Saint George's School English Grades 9-12 Summer Reading

Saint George’s School English Grades 9-12 Summer Reading

Ninth Grade Summer Reading News of the World, Paulette Jiles. Morrow, 2017. ISB: 978-0062409218.

Please arrive at school ready to take a quiz on this text. The quiz should be relatively easy if you’ve read the book. Students are welcome to read texts (Grade 8+) off of the Extra Credit Summer Reading List. There is no other set book list for English 9. Other texts will be purchased throughout the year as necessary— parents can expect plenty of fair warning. The class focuses mostly on shorter works.

Tenth Grade Summer Reading No mandatory summer reading. Extra credit: • Read any book recommended by Jeff Darnall or Chad Rigsby on Saint George’s School English Recommended Reading for Grades 9-12 • Write a 500-750 word reflective essay identifying a major theme of the book and what the book wants to say about that theme • Avoid mere summary and excessive quotation. Use summary and quotation only to support points you make about the book’s meaning • Extra credit will apply to no more than two books/papers • Extra credit will be assigned to your Semester 1 grade

IB English A Summer Reading (HL & SL)

The Odyssey, Homer, translated by Emily Wilson. Norton. 2018. ISB: 978-0393356250 (This text is translated. Please be sure to purchase the Emily Wilson translation—others won’t match.) A separate email regarding instructions will be sent to incoming Juniors regarding this assignment.

Students are welcome to read texts (Grade 9+) off of the Extra Credit Summer Reading List.

Twelfth Grade IB English A Summer Reading No mandatory summer reading. Extra credit: • Read any book recommended by Jeff Darnall or Chad Rigsby on Saint George’s School English Recommended Reading for Grades 9-12 • Write a 750-1000 word reflective essay identifying a major theme of the book and what the book wants to say about that theme • Avoid mere summary and excessive quotation. Use summary and quotation only to support points you make about the book’s meaning • Extra credit will apply to no more than two books/papers • Extra credit will be assigned to your Semester 1 grade

IB English B Level 1 & 2 (ELL) Summer Reading Students entering IB English B in the fall of 2020 should arrive having read the following article: “How Diversity Makes Us Smarter” from the Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/. You will not be able to earn credit for doing any of the other readings from the “Recommended Reading for Grades 6-12,” though I wouldn’t discourage you from reading any of the selections you’d like. Type up a Word document in MLA format (page layout guidelines can be found here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/) and do the following:

- Title your document as follows: Learning about Diversity. When naming the file, name it like this: Lastname_SummerReading. - Before you read, write a couple sentences telling me what you know about issues related to diversity, why you think diversity matters, and any other thoughts or personal experiences you have with diversity. If you don’t know anything right now, write down questions you hope to get answered by studying these topics. Put this information under a bold sub-header titled: Before I Read (no less than 100 words). - Summarize the sections of the article in three to four sentences each (no more than 200 words for each section summary). Each section is identified by sub-headers in the article, which there are five of if you include the opening section found at the beginning under the title. Put this information in your Word document under a bold sub-header titled: After I Read. - Lastly, in a new paragraph under a bold sub-header titled: Analysis, explain what you learned and what you can do in your daily life to educate people about the importance of diversity. Also, address whether you agree with the author of the article or not and explain why (no less than 200 words, no more than 500 words).

This assignment is due by email before the first day of school. You will be graded on whether you did each part of the assignment as instructed, whether it seems like you actually read the article, and whether you seem to have thought deeply about your answers. If your work seems like it was done last minute or if you don’t have it done before the first day of school, your grade will suffer. The assignment is worth 25 points possible, so make sure to give yourself time to read and think before answering. To turn in your work or to ask questions, email the teacher at [email protected]. Thank you and happy reading!

Extra-Credit Upper School Summer Reading (applies to all English classes 9-11 except IB English B) Students are also welcome to read any of the works (Grade 8 or higher) on the Recommended Reading for Grades 9-12 list (see below). Students will receive five extra credit points towards their semester grades for any novel that they read and write a brief reflective essay about. A reflective essay should be 1-3 pages long, with a thesis that completes the sentence, “I think this novel is important or interesting because ______.” The essay should be carefully thought-out and show real engagement with the text. You may complete up to two of these assignments for extra credit.

