Summer Reading

Chatham Public Schools' Summer Reading List:

Grade Five Summer Reading - Chatham Middle School

Select a minimum of three books to read during the summer. Choose books that will interest you! Please be ready to share information about your summer reading with your fifth grade class in the fall.

Please put in writing: title, author, illustrator, favorite passage


Grade Six Summer Reading - Chatham Middle School

Select a minimum of three books:

a biography of your choice, a collection of poetry of your choice, and one book chosen from the list below:


Missing May by Cynthia Rylant

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

A View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Loser by Jerry Spinelli

The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle

What a Great Idea! Inventions that Changed the World by Stephen M. Tomacek


You may wish to read these with a friend, a parent, or even form a book club. Take notes on each book you read. Your notes should reflect your thoughts, questions, and observations. These notes are to be handed to your teacher the first week of school. In addition, during the first weeks of school, there will be an assessment activity based upon your summer reading. We invite and encourage you to read more than that which is required.


Grades 7 & 8 Summer Reading - Chatham Middle School

Please select two books to read this summer that you have not read before. Both should be at an appropriate reading level for you. One should be the recipient of a writing award (The Newberry Medal, Coretta Scott King Award, etc). The other can be an award winner as well, but does not have to be. Select these for yourself. You may take suggestions, but the final decision is yours.

Bring to school in September two pages of notes for each book you read. Your notes should reflect what interested you or puzzled you and should include observations on character, plot, setting, theme, images, or significant passages. Use the questions below to guide you in your writing. This is not the same thing as a book report; those merely state what the book is about. You will need to dig deeper! These notes will be your first grade of the year - plan to start off right!

Summer Reading Questions

Before you read:

What drew you to choose this book? The cover? The description on the back? The recommendation of a friend? What do you anticipate you will find out while reading this book? Why?

Mid point of reading:

Things I really liked so far are:

Something that surprised me is:

Two questions that I have:

After Reading:

Did the book turn out the way you thought it would? Why or why not?

Your favorite part of the book:

Your least favorite part of the book:

Would you recommend it to a friend ? Why or why not?


Chatham High School Summer Reading List

This is a required reading list. The following journal notes should be answered completely before the first day of school in September and submitted to your English teacher. If you do not have English in the fall you still must submit the journal notes on the first day of school.

Include the following items in your journal:

  • Characters - physical and mental characteristics, likable or dislikable, questions about a character, etc

  • Plot - brief explaination of the plot, does the story seem convincing, any surprises.

  • Scenes - any memorable lines or scenes that you feel are important to the novel.

  • Literary Style - any recurring symbols, metaphors, or images.

  • Your Opinion - using constructive analysis give your opinion of this book and reasons why.

    • Students taking college prep English must read one book and those taking honors and AP English must read two books.


    FRESHMEN

    COLD SASSY TREE - Burns

    EATERS OF THE DEAD - Crichton

    DEATH BE NOT PROUD - Gunther

    KIDNAPPED - Stevenson

    ANNE OF GREEN GABLES - Montgomery

    ELLEN FOSTER - Gibbons

    SNOW IN AUGUST - Hamill

    ANGELA'S ASHES - McCourt


    SOPHOMORES

    MIDWIVES - Bohjalian

    A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT - Maclean

    STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND - Heinlein

    ANIMAL FARM - Orwell

    PIANO LESSON - Wilson

    SUMMER OF 49 - Halberstam

    THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE - Lipman

    THE WEDDING - West


    JUNIORS

    HEAVEN'S PRISONERS - Burke

    THE LONGINGS OF WOMEN - Piercy

    DA VINCI CODE - Brown

    THE GLASS MENAGERIE - Williams

    EARLY AUTUMN - Parker

    TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY - Steinbeck

    MAKES ME WANT TO HOLLER - MacCall

    AN AMERICAN CHILDHOOD - Dillard

    DUNE - Herbert

    THE DRESS LODGER - Holman


    SENIORS

    READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN - Nafisi

    SULA - Morrison

    WUTHERING HEIGHTS - Bronte

    PRINCE OF TIDES - Conroy

    RULE OF THE BONE - Banks

    THE SHIPPINGNEWS - Proulx

    PALACE WALK - Mahfouz

    CIDER HOUSE RULES - Irving

    THE GREAT SANTINI - Conroy

    THE KILLER ANGELS - Shaara

    THE KNOWN WORLD - Jones

    IN COLD BLOOOD - Capote