Dear Students, Parents and Guardians:
Over the summer months all matriculated students, grades six, seven and eight, will be required to read an assigned book. The books were chosen for relevancy to the respective grade level, and they address issues and themes which will be a center of focus during the school year in English and/or other content areas. They will help facilitate verbal development, maintain literacy skills and serve to optimize student preparation from the very first day of school in September.
Download and print this letter and list here.
We strongly recommend students and their families enjoy the books together; read aloud to one another, discuss the ideas, events, characters met, and spend some pleasant moments in the worlds these authors create.
All incoming sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students should be prepared to participate in class discussions and/or group activities related to their assigned book upon return to school in September. These books serve as the focus of English instruction during the opening days of the 2020-2021 school year. Students will be asked to demonstrate their understanding of these books during the first weeks of school via reading and writing assessments. This literature will also serve as a foundation for a number of assignments throughout the year. As an aid for recollection and comprehension, our English Language Arts Department has created a suggested summer reading outline ; it is strongly suggested that students have this outline completed when returning to school.
Reading is a pleasurable and life-long activity that educates, entertains and enriches the lives of all who participate; join us in making Mahopac Middle School a haven for avid readers.
The following list has been distributed to the Mahopac Public Library for your convenience. These books can also be obtained at local bookstores and through online shopping sites that sell books.
Incoming sixth graders must choose ONE of the following books:
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Counting by Sevens by Holly Sloan
Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac
The Detective's Assistant by Kate Hannigan
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
My Jasper June by Laurel Snyder
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
How to Survive Middle School by Donna Gephart
Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
Pax by Sarah Pennypacker
Incoming seventh graders must choose ONE of the following books:
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Incoming eighth graders must choose ONE of the following books:
Snow Bound by Harry Mazer
That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton
Sincerely,
The Mahopac Middle School English Department
