Summer Reading

Dear Parents and Caretakers,

Can you believe it’s already been a week into summer? With temperatures already soaring into the high 90s, it’s the perfect time to relax indoors or find a shady spot under a tree with a good book. Whether you're tackling your summer reading for English or diving into your technical shop book, jump into summer with a good book.

Quick Reminder for Honors Students
If you're an Honors English student, don't forget there’s an extra book to read this summer! Not sure if you’re in an Honors English class? No worries! Schedules will be released next week, so you’ll find out soon.

If you already know which book to read, great—now’s the time to get started.

For everyone else, don’t stress. Whether you’re reading your English book or for grades 10-12, your technical shop book, you’ve got this! Check out the details below, and happy reading!

See you on the beach,

Mr. Terranova

9th Grade Flyer

As an incoming freshman, you have a choice between three novels for your summer reading. Summer reading will be assessed within the first two weeks of school with a writing prompt about a key idea in the novel. Summer reading assessments will count as 10% of students’ first trimester English Language Arts grade. Students are encouraged to take handwritten notes*** that can be used on the assessment.

Option 1: Monster by Walter Dean Myers. Plot summary: Young, black 16-year-old Steve Harmon, an amateur filmmaker, is on trial for the murder of a Harlem drugstore owner and could face the death penalty. Steve copes by writing a movie script based on his trial. But despite his efforts, reality is blurred until he can no longer tell who he is or what the truth is.

Note taking focus: As you take notes, pay attention to how Steve Harmon is treated by others vs. how he views himself.

Option 2: Bomb-The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinken. Plot Summary: In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned three continents. This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon. This is the story of the atomic bomb. Note taking focus: As you take notes,

focus on what global conditions led to the creation of the atomic bomb and how its existence has impacted life since its creation.

Option 3: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Plot Summary: It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger who sets a magical voyage across the universe in motion for Meg, Charles Wallace, and a new friend. They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract (time travel) problem. Note taking focus: As you take notes, focus on Meg’s personality and how it evolves throughout the course of the story.

***Students with typing accommodations on IEPs/504s are permitted to type their notes.

In addition to selecting one of the three main summer books that you will be assessed on with a writing assignment on the second day of school, you are tasked with reading an additional novel. For Honors Grade 9 English, the second book is Whirligig by Paul Fleischman.

While reading this second novel, your assignment is to take notes on each chapter. These notes should be two-column notes where the first column includes a key quote with an MLA citation. Column two should be 1-2 well-developed sentences of analysis explaining why the quote is significant to the novel, theme, or character development.

Summer reading will remain 10% of your term 1 grade (half for the summer reading notes due on the first day of school, half for your grade on the summer reading assessment on the second day of school).

See an example format in this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15AmlAXgD0BgvbDiHnFitqIH1U3d4Nx3jk8-5y6bO0vM/edit?usp=sharing

Grade 10 Summer Reading Flyer

Heading into your sophomore year, you have a choice between three novels for your summer reading. Summer reading will be assessed on the second day of school with a writing prompt about a key idea in the novel. Summer reading assessments will count as 10% of students’ first trimester English Language Arts grade. Students are encouraged to take handwritten notes*** that can be used on the assessment.

Option 1: Boy 21 by Matthew Quick. Plot summary: Having grown up with an absent mother, an embittered father, and a disabled grandfather, Finley has held on to basketball and his devoted girlfriend as his lifelines through high school. When his coach asks him for a special favor -- to look after and befriend a formidable young basketball player who seems to have suffered a mental breakdown -- Finley reluctantly agrees. The new student calls himself "Boy21" and claims to be from another planet, and Finley works hard to protect him at their tough, racially-divided school. But what will happen to Finley's basketball dreams if Boy21 takes his place on the team? Note-taking focus: As you take notes, pay attention to the role friendship plays on characters’ lives.

Option 2: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Plot Summary: Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end. Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. The novel moves back and forth in time, with chapters from characters’ perspectives vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic. As the tale of survival concludes, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed. Note-taking focus: Pay attention to what people took for granted before the pandemic and what people value in their new world after the Georgia Flu.

Option 3: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. Plot Summary: This is a story of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship. Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis. Throughout her journey, Aza struggles deeply due to issues with OCD and anxiety. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. Warning: This book contains some mature content. Note taking focus: Pay attention to how Aza’s life is affected by her mental health struggles and how she learns to cope with her issues.

***Students with typing accommodations on IEPs/504s are permitted to type their notes.

In addition to selecting one of the three main summer books that you will be assessed on with a writing assignment on the second day of school, you are tasked with reading an additional novel. For Honors Grade 10 English, the second book is The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore.

