Summer Reading

SWAMPSCOTT MIDDLE SCHOOL READING LIST 2009

We are asking students to read three books from the list over the summer. Students will be asked to select one book and create a poster about that book. Students will receive a rubric about the poster project before the end of the year.

GRADE 5

ADDITIONAL GRADE 5 BOOKS:

INCOMING 6TH GRADERS
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis: When his mother dies in 1936, ten-year-old Bud hits the road, convinced that his mother’s poster of a jazz band will lead him to the father he has never met. Bud will let nothing get in the way in this heartwarming, funny novel. (Fiction – Historical novel)
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwiggan: This historical novel, based on a true story, is about a group of Norwegian children who smuggled $9 million in gold past Nazi sentries during WW II. (Fiction – Historical novel)
My Life with the Chimpanzees (revised edition) by Jane Goodall: Living in the wilds of the African bush, Jane Goodall got to know an amazing group of wild chimpanzees – intelligent animals whose lives, in work, play, and family relationships, bear a surprising resemblance to our own. (Non-fiction – biography)
The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone: Keys to Ancient Egypt by James Cross Giblin: Read a fascinating and factual account of the Rosetta Stone. This odd rock unlocked the mystery and drama of the civilization of ancient Egypt. (Non-fiction)
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George: A boy builds a tree house in the mountains and learns to live entirety by his wits. Go on a journey with Sam as he survives a difficult winter and becomes friends with a most interesting group of people and animals. (Fiction)
The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph: When life gets difficult for Ana Rosa, a twelve-year-old would-be writer living in a small village in the Dominican Republic, she can depend on her older brother to make her feel better–until the life-changing events on her thirteenth birthday. (Fiction)
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan: Thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage and must either suffer a destiny dictated by India’s customs or find the courage to oppose tradition. (Fiction)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis: Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor’s mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of adventures in the land of Narnia. Soon, however, Edmund, Peter, and Susan discover the magic. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever. (Fiction – Fantasy)

INCOMING 7th GRADERS
ESPERANZA RISING by Pam Munoz-Ryan
HATCHET by Gary Paulsen
TREASURE ISLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson
WHEN THE LEGENDS DIE by Hal Borland
DEATHWATCH by Robb White
CHASING REDBIRD by Sharon Creech
TONING THE SWEEP by Angela Johnson
THE BREADWINNER by Deborah Ellis
DANGEROUS SKIES by Suzanne Fisher Staples
GOLD DUST by Chris Lynch

INCOMING 8TH GRADERS
The Pigman by Paul Zindel Two lonely high school students meet Mr. Pignati, an old man who lives in his dreams and makes daily visits to the baboons at the zoo. The three find love and laughter, but only for a short time.
Beyond the Burning Time by Kathryn Lasky They say something very strange is happening to some of the people of Salem. That some of the young girls have become —troubled. And the fear is beginning to spread. Mary and her mother do not hear about the rumors. They do not know that many of the villagers believe that some of Mary’s friends have had spells cast on them —by witches. Or that one of the accused is Mary’s mother.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare Award winning novel about a girl whose rebellion against her Puritan surroundings culminates in a witch hunt and trial.
By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman This rollicking adventure tale, set in the Gold Rush days, is another uncommonly original and delectable story, told and illustrated with zest and gusto to the very last page.
With Every Drop of Blood by James and Chris Collier Johnny made a promise to his father, who was wounded fighting for the South. He promised to take care of the family and not run off to fight. Without Pa, Johnny’s family can barely scrape by. But when there’s an offer to take his mules and wagon on a bold mission to supply the rebel troops, Johnny can’t resist.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares Four friends, each very different, form a sisterhood linked together by the Pants — a pair of jeans each will wear — as they travel their different paths over the course of one summer.
Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien After the nuclear war, Ann manages to survive in the radiation-free valley, but when violent Mr. Loomis appears, she must strike out into the poisoned outside world.
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi Set in 1832, this is a compelling adventure of a young girl’s sailing trip from England to Providence, Rhode Island.
Snow Bound by Harry Mazer Two emotionally immature teenagers whose basic needs for food and shelter have always been taken care of are forced to come to grips with raw survival.
Necessary Roughness by Marie Lee An Asian American teenager finds himself an outsider when he moves from Los Angeles to an all-white Minnesota town and immerses himself in grueling high school football.
Ties That Bind, Ties That Break by Lensey Namioka AiIin’s life takes a different turn when she defies the traditions of upper class Chinese society by refusing to have her feet bound.

NON-FICTION
Under Our Skin: Kids Talk About Race by Debbie Holsclaw Birdseye
It’s Our World, Too! Stories of Young People Who Are Making a Difference by Philip M. Hoose
Racism Explained to My Daughter by Tahar Ben Jelloun
What If Someone I Know is Gay? Answers to Questions About Gay and Lesbian People by Eric Marcus

MODERN-DAY FICTION
The Misfits by James Howe: All outsiders at their middle school band together to put an end to name calling.
What’s In A Name? by Ellen Wittlinger: The town of Scrub Harbor wants to change its name to something more upscale. Ten high school students get embroiled in the debate, exploring their town’s identity and their own.

BULLIES
Chernowitz! by Fran Arrick: A boy who suffers anti-Semitic abuse at the hands of a classmate during his ninth and tenth grade years plots revenge against his tormentor.
Macaroni Boy by Katherine Ayres: In Pittsburgh in 1933, six grader Mike Costa wants to solve a mystery that involves his sick grandfather, but he first has to make friends with the class bully.
Freak The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick: At the beginning of eighth grade, learning disabled Max and his new friend Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his brilliant mind, find that when they combine forces they make a powerful team.
Loser by Jerry Spinelli: Even though his classmates consider him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff’s optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family allow him to see himself differently.
Fist Stick Knife Gun by Geoffrey Canada

DISABILITIES
Of Sound Mind by Jean Ferris: Tired of interpreting for his deaf family and resentful of their reliance on him, high school senior Theo finds support and understanding from Ivy, a new student who also has a deaf parent.
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Probably Still Nick Swansen by Virginia Euwer Wolff: Sixteen year old learning disabled Nick struggles to cope when other kids make fun of him.

