Quabbin Regional High School Summer Reading Program

2012 Quabbin Regional High School Summer Reading Program

Quabbin Regional High School’s mission is to prepare students to become self-reliant, life-long learners who are responsible and resourceful citizens in a global society. As part of that mission, the English Department at Quabbin requires students to read one novel over the summer in preparation for all literature-based English courses. Reading regularly builds skills in reading comprehension, critical thinking and writing, while developing students’ vocabularies and contextual knowledge of the world around them. Novels have been selected to introduce students to themes, genres, and/or questions that will continue throughout each course, thereby enriching students’ experiences. Lists will be available at local libraries and will be sent to Barnes and Noble and Borders.

Students who submit a character journal on their book that meets the requirements will be rewarded with a quiz grade of 100. Please see the attached handout for instructions on completing a character journal. Students will need to bring the book to class and should be prepared to discuss and write about the book when they begin their English class. Students taking an extra English course as an elective can choose to complete a second summer reading assignment for extra credit, but are not required to do so.

*Please note that AP courses have different expectations, and students taking those courses should refer to the specific information for their course.

English 9/English 9, Honors Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson (Choose one) Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult Mandatory for Honors level Bruiser, Neal Shusterman

English 10/English 10, The House of the Scorpion, Nancy Farmer Honors Little Brother, Cory Doctorow (Choose one) The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd Mandatory for Honors level The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver

Grade 11: American Literature/ The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie American Literature Honors When I Was Puerto Rican, Esmeralda Santiago (Choose one) The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Mandatory for Honors level Ghosts, Maxine Hong Kingston

AP Language & Composition The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain (Read all listed)* An American Childhood, Annie Dillard Mandatory for Honors level *Please see complete assignment for AP Language & Composition.

Due Date: Tuesday, August 28th, 1st Day of School To receive credit, please turn work in to the English teacher listed on your schedule on the first day of classes in August, even if you won’t have English until second semester. Please review your reading to refresh your memory prior to second semester in this case. 2012 Quabbin Regional High School Summer Reading Program

Grade 12:

World Literature Blindness, Jose Saramago (Choose one) Hero, Perry Moore The Stories of Eva Luna, Isabelle Allende

Literature and Film The Help, Kathryn Stockett (Choose one) Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini Please also watch the corresponding film.

Folklore and Mythology Boneshaker, Cherie Priest (Choose one) Song of Albion: Book One, Stephen Lawhead The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom, Slavomir Rawicz

British Literature, Honors Dracula, Bram Stoker (Choose one) A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess Mandatory for Honors level Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

AP Literature & *The Mistress of Spices, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Composition *Reservation Blues, Sherman Alexie (Read all listed)* Our Town, Thornton Wilder (optional) Mandatory for Honors level *Please see complete assignment for AP Literature & Composition.

Instructions for completing a character journal:* Become a character from the story and write a journal from that character’s perspective. Include events from the novel and how you feel about them. Write in the voice of the character (representing his/her thoughts and feelings, using his/her dialect, words and sayings.) In order to earn credit, your character journal must meet the following requirements:  Journals must include at least five entries.  Each entry must be at least one page in length if hand-written or one-half page in length if typed in 12-point double-spaced font with 1” margins.  Entries must accurately depict the major plot events of the novel.  Entries must accurately reflect the characterization of the character whose perspective you have chosen.  Journals must feature a creatively designed cover featuring original artwork that represents important ideas from the novel.  Entries should be dated as if the character were writing in a real journal. Try using a creative font or using handwriting that reflects the character’s personality.  *11th and 12th grade students must reference a passage from the novel that they are reacting to for each entry. Include the quote and cite the page number.

Students who submit a character journal on their book that meets the requirements will be rewarded with a quiz grade of 100. Students will need to bring the book to class and should be prepared to discuss and write about the book when they begin their English class.

To receive credit, please turn work in to the English teacher listed on your schedule on the first day of classes in August, even if you won’t have English until second semester. Please review your reading to refresh your memory prior to second semester in this case.

Due Date: Tuesday, August 28th, 1st Day of School

*Please note that AP courses have different expectations, and students taking those courses should also refer to the specific information for their course.