Boston Latin School Summer Reading Required of Students Entering Class IV 2017

You will be required to read a total of five books this summer:  Required titles: o The Gangster We Are All Looking For, Thi Diem Thuy Le; or Some Assembly Required: The Not-So Secret Life of a Transgendered Teen, Arin Andrews  Read any two of the following titles: o Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut o One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey o 1984, George Orwell o The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood o Brave New World, Aldous Huxley  In addition, please read two titles from the list below. It will be helpful to keep in mind that the theme for this course is Overcoming Obstacles. You may wish to think about how your books have helped you understand this notion. Enjoy your reading!

Special note for 9B students: Please look through the list of books directly below, which BLS students read in grades 7 and 8. If you see some titles you have not read, we encourage you to select among these for your summer reading. Les Miserables (abridged edition) Victor Hugo The Sea-Wolf Jack London Julius Caesar William Shakespeare Farenheit 451 Ray Bradbury Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank The Friends Rosa Guy The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway Inherit the Wind Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee The Call of the Wild Jack London The Giver Lois Lowry Friedrich Hans Peter Richter The Pearl John Steinbeck Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson Kidnapped Robert Louis Stevenson The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain Farewell to Manzanar Jean Wakatsuki Houston Night Elie Wiesel Dragonwings Laurence Yep The Chocolate War Robert Cormier

For all students entering grade 9:

A. Non-Fiction Appel, Willa Cults in America:Programmed for Paradise An analysis of how cults succeed in American society today. Bedoukian, Kerop Some of Us Survived The story of the Armenian genocide of 1915-1923, told from the perspective of a nine-year-old child. Bernard, Jacqueline Journey Toward Freedom: Sojourner Truth Biography of the former slave and her campaign for abolition and women’s rights. Bird, Larry Drive Autobiography of former Celtics great whose work ethic helped him achieve his dreams. Bontemps, Arna Free at Last: Frederick Douglass Biography of the famous African-American leader Ching-to, Chow Journey in Tears Memoir of a girlhood in China Cronkite, Kathy On the Edge of the Spotlight Narratives of the lives of celebrities’ children, chronicling their successes and struggles David, Joy et al. The Black Soldier Stories of African-American soldiers from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam Dolan, Edward F. Matthew Henson: Black Exporer Autobiography of a man who conquered the top of the world with Admiral Robert E. Peary Frommer, Harvey Rickey and Robinson: Men Who Broke Baseball’s Color Barrier Biographies of some of the first African-Americans in professional baseball Goldstone, Robert Next Year in Jerusalem A short history of the establishment of Israel Herriott, James All Creatures Great and Small Memoirs of a Yorkshire County, England country veterinarian with a genuine love of life and a storyteller’s gift Houston, Julian New Boy The autobiographical story of Rob Garrett who was the first black student at an elite boarding school in Connecticut in the mid-1950’s. Hovey, Tamara A Mind of Her Own: George Sand Biography of the great French writer who used a man’s name in order to get her work published Huggins, Nathan Black Odyssey A provocative account of the enslavement of Africans and their experiences as slaves in America Kahn, Roger Boys of Summer The story of the Brooklyn Dodgers Koehn, Ilse Mischling Second Degree: My Childhood in Nazi Germany A child’s narration of the insanity and horror of Germany under Hitler Krakauer, Jon Into Thin Air The gripping story of the author’s ascent to the summit of Mount Everest. Landin, Margaret Anna and the King of Siam The story of an Englishwoman summoned to Siam to tutor the children of its king Laure, Jason et al. South Africa A coming-of-age novel under the shadow of apartheid Lofts, Norah Anne Boleyn A biography of the life of Henry VIII’s ill-fated second wife Meltzer, Milton Taking Root: Jewish Immigrants A history of Jews in the United States Moody, Anne Coming of Age in Mississippi The author’s unforgettable personal story Nabokov, Peter Native American Testomony A chronicle of relations between Native Americans and European settlers from 1492 to 1992 Satrapi, Marjane The Complete Persopolis (written in the form of a graphic novel) Tells the story of the author’s childhood and coming of age in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. Strawberry, Darryl Darryl The autobiography of the legendary and controversial baseball player Uchida, Yoshiko Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family An autobiographical account of the internment of Japanese-Americans in 1942