MIDDLE EAST AND INDIA
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis (Afghanistan)
Parvana’s Journey by Deborah Ellis (Afghanistan)
Kiss the Dust by Elizabeth Laird, Penguin Books USA, Inc., 1991, Middle Eastern (Iraqi), female, fiction: To escape Iraqi forces, thirteen-year-old Tara must flee with her family over the border into Iran. There they face an uncertain future because of her father’s involvement with the Kurdish resistance movement. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Shabanu:Daughter of The Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples, Alfred A. Knopf, 1989, Pakastani, female, fiction: When she is eleven, Shabanu’s father gives her in marriage to an older man to bring prestige to the Pakistani family. She must decide whether to accept the decision or risk the consequences of going against her family and culture. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Haveli by Suzanne Fisher Staples, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1993, Pakistani, female, fiction:
Shabanu submitted to the customs of her people in Pakistan and married the rich older man to whom she was pledged against her will. But now Shabanu becomes the victim of his family’s blood feud and the malice of his other wives. Sequel to Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan: Thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage and must either suffer a destiny dictated by India’s customs or find the courage to oppose tradition. (Fiction)(India)

OTHER EUROPEAN
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke (Italy)
Road from Home, The by David Kherdian

AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN

Escape from Slavery by Francis Bok
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals
With Every Drop of Blood: A Novel of the Civil War by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier, Delacorte, 1992, African-American, male, fiction, map included:
A poor white Southerner is captured by a black Yankee and the Southerner must question his beliefs about war, race and States’ rights. In preface, authors explain that the characters occasionally use ethnic slurs in order to remain authentic. Suitable for Middle school/junior high.
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, Vintage Books, 1947, African-American, male, fiction:
The classic novel of the experience of African-Americans who are caught between what white society expects and what black society sees of them. Beautifully written, strong, moving, emotional. For older students who can understand its subtleties. Longish book. Suitable for high-school upper classmen.
Soul Looks Back in Wonder by Tom Feelings, Dial Books, 1993, African American, poetry: A beautifully-illustrated collection of powerful poems by and about African Americans. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc, 1993, African-American, male, fiction: Jefferson, a black youth, gets caught in the wrong place during a violent crime and is sentenced to death for something he did not do. With the support of his family and community, he regains his self-esteem and learns to face death with dignity. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
New Boy by Julian Houston
Middle Passage by Charles Johnson, Penguin Books, 1990 African-American, male, fiction: Winner of the National Book Award, Johnson’s novel is about a freed slave who stows away on a slave ship. A quick read, a twist on the white “sea-faring” books a la Melville, but lacks the sharpness of Wright or Ellison. Suitable for high school, and maybe some junior-high classes.
Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago by LeAlan Jones, Lloyd Newman, David Isay and John Brooks
Letters From a Slave Girl:The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1992, African-American, female, fiction: In this fictionalized story based on true events, Harriet Jacobs writes letters describing her slavery in North Carolina and her preparations for escape in 1842.
Not on Our Watch by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Cay by Theodore Taylor, Avon, 1969, African-American, two males, fiction:
Stranded on a tiny Caribbean island when their ship is torpedoed by a German submarine, an adolescent white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man must find a way to survive. Suitable for junior-high to high school.

NATIVE AMERICAN AND ESKIMO
I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven, Clarke, Irwin., 1967, Native American, male, fiction: An Anglican priest with a short time to live learns acceptance of death from the native people he has come to help on the northwest coast of British Columbia. Suitable for junior-high to high school. Grade: A (KSN)
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, 1972, Inuit, female, fiction:
A story about a young girl in the far North who gets separated from her people and is forced to live with a pack of wolves to survive. Soon she becomes friends with the wolves, but when she gets older she has to decide to live in her village and stay with the old ways, or move to a city and take on new ways. Suitable for High School.
Beardance by Will Hobbs, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993, Native American, male, fiction: While accompanying his guardian on a trip into the San Juan Mountains, Cloyd tries to help two orphaned grizzly cubs survive and complete his own spirit mission. The sequel to Bearstone. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Bearstone by Will Hobbs, Atheneum Publishers, 1989, Native American, male, fiction: As a last chance to turn his life around, Cloyd, a Ute Indian boy, goes to live with an elderly rancher whose caring ways help him grow toward manhood. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
I Am Regina by Sally M. Keehn, Philomel, 1991, Native Americans and Eskimo, female, fiction: Based on a true story of an eleven-year-old girl captured by a Native American tribe in 1755. Regina Leininger was forced to adjust to a harsh life of hunger, disease and mistreatment until she was identified as a white captive in 1763. Her tombstone is located near present-day Stouchsburg, PA. Suitable for Middle School/Junior High.
Walker of Time by Helen Hughes Vick, Harbinger, 1993, Native American, male, fiction: A sudden journey back through time jolts a Hopi boy as he finds himself facing the challenges of an ancient people. Suitable for junior-high to high school.

LATINO/LATINA/LATIN AMERICA
Journey of The Sparrows by Fran Leeper Buss with Daisy Cubias, Dell Publishing, 1991,Latino/Latina, many, fiction: After struggling to come to America, a family of Salvadoran refugees begins to find a new home. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph: When life gets difficult for Ana Rosa, a twelve-year-old would-be writer living in a small village in the Dominican Republic, she can depend on her older brother to make her feel better–until the life-changing events on her thirteenth birthday. (Fiction)
The Forty Third War by Louise Moeri, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989, Latino/Latina, male, fiction: When twelve-year-old Uno Ramirez is forced to serve in a revolutionary army, he must find the courage to survive. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Enrique’s Journey, by Sonia Nazario
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan (Mexico)
Crazy Weekend by Gary Soto, Scholastic, Inc, 1994, Latino/Latina, 2 male, fiction:
Hector and Mando inadvertently find themselves pursued by two thieves who think the boys witnessed their crime. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Local News by Gary Soto, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1993, Latino/Latina, fiction:
A collection of short stories about Mexican American youth in California’s Central Valley. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Pacific Crossing by Gary Soto, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992, Latino/Latina, male, fiction: Fourteen-year-old Mexican American Lincoln Mendoza spends a summer with a host family in Japan, encountering new experiences and making new friends. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Taking Sides by Gary Soto, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991, Latino/Latina, male, fiction: Lincoln Mendoza feels his loyalties torn when he leaves the Hispanic inner city to move to a white suburban neighborhood. Suitable for junior-high to high school.

