddix Nothing is at it seems. When Britt's older brother, Bran, lands a summer job house-sitting in Florida, it seems like a great opportunity. Britt's family has just recently moved to Florida, and could use the extra money while her mom finishes college. There's only one problem: Britt starts to suspect her family isn't supposed to be there. Britt starts poking around, and makes a startling discovery -- the owners of the house aren't who Bran says they are. So whose house are they living in, and why has Bran brought them there?
The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, Book 1)- Michael Buckley In paperback for the first time, the Sisters Grimm take readers to a world where fairy tales are fact and not everyone is who they seem! In book one of this bestselling series, sisters Sabrina and Daphne are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother, Relda Grimm. The sisters learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, whose famous book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files. The girls are the latest in a long line of fairy-tale detectives, and their new hometown is filled with Everafters (as magical folks like to be called)—some good and some very, very bad. When a mysterious Everafter sets a giant loose on the town, it’s up to the Sisters Grimm to save the day.
Absolutely Normal Chaos- Sharon Creech Mary Lou Finney is less than excited about her assignment to keep a journal over the summer. Boring! Then cousin Carl Ray comes to stay with her family, and what starts out as the dull dog days of summer quickly turns into the wildest roller coaster ride of all time. How was Mary Lou suppose to know what would happen with Carl Ray and the ring? Or with her boy-crazy best friend Beth Ann? Or with the permanently pink Alex Cheevey? Suddenly a boring school project becomes a record of the most exciting, incredible, unbelievable summer of Mary Lou's life. But what if her teacher actually does read her journal?
Mockingbird- Kathryn Erskine Caitlin has Asperger's. The world according to her is black and white; anything in between is confusing. Before, when things got confusing, Caitlin went to her older brother, Devon, for help. But Devon has died, and Caitlin's dad is so distraught that he is just not helpful. Caitlin wants everything to go back to the way things were, but she doesn't know how to do that. Then she comes across the word closure- and she realizes this is what she needs. And in her search for it, Caitlin discovers that the world may not be black and white after all. For upcoming 7th graders- this is for your required reading! Freak the Mighty Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension
Part I Directions: Define the following words. DO NOT write the definitions on this paper (unless you print this from the website). You will need to write the definitions on a separate piece of paper unless you print this from the school website.
1. Admittance
2. Attempt
3. Avarice
4. Bloated
5. Cavalry
6. Cellar
7. Cripple
8. Horizon
9. Hunker
10. Incident
11. Invent
12. Nanosecond
13. Numb
14. Puny
15. Pyramid 16. Rage
17. Steed
18. Tracheotomy
19. Unvanquished
20. wheeze
Part II Directions: On an INDEX card, write a paragraph summary for EACH chapter on a 3x5 index card. There are 24 chapters, so you will need to turn in 24 index cards. A summary includes only the most important parts. A paragraph is at least five sentences.