Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep is again encouraging students to participate in the Summer Reading Program. The ultimate goal is to read three or more books and write good book reports. However, any reading over the summer is a good thing. Students who do any reading of good books from the provided list(s) will receive rewards in the fall. The greatest prizes, including a free dress day and a pizza party, will be reserved for those who achieve the lofty aim of three or more books and book reports.

For students entering Grades 1-8, the books to be read should be from the provided lists or from Kolbe’s Recommended Reading List; however, any life of a saint is acceptable, provided it is at the appropriate grade level. Students in or entering High School must choose from the provided list. Furthermore, High School students will have one book that they must read—information will follow shortly. This is very consistent with top high schools around the country.

Students need to strive for perfection on the book reports, following the format and doing a neat job. Messy, illegible or incomplete book reports will not count as good book reports—consider typing!

List the following:

In paragraph form, write a short summary of the book. This should not be a re-telling of the whole story. In a separate paragraph, tell what you thought about the book or what you learned from it. This is really the most important part of any book report. What did you learn from it? Was there a moral to the story? Was there a particular character that became a good example for life? Remember that a paragraph should be at least three sentences long for the younger students, and for the older ones, more. If possible, the reports should be typed.

List the following:

In paragraph form, describe briefly the main characters while explaining their involvement in the plot. This should not be a re-telling of the story. In the next paragraph, analyze the book, giving an in-depth evaluation of the plot, major themes, the moral of the story, the life lessons to be learned, or some other aspect of the story that affected you personally. This should be the majority of the report. The report must be typed and should be ¾ of a page to 2 pages in length.