Summer reading for 2021-22
Ed note; All of these books are available at the Mansfield Public Library.
Tackling School Summer Reading Lists
Any student who needs assistance regarding summer reading should email the department chair, Mr. Jamie Vitonis, to schedule an appointment for support.
[email protected]
The following tips are recommendations previously published on the PBS website to facilitate summer reading.
- Create a reading plan with your child.
Using a calendar, help your child make a schedule for summer reading.
Helping your child plan ahead and stick to the schedule will help him
avoid leaving his reading until the last few days of summer.
- Set aside a consistent time each day for reading.
Depending on your family’s schedule, reading time might be in the
morning, afternoon or before bed. Whatever time you choose, stick to it,
but also remember that flexibility around trips and special family
events is OK.
- Alternate required reading with your child’s own choices. Your child will be more motivated to read when she has the opportunity to select some of her own reading.
- Read books together and discuss them.
You can read aloud together by taking turns by page, or you can get two
copies of the book and each read silently. In either case, tell your
child what you are thinking as you read and ask your child questions
about what he reads. By reading together, you help your child to
understand what he reads and motivate him to read by demonstrating that
you enjoy sharing ideas about books.
- Find audio books if your child is struggling.
By listening to books on tape and discussing them with you, your child
will learn new vocabulary and information. If audio books are not
feasible, read required books aloud to your child and discuss them
together. At the same time, help your child to find books at a
comfortable level so she gets practice reading herself.
Summer
Reading books are available at the Mansfield Public Library. In
addition, many of the titles can be downloaded to the audio or e-book
form. The Mansfield Public Library is part of the SAILS network where
additional copies of these books can be requested. Many audio versions
can also be found on youtube.com.
Printable PDF link
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Quick links to classes;
Grade 09
Grade 10
Grade 11
Grade 12
Grade 12 (AP)
For students entering grade 9
MHS English Department 2021 Summer Reading List
For Students Entering Grade 9
Students entering Grade 9 College Prep A/B are REQUIRED to read ONE of the novels from the list below.
Students entering Grade 9 Honors are REQUIRED to read TWO of the novels from the list. NOTE: AT LEAST ONE of the student’s selections MUST be one of the novels marked with an asterisk (*).
ALL STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE 9 ENGLISH NEXT YEAR will respond to a writing prompt on the summer reading within the first two weeks of school; therefore, it is highly recommended, but not mandatory, that students keep a reading journal to take notes on plot/plot development, characters/character development, and themes/theme development as they read. NOTE: Students who prepare handwritten notes will be able to use them as a reference during the assessment(s); typed notes will not be allowed.
Grade 9
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Betty Smith
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*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
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*“…a poignant and deeply understanding story of childhood and family relationships. The Nolans lived in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919...Their daughter Francie and their son Neely knew more than their fair share of the privations and sufferings that are the lot of a great city's poor. Primarily this is Francie's book. from New York Times
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Maya Angelou
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*I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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* “…this memoir traces Maya Angelou's childhood in a small, rural community during the 1930s. Filled with images and recollections that point to the dignity and courage of black men and women, Angelou paints a sometimes disquieting, but always affecting picture of the people—and the times—that touched her life. Amazon.com Review
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Richard Adams
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*Watership Down
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*First published in 1972, Richard Adams’s extraordinary bestseller Watership Down takes us to a world we have never truly seen: to the remarkable life that teems in the fields, forests, and riverbanks, far beyond our cities and towns. It is a powerful saga of courage, leadership, and survival; and epic tale of a hardy band of Berkshire rabbits forced to flee the destruction of their fragile community and their trials and triumphs in the face of extraordinary adversity as they pursue a glorious dream called "home." distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
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Steve Kluger
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My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park
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Best friends and unofficial brothers since they were six, ninth-graders T.C. and Augie have got the world figured out. But that all changes when both friends fall in love for the first time. Enter Al‚. She's pretty, sassy, and on her way to Harvard. T.C. falls hard, but Al‚ is playing hard to get. Meanwhile, Augie realizes that he's got a crush on a boy. It's not so clear to him, but to his family and friends, it's totally obvious! Told in alternating perspectives, this is the hilarious and touching story of their most excellent year, where these three friends discover love, themselves, and how a little magic and Mary Poppins can go a long way. Amazon.com
