Middle School Summer Assignments

Required Summer Reading

Note: Book links are to Amazon, but families may buy books anywhere they'd like. CA no longer uses a textbook service.

1)     The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen

AND

2)     All students will choose a second book considered at or above grade level. Pick a book you have not read, and read the full-length, unabridged version.

Need help choosing a book? Below are some suggested titles compiled by the Middle School faculty and librarians.

Please bring your books with you on the first day of school. 

Classic:

• National Velvet, by Enid Bagnold
• The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis (Read any three of the seven in the series)
• The Cay, by Theodore Taylor

Young Adult:

• Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?  by Leslie Connor 
• The Eyes and the Impossible, by Dave Eggers

• Danillo Was Here by Tamika Burgess

• The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn, by Sally J. Pla
• Freewater, by Amina Luqman-Dawson
• Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood, by Kwame Mbalia
• Northwind, by Gary Paulsen
• American as Paneer Pie, by Supriya Kelkar
• Lupe Wong Won’t Dance, by Donna Barba Higuera
• The Sky is Falling, by Kit Pearson
• Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, by Carlos Hernandez
• 90 Miles to Havana, by Enrique Flores-Galbis
• Not If I Can Help It, by Carolyn Mackler
• Rebound, by Kwame Alexander
• Geek Fantasy Novel, by E. Archer
• Prairie Lotus, by Linda Sue Park
• Donald Duk, by Frank Chin
• Death at Devil's Bridge, by Cynthia DeFelice
• The Hidden Star, by K. Sello Duiker
• Hello, Universe, by Erin Entrada Kelly
• Listen, Slowly, by Thanhhà Lai
• Migrant: The Journey of a Mexican Worker,  by José Manuel Mateo 
• Merci Suárez Changes Gears, by Meg Medina
• The Sunita Experiment, by Mitali Perkins
• As Brave as You, by Jason Reynolds
• Glory Be, by Augusta Scattergood                            
• The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens
• Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson
• Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II, by Adam Gidwitz
• Two Degrees, by Alan Gratz
• Painting the Game, by Patricia MacLachlan

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Summer Math Packet – Sixth Grade Math

You should complete this packet if you are entering Sixth Grade Math in 2026. (Sixth Accelerated students should complete the Seventh Grade Packet.)

The Middle School Math Department is asking you to do summer math to make the transition back to class easier for you. The goal of the summer math packet is to review material covered during Fifth Grade.

Please find time throughout the summer to complete the packet.

Download Grade 6 Summer Math Packet

Required Summer Reading

Note: Book links are to Amazon and/or bookshop.org, but families may buy books anywhere they'd like. CA no longer uses a textbook service.

1)     The Explorer, by Katherine Rundell 

                                    AND

2)    Choose a second book considered to be at or above grade level. Pick a book you have not read, and read the full-length, unabridged version.

Need help choosing a book? Below are some suggested titles compiled by the Middle School faculty and librarians.

Please read and pay attention to plot, character development, and setting. 

How to annotate: highlight/underline important events and make notes in the margins of the book regarding plot, character development, and setting.

Please bring your books with you on the first day of school.

Classic:

• Watership Down, by Richard Adams
• Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury
• The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• My Family and Other Animals (Corfu Trilogy #1), by Gerald Durrell
• A Night to Remember, by Walter Lord

Young Adult:

• Hunger Winter, by Rob Currie 
• The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II, by Candace Fleming
• The Labors of Hercules Beal, by Gary D. Schmidt
• How to Find What You’re Not Looking For, by Veera Hiranandani
• Rolling Warrior, by Judith Heumann
• A Place at the Table, by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
• The Many Meanings of Meilan, by Andrea Wang
• Cuba in my Pocket, by Adrianna Cuevas
• Other Words for Home, by Jasmine Warga
• Rip to the Rescue, by Miriam Halahmy
• We Are Not Free, by Traci Chee
• Sanctuary, by Paola Mendoza
• It All Comes Down to This, by Karen English
• Nowhere Boy, by Katherine Marsh
• Snow Bound, by Harry Mazer
• The Disappearances, by Emily Bain Murphy
• Echo, by Pam Muñoz Ryan
• The Last Cuentista, by Donna Barba Higuera
• The Secret Battle of Evan Pao, by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

   

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Summer Math Packet – Pre-Algebra

You should complete this packet if you are entering Seventh Grade Math or Sixth Accelerated Math in 2026. (Seventh Accelerated students should complete Eighth Grade Packet.)

