Marblehead High School
2 Humphrey Street,
Marblehead, MA 01945
Phone: 781-639-3100; Fax: 781-639-3105
 
 
MHS Summer Reading 2008
Overview | All-School List of 4 Books | Recommended Reading | PreDiscussion Writing Assignment
 
Overview
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The English Department at MHS wishes to create Summer Reading book discussion groups for all ages (similar to the discussion groups at MVMS).  The student will then complete an assignment for his/her teacher as the first grade of the school year. The procedure is as follows:
  1. The student will choose one of the four books listed below.  A professional summary and review of the books have been added to help students choose.
    1. This book list and Summer Reading plan was presented to SBMT in February and was available for comment online.
  2. The student will read the book and complete the PreDiscussion Writing Assignment prior to the first day of school in September.  This assignment is available on the school’s website.
  3. On the first full day of school, during English class only, the students will be put into discussion groups with a teacher (or two) based on the book the student read.  The groups will consist of students of all ages and all levels—only the book decides which group the student attends.
    1. If the student read more than one of the four books, the student will choose which book he/she wants to discuss.
  4. The student will take notes during discussion based on the instructions given (essentially noting the opinions of other students in the group—the name of the students giving the opinion should not be taken down).
  5. The student will then use his/her PreDiscussion Writing Assignment and the notes taken during the discussion to complete the written assignment given by his/her English teacher. 
  6. Additional Required reading:
    1. Students enrolled in Honors English classes are also required to read the following book for the first day of school:
      1. Grade 9: The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
      2. Grade 10: Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
      3. Grade 11: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
      4. Grade 12: The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez-Reverte
    1. Students enrolled in AP English classes in grades 11 and 12 will read from the summer reading list provided by their AP teacher in addition to the one choice from the 4 ALL SCHOOL books below.
 
All-School List of 4 Books (3 fiction, 1 nonfiction)
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The First Part Last - Angela Johnson
Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
The Book Thief – Marcus Zusak
Somebody Told Me: The Newspaper Stories of Rick Bragg – Rick Bragg (60 newspaper articles)
 
The First Part Last - Angela Johnson (Coretta Schott King Award; Printz Award) - Grade 8 Up-Brief, poetic, and absolutely riveting, this gem of a novel tells the story of a young father struggling to raise an infant. Bobby, 16, is a sensitive and intelligent narrator. His parents are supportive but refuse to take over the child-care duties, so he struggles to balance parenting, school, and friends who don't comprehend his new role. Alternate chapters go back to the story of Bobby's relationship with his girlfriend Nia and how parents and friends reacted to the news of her pregnancy. Bobby's parents are well-developed characters, Nia's upper-class family somewhat less so. Flashbacks lead to the revelation in the final chapters that Nia is in an irreversible coma caused by eclampsia. This twist, which explains why Bobby is raising Feather on his own against the advice of both families, seems melodramatic. So does a chapter in which Bobby snaps from the pressure and spends an entire day spray painting a picture on a brick wall, only to be arrested for vandalism. However, any flaws in the plot are overshadowed by the beautiful writing. Scenes in which Bobby expresses his love for his daughter are breathtaking. Teens who enjoyed Margaret Bechard's Hanging on to Max (Millbrook, 2002) will love this book, too, despite very different conclusions. The attractive cover photo of a young black man cradling an infant will attract readers.
Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson - From Publishers Weekly
In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. Divided into the four marking periods of an academic year, the novel, narrated by Melinda Sordino, begins on her first day as a high school freshman. No one will sit with Melinda on the bus. At school, students call her names and harass her; her best friends from junior high scatter to different cliques and abandon her. Yet Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers' empathy. A girl at a school pep rally offers an explanation of the heroine's pariah status when she confronts Melinda about calling the police at a summer party, resulting in several arrests. But readers do not learn why Melinda made the call until much later: a popular senior raped her that night and, because of her trauma, she barely speaks at all. Only through her work in art class, and with the support of a compassionate teacher there, does she begin to reach out to others and eventually find her voice. Through the first-person narration, the author makes Melinda's pain palpable: "I stand in the center aisle of the auditorium, a wounded zebra in a National Geographic special." Though the symbolism is sometimes heavy-handed, it is effective. The ending, in which her attacker comes after her once more, is the only part of the plot that feels forced. But the book's overall gritty realism and Melinda's hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak - From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–Zusak has created a work that deserves the attention of sophisticated teen and adult readers. Death himself narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, at age nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers, and loving fathers who earn their living by the work of their hands. The child arrives having just stolen her first book–although she has not yet learned how to read–and her foster father uses it, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when she's roused by regular nightmares about her younger brothers death. Across the ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Liesel collects more stolen books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayors reclusive wife (who has a whole library from which she allows Liesel to steal), and especially her foster parents. Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Challenging read

