Summer Reading

Dear Families,

Summer provides a wonderful opportunity for students and families to enjoy great books together! The goal of The Dodd Middle School Summer Reading Program is to foster a love of reading. Reading over the summer can also help students to maintain or even improve their reading skills. In order to meet the needs of each student’s reading skills and interests, the Dodd summer reading list contains a variety of genres at various reading levels. Students should be encouraged to read books that match their level of comprehension and interest.

A wide range of topics and themes are represented in this Summer Reading List . As always, parents play a critical role in helping their child to choose books that are best suited for them. Common Sense Media is an excellent resource for families to help them understand the nature of the content in the novels that their children are reading.  In addition, titles on the Summer Reading List that contain content appropriate for more mature readers are noted with a ***.

As a part of a school-wide literacy initiative, the Dodd Middle School teachers have each selected one novel for the All School Summer Reading Book Club. These novels are included in the Summer Reading List.  All students are encouraged to read at least one novel from this list. In the fall we will hold these All School Summer Reading Book Clubs, where students will gather together with the teacher who selected their novel and engage in related activities.  Students will make book selections in their ELA classes before the end of the school year, so please be sure to discuss the choices with your child in the upcoming weeks. Parents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with any book choice that may contain a *** as these selections contain content appropriate for more mature readers.

Students are also asked to read one other novel from the Nutmeg Middle School Award List, Intermediate Award List, High School List or Governor’s Reading Challenge List.  Students will be required to write a written response in their ELA classes in the fall.  Although not required, we recommend that students use strategies to help them to engage in the text. Some strategies may include keeping a reading journal or using sticky notes to annotate the book. Students may also benefit from reading the same title as a friend or family member and engaging in ongoing discussions about the book. Summer reading books should be selected according to interest and independent reading ability.

If your child is struggling with a book, please consider trying another text that more comfortably fits his or her independent reading level. If your child is having difficulty finding an appropriate selection, please contact Kristen Shanley () or Kristin Castellano () and further accommodations may be discussed.

Best wishes for an enjoyable summer!

view summer reading list