City Honors School            

                                             Summer Reading 2022

                                              Entering Grade 7

What our ELA faculty expects you to read this summer:

Required Text:

One Crazy Summer                                               Rita Williams-Garcia

Choose ONE additional title from the list:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian                          Sherman Alexie

Ender’s Game                                                                               Orson Scott Card

A Wrinkle in Time                                                                          Madeline L’Engle

White Fang                                                                                   Jack London

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an                                    Adeline Yen Mah 

             Unwanted Daughter              

When My Name Was Keoko                                                        Linda Sue Park

MAUS I                                                                                         Art Spiegelman

Stargirl                                                                                          Jerry Spinelli

Why we expect you to complete this reading

To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must read widely and deeply from a broad

range of high quality, increasingly challenging, literary and informational texts throughout the year. Research

has shown that children who do not read during the summer vacation can lose approximately 3-4 months of

reading gains made during the previous school year. Reading during the summer months fosters reading growth

(The Reading Teacher Journal; April, 2013). We want all of our students to make reading a favorite part of their

free time… and take a vacation through a good book! New York State Learning Standards suggest that children

should be reading a minimum of 25 books each year.

What you should do before you read these texts

Research.  While you cannot decide on the first book, you can decide for yourself regarding the second one.

Do a little research. There are a variety of books on the list. If you enjoy adventures, biographies, mysteries,

realistic or historical fiction, there is something available for everyone. Research to find the book that interests

you the most and then read it.

What you should do while you are reading

Pay attention. You should be able to discuss the various elements of the story (exposition, plot summary, setting,

characterization, climax, resolution, and theme) but also be able to discuss these elements for each book (the

required and your choice). You are allowed to write notes down and bring them into class on these elements.

Another small moment... If in the first three chapters, you cannot comprehend or are not enjoying the book you

have selected for the second choice, choose a different one. You cannot do this for One Crazy Summer, but

you can for your independent selection.  If you have questions, e-mail me.

How we will make use of the reading when we return to school

When we return to school, we will discuss the books you have read and will use the information contained in

each text not only for discussion, but also for use as we connect to the literature used in class for the coming

school year.

Additional things you need to succeed in English Language Arts for the upcoming school year

 ___ 1 and 1/2 inch binder (1 inch is fine but other subject papers are not to be kept in the English binder)

 ___ 1 pack of 5 or 8 tab dividers (8 tab is preferred but 5 is acceptable)           

 ___ 1 package index cards

 ___  Loose-leaf paper (college ruled)

 ___ Pens (black/blue ink only)

 ___ Pencils (#2) (an eraser will be helpful)

 ___ highlighters

 ___a box of tissues          

 ___a “jump”, “stick”, or “flash” drive (good size is 4 GB ... Your child’s name should be the name in the device.

           If you need help with this, I will teach you how to change it.)

Whom to contact for questions

E-mail Ms. Shea at ashea@buffaloschools.org