Welcome to Eighth Grade!

Dear incoming eighth graders,

Over the summer, you will be responsible for reading three books. The first book is The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, which has been chosen for all incoming eighth graders to read. You may choose the second and third books from the list here. However, if you have a book in mind that you would like to read that is NOT on the list, that is totally fine. I want you to find books that you love and enjoy reading! Whether you choose books from the list or not, please make sure that you are choosing books that you have not already read!
If you have any questions, you can email me at cfernandez@notredameint.org.

Mandatory Book: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank


In 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, the Franks and another family lived hidden in the “Secret Annex” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary, Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. Thoughtful, moving, and surprisingly humorous, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty, and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman who experienced the unimaginable. 

For the mandatory book, choose ONE of the following assignments. This will be submitted when we come back to school in September.

Epic poem: An epic poem is a long, narrative poem that tells an exciting story. Write an epic poem retelling the story of The Diary of a Young Girl. Your poem must include the following:

• Coverage of all major characters, plot points, setting, and major conflicts

• A minimum of 25 lines

• A consistent rhyme scheme. 
   

Book review slideshow: Using either Google Slides, Prezi, or PowerPoint, create a slideshow that reviews The Diary of a Young Girl. Your presentation must include the following: 

• A brief summary of the plot, setting, and main conflict

• An overview of each of the major characters (who they are, their personality traits, their role in the story)

• What you liked and disliked about the book, and why

• A balance of both text and images (please don’t fill up entire slides with text!)

• A minimum of six slides, NOT including title or ending slides (there is no maximum, but please don’t go too crazy!)  
   

Movie soundtrack: Create a soundtrack that could be used for a movie version of The Diary of a Young Girl. Your soundtrack must include the following:

• At least five songs that would work in a soundtrack of the novel. The lyrics should be relevant to the characters, plot, setting, conflict, mood, and/or themes in the novel.

• A one-paragraph description/summary for each song which explains why the song fits the characters, plot, setting, conflicts, mood, and/or themes. (If you choose to include more than 5 songs, you do not have to have a description for the extra songs.) 

• The title and artist of each song

• OPTIONAL: A playlist (using Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, etc.) containing all of the songs.
   

Journal: Write five journal entries as you read The Diary of a Young Girl. Journal entries should be at least one paragraph (5 sentences minimum) long. You may either handwrite or type your entries. Here are a list of topics that you can use, but you may use your own ideas as well. You do NOT have to cover every single topic. Feel free to include your drawings or artwork as well!

• Why you chose the book
• Whether or not you are enjoying the book, and WHY
• How the book makes you feel
• A brief summary of what part you are up to
• What you predict will happen
• Something that you’re wondering about or that you don’t understand 
• What you think the themes are (or the author’s message)
• How you feel about a character 
• How the setting affects the characters
• A connection you can make to another book (or a movie, TV show, or other media), to something in the world, or to your own life

For the two choice books, you will complete an in-class activity when we come back to school. I encourage you to take notes on plot points and characters so you don't forget what you have read!
You can access the choice book list here: https://tinyurl.com/y3u2zfzd