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Walter Dean Myers
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Sunrise over Fallujah
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Instead of heading to college as his father wishes, Robin leaves Harlem and joins the army to stand up for his country after 9/11. While stationed in Iraq with a war looming that he hopes will be averted, he begins writing letters home to his parents and to his Uncle Richie, the main character from Myers's acclaimed Vietnam War novel, Fallen Angels (Scholastic, 1988). Robin finds himself in a diverse Civil Affairs unit of both men and women, with a mission to serve as a buffer between winning over the Iraqi people and concurrent military operations. As the war unfolds, the military angle of Robin's job escalates, and he experiences increasing horrors of violence, death, destruction, insecurity, sorrow, and extreme fear. Ultimately, he comprehends the reasons Uncle Richie never wanted to talk to their family about what happened in Vietnam, saying, "-are there really enough words to make them understand?" School Library Journal Review
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Sue Monk Kidd
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The Secret Life of Bees
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Fourteen-year-old Lily Owen, who is neglected and isolated on her father’s North Carolina peach farm, becomes a runaway who finds the true meaning of family in the home of three black sisters who raise bees. The story is set in the early 1960s against the background of racial violence and unrest. Amazon.com Review
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Jamie Ford
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Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
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Fifth-grade scholarship students and best friends Henry and Keiko are the only Asians in their Seattle elementary school in 1942. Henry is Chinese, Keiko is Japanese, and Pearl Harbor has made all Asians-even those who are American born-targets for abuse. Because Henry's nationalistic father has a deep-seated hatred for Japan, Henry keeps his friendship with and eventual love for Keiko a secret. When Keiko's family is sent to an internment camp in Idaho, Henry vows to wait for her. Library Journal Synopsis
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Matthew Quick
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Boy 21
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Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in broken-down Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, his dad works nights, and Finley is left to take care of his disabled grandfather alone. He's always dreamed of getting out someday, but until he can, putting on that number 21 jersey makes everything seem okay. Russ has just moved to the neighborhood, and the life of this teen basketball phenom has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he won't pick up a basketball, but answers only to the name Boy21--taken from his former jersey number. As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, a unique friendship may turn out to be the answer they both need. Barnes and Noble.com Synopsis
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Matthew Quick
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Sorta Like a Rockstar
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Amber Appleton lives in a bus. Ever since her mom's boyfriend kicked them out, Amber, her mom, and her totally loyal dog, Bobby Big Boy (aka Thrice B) have been camped out in the back of Hello Yellow (the school bus her mom drives). Still, Amber, the self-proclaimed princess of hope and girl of unyielding optimism, refuses to sweat the bad stuff. But when a fatal tragedy threatens Amber's optimism—and her way of life, can Amber continue to be the rock star of hope?With an oddball cast of characters, and a heartwarming, inspiring story, this novel unveils a beautifully beaten-up world of laughs, loyalty, and hard-earned hope. The world is Amber's stage, and Amber is, well...she's sorta like a rock star. True? True. Barnes and Noble.com Synopsis
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Click here for a link to the text via Project Gutenberg
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his famous detective. Venture back in time to Victorian London to join literature's greatest detective team — the brilliant Sherlock Holmes and his devoted assistant, Dr. Watson — as they investigate a dozen of their best-known cases. Originally published in 1892, this is the first and best collection of stories about the legendary sleuth. Amazon
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Any student who needs assistance regarding summer reading should email the department chair, Mr. Jamie Vitonis, to schedule an appointment for support.
[email protected]
Grade 09 PDF
For students entering grade 10
MHS English Department 2021 Summer Reading List
For Students Entering Grade 10
Students entering Grade 10 College Prep A/B are REQUIRED to read ONE of the books from the list below.
Students entering Grade 10 Honors are REQUIRED to read TWO of the books from the list. NOTE: AT LEAST ONE of the selections MUST be from the novels marked with an asterisk (*).
ALL STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE 10 ENGLISH NEXT YEAR will respond to a writing prompt on the summer reading within the first two weeks of school; therefore, it is highly recommended, but not mandatory, that students keep a reading journal to take notes on plot/plot development, characters/character development, and themes/theme development as they read. NOTE: Students who prepare handwritten notes will be able to use them as a reference during the assessment(s); typed notes will not be allowed.
