‘ Dear Students and Parents of the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grades:

 

The goal of this summer reading assignment is not to overburden you with needless work. It is, rather, a series of exercises that will help you to practice and maintain the skills that you have already developed in the preceding years and to strengthen and tone your minds in preparation for the coming school year. The purpose of summer is clear: it is a time to relax, rejuvenate, and spend time with your friends and family. Periodic application to these assignments will allow you to remain “school-ready” and will not, in any way, hinder you from having fun. Moreover, I am quite certain that, should you pay good attention to what you are reading, you will enjoy the books that you are meant to read. They are wonderful!

 

Seventh and Eighth Grade will be responsible for at least two books. Sixth Grade will be responsible for one book as a class and one book of their choice. The required books are, by grade, as follows:

 

Eighth:            The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

                       

Seventh:          Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

                        The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

 

Sixth:               The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

                        A Book of Your Choice by An Author of Your Choice

           

In addition, you are encouraged to read as many books as you would like from the lists that are attached and, if none of those capture your fancy, any book that piques your interest. For each report generated pertaining to a book from the list, students will receive an extra credit coupon that they may redeem during the school year worth 15 points. For each book report regarding a book of your choice that is not on the list, you will receive 10 points of extra credit.

 

For each “class” book, students are required to complete the assignments as listed in the following pages by grade level.

 

Thank you for your commitment and attention. Do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions by phone (parents only) and/or by email, as listed below.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

James R. Zatolokin Jr.

Instructor of Literature, Our Lady of Malibu Catholic School

(310) 351-3962

jzatolokin@olmalibuschool.org

 

 

 

 

Grade Eight

 

Assignment #1: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

 

Please respond, in journal form, to the following essay-prompts:

 

  1. What, if anything, is the significance of the title, The Count of Monte Cristo? Please discuss, in some way, the use of irony & foreshadowing, the significance of the title to the plot, and the significance of the title to the conflict of the protagonist and his mission.
  2. Please write a letter to the protagonist with suggestions on how he or she might best address his/her conquest in life. One page.
  3. How do you imagine the setting of the book in your mind? Please describe in poetic detail at least three scenarios: the seaside villages, the castles, the island on which the protagonist is imprisoned, and/or whatever else comes to mind.
  4. Who is Mercedes and why is she important to the essential conflict of the novel?
  5. Please create a visual representation of any scene or scenario from the novel.

 

Assignment #2: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

  1. Please write one or more paragraphs on the significance of the name Daisy. Cite at least three passages and/or instances from the text and provide your own analysis of Fitzgerald’s choice of name here.
  2. How do you regard Fitzerald’s style? Please discuss, in several paragraphs, both his prose description and dialogue.
  3. Who is The Great Gatsby? Is this name ironic? Please write one or two paragraphs.
  4. Do you agree with Nick’s final course of action? Please explain in at least one full paragraph.
  5. What is the essence of this novel, its meaning, message, moral, and/or purpose? Please discuss in one or more paragraphs.

 

 

 

Grade Seven

 

Assignment #1: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

 

Your assignment is to keep a log of your journey with Robinson Crusoe. The journal should include any and all notes, thoughts and/or observations you might have in regards to the story. You should make at least eight journal entries during the course of your reading.

 

Assignment #2: The Lord of the Flies by Arthur Golding

 

Please respond to the following essay prompts. Entries should not exceed four paragraphs.

 

  1. Who is The Lord of the Flies?
  2. What does Piggy represent?
  3. How would you imagine yourself behaving in the situation presented by Golding?
  4. What is the moral significance or message of the novel?
  5. Which side would you choose to fight for given what you know by the end of the novel?

 

Please create a visual representation of what you feel to be the essence of the novel.

 

 
Grade Six

 

Assignment #1: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

 

Questionnaire. Please respond to the following questions on your own sheet of paper.

 

  1. What is the story of the novel?
  2. Who is Arthur Dent? What makes him important to the story of the novel?
  3. Who is Ford Prefect? What makes him important to the story of the novel?
  4. What exactly is the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?
  5. Given what you have read, what three items would you choose to bring to space?