Saint George’s School English

Recommended Reading for Grades 9-12

Teacher Title Author Grade Description level Mr. Darnall The Autobiolgraphy As told to Alex 9+ A riveting glimpse into the life of one of the most influential civil rights leaders of all time. of Malcolm X Haley What’s most amazing about the autobiography are not just the shocking and brutal realities of Malcolm’s life, but also his willingness to change his mind and admit his mistakes. Mr. Darnall Bleak House Charles Dickens 11+ Okay, I’ll just come out and say it: I think it’s the best English novel ever. Over a thousand pages in the Penguin edition. Are you tough enough? Mr. Darnall Brideshead Revisited Evelyn Waugh 11+ The story of Charles Ryder’s various involvements with a strange and dysfunctional but intriguing affluent Catholic family. As in other novels Waugh laments the ineluctable decline of aristocratic values in modern England. His attention to “faith,” however, perhaps provides a kind of hope that doesn’t seem to appear in more sardonic works such as A Handful of Dust. Mr. Darnall Emma Jane Austen 9+ This is my favorite Jane Austen novel, and, in my opinion, Jane Austen assembles a better sentence than any other prose writer in the language. Emma is the story of a young woman who attempts to steer the lives of those around her and only ends up making a mess of things and having to surrender to her own fate. Mr. Darnall The Iliad Homer 9+ Well, this is one you really should read, if you haven’t. The Iliad is one of the most alluded-to texts in Western Literature. At its heart, however, is also a very personal and moving story about the vanity of human ambition and pride, especially in war. Mr. Darnall The Long Goodbye Raymond 9+ Mystery novels need not be “guilty pleasures.” Though sometimes disregarded as merely a Chandler “genre” writer, Raymond Chandler can write circles around most so-called “literary” writers. The Long Goodbye is my favorite of his stories. Mr. Darnall This Boy’s Life Tobias Wolff 8+ The subjects of this memoir are serious, including the protagonist’s conflicts with an abusive stepfather, but the candor of the narrator and many comic scenes make This Boy’s Life a quick and enjoyable read. Mr. Darnall Surprised By Joy C. S. Lewis 10+ An Autobiographical account of Lewis’ journey from early belief in the Christian faith through Atheism and back to a more enlightened Christian belief. Mr. Darnall Man’s Search For Victor Frankl 10+ In the first part of the book Frankl, a psychiatrist, describes his experience in a concentration Meaning camp, focusing especially on his observations of the prisoners different psychological 4

reactions to their suffering and the conclusions he drew from those reactions. In the second part of the book, Frankl gives a brief account of the psychological theory (Logotherapy) he developed as a result of his experience. Throughout, the book offers an inspiring account of a human being’s ability to survive and even respond creatively to evil and pain. Mr. Darnall A Distant Mirror Barbara 9+ A long and beautifully written account of the “calamitous 14th century” in Europe. I am Tuchman particularly impressed by the way Tuchman weaves stories of the era together, exploring the century’s most majestic and most depraved features, illuminating the lives of the high and the low alike. Mr. Darnall Nickel and Dimed Barbara 9+ Ehrenreich writes of her time undercover as a member of the “working poor.” You might Ehrenreich have a different perspective on wait staff, retail salespeople, housecleaners, and others after you read this book. Mr. Darnall Lord of the Flies William 9+ A classic dystopian novel depicting young boys stranded on an island. It is dark and Golding disturbing, but it should get you thinking about how and why we form societies. Mr. Rigsby Americanah Chimamanda 10+ A searing account of Nigerian refugees caught on the dangerous fringes of society in the Ngozi Adichie United States and Britain, this novel has all the trappings of the greatest nineteenth century novel—humor, sadness, adventure, romance—but is also marked by cutting insights into the harsh realities of a post-colonial world.. Mr. Rigsby The Brief Wondrous Junot Diaz 10+ Overweight, lovelorn, and nerdy, Oscar Wao nevertheless dreams of becoming the Life of Oscar Wao “Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien.” Can he achieve these dreams in New York before an ancient curse destroys his family? A stunning glimpse into the brutality and poverty of Trujillo’s Domincan dictatorship and its effects on the whole Western Hemisphere, this novel is sad, terrifying, and hilarious all at once. Mr. Rigsby Crime and Fyodor 9+ Mostly, it’s about an axe-murderer’s crisis of conscience, but Dostoevsky’s masterwork is Punishment Dostoevsky bigger than that, and somehow, mysteriously, the murder isn’t the worst crime in the novel. The greatest works of literature ask the reader to answer the basic question: “Which side are you on?” This novel accomplishes that as well as any other. Mr. Rigsby Cotton Comes to Chester Himes 9+ Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones are the two baddest detectives in Harlem. When Harlem the heist of proceeds from a Back to Africa rally sparks total mayhem in Harlem, Coffin Ed and Gravedigger set out in violent and dangerous pursuit of the hijackers. Mr. Rigsby Fear and Loathing: Hunter S. 10+ Originally written as monthly installments for Rolling Stone, Thompson’s scathing criticism On the Campaign Thompson of Republican and Democratic political machines, and of Richard Nixon in particular, strike Trail ‘72 the same sore nerves as they did in 1972. Hilarious. Cynical. Drug-ridden. Broken-hearted. Mr. Rigsby For Whom the Bell Ernest 9+ The story of American expatriate Robert Jordan’s relationship with guerrillas during the Tolls Hemingway Spanish Civil War. Sent to blow up a bridge, Jordan falls in love with a local woman, Maria,