JEWISH/HOLOCAUST
Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayer Aladin Paperbacks
Children of Willesden Lane, The by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen Warner Books.
Nightfather by Carl Friedman
Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
Seed of Sarah by Judith Isaacson
Boy of Old Prague, by Sulamith Ish-Kishoer (Dover Publications)
Daniel’s Story by Carol Matas, Scholastic, Inc, 1993, Jewish; Holocaust, male, fiction: Daniel and his family must find the courage to survive the horror of the Holocaust “for all those who couldn’t.” Published in conjunction with the exhibit, “Daniel’s Story: Remember the Children” at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Related themes: Families, Justice and Prejudice, Perseverance and Courage.Suitable for junior-high to high school.
The Man from the Other Side by Uri Orlevi English translation by Hillel Hallan., Houghton Mifflin, 1991, Jewish, male, fiction: Based on a true story during World War II in Warsaw, Poland. A fourteen-year-old boy becomes involved with the Warsaw Ghetto uprising when he learns that his deceased father was a Jew. Suitable for Middle School/Junior High.
Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwiggan: This historical novel, based on a true story, is about a group of Norwegian children who smuggled $9 million in gold past Nazi sentries during WW II. (Fiction – Historical novel)
The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, Viking Kestrel, 1988, Jewish; Holocaust, female, fiction: A young woman struggles to understand her family’s experience during the Holocaust. Going through a magical doorway, she suddenly realizes first-hand what they went through. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Night by Elie Wiesel

ASIAN/ASIAN-AMERICAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER
Peacebound Trains by Haemi Balgassi, Clarion Books, 1996, Asian/Korean, female, Historical Fiction, illustrations. In harsh winter, a South Korean mother and her young children flee from war aboard the roof of a southbound freight train. The story is poignant and deeply moving, and the watercolor artwork is stunning. Suitable for K-3, 4-6.
Echoes of the White Giraffe by Sook Nyul Choi, Houghton Mifflin, 1993, Asian American (Korean), female, fiction: As Sookan adjusts to life in the refugee village in Pusan, she clings to her hope that the civil war will end and her family will be reunited in Seoul. Sequel to Year of Impossible Goodbyes. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi
Shadow of the Dragon by Sherry Garland, Harcourt, 1993, Asian American (Vietnamese), male, fiction: Danny Vo tries to bring peace between a Vietnamese gang and his girlfriend’s brother, a skinhead. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
The Clay Marble by Minfong Ho,Farrar, Straus & Giroux., 1991, Asian-American (Cambodian), many, fiction: As a family flees the advance of Khmer Rouge soldiers in Cambodia, they become separated in the chaos. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang (China)
Itsuka by Joy Kogawa, Anchor Books, 1992, Asian-American(actually Canadian), female, fiction: Internment Literature. Follows the life of a Japanese-Canadian woman and the group she belongs to who are fighting for compensation from the Canadian government for internment of Canadian citizens of Japanese decent during WWII.
Children of the River by Linda Crew, Dell Publishing, 1989, Asian-American (Cambodian), female, fiction: She fled Cambodia with her aunt’s family to escape the Khmer Rouge army. Now seventeen-year-old Sundara must find a way to remain faithful to her own people as she learns to become an American.
Shizuko’s Daughter by Kyoko Mori, Henry Holt and Company, 1993
Ties That Bind, Ties That Break by Lensey Namioka AiIin’s life takes a different turn when she defies the traditions of upper class Chinese society by refusing to have her feet bound.
Desert Exile by Yoshiko Uchida, University of Washington Press, 1982, Japanese-American, female, autobiography: Internment Literature. Follows the war internment of a Japanese-American family. True story, quick read. Suitable for middle school/junior high and high school.
Goodbye Vietnam by Gloria Whelan, Random House, 1992, Asian American (Vietnamese), fiction: The seemingly-impossible dream of escaping Vietnam for Hong Kong and freedom challenges a refugee family’s courage and perseverance. Suitable for junior-high to high school.
Blue Fingers: A Ninja’s Tale by Cheryl Aylward Whitesel (Japan)

SWAMPSCOTT HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING 2009

Swampscott High School English Department Journal Assignment:

THIS ASSIGNMENT IS TO BE COMPLETED BY ALL STUDENTS FOR EACH BOOK
• You must complete this assignment for each of the books you read this summer (check the summer reading list for specific class requirements).
• For each novel, you are required to have at least ten (10) passages with corresponding responses.
• Be sure the ten passages are representative of the entire book. In other words, ten passages taken only from the first few chapters or even the last few chapters will not be acceptable.
• Each text and response combination will be worth ten (10) points for a total of 100 points for this assignment.
• Points will be deducted on the TEXT side for failure to document accurately and completely according to the model provided.
• Points will be deducted on the RESPONSE side for superficiality and incompleteness. Each response must be at least 60 words in length.

Journals are due the first day of class. Teachers may give students additional assignments when school starts.

Example: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

TEXT (4 points)
1. “ ‘ I do my best to love everybody…I’m hard put, sometimes —baby, it’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn’t hurt you. So don’t let Mrs. Dubose get you down. She has enough troubles of her own’” (Lee 108)

RESPONSE (6 points)
1. One of the things I love about this novel so far is the relationship that Atticus has with Scout. Instead of talking down to her, he treats her and speaks to her like the intelligent girl she is. He does not baby her or pretend the world is a perfect place, but he does teach her that people need to be understood, and often, it is those who do not see the world as you do that you need to open yourself up to. Atticus does not tell Scout that forgiving and understanding people is easy, but that it is something that is necessary to live with compassion.

TEXT (4 points)
2. “Atticus tried hard not to smile but couldn’t help it. ‘You’re rather hard on us, son. I think maybe there might be a better way. Change the law. Change it so only the judges have the power of fixing the penalty in capital cases’” (Lee 220).

RESPONSE (6 points)
2. I find it interesting that this conversation between Jem and Atticus is still going on in this country almost 50 years after this novel was published. The frustration that Jem feels about corruption and a lack of equality in the judicial system is still happening; some today who have been on death row are found to be innocent. It is also a reality still that race plays a role in our justice system. Atticus is correct when he tells Jem that change takes time.

For the RESPONSE column, you have several ways to respond to a text:
• Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text
• Give your personal reactions to the passage
• Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character
• Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
• Write about connections you can make to other texts
• Write about what it makes you think or feel
• Argue with or speak to the characters or author

The goal of the dialectic journal is to have students be actively engaged in the reading process and to make inferences rather than summarize. In this type of journal, students divide their paper into two columns. One column is labeled TEXT; the other RESPONSE. As you read, you identify certain passages that cause you to stop and respond to what you are reading.

You will use the model above to create your journal, and your teacher will use this model in evaluating your work. Please notice in the TEXT column, you cite specific passages from the novel and include quotation marks and page numbers.

This is the rubric that your teacher will use to assess your work:
Rubric for Summer Reading Journal:
A (90-100 %)
• Detailed, meaningful passages, plot, and quotation selections.
• Thoughtful interpretation and commentary about the text; avoids clichés, makes inferences.
• Includes comments about literary devices such as theme, narrative voice, imagery, conflict, etc., and how each
• Contributes to the meaning of the text.
• Makes insightful personal connections and asks thought-provoking, insightful questions.
• Coverage of text is complete and thorough.
• Journal is neat, organized and professional looking; student has followed directions in creation of journal.