Somebody Told Me: The Newspaper Stories of Rick Bragg - Rick Bragg (60 newspaper articles) - From Library Journal
This collection displays Bragg's ability to capture time and place in a vivid prose that is consistently eloquent, sincere, and sympathetic. In his introduction, Bragg (All Over but the Shoutin') credits his storytelling family with teaching him how to listen and relate a tale. He acknowledges that "the best stories in the newspaper are those of people in trouble, and those are the ones I care about writing." This anthology of over 60 articles includes Bragg's work with the Birmingham News, the St. Petersburg Times, and the New York Times, where he is currently the Miami bureau chief. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist's works on the Oklahoma City bombings, the Susan Smith case, and schoolyard killers, among others, are collected here. Bragg's respect for ordinary people allows him to shape his stories with clarity and compassion. His book reminds the reader that lives go on and stories need to be written down so they won't be forgotten after the headlines fade. Recommended for all public and academic libraries.
-Pam Kingsbury, Florence, AL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.This book has a different prewriting assignment sheet.   This book is also recommended, but not mandatory, for those enrolled in the Journalism elective.
 

Recommended Reading
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These books are not required reading.  They are very good reads and will entertain and make students think. The list is arranged by class.
 
Grade 9
 

Girl With A Pearl Earring by T. Chevalier (historical fiction)
A poor seventeenth-century servant girl knows her place in the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer, but when he begins to paint her, nasty whispers and rumors circulate throughout the town.

The Bean Trees by B. Kingsolver (fiction)
Taylor leaves rural Kentucky and heads west. By the time she reaches Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a three-year-old American Indian girl named Turtle.

Donald Duk by F. Chin (fiction)
A Chinese-American boy living in San Francisco comes to terms with his Chinese heritage through his dreams.

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (fiction/classic)
Dickens sets out to tell a complex tale about his life and narrates from the first-person in this very personal story.  This is challenging because of its 19th Century language and its length. 

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk (fiction)
It’s 1964, the year of the Civil Rights Act, in Sylvan, S.C.  Fourteen-year old Lily is on the run with servant, Rosaleen, fleeing both Lily’s abusive father T. Ray and the police who battered Rosaleen for defending her new right to vote.  This is a carefully crafted novel with an inspired depiction of character.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (fiction/mystery) (sometimes titled Ten Little Indians)
Ten guests are invited to an island; murders ensue. The vocabulary is challenging, but the story is fascinating and this has been a favorite for many readers.

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (science fiction)
This National Book Award and Newbery Honor book is the story of Matt, a clone of a 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire.

Monkeys by Susan Minot (fiction)
The book chronicles the family life of Gus and Rosie Vincent and their seven children dubbed “monkeys.”  Minot’s prose offers a realistic and delicately lyrical story.

On the Water: Discovering America in a Rowboat by Nathaniel Stone (nonfiction/ memoir)
Marbleheader Nat Stone followed his childhood dream and circumnavigated the Eastern United States, rowing 6000 miles stroke by stroke, encountering interesting people and beautiful places along the way.

*Eleven Seconds by Travis Roy (nonfiction/autobiography)
A Boston University freshman is tragically injured in his first college hockey game.

