Summer 2014 Kennett High School

“Children and teenagers need to read during the summer months to maintain current reading levels. Reading just 4-5 during the summer can prevent a decline in a student’s fall reading scores.”

~James Kim, Harvard University

All KHS students are encouraged to read many books this summer. There is a strong correlation between reading regularly for pleasure (any reading...really, ANY reading, as long as it’s a habit) and academic success, including building vocabulary, an understanding of sentence structure, and an increase in stamina for reading harder texts. It is also clear that the more you read the better you write.

So this summer, don’t stop READING! A message from Mrs. Waters, KHS librarian: Students are welcome to check books out of our own KHS (during finals week) to read for the summer. Students (and staff) can also continue to borrow books (free - of course) throughout the summer from our KHS online digital library. We have over 400 titles (most of which are quite contemporary) in our own online and everything can be read on almost any tech gadget: eReaders, computers, phones, iPads & other tablets.

This summer you have lots of choices for summer reading…

First, would you like to join a group or read on your own?

Summer book groups = 1 Teacher/parent/community member + 8-10 students + talk about the summer reading book = an alternative way to earn credit for summer reading in English this fall.

KHS book groups listed below are open to students grades 9-12. This is a great way to read! You can share in discussing your thinking with others and the books below have been chosen with care… the leaders are sure you will enjoy these books. If you sign up for a group (space is limited) you will earn credit on your first quarter grade in your English class this fall. (Read below for option 2… reading on your own.)

Book group expectations:

Students will sign up for book groups outside a teacher’s classroom door or outside the main office, June 6th – 30th. Print your name under the book group leader’s name.

Attention incoming 9th graders! Email Mrs. Kittle ([email protected]) to sign up for any book group. I will forward your name and email on to the group leader. A summer book club is a great way to meet other KHS students! We hope you’ll join us.

You agree to attend the book group meeting if you sign up, and you will notify the book group leader if you are not able to attend—that’s just good manners. Some books are available for checkout: check with the teacher listed by the book group name, or stop by and see Mrs. Kittle in the main office.

You must read the book before the date of your book club meeting. Be ready to come with your thinking about the reading. You will get full summer reading credit for your attendance and participation in discussion. Teacher (or parent/community member)-led book groups:

1. An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield (led by Mr. Cicero) What is the next thing that can kill me? Astronauts must constantly consider this question in both training and actual missions. Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, and been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft. The secret to Col. Hadfield's success-and survival-is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst-and enjoy every moment of it.

2. No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden (led by Ms. Davis) “Make no mistake: No Easy Day is an important historic document. Think if we had a first-person account of the last minutes of Hitler in his bunker. No Easy Day is brisk and compelling in its telling of the training, execution and immediate aftermath of the Bin Laden mission by the elite Seal Team Six.” -Los Angeles Times

3. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (led by Mr. Freedman.) This choice is for students who are NOT in Advanced US History this fall. After an astonishing but losing race at the 1936 Olympics, Louie was hoping for gold in the 1940 games. But war ended those dreams forever. In May 1943 his B- 24 crashed into the Pacific. After a record-breaking 47 days adrift on a shark-encircled life raft with his pal and pilot, Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips, they were captured by the Japanese. Hillenbrand's triumph is that she restores to our collective memory this tale of heroism, cruelty, life, death, joy, suffering, remorselessness, and redemption.

4. Outliers: the Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (led by Jac Cuddy, Mount Washington Valley Economic Council) The author sets out to answer the question: what makes people successful? The answer is carefully researched and fascinating to read, leading you from the hockey arena to The Beatles. This is great non-fiction—smartly written and guaranteed to inspire you to reach for your best.

5. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (led by Ms. Molloy) is the fictional story of Lily Owens, a girl wrestling with the memory of her mother’s death. In search of a mother, Lily is drawn into the nurturing world of three beekeeping sisters who help her discover the inner strength necessary to face her past. Set in 1960s South Carolina, this is an inspiring tale of feminine power and redemption.

6. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt (led by Ms. Molloy) is the unforgettable memoir of growing up Irish, Catholic and poverty-stricken in Limerick, Ireland. Both funny and heart- breaking, McCourt’s tale envelops the reader in a world of desperation and cruelty, yet never loses touch with the wonders of childhood.

7. Wonder by R. J. Palacio (led by Olga Morrill, Conway Librarian) August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Wonder begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. 8. Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple (led by Mary Cronin, Madison Librarian) Through a series of emails, letters, and FBI files, Bee follows the trail of her missing mother to the ends of the earth in this quirky, laugh-out-loud tale.

9. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller (led by KMS Principal, Ms. Judge) Hig somehow survived the flu pandemic that killed everyone he knows. Now his wife is gone, his friends are dead, and he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, Jasper. But when a random transmission beams through the radio of his 1956 Cessna, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life exists outside their tightly controlled perimeter. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return and follows its static-broken trail, only to find something that is both better and worse than anything he could ever hope for.

10. The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida (led by Ms. Monahan) “Like millions of parents confronted with autism, Mitchell and his wife found themselves searching for answers and finding few that were satisfactory. Help, when it arrived, came not from some body of research but from the writings of a Japanese schoolboy, Naoki Higashida. The Reason I Jump . . . is a book that acts like a door to another logic, explaining why an autistic child might flap his hands in front of his face, disappear suddenly from home—or jump.”—The Telegraph (U.K.)

11. Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff (led by Mrs. Kittle) follows a journalist as he returns home to Detroit to investigate the decline of this once great American city. Written with insight and care, this book will show you the systemic problems in American big cities: declining resources, government corruption, crime, drugs, and violence. Fascinating reading.

12. Miracle on the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home by Nando Parrado (led by Mr. Mackenzie) Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team, as well as their family members and supporters, to an exhibition game in Chile had crashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon learned that many were dead or dying—among them his own mother and sister. Those who remained were stranded on a lifeless glacier at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, with no supplies and no means of summoning help. … How will Parrado survive this?

13. Following Atticus: Forty-eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship by Tom Ryan (led by Mrs. Kittle because the author is visiting her class at KHS this fall) This is author Tom Ryan’s inspiring tale of how he and his miniature schnauzer companion, the “Little Buddha” Atticus M. Finch, attempted to scale all forty-eight of New Hampshire’s four thousand foot White Mountains twice in the dead of winter. It is a story of love, loss, and the resilience of the human and animal spirit that’s as thrilling as Into Thin Air and featuring the most endearing and unforgettable canine protagonist since Marley and Me.

14. Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman (*the author is visiting KHS this fall! This group will be led by Laura Cummings, owner of White Birch Books in North Conway) “Essential for psychological thriller fanatics... Extreme, heart-pounding action follows this determined mother as she risks everything to save her children.”—Library Journal

15. To The Elephant Graveyard by Tarquin Hall (led by Ms. Roberts) This book is a compelling account of the search for a killer elephant in the northeast corner of India, and a vivid portrait of the Khasi tribe, who live intimately with the elephants. Often spellbinding with excitement, like "a page-turning detective tale" (Publishers Weekly), the book takes us on a journey to a place whose ancient ways are fast disappearing with the shrinking forest.

16. 13 Reasons Why By Jay Asher (led by Ms. Cyr) Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.

17. Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell (led by Mr. Moylan) When we first meet Julie, she's a frustrated temp-to-perm secretary who slaves away at a thankless job, only to return to an equally demoralizing apartment in the outer boroughs of Manhattan each evening. At the urging of Eric, her devoted and slightly geeky husband, she decides to start a blog that will chronicle what she dubs the "Julie/Julia Project." What follows is a year of butter-drenched meals that will both necessitate the wearing of an unbearably uncomfortable girdle on the hottest night of the year, as well as the realization that life is what you make of it and joy is not as impossible a quest as it may seem, even when it's -10 degrees out and your pipes are frozen. “Her writing is feisty and unrestrained, especially as she details killing lobsters, tackling marrowbones and cooking late into the night.” ~ Publisher’s Weekly

18. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (led by Ms. Tilton & another group led by Mrs. Murphy) John Green has created a soulful novel that tackles big subjects--life, death, love--with the perfect blend of levity and heart-swelling emotion. Hazel is sixteen, with terminal cancer, when she meets Augustus at her kids-with-cancer support group. The two are kindred spirits, sharing an irreverent sense of humor and immense charm, and watching them fall in love even as they face universal questions of the human condition--How will I be remembered? Does my life, and will my death, have meaning?--has a raw honesty that is deeply moving. --Seira Wilson

19. Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins (led by Ms. Abrams) From the U.S. military in Iraq to infrastructure development in Indonesia, from Peace Corps volunteers in Africa to jackals in Venezuela, Perkins exposes a conspiracy of corruption that has fueled instability and anti-Americanism around the globe, with consequences reflected in our daily headlines. Having raised the alarm, Perkins passionately addresses how can work to create a more peaceful and stable world for future generations.

20. Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden (led by Mr. Mahan) Ninety-nine elite American soldiers are trapped in the middle of a hostile city. As night falls, they are surrounded by thousands of enemy gunmen. Their wounded are bleeding to death. Their ammunition and supplies are dwindling. This is the story of how they got there-and how they fought their way out. This is the story of war.

21. Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology by Caroline Paul (led by Ms. Waters, KHS librarian) The book moves easily and hilariously from one sentence and chapter to the next. Like the storyline, though, the form only appears simple; in truth, it’s ingeniously crafted…. All of this may sound a little over the top, and it is, especially for such a short book. But the effect is a fiercely charming narrative that sneaks up on a reader, just as the best fantastical books do…. Lost Cat is an incredibly endearing work, a snapshot of the madness of loving and agonizing over and chasing after animals.” —Jillian Steinhauer, Los Angeles Review of Books

22. The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan (led by Mr. Lajoie) After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. A non-stop thrill-ride and a classic of mythic proportions.

23. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (led by Colin Bushnell) Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he thought he was destined to live.

24. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach Stiff (led by Mrs. Laracy, parent) is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them. "One of the funniest and most unusual books of the year....Gross, educational, and unexpectedly sidesplitting."—Entertainment Weekly

25. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink (led by Dan Kennedy, owner of Whitehorse Press) Drawing on research from around the world, Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others) outlines the six fundamentally human abilities that are absolute essentials for professional success and personal fulfillment--and reveals how to master them. A Whole New Mind takes readers to a daring new place, and a provocative and necessary new way of thinking about a future that's already here.

26. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (led by Mr. Moylan, KHS principal) This is an American comic masterpiece. The story bursts with original characters in New Orleans. Incredibly true-to-life dialogue and a zany series of high and low comic adventures propells this Pulitzer Prize winning novel called ‘radiant with intelligence and artful high comedy’ by Newsweek.

Your second choice… instead of a book club, you may read ANY book on your own & write a literary letter (see below) for summer reading credit in your English class this fall.

What will you read? We have compiled a list of recommended books from KHS student and staff to help you with your decision… but you can choose any book. ANY book. We want you to read in your interests this summer… to explore careers and people and places you’ve wondered about… reading is a great adventure.

And we might have mentioned this… but we think you should read many books. The of your reading impacts SAT scores, future academic success, and most importantly, the development of empathy and understanding for people in situations unlike your own. Reading is good for the soul. Don’t think of this as homework… think of it as building a reading life that is as individual as you are.

In 1945, the average American student between the ages of six and fourteen had a written vocabulary of 25,000 words. Today, that vocabulary has shrunk to about 10,000 words. ~Ralph Fletcher, What a Writer Needs

Wide reading is the single best way to improve your vocabulary. ~Nagy and Anderson 1984

Suggested summer reading books from KHS students and staff:

5th Wave by Rick Yancey A Child Called It by Dave Pelzerk A Corner of the Universe by Ann M Martin A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson Angels & Demons by Dan Brown Becoming Mara Dyer by Mara Dyer Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden Born of Illusion by Teri Brown Boy Nobody by Allen Zaduff Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman (*the author is visiting KHS this fall!) Death by a Black Hole by Neil deGrasse Tyson Divergent series by Veronica Roth Dr. J by Julius Erving Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson Enders Game by Orson Scott Card Friday Night Lights by HG Bissinger Hellhound on His Trail: The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History by Hampton Sides How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini Koya! Dark, Mango, Sweet by Kashma Sheth Life of Pi by Yann Martel Lone Survivor by Marcus Lutrell Looking for Alaska by John Green Love You More by Lisa Gardner Memorial Day by Vince Flynn Mort by Terry Pratchett Ms. Pergins Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Paper Towns by John Green Revived by Cat Patrick Scratch Beginnings by Adam Shepard Shadow by KHS ’10 alum Riley Lambert (unpublished—yet—see Mrs. Kittle for a copy) Slow Getting Up by Nate Jackson Standing Alone by Asra Q Nomdni Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler The Fault in Our Stars by John Green The Full Spectrum by David Levithan The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Legend in Stripes by Kerry Fraser The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky The Rangers Apprentice series by John Flanagan The Selection by Kiera Class The Stand by Stephen King When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird Responding to reading:

Write a 1-page letter (see below) and bring it with you on the first day of school (or attend a summer book club meeting). Your reading letter (or attendance at a book club meeting) will be factored positively into your quarter 1 grade in English.

Letter guidelines:

Letters About Literature is a reading and writing contest sponsored by the for students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to that author (living or dead) about how the book affected them personally. Letters are judged on state and national levels. Tens of thousands of students from across the country enter Letters About Literature each year. For more information visit: www.read.gov/letters. High school student letters should be no less than 600 words and no more than 1500 words. Information on the content of the letter is on the next page.

Many of our advanced courses also have summer reading requirements.

The AP requirements are listed here simply to have all summer reading expectations in one place. And yes, if you’re in AP we still want you to read for pleasure. A rich reading life should include a wide variety of reading.