B (80-89%)
• Less detailed, but good plot, and quote selections.
• Some intelligent commentary; addresses some thematic connection. Includes some literary devices, but less on how they contribute to the meaning.
• Some personal connection; asks pertinent questions.
• Adequately addresses all parts of reading assignment.
• Journal is neat and readable; student has followed directions in the organization of journal.

C (70-79%)
• Few good details from the text.
• Most of the commentary is vague, unsupported, or plot summary/paraphrase.
• Some listing of literary elements; virtually no discussion on meaning.
• Limited personal connection; asks few, or obvious questions.
• Addresses most of the reading assignment, but is not very long or thorough.
• Journal is relatively neat, but may be difficult to read.
• Student has not followed all directions for organization; no columns, not in separate notebook, etc. No page numbers.

D or F (50-69%)
• Hardly any good details from the text.
• All notes are plot summary or paraphrase.
• Few literary elements, virtually no discussion on meaning.
• Limited personal connections, no good questions.
• Limited coverage of the text; way too short.
• Did not follow directions in organizing journal; difficult to read or follow.
• No page numbers.

SWAMPSCOTT HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST FOR FRESHMAN: 2009
The English department is pleased to present this year’s summer reading list for freshman. Please read the list carefully for appropriate titles of the course you will be taking next school year. All teachers will collect your journal assignments the first day of class. Students taking 110 must read the required text plus three additional choice books from the list provided and complete the journal assignment (see directions) for each novel they read. Students taking 111 must read the required text and two additional choice books from the list provided and complete the journal assignment for each of the novels they read. Students taking the Foundations course must read any two books from the list provided. They have no required book. Foundations students must complete the journal assignment for each book. Students enrolling after August 15 will have a two-week grace period for the reading. Books are available at the following locations: the Swampscott Public library, Borders (Peabody) and Borders Express (Swampscott), and Barnes and Nobles (Peabody).

STUDENTS TAKING ENGLISH 110 OR 111
REQUIRED:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

CHOICES:
Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford: This is the story of a young man growing up during World War II in a sleepy mountain town in New Mexico and learning what life and people are all about. Comedic and rich, this novel captures the spirit of youth and the depth of human feeling.

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez: Fifteen interconnected stories portray the immigrant experience with humor and insight as the four Garcia sisters and their family come to America in 1960 from the Dominican Republic.

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver: Taylor Greer flees her harsh life in Appalachia and heads west in this memorable novel of love and friendship, abandonment and belonging.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury: These stories of Earth and Mars illustrate the universal forces of love, hate, fear, and courage.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card: Ender Wiggins is the result of a genetic breeding program and years of harsh, unforgiving training. Thinking he is only playing computer-simulated war games, Ender is really commanding the last great fleet on Earth.

Ellen Foster by Kay Gibbons: In a simple narrative voice, eleven-year-old Ellen tells the story of a childhood filled with family strife and parental loss. Her spunk and humor help her overcome adversity in this uplifting southern novel.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou: This is the moving and beautiful autobiography of a talented black woman confronting her own life with dignity.

Sophie’s World by Joestein Gaardner: A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Sophie’s World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print.

The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier: History and fiction merge seamlessly in this luminous novel about artistic vision and sensual awakening. Girl with a Pearl Earring tells the story of sixteen-year-old Griet, whose life is transformed by her brief encounter with genius … even as she herself is immortalized in canvas and oil.

Dune by Frank Herbert: Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Maud’dib.

Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid: With Annie John, the story of a young girl coming of age in Antigua, Kincaid tears open the theme that lies at the heart of all her fierce, incantatory novels: the ambivalent and essential bonds created by a mother’s love.

The Once and Future King by T.H. White: This book is the magical epic of King Arthur and his shining Camelot; of Merlin and Owl and Guinevere; of beasts who talk and men who fly, of wizardry and war. It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad. It is the fantasy masterpiece by which all others are judged.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: The story of a British earthling plucked from his planet, and his subsequent adventures elsewhere in the universe.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Bella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang: American Born Chinese is made up of three individual plotlines: the determined efforts of the Chinese folk hero Monkey King to shed his humble roots and be revered as a god; the struggles faced by Jin Wang, a lonely Asian American middle school student who would do anything to fit in with his white classmates; and the sitcom plight of Danny, an All-American teen so shamed by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee (a purposefully painful ethnic stereotype) that he is forced to change schools.

Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher: Dillon Hemingway is a brilliant student and athlete whose older brother, Preston, gets involved with a motorcycle gang, loses his legs in a bike accident, and later blows his head off in full view of his younger brother.

Bee Season by Myla Goldberg: Eliza Naumann, a seemingly unremarkable nine-year-old, expects never to fit into her gifted family: her autodidact father, Saul, absorbed in his study of Jewish mysticism; her brother, Aaron, the vessel of his father’s spiritual ambitions; and her brilliant but distant lawyer-mom, Miriam. But when Eliza sweeps her school and district spelling bees in quick succession, Saul takes it as a sign that she is destined for greatness.

Students taking FOUNDATIONS class need to choose from this list:

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou: This is the moving and beautiful autobiography of a talented black woman confronting her own life with dignity.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: A pathological killer systematically murders ten strangers entrapped on an island.

Before Women Had Wings by Connie Fowler: Bird Johnson tells her own story about family and friends as she embarks upon a quest to find salvation as the chaos of her home plunges her into silence and devastation.

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher: Eric “Moby” Calhoune, the fattest boy in high school, tries to help his badly scarred best friend, Sarah Byrnes, deal with a horrific event in her past. “A transcendent story of love, loyalty, and courage . . . Superb plotting, extraordinary characters and crackling narrative make this novel one to be devoured in a single unforgettable sitting.”

The Contender by Robert Lypsyte: Alfred Brooks, a seventeen-year-old boy who is struggling to become a championship boxer, must placate his Harlem gang and the white world as well.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier: High school politics, cruelty, and conformity are sparked by the annual fundraising event — selling chocolates!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: Melinda enters her freshman year in high school as an outcast. Her dark sense of humor and honest depiction of the high school experience will resonate with many teens.

Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt: Four abandoned children take a journey from Connecticut to Maryland in search of love.

Hoops by Walter Dean Myers: A young man with a talent for basketball hopes that his game will be his ticket out of the ghetto.

Chinese Cinderella by Yen Mah: The author returns to her roots to paint an authentic portrait of 20th century China as well as tell the story of her painful childhood.