When I Was Puerto Rican by E. Santiago (nonfiction/autobiography)
Esmeralda Santiago tells of her life first in Puerto Rico and later in New York City.

*At Risk by A. Hoffman (fiction)
A family is shattered by tragedy when eleven-year-old Amanda is diagnosed with AIDS.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (fiction)
Both a mystery and a coming-of-age story, this fascinating story is told from the point of view of an autistic teenager.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston.  (memoir/adventure)
A hike becomes a nightmare when the author’s arm becomes caught and he must amputate it in order to live.

*students may find these books easier to read
 
Grade 10
 

Snow In August by P. Hamill (fiction)
Set in Brooklyn during WWII, an Irish boy becomes friends with a rabbi and struggles with neighborhood moral values.

Brave New World by A. Huxley (science fiction)
This is a challenging book for sci-fi fans; it is also good preparation for 1984, which is often read  in Honors and CPI.

*Betsey Brown by Ntozake Shange (fiction)
Betsey finds the effects of school integration disrupting to herself and to her well-to-do black family in St. Louis in 1957.

*Ellen Foster by K. Gibbons (fiction)
This is a story about a child with incredible resilience.

Listening Woman by T. Hillerman (fiction/mystery)
Set in the southwestern United States, this detective story provides insight into Navaho culture.

The Power Of One by B. Courtenay (fiction)
A white, English boy born in South Africa in 1939 learns to stand up for himself in a land of tribal superstition and burgeoning apartheid as he struggles with German classmates during WWII.  This novel is long but a favorite for many students.

Emma by Jane Austen.  (fiction/classic)
This classic follows the adventures of the self-assured and accomplished Emma, a twenty-one-year-old girl of privilege who believes she is immune to romance and who has several chaotic and often humorous experiences.

Days Of Grace by A. Ashe (nonfiction/biography)
As he faces death, tennis champion Arthur Ashe reflects on his life, tennis, and racial issues.

Bound Feet and Western Dress by Peng-Mei Natasha Chang (biography)      
A Harvard student learns the story of her great aunt, Yu-I, who was born in 1900 into an era when “a woman is nothing” yet who became an independent woman.  It reads like a novel and offers a look at family obligations in a changing China.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (science fiction)
Andrew “Ender” Wiggin thinks he’s playing a war game, when in fact he is leading the last Earth fleet against alien invaders who seek to destroy the planet.

Tuesdays With Morrie (nonfiction)
A writer spends time with his mentor who remains inspirational in his dying days.

It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back To Life by L. Armstrong (memoir)
The world-champion cyclist recounts his diagnosis with cancer, the grueling treatments during which he was given a less than twenty percent chance for survival, his surprising victory in the 1999 Tour de France, and the birth of his son.

Life Of Pi by Yann Martel (fiction)
Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, a seasick orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

Lionheart: A Journty of the Human Spirit by Jesse Martin (memoir)
A 17-year old Australian set a world record and learned much about himself when he sailed alone around the world in his sailboat, the Lionheart.

The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier  (historical fiction)
The author uses six genuine tapestries as the inspiration for this romantic tale of forbidden love, set in the middle ages.

 * Students may find these books easier to read.
 
Grade 11
 

The Killer Angels by M. Shaara (historical fiction)
Union and Confederate soldiers and officers tell about the Battle of Gettysburg in great factual detail through various points of view. A good story holds it together; it will be of interest to history buffs and those interested in military strategy. This book won a Pulitzer Prize.

Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow (historical fiction)
This is a story of racism and injustice in the early part of the 20th century.

The Song of the Lark by W. Cather (classic/ fiction)
A young woman in western America struggles to grow beyond the limitations of her small town and express her artistry as a singer at the Metropolitan Opera House.

*How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by J. Alvarez (fiction)
Fifteen interconnected stories tell about the immigrant experience of four sisters from the Dominican Republic.

Look Homeward, Angel by T. Wolfe (fiction)
This challenging and beautifully written novel is the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story of a young writer.