Grade 10
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*Khaled Hosseini
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*The Kite Runner
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*This painful, moving, remarkable debut novel depicts the childhood, adolescence, and adulthood of a deeply flawed protagonist. Growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan, Amir feels unloved by his widowed father, who seems to care more for Hassan, the son of their Hazara servant, Ali. Amir and Hassan are close but not quite friends. On what should have been the best day of his young life, when he wins a kite-flying contest and finally some respect from his father, Amir betrays Hassan and becomes haunted by guilt. Amir comes to California when the Soviets invade his country but returns years later to rescue Hassan's orphaned son from the Taliban and redeem himself. Library Journal Review
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*Charlotte Bronte
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*Jane Eyre
Click here for a link to the text via Project Gutenberg
|
*As an orphan, Jane’s childhood is not an easy one, but her independence and strength of character sustain her through the miseries inflicted by cruel relatives and a brutal education system. Taking a job as a governess in a house containing dangerous secrets and a passionate man she finds increasingly attractive, Jane is ultimately forced to call on her resources in order to hold fast to her beliefs. Amazon.com Synopsis
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*Anthony Doerr
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*All The Light We Cannot See
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“While set mostly in Germany and France before and during the war--is not really a “war novel”. Yes, there is fear and fighting and disappearance and death, but the author’s focus is on the interior lives of his two characters. Marie Laure is a blind 14-year-old French girl who flees to the countryside when her father disappears from Nazi-occupied Paris. Werner is a gadget-obsessed German orphan whose skills admit him to a brutal branch of Hitler Youth. Never mind that their paths don’t cross until very late in the novel, this is not a book you read for plot (although there is a wonderful, mysterious subplot about a stolen gem). This is a book you read for the beauty of Doerr’s writing (…)” Amazon.com Editorial Review
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Robert Sharenow
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The Berlin Boxing Club
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“Berlin in the 1930s, during the rise of Nazism, is the dramatic setting for this novel told through the immediate first-person narrative of teenage Karl. Growing up in a secular middle-class home, he has always ignored his Jewish identity until he is expelled from school, the Hitler Youth harass him, and his father arranges for Karl to have lessons with the famous boxer Max Schmeling. After Max defeats Joe Louis, the Nazis trumpet his victory as Aryan superiority, but then Joe Louis wins the following match. At home, the situation becomes more desperate: Karl's little sister is beaten by Hitler Youth, his mother sinks into depression, and his uncle dies in Dachau. Karl is also a cartoonist, and his occasional sketches express the racist idiocy and the anguish he experiences.” Booklist Review
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Garth Stein
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The Art of Racing in the Rain
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Enzo narrates his life story, beginning with his impending death. Enzo's not afraid of dying, as he's seen a television documentary on the Mongolian belief that a good dog will reincarnate as a man. Yes, Enzo is a dog. And he belongs to Denny: husband, father, customer service technician. Denny's dream is to be a professional race-car driver, and Enzo recounts the triumphs and tragedies--medical, financial, and legal--they share in this quest, the dangers of the racetrack being the least of their obstacles. Enzo ultimately teaches Denny and the reader that persistence and joie de vivre will see them through to the checkered flag. Library Journal Review
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Eric Blehm
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Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy Seal Team Six Operator Adam Brown
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An absorbing chronicle of heroism and humanity, Fearless presents an indelible portrait of a highly trained warrior who would enter a village with weapons in hand to hunt terrorists, only to come back the next day with an armload of shoes and meals for local children. It is a deeply personal, revealing glimpse inside the SEAL Team SIX brotherhood that also shows how these elite operators live out the rest of their lives, away from danger, as husbands, fathers, and friends. Barnes and Noble
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Malala Yousafzai
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I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban
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When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize. Barnes and Noble.com Synopsis
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Ray Bradbury
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Fahrenheit 451
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In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's classic, frightening vision of the future, firemen don't put out fires--they start them in order to burn books. Bradbury's vividly painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal--a place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad. Guy Montag meets a young girl who makes him question his profession and the values of the society in which he lives. Amazon.com Synopsis
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Sherman Alexie
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Amazon.com Synopsis
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Any student who needs assistance regarding summer reading should email the department chair, Mr. Jamie Vitonis, to schedule an appointment for support.
