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2008/2009 School Year Summer Reading Requirements

Dear Baker High School Parent(s),

The English department at Baker High School believes that reading is an integral part of the writing

and learning process. It has been noticed, however, that many of the students these days do not enjoy

reading. In an effort to expand your childs reading habits and enlighten him or her, we have compiled a list

of books for summer reading. Take the time to discuss these books with your child. There are plenty ofbooks from which to choose, so if you find any material offensive, please choose another book.

Your child may not take English until the second semester. To avoid the rush, make sure the books are

purchased during the summer. Since there are two books that must be read, please take the time to

read both sides of this letter so no one will lose any points due to oversight.

Section IChoose one of the following novels to be used as testing material. Testing will take place at the

teachers discretion (make sure the book is read before the start of class; book tests may be given the first

couple of days of class).

Students taking regular English will be tested on one of the following books:

Honors students read two of their grade-level books from section I.

*It is suggested that parents preview these books before allowing students to read them.

Ninth Grade- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (we recommend the

Puffin Classic abridged version)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

1984 by George Orwell

Tenth Grade- Cold Sassy Treeby Olive Ann Burns

I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven

The Pearlby John Steinbeck

Eleventh Grade- *Of Mice and Menby John Steinbeck

Their Eyes Were Watching Godby Zora Neale Hurston

Nightby Elie Wiesel

Twelfth grade- Sense and Sensibilityby Jane Austen

Rebeccaby Daphne du Maurier

*Brave New Worldby Aldous Huxley

Section IIAll students must read one of the following books, and follow the instructions on the back of this paper.

*It is suggested that parents preview these books before allowing students to read them.

Angels and Demons, Dan Brown

Avas Man, Rick Bragg

The Bell Jar, Sylvia PlathCatch-22, Joseph Heller

The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger

A Child Called It, Dave Pelzer

Christy, Catherine Marshall

The Client, John Grisham

Ellen Foster, Kaye Gibbons

A Gathering of Old Men, Ernest Gaines

The Ghostway, Tony Hillerman

Hiroshima, John Hersey

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

In Cold Blood, Truman Capote

The Kitchen Gods Wife, Amy Tan

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Ken KeseyRocket Boys, Homer Hickam

The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd

Shane, Jack Schaefer

Slam, Walter Dean Myers

Tears of a Tiger, Sharon Draper

A Time to Kill, John Grisham

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith

Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom

When the Legends Die, Hal Borland

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Students will read one of the Section II books

and keep a notebook. A paper folder with loose-

leaf paper is acceptable.

*MUST BE HANDWRITTEN.

*NO SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS WILL BE

ACCEPTED.

In that notebook the student will answer

questions about the following literary elements:

1. Characters: individuals involved in the story

a. Identify your favorite or least favoritecharacter. Explain how the character

develops throughout the book. Give

specific details from the story.b. Why is the main character believable or

unbelievable?

2. Setting: time and place of the action

a. How does the setting play an importantpart in what happens to the characters in

the story?b. Would you (or would you not) like to

live at the time and place of the story?c. How well is the setting described?

Explain your answer.d. Does the author use vivid language to

create imagery? Cite examples from the

text.

3. Plot: the order of incidents in the story

a. At the mid-point of the book, make a

prediction of the outcome. In yourparagraph predict at least three things

that you think will happen.

b. List the ten most important events if the

plot is in chronological order. Which

incident is the most memorable in the

book? Why?

c. How interesting is the plot? Explainyour answer.

d. Does the action in the story move alongin a logical way? Why or why not?

e. Are there any complicating incidentsthat interfere with a quick resolution of

the conflict? Explain your answer.f. How does the author create suspense inan incident?

g. What is the central conflict of the story?

4. Theme: central idea or general truth about life

a. Can you name something important thata character learns about himself or

herself through the events in the story?

Explain.b. Has the book changed your mind about

something or made you see something

in a new way? Explain your answer.

5. Point of View: through whose eyes the story

is told

a. 1st

person- narrator is one of the main

characters in the story

b. 3rd person limited- narrator only reveals

what one character is thinking

c. 3rd person omniscient- narrator reveals

what more than one character is thinking

Can you identify the point of view in the

story? Explain your answer.

6. Quote

If you could choose one quote as the most

significant quote in the book, what would it

be and why? Cite the quote and page

number.

7. Vocabulary development

Copy and define 25 new words with which

you may not be familiar. Keep a gooddictionary or thesaurus with you when you

read.

Your child must turn in this notebook the

first day of his or her English class. Ten points

will be counted off for each day the notebook

is late. NO NOTEBOOKS WILL BE

ACCEPTED AFTER FOUR (4) DAYS.

It is books that are a key to the wide world: if

you cant do anything else, read all you can.

-Jane Hamilton, The Book of Ruth