Period 1 LA…



You are required to have fun over the summer, to spend time outdoors, to laugh with family and friends, and to read!

 

You will be tested on your reading when you return to school.



You must complete a QVC activity for each assigned book – we will talk about this assignment later.



It is important that you read the correct books for the course level that you will be in next year. If you are not certain about this, please check with your teacher.

PERIOD 1- Students are required to read the following two books.

• •

The Beast - Walter Dean Myers Zane and the Hurricane - Rodman Philbrick (We have revised the summer reading list, so please do not assume that a book your older brother, sister, friend, or neighbor read is still an option.)

The Beast

Seventeen-year-old Anthony "Spoon" Witherspoon left his neighborhood in Harlem for a great opportunity at an exclusive prep school. But when Spoon returns home, he is shocked. His beautiful girlfriend, Gabi, once a vibrant young poet, is now a thin, wasted drug addict. Walter Dean Myers, the acclaimed author of many teen favorites, writes a powerful story about the beauty of first love and the reality of drug abuse.

Zane and the Hurricane

Zane Dupree is a charismatic 12-year-old boy of mixed race visiting a relative in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits. Unexpectedly separated from all family, Zane and his dog experience the terror of Katrina's wind, rain, and horrific flooding. Facing death, they are rescued by a kind, elderly musician and a scrappy young girl -both African American. The chaos that ensues as storm water drowns the city and shelter and food vanish, creates a page turning tale that completely engrosses the reader. Based on the facts of the worst hurricane disaster in U.S. history, Philbrick includes the generosity and courage of those who risked their lives and safety to help others. Here is an unforgettable novel of heroism in the face of truly challenging circumstances.

Summer Book Reading Suggestions

If you read the book early in the summer, reread it in August to refresh your memory of the story and its details.

• If you own the book, you can mark it up, talking to the text, as you read. If you don’t own the book, record notes separately on post-its or in a journal. Pay particular attention to the following: o The setting o Characters ’ names, personality traits, and important contributions they make to the o o o o o o story How the characters change throughout the book The conflict Important plot events that helped solve the problem The turning point in the story The resolution Consider writing a brief summary of each chapter • Keep notes to review in August. Bring self-generated notes to class when you return to school. Notes and book may be used for the tests.

• E-readers or digital forms of the book (including highlighting and note taking on the devices) are allowed to be used during the test. You will NOT be allowed access to the internet during the test.

• Complete the required activity for each book you read, and bring them to school with you in August. Be sure to read over the assignment BEFORE you begin reading. Many questions require you to respond as you are actively reading the book – not just at the end.

Periods 6,7 LA…



You are required to have fun over the summer, to spend time outdoors, to laugh with family and friends, and to read!

 

You will be tested on your reading when you return to school.



You must complete a QVCIPC activity for each assigned book – we will talk about this assignment later.



It is important that you read the correct books for the course level that you will be in next year. If you are not certain about this, please check with your teacher.

PERIOD 6,7 - Students are required to read two books from this list.

The Beast - Walter Dean Myers Endangered - Eliot Schrefer Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes Zane and the Hurricane - Rodman Philbrick (We have revised this list, so please do not assume that a book your older brother, sister, friend, or neighbor read is still an option. For example, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is no longer a summer reading text.)

The Beast

Seventeen-year-old Anthony "Spoon" Witherspoon left his neighborhood in Harlem for a great opportunity at an exclusive prep school. But when Spoon returns home, he is shocked. His beautiful girlfriend, Gabi, once a vibrant young poet, is now a thin, wasted drug addict. Walter Dean Myers, the acclaimed author of many teen favorites, writes a powerful story about the beauty of first love and the reality of drug abuse.

Endangered

This unforgettable new novel is set in the Congo during a violent coup. Sophie is initially reluctant to spend her summer visiting her activist mother’s sanctuary for bonobos. However, when revolution breaks out and the sanctuary is attacked, it is Sophie who must rescue the animals. Together, they will hide in the jungle and fight to survive. Eliot Schrefer’s adventure story challenges readers to think about the 8 th grade Language Arts theme of social justice and what it means to be human.

Flowers for Algernon

.

In this classic science fiction novel, Charlie Gordon, a mentally disabled adult, becomes a genius through an experimental operation. The experiment is initially tried on a white mouse named Algernon. The book is written in the form of journal entries kept by Charlie for the experiment. As the book progresses, the language in the journal changes to reflect Charlie’s change in IQ and his sad realization that the world is more complicated that he thought.