[email protected]
Grade 10 PDF
For students entering grade 11
MHS English Department 2021 Summer Reading List
For Students Entering Grade 11
Students entering Grade 11 College Prep or Honors are encouraged to read one or more books for their enjoyment and for their continued skill development during the summer vacation. The books suggested in the list below are related thematically to several of the unit topics that students will explore in these courses.
If a student wishes to receive extra credit for reading one of the selections, he/she must: (1) read a book from the suggested titles below, (2) complete a reading journal (see guidelines at the end of this list), and (3)submit the journal to his/her English teacher during the first week that the class meets (teacher will announce due date).
*The reading journal guidelines can be found at the end of the list
Students entering 11 AP are REQUIRED to read ONE of the AP Selections** and may choose one of the selections from the list of suggested books for extra credit by completing and submitting a reading journal (see guidelines*). NOTE: AP students are encouraged to keep their own reading journal/notes on the AP selections to help them review for their assessments.
**AP Selections:
[1] Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
[2] The Grace of Silence by Michele Norris
[3] Educated by Tara Westover
[4] The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
[5] The Girl With Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
[6] A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
Grade 11
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Daniel James Brown
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The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
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Daniel James Brown's robust book tells the story of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936. The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together--a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.
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Celeste Ng
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Little Fires Everywhere
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Shaker Heights, a wealthy suburb of Cleveland, is home to the mostly content Richardson family of six. Mia, an artist, and her teenage daughter, Pearl, decide to settle down and rent an apartment from the family. Pearl bonds with the Richardson teens, and life seems idyllic until a custody battle erupts. Elena Richardson's friend is adopting a baby whose biological mother, a friend of Mia's, regrets her decision to abandon the child. Ng sensitively examines adoption, privilege, and race as the well-off white couple and the child's biological mother, a Chinese immigrant who initially gave up the child out of financial necessity, fight for parental rights. Through Mia, the author also explores the sacrifices that artists must make and the tension between passion and parenthood. School Library Journal Review
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Susannah Cahalan
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Brain On Fire
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In 2009, Cahalan was in a serious relationship and her career as a reporter at the New York Post was taking off. But suddenly, as she tells it in this engaging memoir, she began suffering from a bizarre amalgam of debilitating symptoms including memory loss, paranoia, and severe psychosis that left her in a catatonic state that moved her close to death. Physicians remained baffled until one extraordinary doctor determined that Cahalan was "in the grip of some kind of autoimmune disease." Released from the hospital after 28 days, she had no memory of her stay there. DVDs recorded in the hospital were the only link she had to her startling condition. "Without this electronic evidence, I could never have imagined myself capable of such madness and misery," she writes. Focusing her journalistic toolbox on her story, Cahalan untangles the medical mystery surrounding her condition. She is dogged by one question: "How many other people throughout history suffered from my disease and others like it but went untreated? The question is made more pressing by the knowledge that even though the disease was discovered in 2007, some doctors I spoke to believe that it's been around at least as long as humanity has." Publisher's Weekly Review
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William Kent Krueger
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Ordinary Grace
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In 1961 New Bremen, MN, Frank Drum is a typical 13-year-old who likes baseball and getting into trouble. He has an 11-year-old brother, a Methodist minister father, a sister bound for Juilliard, and an artistically inclined mother. Narrating the story 40 years after the events unfold, Frank recalls the five deaths that occurred that summer that scarred many, especially his family. He and his brother grow up that summer as they see, hear, and experience tragedy and love that is part and parcel of the adult world. Library Journal Review
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Angie Thomas
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The Hate U Give
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Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two very different worlds: one is her home in a poor black urban neighborhood; the other is the tony suburban prep school she attends and the white boy she dates there. Her bifurcated life changes dramatically when she is the only witness to the unprovoked police shooting of her unarmed friend Khalil and is challenged to speak out though with trepidation about the injustices being done in the event's wake. As the case becomes national news, violence erupts in her neighborhood, and Starr finds herself and her family caught in the middle. Difficulties are exacerbated by their encounters with the local drug lord for whom Khalil was dealing to earn money for his impoverished family. If there is to be hope for change, Starr comes to realize, it must be through the exercise of her voice, even if it puts her and her family in harm's way. Booklist Review
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Kathryn Stockett
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The Help
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Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. It is 1962, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, but Constantine has disappeared, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination forever changes a town and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t. Amazon.com Review
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Luis Rodriguez
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Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.