*Celine by B. Cole (fiction)
An offbeat, artistic sixteen-year old girl navigates through life, making wry and witty comments along the way.

A Thousand Acres by J. Smiley (fiction/contemporary classic)
This is a Lear-like (similar to Shakespeare’s King Lear) story of a father, his three daughters, and the land.  Despite their wealth, tragedy overtakes this American family.

The Wedding by Dorothy West (fiction)
On the eve of her interracial wedding, a bride is confronted one by one by friends and family in a novel that illuminates issues of race, class, and character. The story is set on Martha’s Vineyard.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (sci-fi/historical fiction/satire)
Billy Pilgrim travels from WWII to the present, from Earth to Tralfamadore, while learning about human nature and the futility of war.

The Hot Zone by R. Preston (nonfiction)
A secret military SWAT team is mobilized to stop the outbreak of an exotic, deadly virus.

The Teammates by D. Halberstam (nonfiction)
This book recounts the lives and friendship of Red Sox greats, Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, and Bobby Doerr.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini (fantasy)
Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest.  He thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family food for the winter.  Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of magic and power.

Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam by A. X. Pham (memoir)
A young man returns from America to Vietnam, the land of his youth, for a solo bicycle journey.  In a poignant, sometimes humorous tale, he explores his countries, his family’s secrets, and himself.

The Road From Coorain by Jill Ker Conway (memoir)
This beautifully written autobiography traces the beauty and the challenges of the author’s youth in rural Australia until she left for Harvard at age 23.  She became the first woman president of Smith.

* Students may find these books easier to read.
 
Grade 12
 

*A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (historical fiction)
Mystery, romance, and history combine in this story set in the early 1900’s against the backdrop of a real murder in upstate New York.

A Prayer For Owen Meany by J. Irving (fiction)
Set in New Hampshire, this challenging book tells the story of an unusual boy who changes the lives of everyone he meets.

The Power and the Glory by G. Greene (fiction)
An imperfect priest becomes a hero in this challenging book set in Mexico.

A Lesson Before Dying by E. Gaines (fiction)
While on death row, a retarded black boy offers lessons about life to his tutor.

Nectar in a Sieve by K. Markandaya (fiction)
Set in India, this novel shows how one family is affected by industrial progress.

*Banana Bottom by C. McKay (fiction)
A young Jamaican girl with a British education must decide whether to follow the path of her white benefactors or to return to her cultural roots. McKay, who emigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica, vividly describes Caribbean life.

Stranger in a Strange Land by R. Heinlein (science fiction
This is a science fiction novel about a young man raised by Martians and his first encounters with Earthlings.

Ordinary People by J. Guest (contemporary fiction)
This memorable story of a family chronicles their pain and healing in the aftermath of tragedy.

Wuthering Heights by E. Bronte (fiction/ classic)
The turbulent and classic story of Catherine and Heathcliff crosses the generations as it enfolds on the isolated Yorkshire moors.

This Boy's Life by T. Wolff (nonfiction/autobiography)
Toby Wolff tells of growing up in the 1950's.

*Adrift by S. Callahan (nonfiction)
A situation you don't want to be in -- Callahan recounts his weeks alone at sea in a life boat.

Galileo's Daughter by D. Sobel (nonfiction/biography)
Through the letters of his daughter, the reader learns about Galileo and the development of scientific thought, as well as about Italian history, church politics, and the role of women in the Renaissance. The ending may surprise you. This is a challenging book that connects to European history and the Italy of Romeo and Juliet.

The Color of Water by J. McBride (nonfiction)
This is the story of a mixed race family headed by a feisty Jewish woman who raises her twelve children in a setting where they learn tolerance.

Going After Cacciato by Tim O’Brien (fiction)
Private Cacciato deserts his post in Vietnam, intent on walking 8,000 miles to Paris for the peace talks.  Tim O’Brien offers a complex story of the psychology of men in battle and the insanity of war.

*Students may find these books easier to read.