The Christian School at Castle Hills Summer Reading Program

Incoming 7th – 12th Grade Students

DUE DATE: August 25, 2017

Dear Castle Hills Parents and Students,

The Christian School at Castle Hills is committed to promoting a habit of lifelong reading

for every student. The Summer Reading Program helps students develop and maintain reading

skills. Listed below are the directions and expectations for the assignment, which will count as a

test grade in English the first week of school.

Reading Assignments

Students will read two books this summer: one class novel and one chosen from a list.

English Assignment Checklist

1. English Assigned Classic:

_____ Read the required book(s):

7th grade: The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean

8th grade: My Heart Lies South by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino **Please

note: Important to purchase the "Young People's Edition"

9th grade: Animal Farm by George Orwell

10th Grade: The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells

11th Grade: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

12th Grade: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

_____ Be prepared to participate in assignments, group work, and/or projects based on the

book when school begins. Your teacher will determine how you will be held accountable for

reading and understanding the required novel.

2. English Classic Novel of Choice

_____ Read the classic of your choice from the recommended list for your grade.

_____ Complete the response questions for the book of choice (template attached). Bonus

credit is available for completing the response questions for both books or reading an extra

book and completing the questions for it as well.

Summer Reading Choice Lists for Middle School (Incoming 7-8 Graders)

7th Grade:

Title Author

Old Yeller Fred Gipson

A Wrinkle in Time Madeline L'Engle

Caddie Woodlawn Carol Ryrie Brink

The Witch of Blackbird Pond Elizabeth George Speare

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Mildred D. Taylor

8th Grade:

Title Author

Anne of Green Gables L.M. Montgomery

Call of the Wild Jack London

The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien

The Book Thief Markus Zusak

When You Reach Me Rebecca Stead

Summer Reading Choice List for High School (Incoming 9-12 Graders)

9th Grade:

Title Author

A Separate Peace John Knowles

Little Women Louisa May Alcott

This Present Darkness Frank Peretti

All Quiet on the Western Front Erich Maria Remarque

The Time Machine H. G. Wells

Christy Catherine Marshall

The Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane

Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck

Hard Times Charles Dickens

The Chosen Chaim Potok

10th Grade:

Title Author

The Ring of McAllister Robert Marantz

Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

The Jungle Upton Sinclair

Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury

All Things Wise and Wonderful James Herriot

Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad

Moby-Dick Hermann Melville

Great Expectations Charles Dickens

11th Grade:

Title Author

The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Three Musketeers Alexandre Dumas

Don Quixote Cervantes

The Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis

The Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan

Uncle Tom’s Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe

The Greatest Generation Tom Brokaw

Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain

12th Grade:

Title Author

Lord of the Flies William Golding

Rebecca Daphne du Maurier

Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Mark Haddon

Emma Jane Austen

The Invisible Man H.G. Wells

Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis

The Christian School at Castle Hills Summer Reading Response Questions for Grades 7-12

Summer 2017 (to be completed for book of choice)

Student________________________________Grade_________________________ Please type your responses to each of the following:

1. Create a bibliographic citation for your book following MLA guidelines. This is what

your citation should look like:

Instruction: Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher’s City: Publisher, Copyright Date. Print. Example: Levine, Gail Carson. Writing Magic. New York: HarperColins Children’s Books, 2006. Print.

2. Please complete each of the following questions:

A. What is the setting (when and where the story takes place)?

B. Who is the protagonist (lead character, hero/heroine)?

C. Who/what is the antagonist (villain, adversary)?

D. What is the climax (decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or the major turning

point in a story)?

E. What is the main conflict (struggle between opposing forces)? What two

characters/forces are involved in the conflict?

F. What is the conclusion to the story (how is the conflict resolved)?

3. Please complete the questions regarding your thoughts about the book:

A. What life lessons did you learn from this book?

B. What history, culture, events, or issues did you learn about while reading this book?

C. Why do you think this book is considered a classic?

D. Sometimes books touch you, reminding you of your own life, as part of the larger human

experience. What connections did you make between the book and your own life, an

event (or events) that happened to someone you know, and/or what happened in another

book you've read? Explain.

E. What are your three favorite lines/quotes? Copy them into your reading log/journal and

explain why these passages caught your attention.

"How to Keep a Reading Log or Book Journal." About.com Classic Literature. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://classiclit.about.com/od/forstudents/ht/aa_readinglog.htm>.