All Students must complete a Summer Reading Assignment, which will be due on the first day of classes in the fall. For additional reading suggestions for students, see our recommended reading list.
Lower School
Lower School students must read all of the books listed for their respective grade before the first day of school. Much of the first few days of classes will be devoted to group discussions, presentations, in-class writing assignments, and games based on the summer reading books. No book reports or essays need to be written before school begins, although the student may be asked to answer a few guiding questions on each book. It is very fruitful for parents to read the books with their sons (aloud together or separately).
Grade 3: Mr. Reilly
American Tall Tales by Adrien Stoutenburg
Any one selection from the Classic Starts series of books (and prepared oral presentation summarizing the story)
Memorize The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Grade 4: Mr. Golden
- By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman; ISBN 9780316286121
- The Black Stallion by Walter Farley; ISBN 9780679813439
The first week or so of literature class will involve discussions of the summer reading.
The two books listed above are the only required summer reading books, but if time allows I suggest that your son also chooses a story from the list of recommended books for Sparhawk 4th graders. Here is a link to the list.
You are welcome to read the books aloud to your son, or he is welcome to read them on his own. If you do read aloud to him, I would suggest that you have your son generally follow the words on the pages as you read, as well as to have him take turns reading passages, providing him with as much assistance as needed.
Grade 5: Mr. Houde
The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Optional, but encouraged: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
Poem: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost (The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost | Poetry Foundation)
The summer reading assignment is designed to cultivate a love of reading among our students and to prepare them for the fall academic culture at Sparhawk. The first two books listed above are the only required summer reading books, but if time permits, I encourage the boys to also read the 3rd book on the list (The Magician’s Nephew). If your son is looking for more good titles to read, here is a link to a list of recommended reading for Grade 5. Boys should memorize the Frost poem “The Road Not Taken” before the first day of school. After memorizing it, it would be good for him to practice presenting it to his family!
Middle School
All Middle School students will be expected to read one or two books and complete a writing assignment. In addition to demonstrated knowledge of the story, students will be graded on proper spelling, punctuation, logic, and style according to their respective grade levels.
Grade 6: Mr. Janeiro
Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
Read one book from the following list:
- The Chestry Oak, by Kate Seredy
- Icefall, by Matthew J. Kirby
- Redwall, by Brian Jacques
- Shackleton’s Stowaway, by Victoria McKernan
After reading Tom Sawyer and one of the other books, your son should write a thoughtful response for each book. This response can be written or typed, should be at least three paragraphs but no longer than one page, and should answer the prompts below:
- Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not?
- What did you think of the characters? What did you like or dislike about the character(s)?
- Reflect upon major themes (main ideas) of the story. What do you think the book was about? Adventure? Courage? Mercy? Was the author trying to say something in this book?
In addition to the two written/typed responses, to help your son exercise his imagination, I ask that he make one drawing per book. The drawings can be anything related to the story, eg. a character, a map, or a scene. If your son prefers to work his imagination in another way, perhaps through painting or crafting something, I am also open to such alternatives.
Grade 7: Mr. Lechner
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham
- Read one book from the following list:
- The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara
- The Prince and the Pauper, by Mark Twain
- The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow, by Allen French
After reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and one of the other books, your son should write a thoughtful response for each book. This response can be written or typed, should be at least three paragraphs but no longer than one page, and should answer the prompts below:
- Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not?
- What did you think of the characters? What did you like or dislike about the character(s)?
- Reflect upon major themes (main ideas) of the story. What do you think the book was about? Adventure? Courage? Mercy? Was the author trying to say something in this book?
In addition to the two written/typed responses, to help your son exercise his imagination, I ask that he make one drawing per book. The drawings can be anything related to the story, eg. a character, a map, or a scene. If your son prefers to work his imagination in another way, perhaps through painting or crafting something, I am also open to such alternatives.
Grade 8: Mr. Mahoney
What will we be reading this summer to get ready for eighth grade Literature? One text only: Olivia Coolige’s The Trojan War. Coolidge’s account of the Trojan War is the best comprehensive introduction to the Homeric Greek world, and the warriors and gods that somehow inhabited that world at the time of the fall of Troy. In order to help you engage with the text carefully and closely, I have assigned a brief reading guide for the first three sections of the prologue (see the link in the checklist below) which must be completed and brought to class on the first day of school (it may be printed and written on in pencil, or, if a printer is unavailable, answers may be typed and the document emailed to me). The purpose of this little reading guide is just to get you started on the text; it is my hope that, after this introductory exercise, the momentum of the story will take over and he can consider the overarching action and broader themes of The Trojan War. To this end, in addition to completing the reading guide for this book, I am asking each of the rising eighth graders to carefully think about the following multi-part question :
Who do you think is the most heroic character in the Trojan War (or in the surrounding stories that Coolidge recounts)? Why? Make sure that you include your own consideration of what it really means to be a hero, and make sure you justify your character choice with an account of his virtues/personality, as well as all the ways he acted in and/or influenced the war.
You will NOT have to write an essay answering this question. Instead, all you are required to do is complete the FINAL RESPONSES PDF linked in the checklist instructions below. Here you will also find the poetry memorization assignment and the introductory aforementioned Trojan War Reading Guide (just click on the links in the checklist below.)
Grade 8 Summer Reading Checklist and Directions:
- Read Olivia Coolidge’s The Trojan War (Please borrow or buy ISBN 978061815428-9 only).
- Print out and complete the Prologue Reading Guide as he reads the opening prologue of Coolidge (can be completed with pencil, or typed into the Word doc).
- Write 1-2 paragraph response to each of the four questions as FINAL RESPONSES identifying and analyzing the most heroic character in Coolidge’s account of the Trojan war and its beginnings. This FINAL RESPONSES PDF must be printed out and brought to Sparhawk on the first day of class, or emailed to me before this date.
- Memorize W.H. Auden’s The Shield of Achilles.
If you or your son have any questions in this matter, or if there is any issue opening the linked documents above, please feel free to contact Mr. Mahoney at smahoney@sparhawkacademy.org.