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By age twelve, Luis Rodriguez was a veteran of East L.A. gang warfare. Lured by a seemingly invincible gang culture, he witnessed countless shootings, beatings, and arrests, then watched with increasing fear as drugs, murder, suicide, and senseless acts of street crime claimed his friends and family members. Before long, Rodriguez saw a way out of the barrio through education and the power of words and successfully broke free from years of violence and desperation. Achieving success as an award-winning Chicano poet, he was sure the streets would haunt him no more—until his son joined a gang. Rodriguez fought for his child by telling his own story in Always Running, a vivid memoir that explores the motivations of gang life and cautions against the death and destruction that inevitably claims its participants.
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Kathleen Grissom
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The Kitchen House: A Novel
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Orphaned during her passage from Ireland, young, white Lavinia arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed, as an indentured servant, under the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate slave daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, and serve food, while guided by the quiet strength and love of her new family. In time, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, caring for the master’s opium-addicted wife and befriending his dangerous yet protective son. She attempts to straddle the worlds of the kitchen and big house, but her skin color will forever set her apart from Belle and the other slaves. Amazon.com Review
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Emily St. John Mandel
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Station 11
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Onstage at a Toronto theater, an aging movie star drops dead while performing the title role in King Lear. As the other cast members share a drink at the lobby bar before heading into the snowy night, none can know what horrors await them: "Of all of them at the bar that night, the bartender was the one who survived the longest. He died three weeks later on the road out of the city." The Shakespearean tragedy unfolds into a real-life calamity just before the entire world is overtaken by a catastrophic flu pandemic that will kill off the vast majority of the population. The narrative is organized around several figures present at the theater that night, and the tale travels back and forth in time, from the years before the pandemic through the following 20 years in a world without government, electricity, telecommunications, modern medicine, or transportation.
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Anita Diamant
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Boston Girl
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Addie is The Boston Girl, the spirited daughter of an immigrant Jewish family, born in 1900 to parents who were unprepared for America and its effect on their three daughters. Growing up in the North End of Boston, then a teeming multicultural neighborhood, Addie’s intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can’t imagine—a world of short skirts, movies, celebrity culture, and new opportunities for women. Addie wants to finish high school and dreams of going to college. She wants a career and to find true love. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, to finding the love of her life, eighty-five-year-old Addie recounts her adventures with humor and compassion for the naïve girl she once was. Barnes and Noble
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Nathaniel Hawthorne
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The House of Seven Gables
Click here for a link to the text via Project Gutenberg
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Nathaniel Hawthorne drew inspiration for this story of an immorally obtained property from the role his forebears played in the 17th-century Salem witch trials. Built over an unquiet grave, the House of the Seven Gables carries a dying man's curse that blights the lives of its residents for over two centuries. Now Judge Jaffrey Pyncheon, an iron-hearted hypocrite and intellectual heir to the mansion's unscrupulous founder, is attempting to railroad a pair of his elderly relatives out of the house. Only two young people stand in his way… Amazon
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Extra Credit Reading Journal for Grade 11
In order to receive extra credit for completing your summer reading, you must answer all of the following prompts carefully and thoroughly. Be sure to include relevant textual evidence to support your ideas. Also, don’t forget to identify the novel’s title and author’s name!
Due: First Week of English Class (Teacher will announce due date)
Length: Approximately 3 pages, neatly handwritten*
(a) Write a one-page reaction statement to the novel you read. Be specific in your thoughts about the points that you liked or didn’t like about the novel, ideas that intrigued you, etc. Be sure to include specific textual references (include page numbers) to support your reaction/thoughts.
(b) Cite a memorable passage of no more than thirty words or three sentences from the book (include page number(s)). Explain why you have chosen this passage from the book.
(c) Describe your first impression of one character or event that you find interesting. Give at least three examples of specific textual evidence(include page numbers) that support or generate this impression.
(d) ** Identify what causes a significant change in one character and describe the results of that change. This change may be the consequence of a choice, a conflict of some kind that has to be resolved, a display of some outstanding trait like courage, or even the result of an action/event that occurs during the story. Whenever possible, include specific textual references (include page numbers) to support your conclusions, especially those that help to illustrate or provide evidence of the character’s change.
**Students with IEPs or 504 plans with the typed response accommodation may choose to type their responses.
Grade 11 PDF
For students entering grade 12
MHS English Department 2021 Summer Reading List
For Students Entering Grade 12
Students entering Grade 12 College Prep or Honors are encouraged to read one or more books for their enjoyment and for their continued skill development during the summer vacation. The books suggested in the list below are related thematically to several of the unit topics that students will explore in these courses.
If a student wishes to receive extra credit for reading one of the selections, he/she must: (1) read a book from the suggested titles below, (2) complete a reading journal (see guidelines at the end of this list), and (3)submit the journal to his/her English teacher during the first week that the class meets (teacher will announce due date).
*The reading journal guidelines can be found at the end of the list
Students entering 12 AP are REQUIRED to read the TWO AP Selections** and may choose one of the selections from the list of suggested novels for extra credit by completing and submitting a reading journal (see guidelines*).
12 AP students: see attached document for the required reading selections and assignment.
Grade 12
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Marjane Satrapi
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Persepolis (Part 1)
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Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's wise, funny, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. Amazon.com Synopsis
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Ishmael Beah
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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
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This absorbing account by a young man who, as a boy of 12, gets swept up in Sierra Leone’s civil war, reveals the life and mind of a child abducted into the horrors of warfare. Told in a clear, assessable language, this memoir is a gripping firsthand account of war and the ongoing plight of child soldiers in conflicts worldwide. Publishers Weekly Synopsis
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Sylvia Plath
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The Bell Jar
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Esther Greenwood is brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under—maybe for the last time. In her acclaimed and enduring masterwork, Sylvia Plath brilliantly draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that her insanity becomes palpably real, even rational—as accessible an experience as going to the movies. A deep penetration into the darkest and most harrowing corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is an extraordinary accomplishment and a haunting American classic. Amazon.com Synopsis
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Fredrik Backman
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Beartown
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Everyone knows Beartown is a hockey town. And everyone in Beartown knows someone who is connected to hockey, from the lonely owner of the local bar to the former athlete now managing the supermarket. In a town dying from economic decay and isolated by the surrounding wilderness, Beartown needs its junior hockey team to bring home the championship and bring in tourism and sponsorship dollars to keep the town alive. The son of a wealthy businessman and team patron, Kevin is the squad's superstar. Amat is an immigrant whose speed and skill on the ice may be his ticket to popularity. Maya is the daughter of the team's beloved general manager. When the paths of these three collide in the supercharged aftermath of a decisive game, the town's financial survival rests on the moral convictions of its most vulnerable citizens. Booklist Review
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Kevin Powers
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The Yellow Birds: A Novel
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This first novel by Powers traces the story of a young soldier named John Bartle and his friend Murph during fighting in northern Iraq in 2005. Sterling, the tough sergeant of their platoon, has informally assigned Bartle the job of watching over Murph, who is young, small, and not much of a soldier, and Bartle had also promised Murph's mother that he would take care of him. As the horrors of war escalate, all the soldiers seem to lose their grip, and Murph finally snaps, leaving the compound and forcing Bartle and Sterling to search for him through the nightmarish landscape of a ravaged city. Alternating with this plot is the story of Bartle's life after his return home, as he attempts to piece together his friend's fate and come to grips with it. Library Journal Review
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Vanessa Diffenbaugh
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The Language of Flowers
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In Victorian times, the language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now 18, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what has been missing in her life.
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Cheryl Strayed
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Wild
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At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her. Amazon.com Review
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Bram Stoker
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Dracula
Click here for a link to the text via Project Gutenberg
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Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread the undead curse, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing. Amazon
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Extra Credit Reading Journal for Grade 12
In order to receive extra credit for completing your summer reading, you must answer all of the following prompts carefully and thoroughly. Be sure to include relevant textual evidence to support your ideas. Also, don’t forget to identify the novel’s title and author’s name!
Due: First week of English class (Teacher will announce due date)
Length: Approximately 3 pages, neatly handwritten*
(a) Write a one-page reaction statement to the novel you read. Be specific in your thoughts about the points that you liked or didn’t like about the novel, ideas that intrigued you, etc. Be sure to include specific textual references (include page numbers) to support your reaction/thoughts.