Zlata’s Diary, A Child’s Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic: Eleven-year-old Zlata begins her diary with the typical concerns of a young girl. But gunfire and the horrors of war change her happy world. Soon she is recording the deaths of friends, food shortages, and the horrors of life in war-torn Sarajevo.

Lupita Manana by Patricia Beatty: The Torres family is in desperate straits after Mr. Torres is killed. Lupita, 13, and her older brother Salvador must journey to the U.S. to find work and send money so Mama can keep the family’s home from the moneylender.

Candy by Kevin Brooks: When Joe meets Candy, it seems like a regular boy-meets-girl scenario. They chat over coffee, she gives him her number, and he writes her a song. But then Joe is drawn into Candy’s world — a world of drugs, violence, and desperation.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Bella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang: American Born Chinese is made up of three individual plotlines: the determined efforts of the Chinese folk hero Monkey King to shed his humble roots and be revered as a god; the struggles faced by Jin Wang, a lonely Asian American middle school student who would do anything to fit in with his white classmates; and the sitcom plight of Danny, an All-American teen so shamed by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee (a purposefully painful ethnic stereotype) that he is forced to change schools.

Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher: Dillon Hemingway is a brilliant student and athlete whose older brother, Preston, gets involved with a motorcycle gang, loses his legs in a bike accident, and later blows his head away in full view of his younger brother.

SWAMPSCOTT HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST FOR SOPHOMORES: 2009
The English department is pleased to present this year’s summer reading list for sophomores. Please read the list carefully for appropriate titles of the course you will be taking next school year. All teachers will collect your journal assignments the first day of class. Students taking 120 must read the required text plus three additional choice books from the list provided and complete the journal assignment (see directions) for each novel they read. Students taking 121 must read the required text and two additional choice books from the list provided and complete the journal assignment for each of the novels they read. Students taking the 122 course must read any two books from the list provided. They have no required book. 122 students must complete the journal assignment for each book. Students enrolling after August 15 will have a two-week grace period for the reading. Books are available at the following locations: the Swampscott Public library, Borders (Peabody) and Borders Express (Swampscott), and Barnes and Nobles (Peabody).

STUDENTS TAKING ENGLISH 120 OR 121

REQUIRED:
Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian: Forced to watch his father escorted out of their lives by Turkish police, his brothers shot to death in their backyard, his grandmother murdered by a rock-wielding guard, and his sister take poison rather than be raped by soldiers, 12-year-old Vahan Kendarian abruptly begins to learn what his father meant when he used to say, “This is how steel is made. Steel is made strong by fire.”

CHOICES:
Watership Down by Richard Adams: Best-selling picturesque saga of a maverick band of rabbits who, against all odds, seek a new home and a better society.

Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama: In 1926 rural China, a group of women forge a sisterhood amidst the reeling machines that reverberate and clamor in a vast silk factory from dawn until dusk. Leading the first strike the village has ever seen, the young women use the strength of their ambition, dreams, and friendship to achieve freedom.

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris: This is the thrice-told tale of three women—fifteen-year-old, part black Rayonne, American-Indian mother Christine, and the fierce and mysterious Ida, whose search and dreams bind the three women together.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: In this 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.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut: Kurt Vonnegut’s absurd classic introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In the plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life. Concentrating on his (and Vonnegut’s) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.

Shoeless Joe Jackson by W.P. Kinsella: In this story, a baseball announcer’s voice very clearly says to the narrator, “If you build it, he will come.” He does (shoeless Joe Jackson, that is) and says, looking around the ball fields, “This must be heaven.” “No, it’s Iowa,” the narrator replies. At this point, the story is a curiosity more than anything else, its significance archival more than aesthetic, but it is the piece that will draw readers to the collection.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: This is a classic fantasy of the future where babies are produced in bottles and people exist in a mechanized world without a soul.

Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi: Trudi Montag is a Zwerg—a dwarf—short, undesirable, different, the voice of anyone who has ever tried to fit in. Eventually she learns that being different is a secret that all human beings share—from her mother who flees in madness, to her friend George whose parents pretend he’s a girl, to the Jews Trudi harbors in her cellar.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult: Nineteen Minutes recounts a deadly high school shooting rampage, its causes, and its aftermath.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh, unyielding father, Lily Owens has shaped her entire life around one devastating, blurred memory – the afternoon her mother was killed, when Lily was four.

About a Boy by Nick Hornby: Hornby’s protaganist is Will Lightman, a perennial guest at life’s eternal cocktail party. Due to a happy accident of birth, Will has never had to work; but, as his friends have drifted away into meaningful marriages and careers, he finds himself, at 36, mostly alone, desperately hip, and leading the quintessential unexamined life.

Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen: Da Chen is born into a family who struggles to stay strong during the time of the revolution and change in China. While the patriarchs of the family are locked away in labor camps, Chen grows up on his own. The eccentric characters he meets while growing up offer a glimpse of the life that awaits him beyond the rice fields of his boyhood.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: First published in 1965, The Bluest Eye is the story of a black girl who prays — with unforeseen consequences–for her eyes to turn blue so she will be accepted.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards: Haunted by the memory of growing up with a chronically ill sister, David makes a split-second decision. He asks Caroline to take his infant daughter to an institution, and when Norah wakes, he tells her that the second child was stillborn.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale is a frightening look at a not too distant future where sterility is the norm, and fertile woman are treated as cattle, to produce children for the upper class who cannot have any.

Sister of My Heart by Chitra Divakaruni: Since their birth, cousins Sudha and Anjou have been bonded in ways even their mothers cannot comprehend. When a dark family secret suddenly shatters this connection, the two travel different paths until a tragedy reminds them they have only each other to turn to.

Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane: In stark prose, Mathabane describes his life growing up in a nonwhite ghetto outside Johannesburg–and how he escaped its horrors.

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut: The novel is filled with scientists and G-men and even ordinary folks caught up in the game. These assorted characters chase each other around in search of the world’s most important and dangerous substance, a new form of ice that freezes at room temperature.

Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck: With his dog Charley, John Steinbeck set out in his truck to explore and experience America in the 1960s. As he talked with all kinds of people, he sadly noted the passing of region speech, fell in love with Montana, and was appalled by racism in New Orleans.

STUDENTS TAKING ENGLISH 122 CHOICES

Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons: In a simple narrative voice, eleven-year-old Ellen tells the story of a childhood filled with family strife an parental loss. Her spunk and humor help her overcome adversity in this uplifting southern novel.