 

Assignment #2: A Book of Your Choice by An Author of Your Choice

 

Please create a visual representation of what you feel to be the essence of the novel you have chosen.

 

 

Universal Format for Extra Credit Reports

 

 

Part I: Introduction

Please write an intelligent introduction that explains the thesis of the novel you have read to your reader. You should begin your paragraph with an eye-popping hook, and end with the thesis of your paper (which, in this case, introduces the thesis of the novel).

 

Part II: The Body

 

In three to five well-written paragraphs, support your thesis. In each paragraph, support the topic sentence of that paragraph with least three to five concrete details from the novel or outside factual information you may have gathered.

 

Part III: The Conclusion

 

Summarize your argument (also, the author’s argument) and provide a conscientious analysis of what you have read and what you have written. That is to say: make a statement.

Summer Reading List 2008, Grade Eight * = required

 

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas*

           

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald*

           

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

           

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

 

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

           

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas

           

Gone With the Wind by

           

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

           

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsglover

           

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

           

The Education of the Little Tree by Forrest Carter

           

Nothing but the Truth by Avi

           

Fax from Sarejevo: A Story of Survivial by Joe Kubert

           

Shogun by James Clavelle

 

Summer Reading List 2008, Grade Seven * = required

 

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Dafoe*

 

The Lord of the Flies by Arthur Golding*

 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

 

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

 

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

 

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Chrichton

 

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur Clarke

 

The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman

 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

 

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

 

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

 

Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang

 

Anne of Green Gables by M. Montgomery

 

The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

 

Puppies, Dogs and Blue Northers by Gary Paulsen

 

Tisha by Anne Purdy

 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare

 

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

 

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by R.L. Stevenson

Treasure Island by R.L. Stevenson

 

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

 

So Far from the Bamboo Grave by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

 

Pardon Me, but You’re Stepping on My Eyeball by Paul Zindel

Summer Reading List 2008, Grade Six * = required

 

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams*

 

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit

 

The House with a Clock in its Walls by J. Bellairs

 

Life is Not Fair by G.W. Barger

 

The Dog Days of Arthur Caine by T.E. Bethancourt

 

Alone in Wolf Hollow by D. Brookins

 

The Incredible Journey by S. Burnford

 

The Court of the Stone Children by E. Cameron

 

A Hero Ain’t Nothing But a Sandwich by A. Chilress

 

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by P. Danziger

 

Locked In Time by L. Duncan

 

Slave Dancer by P. Fox

One-Eyed Cat by P. Fox

 

The Wind in the Willows by K. Graham

 

A Girl Called Al by C. Greene

 

It All Began With Jane Eyre by  S. Greenwald

 

Tin Can Tucker by L. Hall

 

Letters From Rifka by K. Hesse

 

Dinah and the Green Fat Kingdom by L. Holland

 

The Delikon by H.M. Hoover

 

The Phantom Tollbooth by N. Juster

 

A Proud Taste of Scarlet and Miniver by E. Konigsburg

 

To Be a Slave by J. Lester

 

One Fat Summer by R. Lipsyte

White Fang by J. London

 

The Root Cellar by J. Lunn

 

The Island Keeper by H. Mazer

 

Dragondrums by A. McCaffrey

 

Blue Sword by R. McKinley

 

The Trouble with Thirteen by B. Miles

 

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

 

The Solomon System by P.R. Naylor

 

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by R. O’Brien

 

The Great Gilly Hopkins by K. Paterson

 

The Ghost Belonged to Me by R. Peck

 

Cute is a Four Letter Word by S. Pevsner

 

A Pattern of Roses by K.M. Peyton

 

View from the Cherry Tree by W.D. Roberts

 

Icebery Hermit by A. Roth

 

Fourteen by M. Sachs

 

Words by O. Heart Sebestyen

 

Welcome Home, Jellybean by M.F. Shyer

 

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein