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SUMMER READING

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Grade 7

Students entering the seventh grade for the 2011-2012 school year are required to read the two books in boldface printed below and to choose at least one book from the other books listed. There will be a test on the required reading, and students must record either on index cards or in a reading notebook information on characters, plot, and theme for each book read.

Required

Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare is inspired by the true story of Susannah Willard Johnson and relates the journey of a New Hampshire family kidnapped by an Abenaki raiding party during the French and Indian War.

April Morning Howard Fast is a coming of age novel that depicts the Battle of Lexington and Concord from the perspective of a teenage boy.

Personal Choices

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot is a warm and funny description of the English countryside and its inhabitants, four-legged and otherwise.

The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck is the story of a Japanese boy who must face life after escaping the tidal wave that has destroyed his family and village.

Black Elk Speaks by John Niehardt is a 1932 story of an Oglala Sioux medicine man based on his own words translated by his son.

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen relates the experience of a Jewish girl, Hannah, who is transported back in time to Poland in 1942 and to a concentration camp where she learns to understand and appreciate her Jewish heritage.

The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton relates the strange and scary events which transpire when Thomas Small, a thirteen-year-old African American, and his family move into a house that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Grade 8

Students entering the eighth grade for the 2011-2012 school year are required to read the two books in boldface printed below and to choose at least one book from the other books listed. There will be a test on the required reading, and students must record either on index cards or in a reading notebook information on main character, theme or conflict and setting for each book read.

Required

Goodnight, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian follows a young boy named William Beech who is evacuated from London during the World War II air raids and placed in the care of an elderly, reclusive man named Tom Oakley.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis is the funny and tragic story of a middle-class black family from Flint, Michigan who return to Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement.

Personal Choices

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier reveals the devastating effects of nonconformity when a ninth grader is bullied and persecuted for refusing to sell chocolates as part of his school's fundraising.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens uses the tale of a friendless orphan to create an unsentimental depiction of poverty and the criminal world in nineteenth century England.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a tale of what happens to a poor and primitive Mexican family when the father, a diver, finds a large and valuable pearl.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a classic coming-of-age novel about two friends at a New England boarding school during World War II.

The Star Fisher by Lawrence Yep depicts a Chinese-American family's experiences when they arrive in West Virginia from Ohio to open a laundry in 1927.

A Taste of Salt by Frances Temple, a story of modern Haiti, is the powerful and touching story of Djo Leguardien, a young man who lived in Jean-Bertrand Aristide's Lafanmi Selavi, and Jeremie, a young woman who befriends Djo.

Grade 9

All students must choose two:

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton is a techno-thriller novel documenting the efforts of a team of scientists fighting a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls tells her story of triumph despite growing up in a quirky, dysfunctional family of nomads where her mother was "an excitement addict", her alcoholic father was often just a few steps a head of the law, and unconditional love gave her the determination to make a better life for herself.

Heat by Mike Lupica recounts the struggles of Little League pitching star and Cuban refugee Michael Arroyo as he and his brother try to carry on after the death of their father.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers records, in the form of a film script, the experiences of 16-year-old Steve Harmon in prison and in the courtroom as he is tried as an accomplice to murder and tries to come to terms with the course his life has taken.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a sympathetic account of a traumatized teenager shunned by her peers who blame her for calling the police to a party.

White Fang by Jack London relates a wild wolfdog?s journey to domestication during the 19th century Klondike Goldrush in the Yukon Territory.

Required Reading for all Freshmen:

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is the moving account of a series of meetings between a dying professor of sociology and his former student during which they discuss profound questions about the meaning and value of life.

Grade 10

All students must choose three:

1984 by George Orwell gives a terrifying view of a totalitarian society by following the life of a civil servant, Winston Smith, who lives in a world where the government watches over all citizens, directs all activities, and is becoming more powerful.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer investigates the choices made by a young man from a well-to-do family who hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is a memoir of the author's childhood in a small, rural community in the 1930s.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan uses the stories of four Chinese women who immigrate to the United States to illustrate the persistent tensions and powerful bonds between generations and cultures.

Tough as Nails by Gail O'Sullivan Dwyer is an account of the author's personal experiences as a member of the second West Point class to admit women.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is written as a series of compelling stories about Vietnam but reads like the reminiscences of a soldier told over a long period of time.

Honors English must also read:

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is the story of Edmund Dantes who is wrongfully imprisoned by his enemies for fourteen years and who, after escaping and participating in a series of thrilling adventures, exacts a merciless vengeance from those responsible for his imprisonment.