Shoeless Joe Jackson by W. P. Kinsella: In this story, a baseball announcer’s voice very clearly says to the narrator, “If you build it, he will come.” He does (Shoeless Joe Jackson, that is) and says, looking around the ball field, “This must be heaven.” “No, it’s Iowa,” the narrator replies. At this point, the story is a curiosity more than anything else, its significance archival more than aesthetic, but it is the piece that will draw readers to the collection.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer: When twenty-four-year-old Chistopher McCandless walked into the Alaskan wilderness alone, never to be seen alive again, he left behind a storm of controversy and conflicting emotions over this odyssey. A remarkable true story of idealism, naivete, and the deeper questions of where the individual fits into society.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joann Greenberg: A young girl’s troubled life is explored in this classic novel. A bout with mental illness gives rise to a rebirth of wonder and the awakening of compassion in a hitherto unresponsive girl.

Brothers by Julian F. Thompson: When the idolized older brother leaves college for a mental health facility and then disappears, seventeen-year-old Chris follows him to the compound of an anti-government militia group and tries to rescue him.

A Dance for Three by Louise Plummer: Fifteen-year-old Hannah must face some hard truths as pregnancy and her boyfriend’s rejection propel her towards a mental breakdown.

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang: In this true story twelve-year-old Ji-li Jiang faces terror, persecution, and an impossible choice when she must denounce her family or sacrifice her future with the Party during China’s Cultural Revolution.

A Blessing Over Ashes by Adam Fifield: The remarkable true story of a fourteen-year-old refugee from the killing fields of Cambodia who changes the life of his American foster family.

Rice Without Rain by Minh Phon Ho: In this searing , all-too-possible novel, set in rural Thailand, seventeen-year-old Junda eagerly follows the advice from university students about modernization when her family’s rice crop is threatened by a drought. Then she learns that the students are radical revolutionaries and she quietly and heroically survives a harsh political awakening.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh, unyielding father, Lily Owens has shaped her entire life around one devastating, blurred memory – the afternoon her mother was killed, when Lily was four.

Big Mouth and Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates: Ever make a stupid comment or joke, or say something you obviously didn’t mean? Of course you have — we all have. Was it ever taken out of context? Written in the wake of some highly publicized school shootings, Big Mouth & Ugly Girl takes a look at the shock waves that emanate from an overheard comment muttered in sarcasm, and the overzealous reaction of the school and surrounding community that follows.

Crooked by Laura and Tim McNeal: Clara Wilson has a crooked nose. It bothers her. She fusses with it in the mirror. She thinks about plastic surgery. She touches it all of the time. Her nose doesn’t bother Amos Mackenzie. He thinks she is pretty. And he will tell her so, in due time.

Black Mass by Dennis Lehr and Gerard O’Neill: In the spring of 1988, Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill set out to write the story of two infamous brothers from the insular Irish enclave of South Boston: Jim “Whitey” Bulger and his younger brother Billy. Whitey was the city’s most powerful gangster and a living legend–tough, cunning, without conscience, and above all, smart.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is an unforgettable story of a mental ward in which the despotic Nurse Ratched reigns over the doctor and all the inhabitants. She exercises a somewhat cultic tactics to render her patients completely submissive.

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen: When reality got “too dense” for 18-year-old Susanna Kaysen, she was hospitalized. It was 1967, and reality was too dense for many people. But few who are labeled mad and locked up for refusing to stick to an agreed-upon reality possess Kaysen’s lucidity in sorting out a maelstrom of contrary perceptions.

11 Seconds by Travis Roy: Within the 11 seconds that inspired this memoir, Travis Roy realized his dream, then smashed into his nightmare. On an October night in 1995, Roy, a talented young hockey player, skated onto the ice for his varsity debut with Boston University. Eleven fateful seconds later, he was paralyzed from the neck down.

SWAMPSCOTT HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST FOR JUNIORS: 2009
The English department is pleased to present this year’s summer reading list for JUNIORS. Please read the list carefully for appropriate titles of the course you will be taking next school year. All teachers will collect the journal assignments the first day of class. Students taking 130 must read the required text plus three additional choice books from the list provided and complete the journal assignment (see directions) for each novel they read. Students taking 131 must read the required text and two additional choice books from the list provided and complete the journal assignment for each of the novels they read. Students taking the 145,146,147, OR 148 courses must read any two texts from the list provided. They have no required text. 145,146,147, and 148 students must complete the journal assignment for each novel. Students enrolling after August 15 will have a two-week grace period for the reading. Books are available at the following locations: the Swampscott Public library, Borders (Peabody) and Borders Express (Swampscott), and Barnes and Nobles (Peabody).

STUDENTS TAKING ENGLISH 130 OR 131
REQUIRED:
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien: They carried malaria tablets, love letters, 28-pound mine detectors, dope, illustrated Bibles, each other. And, if they made it home alive, they carried unrelenting images of a nightmarish war that history is only just beginning to absorb. Since its first publication, this novel has become an unparalleled Vietnam testament, a classic work of American literature, and a profound study of men at war that illuminates the capacity, and the limits, of the human heart and soul.

CHOICES:
The Chosen by Chaim Potok: The odyssey of two young men journeying from boyhood to manhood, set against the background of the conflicts and traditions of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews.

The Color of Water by James McBride: As an adult, James McBride finally persuaded his mother to tell her story – a story of a rabbi’s daughter, born in Poland and raised in the South, who fled to Harlem, married a black man, founded a church, and raised twelve children.

1,000 Acres by Jane Smiley: Hidden family secrets erupt when a father decides to leave his prosperous farm to two of his three daughters.

Gathering of Old Men by Ernest Gaines: In this eloquent novel, set in Louisiana in the 1970’s, eighteen year old, black men each claim to have shot a white man and, in the process, experience their first taste of power and pride.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf: Kent Haruf reveals a whole community as he interweaves the stories of a pregnant high school girl, a lonely teacher, a pair of boys abandoned by their mother, and a couple of crusty bachelors farmers.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: Sylvia Plath’s autobiographical novel about a young woman on the brink of madness and suicide.

The Assistant by Bernard Malamud: Frank Alpine, a drifter, participates in the robbery and beating of a poor Jewish grocer. Feeling guilt, Frank is drawn back to the store to seek forgiveness. He begins to work at the store and falls in love with the grocer’s daughter. However, Frank has great difficulty giving up his dishonest ways, even when it costs him the daughter’s love.

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III: In this riveting novel of almost unbearable suspense, three fragile yet determined people become dangerously entangled in a relentlessly escalating crisis.

Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quinonez: This powerful, darkly funny debut novel brilliantly evokes the trials of Chino, a smart promising young man who finds himself over his head in an urban underworld of switchblades and violence.

Love Medicine by Louise Erdich: Written in Erdrich’s uniquely poetic, powerful style, Love Medicine springs to raging life: a multigenerational portrait of new truths and secrets whose time has come, of strong men and women caught in an unforgettable drama of anger, desire, and the healing power that is Love Medicine.

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson: In 1954 on the isolated beaches of San Pedro Island in Puget Sound, a local fisherman mysteriously drowns. When a Japanese American is charged with his murder, it becomes clear over the course of the ensuring trail that much more is at stake than one man’s guilt.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe: There may be no other novel in American history as significant as Uncle Tom’s Cabin. A feat of gripping storytelling — the first American work of fiction to become an international best-seller — no other book so effectively expresses the moral case against the “peculiar institution” of slavery.

She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb: In this extraordinary coming-of-age story, Wally Lamb invites us to hitch a ride on a journey of love, pain, and renewal with the most heartbreakingly comical heroine to come along in years. Meet Dolores Price. She’s thirteen, wise-mouthed but wounded, having bid her childhood goodbye.

Manchild In the Promised Land by Claude Brown: Claude Brown’s life was difficult, dangerous, and violent, and he shows all of that in unflinching detail, he also recalls much of his childhood with pleasure and a good measure of pride that he survived.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: The Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. In this book the smoke, romance, and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive as never before.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy: McCarthy sets his new novel, The Road, in a post-apocalyptic blight of gray skies that drizzle ash, a world in which all matter of wildlife is extinct, starvation is not only prevalent but nearly all-encompassing, and marauding bands of cannibals roam the environment with pieces of human flesh stuck between their teeth

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer: Oskar Schell is not your average nine-year-old. A budding inventor, he spends his time imagining wonderful creations. He also collects random photographs for his scrapbook and sends letters to scientists. When his father dies in the World Trade Center collapse, Oskar shifts his boundless energy to a quest for answers.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole: Meet Ignatius J. Reilly, the hero of John Kennedy Toole’s tragicomic tale, A Confederacy of Dunces. This 30-year-old medievalist lives at home with his mother in New Orleans, pens his magnum opus on Big Chief writing pads he keeps hidden under his bed, and relays to anyone who will listen the traumatic experience he once had on a Greyhound Scenicruiser bound for Baton Rouge.

Lush Life by Richard Price: Price (Clockers) turns his unrelenting eye on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in this manic crescendo of a novel that explores the repercussions of a seemingly random shooting. When bartender Ike Marcus is shot to death after barhopping with friends, NYPD Det. Matty Clark and his team first focus on restaurant manager and struggling writer Eric Cash, who claims the group was accosted by would-be muggers, despite eyewitnesses saying otherwise.

CHOICES FOR JUNIORS TAKING (145) Film Studies, (146) Pop Lit., (147) The Graphic Novel, or (148) Crime in Literature

Students taking any of the semester courses must read any two texts from the list provided before the beginning of school.

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien They carried malaria tablets, love letters, 28-pound mine detectors, dope, illustrated Bibles, each other. And, if they made it home alive, they carried unrelenting images of a nightmarish war that history is only just beginning to absorb. Since its first publication, this novel has become an unparalleled Vietnam testament, a classic work of American literature, and a profound study of men at war that illuminates the capacity, and the limits, of the human heart and soul.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer: The tragedy that took the lives of experienced mountain guides and novice climbers in a raging blizzard atop Mt. Everest in 1996 is chronicled with clarity, poignancy, and brutal honesty by one who witnessed the even first-hand.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf: Kent Haruf reveals a whole community as he interweaves the stories of a pregnant high school girl, a lonely teacher, a pair of boys abandoned by their mother, and a couple of crusty bachelor farmers. From simple elements, Haruf achieves a novel of wisdom and grace – a narrative that builds in strength and feeling until, as in a choral chant, the voices in the book surround, transport, and lift the reader off the ground.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom: This novel is a magical chronicle of Mitch and Morrie’s time together, of a teacher’s gift to a student, and a heartfelt lesson of life and the things that are of true value.

Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card: Bean is in Battle School with Ender Wiggins and becomes his right hand, his strategist, and his friend. He is there with Ender at the final battle. This is his story. A parallel novel to the best seller Ender’s Game.

She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb: In this extraordinary coming-of-age story, Wally Lamb invites us to hitch a ride on a journey of love, pain, and renewal with the most heartbreakingly comical heroine to come along in years. Meet Dolores Price. She’s thirteen, wise-mouthed but wounded, having bid her childhood goodbye.

In Country by Bobby Ann Mason: Sam Hughes, a contemporary girl, searches to understand who her father was and what the Vietnam War that killed him was about.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan: An instant bestseller, this startlingly original debut novel tells the emotionally honest and intensely moving story of several generations of Chinese-American women and their families, illuminating the special mysteries of the bonds between mothers & daughters.

Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane: Private detectives Kenzie and Gennaro, who live in the same working-class Dorchester neighborhood of Boston where they grew up, have gone to visit drug dealer Cheese in prison because they think he’s involved in the kidnapping of 4-year-old Amanda McCready.

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk: The consequences of media saturation are the basis for an urban nightmare in Lullaby, Chuck Palahniuk’s darkly comic and often dazzling thriller. Assigned to write a series of feature articles investigating SIDS, troubled newspaper reporter Carl Streator begins to notice a pattern among the cases he encounters: each child was read the same poem prior to his or her death.

Smashed: The Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas: This isn’t just one girl’s story of sneaking drinks in junior high, creeping out for night-long keg parties in high school and binge-drinking weeknights and weekends through college—it’s also a valuable cautionary tale. At 24 (her present age), Zailckas gave up drinking after a decade of getting drunk, having blackouts and experiencing brushes with comas, date rape and suicide.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy: McCarthy sets his new novel, The Road, in a post-apocalyptic blight of gray skies that drizzle ash, a world in which all matter of wildlife is extinct, starvation is not only prevalent but nearly all-encompassing, and marauding bands of cannibals roam the environment with pieces of human flesh stuck between their teeth.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult: Kate Fitzgerald has a rare form of leukemia. Her sister, Anna, was conceived to provide a donor match for procedures that become increasingly invasive. At 13, Anna hires a lawyer so that she can sue her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned. Meanwhile, Jesse, the neglected oldest child of the family, is out setting fires, which his firefighter father, Brian, inevitably puts out.

Bleachers by John Grisham: With Bleachers John Grisham departs again from the legal thriller to experiment with a character-driven tale of reunion, broken high school dreams, and missed chances. While the book falls short of the compelling storytelling that has made Grisham a bestselling author, it is nonetheless a diverting novella that succeeds as light fiction.

