LibGuides: Summer Reading 2022: Rising 7th Graders

Required Summer Reading for English

For your summer reading assignment, you will read one of the following novels. To ensure the reading is fresh in your mind when you return to school, please do not begin reading your book until August 1st.

The packet you need to open and review is right below this section with a "LOOK HERE!" graphic.

This assignment consists of two parts:
Part 1. Annotation: As you read, mark important words and passages. Write your notes by hand! Please see the annotation guide in the packet if you need help annotating. If you’re using a library book, you may use post-it notes or take notes on separate sheets of paper.

Part 2. Post-reading reflection: Please complete the post-reading worksheet in this packet once you finish reading the book.
Your work will be collected on the first day of school in September.

You may of course read more than just one, but you only have to complete the post-reading reflection for one book. As you read, reflect on the importance of storytelling, which you’ve studied in 6th grade:

What story is the main character trying to uncover?

Why is that story important to them, and how does the story ultimately change them?

In addition, pay attention to the theme of dreams:

What roles do dreams play in the text?

How are they related to the act of storytelling, and why are they necessary for the characters?

Summer Reading Packet with Worksheets
This is the complete Summer Reading Packet for Rising 7th Graders with instructions and annotation guidelines.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide,
she turned into a bird. Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her
maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird.
In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new
relationship with her grandparents. Alternating between real and magic, past and present,
friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a stunning and
heartbreaking novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Fifteen-year-old Will's big brother has been shot and killed. According to the rules that Will
has been taught, it is now his job to avenge his brother’s death. He finds his brother's gun and
gets on the elevator to head down from his eighth-floor apartment. But it's a long way down to
the ground floor. At each floor, a different person gets on to tell a story. Each of these people is
already dead. As they relate their tales, readers learn about the cycle of violence in which Will
is caught up. The protagonist faces a difficult choice, one that is a reality for many young
people.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (Advanced reading challenge!)
How much do we really know of the people closest to us? What stories do we hide from our
loved ones? The Joy Luck Club describes the lives of four women who fled China in the 1940s
to San Francisco and their four Americanized daughters. The chapters are narrated from the
perspective of each character and reveal family secrets, unimaginable losses, and haunting
memories. With an unflinching gaze, this modern classic examines the sometimes painful and
often tender connection between children and their parents.

Required Summer Reading for CPEJ

Middle School students are asked to read the books listed below over the summer in preparation for their goLEAD class next school year. These grade-specific books will connect to the environmental and social justice themes to be explored in the coming school year in goLEAD. Students should read their assigned grade-specific book before returning to school in September.

The Center for Peace, Equity and Justice can loan students a book over the summer, as we have class sets. Carts are set up in the hall just outside the CPEJ room on the fourth floor. Students can drop by and check out a copy for the summer.

Iqbal by Francesco D’Adamo

Paul's Suggested Reading

Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes
A note from Paul:
"I am recommending Johnny Tremain, A Story of Boston in Revolt by Esther Forbes, a historian, whose biography of Paul Revere was published in 1943 (while Anne Frank was writing her diary in the Secret Annex). The Introduction to this particular edition explains that Forbes bravely attempted her first foray into writing a book of historical fiction about the Revolutionary War because she hoped the underlying themes that resonated for her would also move her young readers. The Introduction to Johnny Tremain makes some striking 'connections' between the Revolutionary War & WW II, and the underlying themes include not only the struggle and challenges that the founding fathers faced to create a viable democratic government but also the challenges that later generations have faced to preserve and save it."
Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz (Author) & Tomie dePaola (Illustrator)
A note from Paul:
"I am also recommending Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz, a colorful informative historical account of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Students can revisit a bit of the fourth grade curriculum that covered the Constitution and preview the seventh grade curriculum, which is devoted almost entirely to American History and government."
more...less...
This book is not available on Sora so the link is to Cafe Con Libros' Bookshop.org page. Feel free to get this book from your local library or local independent bookstore.

Reading for Summer Joy!

The books in this section are new books published in 2021-2022 that your Librarian thought you might enjoy this summer. These are suggestions to read for joy. If you don't see anything here that suits you, please read what makes you happy! Developing the habit of reading for joy and relaxation is a life skill and good for the spirit. The link provided will bring you to title on the Friends Seminary Sora page. Many titles are available in ebook or audiobook on Sora. If you would rather read a physical book, please go to your local library or your local independent bookshop.

Happy Summer Reading!

