Required Summer Reading Assignment 2017 for Students Entering Grade 9

Due: first day of class

Points: 50

Assignment:

1. Choose one book (one that you have not previously read) from any of the three lists below. Or, if

there is a book or books you’ve been wanting to read, and the reading level meets or exceeds

books on the lists below, feel free to read something you’re sure you’ll enjoy. Check websites for

your local library and Goodreads for suggestions. Ask a friend, a parent, a librarian, or a teacher

for a recommendation, and feel free to email Mrs. Westrem

[westremrobyn@minnehahaacademy.net] if you’re not sure about the level of difficulty.

2. Identify and comment on at least seven key passages in the book that seem significant to

understanding the story. Your notes can be typed, written on sticky notes, written in the

margins, or color-coded. Make sure, however, that a teacher will be able to read and follow your

analysis when you share your notes in August. The following topics are suggested areas of

significance to explore:

§ References to the title

§ Turning points in the story

§ Descriptions of an important object

§ Lines indicating a theme/message

§ Interesting descriptions of a character or of the setting

Pleasenote:Thesevencommentsrequiredofyoushouldconsistofyourfavoriteor

mostinsightfulannotationsoutofthemanyyoushouldmakewhilereading.Awell-

annotatedbookmayhavenotes/markingsoneverypage.Youmightunderlinepassages,

writeshortnotesaboutthetextinthemargins,orboth.Perhapsyouhaveyourown

systemforannotatingthatusessymbolstoindicatedifferentthings(likethoselistedinthe

bulleteditemsabove).Whateveryoursystemis,pleasemakesureyouhavesufficient

annotationsshowingevidenceofyourclosereadingandthoughtfulinteractionwiththe

text.

3. Bringyourbook(oreBook)andallnoteswithyouonthefirstdayofclass.Youmayincur

alatepenaltyiftheassignmentisnotcompleteandthoroughlyannotated.Key: Longer

and/or more difficult book titles are marked with an asterisk (*)

A. FICTIONAckerman The Zookeeper’s Wife

Anderson Speak

Austen Northanger Abbey*

Bronte Jane Eyre*

Courtenay The Power of One

Keyes Flowers for Algernon

Kidd The Secret Life of Bees

Kingsolver The Bean Trees

Lee To Kill A Mockingbird (if you haven’t already read it)

Potok My Name Is Asher Lev

Rolvääg Giants in the Earth*

Schaara The Killer Angels (historical fiction: Civil War)

Smith A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

White The Once and Future King

Zusak The Book Thief

B. Novels by Michael Crichton

Chris Crutcher

Paula Danziger

John Grisham

David McCullough (historical fiction)*

Walter Mosley

Amy Tan

Jacqueline Woodson

C. NONFICTION

Angelou I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Blais In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle

Brown The Boys in the Boat

Callahan Adrift: Thirty-Six Days Lost at Sea

Coffey The Boys of Winter

Dye and Beckloff Amazing Gracie: A Dog’s Tale

Gies Anne Frank Remembered*

Halberstam Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World That He Made

Hillenbrand Unbroken:AWorldWarIIStoryofSurvival,Resilience,and

Redemption**(Note:theabridgedorYoungAdultversionofthisbookis

shorterthantheoriginal,butthereadinglevelremainsaboutthesame.)

Seabiscuit:AnAmericanLegend

Jenkins A Walk Across America

Jorvsky Hoop Dreams

Krakauer Into Thin Air*

Kurson Shadow Divers

McBride The Color of Water*

Moore Disguised—A True Story

Remarque All Quiet on the Western Front

Ten Boom The Hiding Place

Van Ryn Mistaken Identity

Walls The Glass Castle