6-8 Summer Reading 2023-2024

All students attending TOPS for the 2022-2023 school year must complete a summer reading assignment by September 1, 2023. Students are required to select and read one novel from their grade level and complete a reading log. 

Novel selections for each grade level and reading log templates are listed below.  

Newly enrolled students will need to utilize their local public library, choose a selection that is available online, or purchase their chosen novel. 

Summer Reading Log Template (required for every grade level):

If you have questions about summer reading, please contact Dr. Jeannie Guess.

Summer Reading Novel Options (by grade) 

6th-Grade ELA

Students who are registered for the 6th-grade need to read ONE of the following:

The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit

An online version of this book can be found here.

“When Father goes away with two strangers one evening, the lives of Roberta, Peter and Phyllis are shattered. They and their mother have to move from their comfortable London home to go and live in a simple country cottage, where Mother writes books to make ends meet. However, they soon come to love the railway that runs near their cottage, and they make a habit of waving to the Old Gentleman who rides on it. They befriend the porter, Perks, and through him learn railway lore and much else. They have many adventures, and when they save a train from disaster, they are helped by the Old Gentleman to solve the mystery of their father's disappearance, and the family is happily reunited.”

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

An online version of this book can be found here.

“Beauty begins life as a foal on an idyllic, loving farm. And when he's sold to a local nobleman, he easily makes friends and does himself proud by rescuing his kindhearted owner and the coachman from drowning. But the night he races to the doctor to save his mistress, he's tended to by untrained hands and falls gravely ill.”

The Young Landlords by Walter Dean Myers

“If you were looking for a real ghetto dump, you couldn’t beat The Stratford Arms. There was Askia Ben Kenobi throwing karate chops upstairs, Petey Darden making booze downstairs, and Mrs. Brown grieving for Jack Johnson, who’d died for the third time in a month—and not a rent payer in the bunch. Still, when Paul Williams and the Action Group got the Arms for one dollar, they thought they had it made. But when their friend Chris was arrested for stealing stereos and Dean’s dog started biting fire hydrants and Gloria started kissing, being a landlord turned out to be a lot more work than being a kid.”

All students are required to complete a summer reading log for their novel selection, which will be submitted in the ELA class for a grade. 

7th-Grade ELA

Students who are registered for the 7th-grade need to read ONE of the following:

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

An online version of this book can be found here.

“Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written for all ages, it has been considered a children's novel since the mid-twentieth century. It recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who had intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in Prince Edward Island. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town.”

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

“Tree, a six-foot-three-inch twelve-year-old, copes with his parents' recent divorce and his failure as an athlete by helping his grandfather, a Vietnam vet and recent amputee, and Sophie, a new girl at school.”

Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie

An online version of this book can be found here.

“Originally published in 1911 as Peter and Wendy, this classic children's novel follows the adventures of a mischievous young boy named Peter Pan. Refusing to grow up, Peter lives in the magical world of Neverland with pirates, fairies, and mermaids. With the help of the Lost Boys and the Darling children, Peter bravely battles the evil Captain Hook and his pirate crew in an endless chase around the magical island. This timeless tale of imagination, adventure, and friendship has captured the hearts of generations and remains a beloved classic to this day.”

All students are required to complete a summer reading log for their novel selection, which will be submitted in the ELA class for a grade. 

8th-Grade ELA

Students who are registered for the 8th-grade need to read ONE of the following:

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

An online version of this book can be found here.

The Jungle Book (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who is raised in the jungle by wolves. The stories are set in a forest in India; one place mentioned repeatedly is "Seonee" in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. A major theme in the book is abandonment followed by fostering, as in the life of Mowgli, echoing Kipling's own childhood.

Grimms’ Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

An online version can be found here.

Early in the nineteenth century, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm compiled a collection of stories to preserve the folklore of their native Germany. Forty-three of them — fairy tales, some deliciously dark, that have bewitched readers for generations — are gathered here. These well-loved narratives brim with fearless heroes, humble and hardworking heroines, and treacherous villains, exploring themes of innocence, curiosity, and revenge.

Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer

“Meet Jenna Boller, star employee at Gladstone Shoe Store in Chicago. Standing a gawky 5'11'' at 16 years old, Jenna is the kind of girl most likely to stand out in the crowd for all the wrong reasons. But that doesn't stop Madeline Gladstone, the president of Gladstone's Shoes 176 outlets in 37 states, from hiring Jenna to drive her cross country in a last-ditch effort to stop Elden Gladstone from taking over his mother's company and turning a quality business into a shop-and-schlock empire. Now Jenna Boller shoe salesperson is about to become a shoe-store spy as she joins her crusty old employer for an eye-opening adventure that will teach them both the rules of the road and the rules of life.”

All students are required to complete a summer reading log for their novel selection, which will be submitted in the ELA class for a grade.

Summaries are provided by Amazon.