The Middle School Math Department is asking you to do summer math to make the transition back to class easier for you. Please wait to complete this packet until the end of summer, ideally during the last two weeks before school starts.

Check the answers that are available to you at the end of the packet. If you find that you need the answer sheet to answer the questions, then you may want to review those topics before school begins.

Your teacher will spend little time reviewing the skills and concepts in this packet. Expect an evaluation on this in the first week of school. Good luck, and see you in August!

Download Grade 7 Summer Math Packet

Required Summer Reading

All students will choose one fiction and one non-fiction title (two books total).  Below are some suggested titles, but students may choose any book that meets the following requirements.

Pick a book you have not read at or above grade level, and read the full-length, unabridged version. The titles below have been compiled by the Middle School English Department faculty and librarians, and we have tried to provide a variety of books. You can click on the titles to be taken to Bookshop.org to learn more about the books listed. 

As students enter Eighth Grade and look towards Upper School, our aim is to offer some more mature options, both in terms of subject matter and level of difficulty. For this reason, it is our expectation that students and parents review all selections together prior to beginning a book.

As students read their chosen texts, they should contemplate and briefly answer the following questions in writing.

• Who is the protagonist and what is the main problem/conflict they face?  
• How do they solve this problem?
• What is the setting (time and place), and why is it important to the overall meaning of the work? 
• What is the climax/turning point?
• What is noteworthy about the author’s style?
• What is the theme or central message of the book?

During the first week of school, you will complete a project using the answers to these questions to assess your knowledge and understanding of the Summer Reading books.

Note: Book links are to Amazon and/or bookshop.org, but families may buy books anywhere they'd like. CA no longer uses a textbook service.

Fiction:

• Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
• Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
• A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines
• A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
• Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi
• Firekeeper’s Daughter, by Angeline Boulley
• The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles
• We Were Here, by Matt de la Peña
• A Thousand Steps Into Night, by Traci Chee
• Dear Martin, by Nic Stone
• Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork
• Salt to the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys

Non-Fiction

• The Devil’s Highway, by Luis Alberto Urrea
• I Am Malala: The Girl who Stood up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai
• The Last Cowboys: A Pioneer Family in the New West, by John Branch
• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson
• The Wisdom of Wolves: Lessons from the Sawtooth Pack, by Jim and Jamie Dutcher
• The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore
• A Most Beautiful Thing, by Arshay Cooper
• Black Birds in the Sky, by Brandy Colbert
• Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder
• Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival, by Dean King
• The Stranger in the Woods, by Michael Finkel

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Summer Math Packet – Algebra I

You should complete this packet if you are entering Eighth Grade Algebra or Seventh Grade Accelerated Math in 2026.

The Middle School Math Department is asking you to do summer math to make the transition back to class easier for you. Check the answers that are available to you at the end of the packet.

If you find that you need the answer sheet to answer the questions, then you may want to review those topics before school begins. Your teacher will spend little time reviewing the skills and concepts in this packet.

Expect an evaluation on this in the first week of school. Good luck, and see you in August!

Download Grade 8 Summer Math Packet

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Summer Math Packet – Geometry

You should complete this packet if you are entering Geometry in 2026.

The Middle School Math Department is asking you to do summer math to make the transition back to class easier for you. Please complete this packet throughout the summer, ideally as a review during the last few weeks before school starts. Check the answers that are available to you at the end of the packet.

If you find that you need the answer sheet to answer the questions, then you may want to review that concept before school begins. Your teacher will spend little time reviewing the skills and concepts in this packet.

Expect a quiz on this in the first week of school. Good luck, and see you in August!