B. Fiction

Alexie, Sherman The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian The story of fourteen year-old Arnold Sprit’s life on his Spokane reservation and his friendships and experiences on the basketball at a new school off the reservation. Bellamy, Edward Looking Backward A young Boston gentleman is mysteriously transported from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century Cashore, Cristin Graceling The story of Katsa, who has been ‘graced’ with being a gifted fighter and the challenges of being in the service of her tyrannical uncle, king of the region. Choi, Sook Nyul Gathering of Pearls Sookan, a Korean girl, comes to college in the U.S. and struggles to adjust to American culture Craven, Margaret I Heard the Owl Call my Name The culture of a remote Pacific Northwest village is replaced by modern housing and alcoholism Ferber, Edna So Big A gambler’s daughter marries a farmer, and after his death turns his debt- ridden farm into a success; another capable woman succeeds. Harris, Mark Bang the Drum Slowly This funny and evocative story captures more than the strong baseball atmosphere of the 1950s. Kern, M.E. Gentlehands Through the efforts of an insightful old man, love is sparked between two people on the opposite ends of the spectrum Kwok, Jean Girl in Translation Kimberly and her mother arrive in New York City from Hong Kong hoping for a better life but are faced with hard work and squalid apartment. Kimberly chooses to lead a double life of exceptional student during the day and sweatshop worker at night. McCullers, Carson Member of the Wedding Twelve year-old Frankie Adams longs both for escape and belonging when her older brother marries. Monninger, Joseph Whippoorwill A black dog named Wally chained up to a pole next door leads Claire to take action. Training Wally introduces Claire to her neighbor Danny, who needs her care and attention as much as the dog Myers, Walter Dean Fallen Angels Richard Perry, struggling with a lack of opportunity in Harlem and uncertainty about his future, enlists in the army. Orwell, George Animal Farm In this satire of Communist Russia under Stalin’s dictatorship, farm animals tire of working for humans and take over the farm. Osa, Nancy Cuba 15 Violet, who is half Polish and half Cuban, discovers her Cuban roots and explores her heritage after she begrudgingly accepts her grandmother’s offer to give her a quinceanero, a party traditionally planned for girls who turn 15 years old. Perkins, Mitali Bamboo People The story of two teens on opposing sides of ethnic conflict in modern-day Burma (Myanmar). Plath, Sylvia The Bell Jar Esther Greenwood, a gifted young woman, experiences an emotional breakdown during a summer internship at a magazine in New York City Portis, Chalres True Grit The author describes the savagery of the 1870s frontier through the narrative voice of 14 year-old Mattie Ross. Renault, Mary The King Must Die Theseus rules the Bull Jumpers of Crete Rinaldi, Anne The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre A nursemaid who works for John Adams questions whether she is a British subject or a new ‘American.’ Saberhagen, Fred The First Book of Swords In this fantasy the gods influence the human world through a game played with twelve magical swords Sillitoe, Alan The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner An English juvenile delinquent struggles against social disadvantages in a 1940s reform school. Smith, Betty A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Francie Nolan lives with her family and friends in a poor section of Brooklyn in the early years of the twentieth century Joy in the Morning A young woman from Brooklyn and her law student husband experience difficulty in their first year of marriage. Stewart, Mary The Crystal Cave In his youth, the legendary Merlin gains his arcane knowledge of magical powers. Temple, Frances The Ramsay Scallop Young Elenor journeys to Santiago de Campostela with her husband in 1299, experiencing both spiritual and personal satisfaction. Thompson, Holly Orchards A novel in verse about Kana, a half-Japanese, half-Jewish eighth grader, who is sent for the summer to her grandmother’s farm in rural Japan after a tragic suicide at her school. Townsend, I.R. The Summer People With World War II about to begin, two childhood friends from England spend their days at the beach with someone less ‘suitable.’ Venkatraman, Padma Climbing the Stairs Vidya, who lives in British-occupied India during World War II, dreams of attending college. When tragedy strikes she and her family have to live with relatives where women are meant to marry not be educated. Voigt, Cynthia On Fortune’s Wheel Fourteen year-old Birl follows Orion on a periolous journey to a sinister place where warriors rule and captives become slaves. Washington, Mary Helen Black-eyed Susan This critically acclaimed short story collection features the work of today’s most celebrated African American women writers. Zusak, Markus The Book Thief Death is the narrator in this story of a girl who, while living with a foster family in Nazi Germany, develops a friendship with a Jewish man secretly living with the same family.

C. Drama

Chekhov, Anton The Seagull A Russian play concerning love, death, and life’s meaning Gibson, William The Miracle Worker The story of Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan Luce, William The Belle of Amherst A dramatization of the life of poet Emily Dickinson Pomerance, Bernard The Elephant Man Based on the life of Robert Merrick, who suffered from a terrible physical deformity Shakespeare, William Antony and Cleopatra The romance between the Roman leader and the Egyptian queen Thomas, Dylan Under Milkwood A charming play about ordinary people in a Welsh town