Saint John Academy Summer Reading
For Rising 7th Graders
Greetings Parents and Students
The books, stories and poems have been carefully selected to foster an enjoyable and thoughtful reading experience. Enjoy this special time with your child. These assignments are meant to be enriching and meaningful. Be sure to balance the assignments with lots of fun, enjoyable time outside with family and friends.
Best to you and your family.
Mrs. Karen Tessier
Assistant Head Master
Saint John Academy
Core Elements for Rising 7th Graders
- You will need a writing journal (a leather journal that you can use over time).
Read 2 books, (Rabble in Arms is the mandatory read, and you may choose 1 other book from the list).
You are encouraged to read as many as you like.
- For each book draw a picture of something interesting or an image that reminds you of what you read. Think about the characters, the setting and the sequence of events as your draw. Sketch the picture and then color it.
- Write a 1-2 paragraph(s) describing each picture inside of your journal (pictures may be drawn and placed inside journal if you would like).
Rabble in Arms by Kenneth Robertson
King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard (Adventure Fiction)
Lee and Grant at Appomattox by MacKinlay Kantor (Historical Fiction)
The Last Crusader: Don John of Austria by Louis de Wohl (Historical Fiction)
The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley (Political Satire Fiction)
The Once and Future King by T. H. White (Fantasy/Fiction)
True Grit by Charles Portis (Western Fiction)
Black Beauty by Anna Sewall
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Little Women by Mary Louise Alcott
Little Men by Mary Louise Alcott
- Poems
- Read all four recommended poems, copy one and memorize one and recite one at home and in school.
“After Apple-Picking” by Robert Frost
“Before a Statue of Achilles” by George Santayana
“Spring and Fall” by Gerard Manl
“The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth
- Spiritual
- Read the following Gospel passages:
Read The Woman at the Well John 4: 4-42
Read The Good Samaritan Luke 10: 25-37
Please observe and examine the characters and the colors in N.C. Wyeth's “The Good Samaritan”, and Van Gogh's "The Good Samaritan". Use these pictures to help you visualize the Gospel scenes. Choose one of the Gospel passages to narrate and retell the narrative in your own words into your journal. Write a paragraph about the other Gospel passage imaging you are a servant or creature observing what is going on. Describe what you see and hear around you. What are others in the Gospel story doing or observing in the passage.