While reading this second novel, your assignment is to take notes on each chapter. These notes should be two-column notes where the first column includes a key quote with an MLA citation. Column two should be 1-2 well-developed sentences of analysis explaining why the quote is significant to the novel, theme, or character development.

Summer reading will remain 10% of your term 1 grade (half for the summer reading notes due on the first day of school, half for your grade on the summer reading assessment on the second day of school).

See an example format in this link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Mv0GAwHx-KOVOiG-rUB43GJCfaWuJWx9nXHz1Rv5n0/edit?usp=sharing

Grade 11 Summer Reading Flyer

Juniors

Please choose one of the following three books. You should take handwritten notes in anticipation of a summer reading writing assignment during the first week of academics in the fall.

Dragon Hoops, by Gene Luen Yang (graphic novel)

Gene understands stories―comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins. But Gene doesn’t get sports. As a kid, his friends called him “Stick” and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men’s varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that’s been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships. Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he’s seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. It is going to change the Dragons’ lives, and his life as well.

I Must Betray You, by Ruta Sepetys

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force. Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe. Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, by Ibram Kendi and Jason Reynolds

The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable book reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited. Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.

In addition to selecting one of the three main summer books that you will be assessed on with a writing assignment on the second day of school, you are tasked with reading an additional novel. For Honors Grade 11 English, the second book is A Separate Peace by John Knowles.

While reading this second novel, your assignment is to take notes on each chapter. These notes should be two-column notes where the first column includes a key quote with an MLA citation. Column two should be 1-2 well-developed sentences of analysis explaining why the quote is significant to the novel, theme, or character development.

Summer reading will remain 10% of your term 1 grade (half for the summer reading notes due on the first day of school, half for your grade on the summer reading assessment on the second day of school).

See an example format in this link:

Grade 12 Summer Reading Flyer

Please choose one of the following three books. You should take handwritten notes on it in anticipation of a summer reading writing assignment during the first week of academics in the fall. The essay will be worth 10 percent of your first trimester grade.

Laughing at My Nightmare, by Shane Burcaw

With acerbic wit and a hilarious voice, Shane Burcaw's Laughing at My Nightmare describes the challenges he faces as a twenty-one-year-old with spinal muscular atrophy. From awkward handshakes to having a girlfriend and everything in between, Shane handles his situation with humor and a "you-only-live-once" perspective on life. While he does talk about everyday issues that are relatable to teens, he also offers an eye-opening perspective on what it is like to have a life threatening disease.

Fights, by Joel Christian Bill (graphic novel)

Fights is the visceral and deeply affecting memoir of artist/author Joel Christian Gill, chronicling his youth and coming of age as a Black child in a chaotic landscape of rough city streets and foreboding backwoods. Please note: this book contains adult situations, language, and subject matter that some students might find disturbing.

Propelled into a world filled with uncertainty and desperation, young Joel is pushed toward using violence to solve his problems by everything and everyone around him. But fighting doesn’t always yield the best results for a confused and sensitive kid who yearns for a better, more fulfilling life than the one he was born into, as Joel learns in a series of brutal conflicts that eventually lead him to question everything he has learned about what it truly means to fight for one’s life.

Fire Keeper’s Daughter, by Angeline Boulley

Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims. Now, as the deceptions―and deaths―keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

In addition to selecting one of the three main summer books that you will be assessed on with a writing assignment on the second day of school, you are tasked with reading an additional novel. For Honors Grade 12 English, the second book is The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls.

While reading this second novel, your assignment is to take notes on each chapter. These notes should be two-column notes where the first column includes a key quote with an MLA citation. Column two should be 1-2 well-developed sentences of analysis explaining why the quote is significant to the novel, theme, or character development.

Summer reading will remain 10% of your term 1 grade (half for the summer reading notes due on the first day of school, half for your grade on the summer reading assessment on the second day of school).

See an example format in this link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RCwcBSswDTmn_oK_pqJ7W4yL7huRvy1tTUhZjPlqO8Y/edit?usp=sharing

Click here for Technical Summer Reading List By Shop

We’re excited to share our Technical Shop Summer Reading List with you! Each shop has selected a book or in some cases, different books by grade for students to read over the summer.

Click here for Technical Summer Reading List By Shop

Please locate your student’s technical program and review the assigned book(s). Some shops have chosen one book for all grade levels, while others have selected different titles based on grade level. Be sure to read the book assigned to your grade or shop.

Thank you for supporting your student’s learning and literacy over the summer months!