Both seventh and eighth-grade English classes begin the year by studying the required reading book. If you read your book early in the summer, take notes and/or write chapter summaries so that you can refresh your memory easily in September. It is always a good idea to margin-note and underline important sections in your text.

 

FOR ALL STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE SEVEN:

Read a biography or autobiography.

Making your choice is an important part of this task.  Think about your interests, people you have heard of and are curious about, people you admire, even someone you have never heard of before.  (Remember...not all fascinating people are famous.)  You might also choose a book solely because it is said to be “a good book” or well-written.  Please choose a narrative that spans most or all of a lifetime.  (For example, The Diary of Anne Frank is too narrow in terms of time and focus.  Some books our seventh graders have enjoyed and found to be successful are:  Doc Susie by Virginia Cornell, Growing Up by Russell Baker, and Harriet Tubman by Judith Bentley.) 

Whether you buy the book you choose or borrow it, be sure you can bring it to school during the first weeks in September. 

FOR ALL STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE EIGHT:

Read A Separate Peace by John Knowles.

A Separate Peace is the story of two teenage boys, Gene and Phineas. Told through the eyes of Gene many years after the events of the novel, the story is about Gene's experience at boarding school and his relationship with Phineas who is more popular and more athletic and outgoing. With the backdrop of World War II, the novel reveals profound insights into human nature and will leave the reader astounded by the end.