Putting Together a Summer Reading List - need help

I want to put together a summer reading list for Samantha. She will be in 7th grade next year. I have a few books in mind but I'd like to hear other suggestions. Also I'd like to have some sort of reward program in place. I know when I hand her a summer reading list I will hear moans and groans because "it's summer".:roll: So I'd love to hear your suggestions on rewards. Should I give a reward for each book read? Or a certain number of books? And what type of reward should be given?

 

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Another suggestion is to google something like "recommended reading list for grade x". I found several like that but forgot to mark them down! I even found some suggestions under Yahoo answers off of that search.

 

When I was in ps in 7th grade our teacher kept track of how many books and pages (depending on the reader) and if you had an A in the class. IF you met one of these goals by a certain time....I'm thinking it was after spring break we went on a field trip.

Maybe you could do a big reward & smaller ones like lunches out, or snacks or something.

I'm trying to think of some books.

 

I have a book called Best Books for Kids Kindergarten thru 12th that was put out by BJUP. Some of the ones they suggest for 6th-8th are;

Books by Louisa May Alcot
A Christmas Carol
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
The Phanotm Tollbooth by NOrton Juster
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Anne of Green Gables
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Hope this helps

 

I think it's nice to have a big reward for finishing the whole project, that way she's motivated to keep picking up the books and moving through the list. Maybe a fun trip or shopping experience when she finishes all the books?

Amy

 

Jennifer gave you good list.

reward, what about reading a book or two and out for lunch with mom. 3 books swimming all day.

5 books to seaworld or something, then I can come.

 

Thanks ladies for the suggestions and links. I am putting together a list now.

Now what I need the most help with is the rewards.

I'm thinking a small treat per book and then a larger treat every 5 books or so (?) and then a really big thing if she finishes the whole list.

She loves gift cards so I'm thinking like a small amount on a Sonic or Blockbuster or Starbucks card per book and then lunch out with mom after 5? I dunno. What do you think?

Kris I would love to take her to Seaworld if she finished the whole list!

 

Tiffany, since your dd and my dd are in the same grade, I always watch your questions like this with interest!

How many books will be on the list for her to finish? My dd reads a lot, but not neccessarily classics. I'd need to make that a stipulation, these books from this list need to be read, aside from any books she'd normally read.

 

When you go to Sea World, we'll meet you! We have season passes!

I like the idea of a big reward at the end. That was the motivation is there to get through all of it. I'm lucky that my ds12 loves to read. He's in a book club that reads classics. They've read Stuart Little, The Jungle Book, and Peter Pan so far.

 

Deena - the books on my list are what I consider books that can't be missed. There are many books recommended here that won't be on the list just because she has already read them like A Christmas Carol and all the Little House books as well as Anne of Green Gables. She loves Nancy Drew books and she can read them all she wants but that won't count. I'm not sure how many books there will be total. Right now I only have ten but I'm still working on it.

Pam that would be so cool if we could all met at Sea World!!

 

Has she read Louisa May Alcots books yet? LIttle Women and Little men?
ALso Anne of Green Gables series books are great at that age too! LOts of scope for imagination and fun stuff in the stories!


OH you may check out the Brio Girls stories, though some are about boy girl relationships they usually are good wholesome lessons in teh discuse of a good book!

 

Gift cards sound great. You could also do coupons for things like a movie night or favorite dinner. Rewards are always a fun idea.

 

why don't Nancy Drew books count? Does she read the Picture ones or the real books? MY dd reads both.

 

She read the real ones. The only reason they wouldn't count is that I had planned on having classics on the list and Nancy Drew doesn't fall into that catagory. Stuff like Cricket on the Hearth and Black Beauty and Pilgrims Progress would be on the list.

 

Which Pilgrim's Progress? The REAL one is hard for ME to understand!

Are you just discussing them with her, or will she need to do book reports?

 

one for YOUR reading list...

Have you seen the book Honey for a Child's Heart? It's currently on MY reading list...it's by Gladys Hunt. It's a book described as "the imaginative use of books in family life"(that's on the cover) and has lists of books for kids ages 0-14.

 

Are you looking for books with deep meaning like The Wizard of Oz, Animal Farm, The Children's Story and other literary classics?

 

Beverly Lewis all the way!! My daughter who will also be in 7th grade is hooked on these books too. You just can't put them down. Go check out her website, she is just an awesome author. Another series that could totally hook her would Jeannette Oke. Both are at the tops of my list.
With Beverly Lewis you must start with the first series it's called "Abrams daughters" It has 5 books in the series and then the family branches out. Everyone on this forum should read these books!!
www.beverlylewis.com

 

She has already read Oz but Animal Farm is on my list. I plan on posting it here tomorrow and getting feed back from you ladies.

 

Deena I felt she could handle Pilgrims Progress because she has read things like Moby Dick and Oliver Twist already. Maybe I should rethink that?