The Sewanhaka Central High School District Summer Reading Program

The Sewanhaka Central High School District Summer Reading Program Dear Sewanhaka CHSD Students and Families: June 2020 Over the years, the English Departments in all five of our buildings have taken great pride in developing solid summer reading programs in grades 7-12 that address the following goals: --Sharpen reading skills and combat the “summer slide!” --Foster life-long reading habits. --Expose students to a broader range of works not covered in our curriculum. --Enable students to make literary connections with contemporary texts. Our five English Departments have carefully reviewed our respective programs, and we have decided to offer students in most grade levels a choice of books. We sincerely hope that our book selections will provide students with the opportunity to foster a love of reading while enjoying the relaxation and fun that summer brings. We also encourage parents to accompany their children along this reading journey. The Summer Reading Book List, organized by grade levels, can be found following this letter. This information, as well as any pertinent information specific to your individual high school, will be posted on each high school’s main webpage and the library website. In addition, this information will be distributed to the local elementary schools and to our local public libraries. In September, teachers will engage in book discussions and review the novel(s) focusing on the skills incorporated within the context of the work(s). Students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of the novel(s) they chose to read. If you have any questions regarding any aspect of this program, please feel free to contact me or your high school’s English Department Chairperson listed below. Respectfully yours, Mrs. Gina M. Rodriguez Chairperson, New Hyde Park Memorial High School District English Coordinator, Sewanhaka Central High School District [email protected] Mrs. Kristen Milio Mr. Adam Davison Chairperson, H. Frank Carey High School Chairperson, Elmont Memorial High School [email protected] [email protected] Mr. Kevin Sullivan Mrs. Jessica Stillman Chairperson, Floral Park Memorial High School Chairperson, Sewanhaka High School [email protected] [email protected] To All Sewanhaka CHSD Students: The English Departments invite students in grades 8 through 12 to select one book of their choice from the appropriate grade-level reading lists organized below. All incoming 7th graders are expected to read New Kid by Jerry Craft. Happy Reading and Feel Free to Read More than One Book! ************************* 7th Grade: New Kid by Jerry Craft Winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself? 8th Grade: Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds A National Book Award Finalist! Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy— Talking about boogers. Stealing pocket change. Skateboarding. Wiping out. Braving up. Executing complicated handshakes. Planning an escape. Making jokes. Lotioning up. Finding comfort. But mostly, too busy walking home. Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson National Book Award and Newbery Honor winner Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become. 8th Grade(continued): Inside out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai #1 New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and a winner of the National Book Award Hà has only ever known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope—toward America. This moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny." Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata Winner of the Newberry Medal kira-kira (kee ra kee ra): glittering; shining Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is kira-kira because its color is deep but see-through at the same time. The sea is kira-kira for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering - - kira-kira -- in the future. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander Newbery Medal Winner ∙Coretta Scott King Honor Award "With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering," announces dread- locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander. Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family. 8th Grade (continued): American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang Jin Wang starts at a new school where he's the only Chinese-American student. When a boy from Taiwan joins his class, Jin doesn't want to be associated with an FOB like him. Jin just wants to be an all-American boy, because he's in love with an all-American girl. Danny is an all-American boy: great at basketball, popular with the girls. But his obnoxious Chinese cousin Chin-Kee's annual visit is such a disaster that it ruins Danny's reputation at school, leaving him with no choice but to transfer somewhere he can start all over again. The Monkey King has lived for thousands of years and mastered the arts of kung fu and the heavenly disciplines. He's ready to join the ranks of the immortal gods in heaven. But there's no place in heaven for a monkey. Each of these characters cannot help himself alone, but how can they possibly help each other? They're going to have to find a way―if they want fix the disasters their lives have become. Dear America: Young Readers’ Edition: The Story of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas In this young readers’ adaptation of his adult memoir Dear America, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas tells his story, in light of the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. Jose Antonio Vargas was only twelve years old when he was brought to the United States from the Philippines to live with his grandparents. He didn’t know it, but he was sent to the U.S. illegally. When he applied for a learner’s permit, he learned the truth, and he spent the next almost twenty years keeping his immigration status a secret. Hiding in plain sight, he was writing for some of the most prestigious news organizations in the country. Only after publicly admitting his undocumented status—risking his career and personal safety—was Vargas able to live his truth. This book asks questions including, How do you define who is an American? How do we decide who gets to be a citizen? What happens to those who enter the U.S. without documentation? By telling his personal story and presenting facts without easy answers, Jose Antonio Vargas sheds light on an issue that couldn’t be more relevant. 9th and 10th Grade: Dear Martin by Nic Stone Justyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs.

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