Grade 11

All students must choose three:

The Color of Water by James McBride is the story of the author's childhood in an all-black Brooklyn housing project with his eleven brothers and sisters and his beloved, unconventional white mother.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is set in a bleak New England town and relates the harsh and ironic story of misplaced loves and warped loyalties that have destroyed three lives.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett chronicles the lives of black domestic servants in the early 1960s South.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult uses the story of Anna who was conceived as a bone marrow match for her seriously ill sister Kate to examine what it means to be a good sister, a good parent, and a good person.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is the story of Janie Crawford, an independent and articulate black woman living in the 1930s, whose quest for identity takes her through three marriages and on a journey back to her roots.

This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolfe is a memoir of the author's boyhood in the 1950s when, separated from his father and brother by divorce, the young Toby Wolfe accompanies his mother as he ultimately finds himself and a new world of possibility.

Honors English must also read:

The Natural by Bernard Malamud follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked when he is shot by a woman who seeks to kill arrogant athletes to "better the world."

Grade 12 Honors and College Prep

All Honors and CP students must choose three:

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt is the poignant, humorous, and hopeful memoir of the author's miserably impoverished childhood in the slums of Limerick, Ireland.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a futuristic novel that anticipates social and technological advances and expresses a fear that individual identity will be lost in the face of these advances.

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby relates what happens to four unrelated people who happen who meet on New Years Eve on the roof of a building in London where each has gone to commit suicide.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is narrated by a woman living in futuristic Cambridge Massachusetts, where a religious group has overthrown the United States Government, her husband has been arrested, her daughter given away to another family and she has been assigned to bear children for an elite Commander and his wife.

The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh is a short, satirical novel about the funeral business in Los Angeles.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is the story of a proud and powerful Nigerian tribesman who struggles to maintain tradition against the unfortunate legacy his father left him and the modernization and oppression the white man are trying to bring.

Required Reading for all Seniors:

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a fantasy adventure novel about an Indian boy who survives in a small boat in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days after a shipwreck.

Grade 12 AP English

Students must read all of the following:

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen is a naturalistic drama, which uses the ordinary life of the Helmer family to criticize marriage and other middle class conventions. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a witty play that satirizes the foibles and hypocrisy of the Victorian era.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is the story of Amir whose life is colored by regret for his childhood betrayal of his best friend, the son of his father's servant.

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a fantasy adventure novel about an Indian boy who survives in a small boat in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days after a shipwreck.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is the story of a proud and powerful Nigerian tribesman who struggles to maintain tradition against the unfortunate legacy his father left him and the modernization and oppression the white man are trying to bring.

Assignment:

Students in College Prep classes must choose an activity from the list below to complete for each book.

Students in Honors and AP classes may only choose Number 3,Number 5, or Number 6 from the list below to complete for each book.

1.	Make a soundtrack for the book by choosing ten popular songs. For each song, explain in at least three sentences why you chose that song and how it relates to the events or characters in the book. You must provide the lyrics of each song.
2.	Make a collage of a major theme from the book. Use clippings from magazines, newspapers, the Internet, etc. The collage must be on paper that is at least 8.5" by 14" and should include at least ten different clippings. On the back explain in one paragraph what theme you are representing and how it connects to the book.
3.	Become a character in the book and write a diary with at least three entries. Include events from the book and how you feel about them. Write in the voice of the character, using words he or she would use and saying things he or she would say.
4.	Create a Memory Box for the book filled with items representing the plot, characters, and theme of the story. Some articles you might include would be photos, puzzles, games, maps, costumes, or anything to help picture what happened in the book. The container should also represent the plot, character, theme, and setting of the book.
5.	Imagine a conversation between two to three characters and write a script of their dialogue. The conversation should contain substantial and meaningful dialogue that represents the characters' thoughts, ideas, and actions, as well as giving insights into their personality.
6.	Write a book review. Be sure to identify the title, author, type of book, and a brief plot summary. Include your reaction to the book, what you like and didn't like, and why. Explain if you made any connections with this book and your own life or life in general. Use specific examples from the book to illustrate your points. Also indicate to whom you would recommend this book and why.

These assignments are due the first week of school and will be graded.

Testing

Students will be tested on summer reading during the first full week of classes. The tests will consist of critical essays or book reviews. Students will need to be familiar with the plot, characters, and theme of each book and will be allowed to use marked up copies of the books during the exam.

579 Boston Avenue Medford, MA 02155 * Phone: 781-393-5600 * Fax: 781-396-3230