Alice Austen Lived Here by Alex Gino
"Sam is very in touch with their own queer identity. They're nonbinary, and their best friend, TJ, is nonbinary as well. Sam's family is very cool with it... as long as Sam remembers that nonbinary kids are also required to clean their rooms, do their homework, and try not to antagonize their teachers too much.
The teacher-respect thing is hard when it comes to Sam's history class, because their teacher seems to believe that only Dead Straight Cis White Men are responsible for history. When Sam's home borough of Staten Island opens up a contest for a new statue, Sam finds the perfect non-DSCWM subject: photographer Alice Austen, whose house has been turned into a museum, and who lived with a female partner for decades.
Soon, Sam's project isn't just about winning the contest. It's about discovering a rich queer history that Sam's a part of — a queer history that no longer needs to be quiet, as long as there are kids like Sam and TJ to stand up for it."
Borders by Thomas King & Natasha Donovan
"A People Magazine Best Book Fall 2021
From celebrated Indigenous author Thomas King and award-winning Métis artist Natasha Donovan comes a powerful graphic novel about a family caught between nations.
Borders is a masterfully told story of a boy and his mother whose road trip is thwarted at the border when they identify their citizenship as Blackfoot. Refusing to identify as either American or Canadian first bars their entry into the US, and then their return into Canada. In the limbo between countries, they find power in their connection to their identity and to each other.
Borders explores nationhood from an Indigenous perspective and resonates deeply with themes of identity, justice, and belonging."
Caprice by Coe Booth
"From the groundbreaking author of Tyrell, an astonishing middle-grade novel about a girl overcoming the secrets and abuse of her past.
This should be an exciting time for Caprice. She has been offered a place at the school of her dreams, where she's just had a fantastic summer. But this great opportunity coincides with a lot of internal doubt and the disturbing news that her long-estranged grandmother has fallen ill and may be near death. As Caprice tries to figure out her future, she is pulled back toward her past, and the abuse she endured from her uncle when she was little — an abuse she's never told anyone about.
With extreme sensitivity and honesty for middle-grade readers, Coe Booth has written a painful but ultimately healing novel about finding support from your parents and friends, articulating your truth, and choosing your own path."
Fashionopolis The Secrets Behind the Clothes We Wear by Dana Thomas
"A look at fast fashion and its impact on the environment and social justice, perfect for middle grade classrooms.
Did you ever think about where your jeans come from? How about the people who made your T-shirt, or what happens to the clothes you grow out of when you're done wearing them? The fabrics clothes are made of, the way they are designed and sewn and shipped around the world, and the way we consume them and get rid of them—every step in this process has a big impact on our environment, on the people who work in clothing factories, and on our cultures. This nonfiction book shows us how the clothes we wear—and throw away—every day are made, and what that means for our planet and for people around the world."
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
"Me and White Supremacy, Layla Saad's young readers' edition is a timely, crucial, and empowering guide for today's youth on how to be antiracist change makers.
Layla Saad meticulously updated the content for young readers to include:
- definitions and history of various topics covered
- sections to help readers process complex topics
- no time limit—unlike the adult edition, this is not a 28-day challenge so readers can use this
- content for however long it takes to do the work
content that is approachable and applicable for those with and without white privilege
Me and White Supremacy has reached so many adults in their journeys to become better ancestors. This edition aims to teach readers how to explore and understand racism and white supremacy and how young readers can do their part to help change the world. Covering topics such as white privilege, white fragility, racist stereotypes, cultural appropriation, and more, Layla Saad has developed a brilliant introduction and deep dive that is sure to become a standard in antiracist education."
The One Who Loves You the Most by medina
"Twelve-year-old Gabriela is trying to find their place in the world. In their body, which feels less and less right with each passing day. As an adoptee, in their all-white family. With their mom, whom they love fiercely and do anything they can to help with her depression. And at school, where they search for friends.
A new year will bring a school project, trans and queer friends, and a YouTube channel that help Gabriela find purpose in their journey. From debut author medina comes a beautifully told story of finding oneself and one's community, at last."
Operation Do-Over by Gordon Korman
"As a science kid, Mason knows do-overs are impossible, so he can't believe it when he wakes up from a freak accident and finds himself magically transported back to seventh grade. His parents aren't yet divorced and his beloved sheepdog is still alive. Best of all, he and Ty haven't had their falling-out yet.
It makes no logical sense, but Mason is determined to use this second chance to not only save his friendship (and his dog!) but do other things differently—like trying out for the football team and giving new friends a chance. There's just one person he'll be avoiding at all costs: Ava. But despite his best efforts, will he be able to stop the chain of events that made his previous life implode?"
The School for Whatnots by Margaret Peterson Haddix
"Ever since they met in kindergarten, Max and Josie have been inseparable. Until the summer after fifth grade, when Josie disappears, leaving only a note, and whispering something about "whatnot rules."
But why would Max ever think that Josie wasn't real? And what are whatnots?
As Max sets to uncover what happened to Josie—and what she is or isn't—little does he know that she's fighting to find him again, too. But there are forces trying to keep Max and Josie from ever seeing each other again. Because Josie wasn't supposed to be real.
This middle grade thriller from Margaret Peterson Haddix delves into the power of privilege, the importance of true friendship, and the question of humanity and identity. Because when anyone could be a whatnot, what makes a person a real friend—or real at all?"
Those Kids From Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly
"Every day in Fawn Creek, Louisiana, is exactly the same—until Orchid Mason arrives. From Erin Entrada Kelly, the winner of the Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe and a Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, this contemporary school story set in small-town Louisiana is about friendship, family, deception, and being true to yourself and your dreams."
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao
"Zachary Ying never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mom was busy enough making sure they got by, and his schools never taught anything except Western history and myths. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open.
The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack's body and binds to Zack's AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack's mom's soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history's most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor's incredible water dragon powers."