Download Geometry Summer Math Packet

General supplies:

• Pens (2 black, 2 blue, 2 red)
• Small box of pencils
• Stylus for iPad (Optional)"
• Earbud headphones for use with iPad
• Plastic pencil box or pencil case

Core:

• Choice of 1" 3-ring binder with 5 dividers or 5-subject accordion folder
• Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani, ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0763664510
• Stones in Water by Donna Jo Napoli, ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0141306001

Science:

• 1.5" 3-ring binder for science only
• 5 binder dividers

World Language:

• School supplies provided by CA
• French A:
  • Look I Can Talk - French 1 & 2 by J. Jordan and B. Ray, ISBN-13: 978-1-60372-385-5
  • Le capybara botte by M. Canion, ISBN-13: 978-1-947006-10-2
  • Jean Paul et ses bonnes idées by M. Rodriguez, ISBN-13: 978-1-60372-198-1
  • Double Je ISBN-13: 978-2-01155-397-3
• Spanish A: 
  • Look I Can Talk - Spanish 1 & 2 by J. Jordan and B. Ray, ISBN-13: 978-1-60372-513-2
  • Capibara con botas by M. Canion, ISBN-13: 978-0-9914-4113-6 
  • Perezosa impaciente by M. Canion, ISBN-13: 978-0-9912-0384-0
  • Raton Pablito by C. K. Dexemple, ISBN-13: 978-0-9912-0384-0
• Spanish Language Arts** (Spanish for Heritage and advanced learners)
  • Minerva by N. Andrade Hughes, ISBN-13: 978-1-641592-70-3

Math:

• 1 TI30X ISS Solar Scientific Calculator (will be used all 3 years)
• 1 1.5-inch binder with tabs (To be used only for Math)
• 1 pack of whiteboard markers
• 1 spiral graph notebook

General Supplies

• Box of pens
• Box of pencils
• 2 highlighters (different colors)
• Stylus Pen or Pencil for iPad
• Earbuds or headphones for iPad
• Pencil pouch or plastic pencil box
• Optional: A three-ring binder or an accordion folder, as preferred, to be used to manage many classes materials

English

• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140177398
• Two Old Women by Velma Wallis, ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062244987
• A 1” three-ring binder with 5 dividers OR an accordion folder, as preferred, to be used to manage English materials
• Other Course Materials Provided by CA

Social Studies

• Materials provided by CA

Science

• 1.5” binder with 5 dividers just for Science

World Language 

• School supplies provided by CA
• French B: 
  • Brandon Brown à la conquête de Québec by C. Gaab, ISBN-13: 978-1-940408-13-2
  • Mystère sur le Vieux-Port by P. Paoli, ISBN-13: 978-2-0115-5738-4
  • Arsene Lupin, gentleman cambrioleur, ISBN-13: 978-8-8536-0776-8
• Spanish B:
  • Brandon Brown vs Yucatan by C. Gaab, ISBN-13: 978-1-940408-00-2
  • Tumba by M. Canion, ISBN-13: 978-0-9914-4119-8
  • Escape Cubano by M. Canion, ISBN-13: 978-0-9914-4115-0
• Spanish Language Arts** (Spanish for Heritage and advanced learners)
  • Minerva by N. Andrade Hughes, ISBN-13: 978-1-641592-70-3

Math

• 1 TI30X IIS Solar Scientific Calculator (to be used all three years)
• 1.5" binder with tabs for Math
• 1 pack of whiteboard markers
• Spiral graph notebook

General supplies:

• 1 box of pens, student preference
• Small box of pencils, student preference
• 2 highlighters (different colors)
• Stylus pen or pencil for use with iPad
• Earbud headphones for use with iPad
• 3-ring binder or an accordion folder, as preferred, to be used to manage class materials

English

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060935467
• Feed by M.T. Anderson, ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0763662622

Social Studies 

• 1 Spiral or Composition Notebook

Science

• Materials provided by CA

Math:

• 1 TI30X IIS Solar Scientific Calculator (to be used all three years)
• 1 pack of whiteboard markers

World Language:

• School supplies provided by CA
• French C:
  • Five-subject accordion folder
  • Le Nouvel Houdini by C. Gaab, ISBN-13: 978-1-935575306
  • Le masque de fer by Dumas (LFF edition), ISBN-13: 978-2-0162-8662-3
• Spanish C: 
  • Brandon Brown hace trampa by C. Gaab, ISBN-13: 978-1-945956-71-3 
  • Robo en la noche 2nd edition, by K. Placido, ISBN-13: 978-1-641596-21-3 
  • El nuevo Houdini by C. Gaab, ISBN-13:  978-1-641591-44-7
• Spanish Language Arts** (Spanish for Heritage and advanced learners)
  • Minerva by N. Andrade Hughes, ISBN-13: 978-1-641592-70-3