Summer Required Reading for AP courses

AP Psychology students are required to read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. (See Mr. Bailey)

AP Language and Composition/AP US History Students will select their own non-fiction book (can be biography, history, modern politics/current events) and have the selection approved by Ms. Zengilowski by June 25th. (See Ms. Z for more information on this assignment)

AP English Literature one book chosen from the College Board list of recommended authors (see Mr. Wood)

AP Biology The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (see Ms. Cole)

AP German no book required, but see Mr. Weitz for your summer assignment

Writing Contest for Young Readers Sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress

2014 Entry Guidelines

Contest theme: Write a personal letter to an author whose work (either fiction or nonfiction) changed your view of the world or yourself.

How to Enter

First: determine your competition level. LAL welcomes entries from all readers — reluctant as well as enthusiastic — on three levels of competition. Entrants must be at least 9 years old and fall into one of the following categories:

Level 1 — Grades 4–6 Level 2 — Grades 7-8 Level 3 — Grades 9-12

Second: Select and reflect! Select a fiction or nonfiction book you have read and about which you have strong feelings. Explore those feelings and why you reacted the way you did during or after reading the author’s work. Consider these questions when writing your letter:

• What did the book show you about your world that you never noticed before? • What did you realize about yourself as a result of reading this book? • Why was this work meaningful to you? • How do you know the author’s work influenced you?

Third: Write a persuasive letter stating your opinion and supporting that opinion with specific details. A letter is less formal than an essay or research paper. Write honestly and in your own voice, as if you were having a conversation with the author. Those are the best letters to read and the most fun to write! Keep in mind these two tips:

• Correspond, don’t compliment! Your letter should inform rather than flatter the author. All FAN letters will be eliminated! • Do not summarize the book’s plot! The author wrote the book and knows what happened. What the author doesn’t know is how the book affected you and why it did so. Only YOU can explain that unique relationship you experienced while reading the book.

Fourth: Submit your letter and the required entry coupon by the postmark deadline:

December 10 Deadline for Level 3: grades 9 – 12

January 10 Deadline for Level 1: grades 4-6, & Level 2: grades 7 & 8

STATE AND NATIONAL AWARDS LAL awards prizes on both the state and national levels. Each participating state center has its own panel of judges who select the top essayists in the state. State Winners will receive a cash award and advance to the national level judging. A panel of national judges for the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will select one National Winner per competition level to receive a $1,000 cash award. The judges will also select one National Honor winner per competition level to receive a $200 cash award

How to Submit Your Class Set of Letters

(or individual letter if entering separately from a school or library) RETURN ADDRESS. The child’s name and complete return DEADLINES. address (either home or school) must appear in the upper right • Level 3 entries must be postmarked by 12-10-13 corner of the first page of the letter, as per letter formatting. Letters without a return address will be disqualified. • Levels 1 and 2 must be postmarked by 1-10-14 ENTRY COUPON. Each letter must be accompanied by an Entries will be judged on the following entry coupon (below). Staple the coupon to the last page of the ASSESSMENT. letter. Should your student win a state prize, your State Center criteria: for the Book (or state sponsor) will contact you using this • Content (addressing the contest theme) information, so be sure your coupon is complete and legible! • Writer’s Voice (writing style and originality of expression) Letters without a coupon will be eliminated. • Exposition (language skills, organization and grammar)

TEACHER COVER LETTER. Each class set should include a Each criterion will be scored on a scale of zero (0) to five (5), teacher cover letter that provides contact information plus a list where five (5) is excellent and zero (0) is not fulfilling the of the names of each student submitting a letter. Cover letters judging criteria. do not take the place of entry coupons. Each student’s letter must have its own entry coupon. RECOMMENDED LENGTH OF LETTERS: Entries for Level 1 should be no less than 100 words and no more than 500 MAILING ENVELOPE & ADDRESS. Mail class sets in a flat words.• Entries for Level 2 should be no less than 300 words 8x10" envelope or larger. Indicate the competition level — and no more than 1000 words. • Entries for Level 3 should be either 1, 2 or 3 — on the envelope. Include a complete return no less than 600 words and no more than 1500 words. address on your mailing envelope. Mail to: OWNERSHIP. All letters become the property of the Center for Letters About Literature the Book in the Library of Congress. Please make copies of your students’ entries, as no letters will be returned. Competition Level (Indicate level 1, 2 or 3) NOTIFICATION & CONTACT. Your State Center for the Book will notify the winners within your state on or about 4/15/14. P.O. Box 5308 The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will notify National Winners on or about 5/1/14. For program updates, Woodbridge, VA 22194 please refer to the contest website, www.read.gov/letters