(b) Cite a memorable passage of no more than thirty words or three sentences from the book (include page number(s)). Explain why you have chosen this passage from the book.
(c) Describe your first impression of one character or event that you find interesting. Give at least three examples of specific textual evidence(include page numbers) that support or generate this impression.
(d) ** Identify what causes a significant change in one character and describe the results of that change. This change may be the consequence of a choice, a conflict of some kind that has to be resolved, a display of some outstanding trait like courage, or even the result of an action/event that occurs during the story. Whenever possible, include specific textual references (include page numbers) to support your conclusions, especially those that help to illustrate or provide evidence of the character’s change.
**Students with IEPs or 504 plans with the typed response accommodation may choose to type their responses.
Grade 12 PDF
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MHS English Department 2021 Summer Reading List
AP Literature and Composition Summer Reading Assignment 2021
You are required to read 2 books for your summer reading assignment.
1. Read How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster.
2. Choose one of the texts from the following reading list. You should be doing a close read of the text, which requires marking up the text, annotating, and taking notes. It is recommended that you purchase your own copy of the book so that you can mark it up as you read.
Book Options:
Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
My Antonia - Willa Cather
The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway
A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
Atonement - Ian McEwan
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Dracula - Bram Stoker
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
You are required to complete a dialectical journal for your choice text, which will be due the first week of school. You will also be allowed to use your dialectical journal for the in-class assessment on summer reading when we return to school.
Dialectical Journals
The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer. The process is meant to help you develop a better understanding of the text as you read.
Requirements:
- ❖Quantity of entries: 8 (minimum)
- ❖Include entries from beginning, middle, and end of the book
- ❖Write a fully developed paragraph for each entry
- ❖Due: 2nd week of school (will let you know the specific date on the 1st day of school).Students will be required to submit the journal to turnitin.com; teachers will provide instructions once students return to school.Assignments that are submitted late will automatically lose 25%, which means the highest possible grade will be a 75%.Please do not wait until the last minute to begin this assignment.
- ❖You will be allowed to use your dialectical journal on the in-class writing assessment.
Procedure:
- ❖As you read, choose passages that stand out to you and record them in the left-hand column of a T-chart (ALWAYS INCLUDE PAGE NUMBERS).
- ❖In the right column, write your response to the text: ideas/insights, questions, predictions, reflections, and analysis.
- ❖You may address the following literary devices in your responses: characterization, narrative voice, significance of setting/atmosphere, mood, point of view, imagery, conflict, irony, symbolism, theme, and tone.
Sample Journal Entry: The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (Sample journal entry taken from Lenape Regional High School AP Lit materials.)
TEXT
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RESPONSE
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“-they carried like freight trains; they carried it on their backs and shoulders-and for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and unknowns, there was at least the single abiding certainty that they would never be at a loss for things to carry.” (35)
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O’Brien chooses to end the first section of the novel with this sentence. He provides excellent visual details of what each soldier in Vietnam would carry for day-to-day fighting. He makes you feel the physical weight of what soldiers have to carry for simple survival. He accomplishes this effect through the repetition of “they carried” as well as the length of the sentence. When you combine the emotional weight of loved ones at home, the fear of death, and the responsibility for the men you fight with, with this physical weight, you start to understand what soldiers in Vietnam dealt with every day. This quote sums up the confusion that the men felt about the reasons they were fighting the war, and how they clung to the only certainty - things they had to carry - in a confusing world where normal rules were suspended.
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Choosing Passages from the Text:
Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. For example, you might record:
- ❖Effective/Creative use of stylistic or literary devices
- ❖Structural shifts or turns in the plot
- ❖A passage that leads to a realization
- ❖Examples of patterns: recurring images, ideas, colors, symbols, or motifs
- ❖Passages with confusing language or unfamiliar vocabulary
- ❖Events that are surprising or confusing
- ❖Passages that illustrate a particular character or setting
- ❖If you find an extremely long passage, use ellipses (...) to shorten your writing load.
You can respond to the text in a variety of ways. The most important thing to remember is to be specific and detailed.
The Target: Higher Level Responses
- ❖Analyze the text for use of literary devices and how they contribute to themes
- ❖Make connections between different characters or events in the text
- ❖Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
- ❖Consider how events would be relayed from a different character’s point of view
- ❖Analyze a passage and its relationship to the story as a whole
Grade 12 AP PDF