Christian School Middle School Required Reading Program 2015-2016

The Middle School Required Reading Program is intended to encourage students to read for breadth and depth throughout the year, particularly during the summer. This is directly connected to the middle school English curriculum and is designed to further develop and enhance critical reading skills. By the end of 8th grade, all students will have completed a minimum of twelve titles. This cumulative reading requirement will be adjusted for students entering CCS in 7th or 8th grade.

• Students should pace their reading to complete an average of two (2) books each summer; a minimum of one (1) completed book and associated report will be required by Monday, August 10, 2015. • Students may complete additional books and turn in associated reports at any time during the school year. • Students may read books that are at or above their suggested grade level. • Students will receive credit for a minimum of two (2) books per year as part of the English curriculum in each grade level.

Choose from the following thirty titles over the course of sixth, seventh, and eighth grades: *Indicates a novel study which will be completed in a middle school English class

Titles Arranged by Suggested Grade Level

Across Five Aprils, Irene Hunt The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain Amos Fortune, Free Man, Elizabeth Yates Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery The Black Cauldron, Lloyd Alexander Rising *, Elizabeth George Speare 6th Graders A Child’s Garden of Verses, Robert-Louis Stevenson Crispin: The Cross of Lead, Avi Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank , Ester Forbes *Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt

End of the Spear, Steve Saint I Am the Clay, Chaim Potok Redwall, Brian Jacques Rising Rifles for Watie, Harold Keith 7th Graders *Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred Taylor *, Ellen Raskin Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare , Madeline L’Engle

The Call of the Wild, Jack London , Lowis Lowry *The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare Rising Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen 8th Graders Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe *Scarlett Pimpernel, Baroness Orczy Silas Marner, George Eliot Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass

Write a Book Review: Evaluate the book for the purpose of helping others know whether they should read it themselves. It can include just the positive or negative aspects of the book or both.

The Book Review should be three to four paragraphs in length and include an introduction, body paragraph(s), and a conclusion. The format will vary by whether it is a fiction or non-fiction book. For a fiction book, include characters, plot, setting, and theme. If reviewing a non-fiction book, evaluate how useful, correct, and well-presented the book’s information is to the reader. For A Child’s Garden of Verses, discuss the theme of the poetry and how you related to it. A simple guide to follow would be the following:

Format: Book reviews should be formatted like an essay. This means that you need to write an essay with an introduction, body and conclusion.

1. The introductory paragraph of a book review usually includes . . . • the main idea for a non-fiction book or the theme for fiction; • identify the author, the title of the book • author’s background or your experience with other books by this author (this is optional); • your thesis (your opinion why other people should read the book).

2. The body of your essay must include . . . • your summary of the main points of the book; • your evaluation of the book where you explain to your reader why they should read the book or not.

3. The conclusion of your essay . . . • should remind your reader of your thesis • may also review the main points of your essay • should restate the introduction, but in different words

Submit: Double-space in the standard #12 Times New Roman font. Head the paper in the upper right- hand corner, including your first and last name, grade, and date of the report. Staple the pages before turning in. Do not use a cover sheet or report cover. Turn in a paper copy to the middle school lead teacher, Mrs. Lowers.