Zane and the Hurricane

Zane Dupree is a charismatic 12-year-old boy of mixed race visiting a relative in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits. Unexpectedly separated from all family, Zane and his dog experience the terror of Katrina's wind, rain, and horrific flooding. Facing death, they are rescued by a kind, elderly musician and a scrappy young girl -both African American. The chaos that ensues as storm water drowns the city and shelter and food vanish, creates a page turning tale that completely engrosses the reader. Based on the facts of the worst hurricane disaster in U.S. history, Philbrick includes the generosity and courage of those who risked their lives and safety to help others. Here is an unforgettable novel of heroism in the face of truly challenging circumstances.

Summer Book Reading Suggestions

If you read the book early in the summer, reread it in August to refresh your memory of the story and its details.

• If you own the book, you can mark it up, talking to the text, as you read. If you don’t own the book, record notes separately on post-its or in a journal. Pay particular attention to the following: o The setting o Characters ’ names, personality traits, and important contributions they make to the o o o o o o story How the characters change throughout the book The conflict Important plot events that helped solve the problem The turning point in the story The resolution Consider writing a brief summary of each chapter • Keep notes to review in August. Bring self-generated notes to class when you return to school. Notes and book may be used for the tests.

• E-readers or digital forms of the book (including highlighting and note taking on the devices) are allowed to be used during the test. You will NOT be allowed access to the internet during the test.

• Complete the required activity for each book you read, and bring them to school with you in August. Be sure to read over the assignment BEFORE you begin reading. Many questions require you to respond as you are actively reading the book – not just at the end.

PERIODS 2,5 LA…



You are required to have fun over the summer, to spend time outdoors, to laugh with family and friends, and to read!

 

You will be tested on your reading when you return to school.



You must complete a QVCIPC activity for each assigned book – we will talk about this assignment later.



It is important that you read the correct books for the course level that you will be in next year. If you are not certain about this, please check with your teacher.

Level One LA - Students are required to read two books from this list.

• • • • Endangered - Eliot Schrefer Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates - Wes Moore The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

*We have revised this list, so please do not assume that a book that your older brother, sister, friend, or neighbor read is still an option. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird is no longer a summer reading text.

Endangered

This unforgettable new novel is set in the Congo during a violent coup. Sophie is initially reluctant to spend her summer visiting her activist mother’s sanctuary for bonobos. However, when revolution breaks out and the sanctuary is attacked, it is Sophie who must rescue the animals. Together, they will hide in the jungle and fight to survive. Eliot Schrefer’s adventure story challenges readers to think about the 8 th grade Language Arts theme of social justice and what it means to be human.

Flowers for Algernon

In this classic science fiction novel, Charlie Gordon, a mentally disabled adult, becomes a genius through an experimental operation. The experiment is initially tried on a white mouse named Algernon. The book is written in the form of journal entries kept by Charlie for the experiment. As the book progresses, the language in the journal changes to reflect Charlie’s change in IQ and ultimately his sad realization that the world is more complicated that he thought.

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

Two boys with the same name live in the same decaying city of Baltimore. One becomes a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other receives a life sentence in prison. Wes Moore writes this powerful memoir about his own life and that of the “other Wes Moore”, including both the fascinating ways their lives parallel each other and the different choices they made.

The Book Thief

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist – books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

Summer Book Reading Suggestions

If you read the book early in the summer, reread it in August to refresh your memory of the story and its details.

• If you own the book, you can mark it up, talking to the text, as you read. If you don’t own the book, record notes separately on post-its or in a journal. Pay particular attention to the following: o The setting o Characters ’ names, personality traits, and important contributions they make to the o o o o o o story How the characters change throughout the book The conflict Important plot events that helped solve the problem The turning point in the story The resolution Consider writing a brief summary of each chapter • Keep notes to review in August. Bring self-generated notes to class when you return to school. Notes and book may be used for the tests.

• E-readers or digital forms of the book (including highlighting and note taking on the devices) are allowed to be used during the test. You will NOT be allowed access to the internet during the test.

• Complete the required activity for each book you read, and bring them to school with you in August. Be sure to read over the assignment BEFORE you begin reading. Many questions require you to respond as you are actively reading the book – not just at the end.