and finds himself increasingly conflicted about whether to complete the mission or escape the war. When I was a sophomore in high school, this was my favorite book. Mr. Rigsby Middlesex Jeffrey 10+ Part family saga, part bildungsroman, this novel tells the story of a hermaphrodite coming Eugenides of age during the Detroit riots and the Vietnam War. Born Calliope, reborn Cal, the protagonist grapples with issues of gender and sexuality in an environment of national turmoil and family secrets. A stunning achievement. Mr. Rigsby Moby-Dick Herman 10+ My second favorite book of all time—after Don Quixote—and my personal pick for the Melville Greatest American Novel. Whose story is it, though? Is it the story of Ahab’s wild and fiery pursuit of an immortal white whale, or is it Ishmael’s story—the attempt of a traumatized man to unravel what he’s witnessed? Don’t skip the chapters on whaling, either. They’re all part of it. Mr. Rigsby Monster Walter Dean 8+ A sixteen year-old stands accused of robbery-murder, and makes sense of his experience in Myers jail by writing it as a screenplay. Did Steve Harmon murder the drugstore owner? Is he really, as the prosecuting attorney asserts, a “Monster”? This is a page-turner, for sure, but it asks some big questions. Mr. Rigsby Snow Crash Neal 9+ Easily one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, Snow Crash features a samurai Stephenson sword-wielding pizza delivery guy as its protagonist and an Inuit terrorist as its villain. Need I say more? Mr. Rigsby The Hate U Give Angie Thomas 9+ After watching a police officer kill her best friend, Starr Carter grapples with the risks of telling the world what she’s seen. This novel strikes deep themes at the intersection of gang violence, police brutality, community, and family—the language and content are not for the faint-hearted. The novel is by turns funny and heartbreaking. An instant classic. Mr. Rigsby A Prayer for Owen John Irving 9+ The story of two boys growing up in New Hampshire—one is orphaned when he loses his Meany mother in a tragic accident, the other contends he’s the Son of God. Often hilarious and tragic at the same time, A Prayer for Owen Meany is truly unforgettable. I wish I could read this novel for the first time all over again. Mr. Rigsby Lonesome Dove Larry 9+ The hands-down greatest Western of all time, one of the greatest page-turners, and my McMurtry favorite novel when I was a junior and senior in high school. It’s violent, it’s funny, it’s sad. Read it now. I’m not kidding. We don’t rent pigs. Mr. Rigsby The Romance of the Luo 11+ The epic story of the breakup of the Han dynasty, Three Kingdoms is Chinese literature’s Three Kingdoms Guangzhong equivalent of The Iliad in the West. Monumental, difficult, and worth the effort, if you have the nerve to step into the ring, then the Three Kingdoms will knock you out.

Mr. Rigsby White Teeth Zadie Smith 10+ The first novel from the dazzlingly talented Smith; she wrote it when she was twenty-three years old. In it, she tells the story of trans-racial families in Britain, and explores the consequences of old-time colonialism for present-day society. The novel is sad, funny, and wonderfully constructed. Sara Smith Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes 10+ Explores changing intellect in a mentally disabled man whose intellectual abilities are enhanced through surgery, but are not permanent. A deeply moving story about what makes us human. Sara Smith Why We Broke Up Daniel Handler 9+ Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped. Sara Smith Feed M.T. Anderson 8+ Identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains. Sara Smith Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury 8+ “Stuff your eyes with wonder, he said, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” - Ray Bradbury. I can't say it any better than that. This book will haunt you, make you think, and wake you up years later remember it. Societal observation at its best and most extreme. Sara Smith Your Own, Sylvia Stephanie 9+ On a bleak February day in 1963 a young American poet died by her own hand, and passed Hemphill into a myth that has since imprinted itself on the hearts and minds of millions. She was and is Sylvia Plath and Your Own, Sylvia is a portrait of her life, told in poems. With photos and an extensive list of facts and sources to round out the reading experience, Your Own, Sylvia is a great curriculum companion to Plath's The Bell Jar and Ariel, a welcoming introduction for newcomers, and an unflinching valentine for the devoted. Sara Smith Wild Boy: The Real Mary Losure 6+ One day in 1798, woodsmen in southern France returned from the forest having captured a Life of the Savage of naked boy. He had been running wild, digging for food, and was covered with scars. In the Aveyron village square, people gathered around, gaping and jabbering in words the boy didn’t understand. And so began the curious public life of the boy known as the Savage of Aveyron, whose journey took him all the way to Paris. Sara Smith The Blue Sword Robin McKinley 5+ High fantasy set on an imagined desert world, with a brilliantly ordinary young woman as its heroine. Magic and reality combine in a beautifully realized mythical kingdom. Robin McKinley will delight readers with this fast paced adventure. Sara Smith Dodger Terry Pratchett 7+ Seventeen-year-old Dodger is content as a sewer scavenger. But he enters a new world when he rescues a young girl from a beating, and her fate impacts some of the most

powerful people in England. From Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd, to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.

Sara Smith Going Bovine Libba Bray 9+ All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America . . . into the heart of what matters most.

Sara Smith I am Princess X Cherie Priest 7+ Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure. Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard Bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her. Once upon a now: May is sixteen and lonely, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window. Princess X?