Middle School Summer Reading (2024): Rising 7th Grade

Book 1: Stand Up, Yumi Chung! By Jessica Kim

Part 1: Annotate (mark up) the text.
As you read the required summer reading book, Stand Up, Yumi Chung!, your humanities teachers would like you to engage with the story by annotating and responding to it. While reading, put a square around new characters, underline new settings, and circle strong or new vocabulary words. Put a star next to strong quotes and plot events that stand out to you about Yumi’s experience.

Note: no writing is required for Part 1; just active reading with a pen.

Part 2: Respond in writing
Choose ONE question from EACH of the columns below to answer in your Google Document. Each response should be written as a well-supported paragraph (5-8 sentences). Write the question first, then give your answer.

The Basics
1. What are the most important events in this book?
2. Who is the main character, what is her main problem, and how does she solve it?
3. Explain in your own words how the setting(s) of the story made it more interesting.
4. Why did Jessica Kim choose the title of this book?

Connecting
1. If you could continue this story, what events would you include and why?
2. Write a letter to a friend recommending this book.
3. Compare the main character of this book to the main character of another book you read.
4. Which of the characters in the book would you want to be friends with? Why?

Digging Deeper
Use three quotes in your response to your chosen question. Write the three quotes first, include the page number, and answer the question.
1. How did Yumi change over time in this book?
2. What is the main lesson about life Jessica Kim wants us to learn from this book?
3. What is the turning point of this book - the moment where everything changes?
4. What would an alternate title for this book be?

Book 2: When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

Read When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller. After you read, answer the following prompts (copy and paste the prompt into your document) using one to three sentences.

Good readers make connections.

1. A connection between the book and myself is ...
2. A connection between this book and something else I’ve read is ...
3. A connection between this book and the world (a historical or current event) is ...

Good readers ask questions.

1. Why? (What questions do you have after reading When You Trap a Tiger?)
2. I wonder? (What do you wonder now that you have read When You Trap a Tiger?)

Good readers visualize the text.

1. Pick an important scene from the book and draw it on the back of your paper. Write the page number from your setting on your picture and two to four sentences about your scene. Please take a photo of your work and include it in your email.

Choose as many independent reading books as you like this summer!

Print the prepared sheet below to keep track of the choice books you read this summer.