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld: Curtis Sittenfeld’s poignant and occasionally angst-ridden debut novel Prep is the story of Lee Fiora, a South Bend, Indiana, teenager who wins a scholarship to the prestigious Ault school, an East Coast institution where “money was everywhere on campus, but it was usually invisible.” As we follow Lee through boarding school, we witness firsthand the triumphs and tragedies that shape our heroine’s coming-of-age.

Can’t Stop ,Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by Jeff Change: Many good books have been written about the history of hip-hop music and the generation that nurtured it. Can’t Stop Won’t Stop ranks among the best. Jeff Chang covers the music–from its Jamaican roots in the late 1960s to its birth in the Bronx; its eventual explosion from underground to the American mainstream–with style, including DJs, MCs, b-boys, graffiti art, Black Nationalism, groundbreaking singles and albums, and the street parties that gave rise to a genuine movement.

SWAMPSCOTT HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST FOR SENIORS: 2009
The English department is pleased to present this year’s summer reading list for SENIORS. Please read the list carefully for appropriate titles of the course you will be taking next school year. All teachers will collect the journal assignments the first day of class. Students taking 140 must read the required text plus three additional choice books from the list provided and complete the journal assignment (see directions) for each novel they read. Students taking 141 must read the required text and two additional choice books from the list provided and complete the journal assignment for each of the novels they read. Students taking the 145,146,147, OR 148 courses must read any two texts from the list provided. They have no required text. 145,146,147, and 148 students must complete the journal assignment for each novel. Students enrolling after August 15 will have a two-week grace period for the reading. Books are available at the following locations: the Swampscott Public library, Borders (Peabody) and Borders Express (Swampscott), and Barnes and Nobles (Peabody).

STUDENTS TAKING ENGLISH 140 OR 141
REQUIRED:
Blindness by Jose Saramago: Winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature. A city is hit by an epidemic of ‘white blindness.’ The blindness spreads, sparing no one.

CHOICE BOOKS:
The Reader by Bernard Schlink: This mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolded against the haunted landscape of post World War II Germany.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: An intriguing tale of revenge in which the main characters are controlled by consuming passions.

God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy: Set mainly in Kerala, India, in 1969, it is the story of Rahel and her twin brother Estha, who learn that their whole world can change in a single day, that love and life can be lost in a moment.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant: Author Anita Diamant, in the voice of Dinah, gives an insider’s look at the details of women’s lives in biblical times and a chronicle of their earthy stories and long-ignored histories.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country’s vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. Roxanne Coss, opera’s most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening — until a band of gun-wielding terrorists breaks in through the air-conditioning vents and takes the entire party hostage.

The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima: Set in a remote fishing village in Japan, The Sound of Waves is a timeless story of first love. A young fisherman is entranced at the sight of the beautiful daughter of the wealthiest man in the village. They fall in love, but must then endure the calumny and gossip of the villagers.

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel: Life of Pi is a masterful and utterly original novel that is at once the story of a young castaway who faces immeasurable hardships on the high seas, and a meditation on religion, faith, art and life that is as witty as it is profound.

Waiting by Ha Jin: This is the story of Lin Kong, a man living in two worlds, struggling with the conflicting claims of two utterly different women as he moves through the political minefields of a society designed to regulate his every move and stifle the promptings of his innermost heart

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day comes a devastating new novel of innocence, knowledge, and loss. As children Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were.

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez: Set during the waning days of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republica in 1960, this extraordinary novel tells the story the Mirabal sisters, three young wives and mothers who are assassinated after visiting their jailed husbands.

The Aguero Sisters by Christina Garcia: Garcia’s magisterial work opens with a murder. In Cuba’s shimmering Zapata Swamp, Blanca Aguero turns in time to see her naturalist husband, Ignacio, point a gun at her and pull the trigger. At the heart of the novel that then unfolds are the two daughters of the ill-fated couple.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby: High Fidelity is the story of Rob, a pop music junkie who runs his own semi-failing record store. His girlfriend Laura has just left him for Ian from the flat upstairs. Rob is both miserable and relieved. After all, could he have spent his life with someone who has a bad record collection?

White Teeth by Zadie Smith: The book’s home base is a scrubby North London borough, where we encounter Smith’s unlikely heroes: prevaricating Archie Jones and intemperate Samad Iqbal, who served together in the so-called Buggered Battalion during World War II. In the ensuing decades, both have gone forth and multiplied: Archie marries beautiful, bucktoothed Clara–who’s on the run from her Jehovah’s Witness mother–and fathers a daughter.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss: The History of Love spans of period of over 60 years and takes readers from Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe to present day Brighton Beach. At the center of each main character’s psyche is the issue of loneliness, and the need to fill a void left empty by lost love.

When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa by Peter Godwin: In 1996 when his father suffers a heart attack, Godwin returns to Africa and sparks the central revelation of the book—the father is Jewish and has hidden it from Godwin and his siblings. As his father’s health deteriorates, so does Zimbabwe.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini: With his second novel, Khaled Hosseini proves beyond a shadow of doubt that The Kite Runner was no flash in the Afghan pan. Once again set in Afghanistan, the story twists and turns its way through the turmoil and chaos that ensued following the fall of the monarchy in 1973, but focuses mainly on the lives of two women, thrown together by fate.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Few have failed to be charmed by the witty and independent spirit of Elizabeth Bennet. Her early determination to dislike Mr. Darcy is a prejudice only matched by the folly of his arrogant pride. Their first impressions give way to true feelings in a comedy profoundly concerned with happiness and how it might be achieved.

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev: Quite controversial at the time of its publication, Fathers and Sons concerns the inevitable conflict between generations and between the values of traditionalists and intellectuals.

The Commitments by Roddy Doyle: “Dublin soul” is what the lads call it. Obsessed with James Brown, Percy Sledge and other rhythm-and-blues greats from across the ocean, young Jimmy Rabbitte organizes the “world’s hardest working band,” made up of fellow Dubliners, and sets out to teach the town a lesson about soul.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie and Ina Rilke: This beautifully presented novella tracks the lives of two teens, childhood friends who have been sent to a small Chinese village for “re-education” during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Sons of doctors and dentists, their days are now spent muscling buckets of excrement up the mountainside and mining coal.

CHOICES FOR SENIORS TAKING (145) Film Studies, (146) Pop Lit., (147) The Graphic Novel, or (148) Crime in Literature

Students taking any of the semester courses must read any two texts from the list provided before the beginning of school.

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding: Bridget Jones Diary follows the fortunes of a single girl on an optimistic but doomed quest for self-improvement.

The Reader by Bernard Schlink: This mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolded against the haunted landscape of post World War II Germany.

Lucky by Alice Sebold: One night near the end of her freshman year at Syracuse University, Alice Sebold was raped while walking home through a park. From that experience comes Lucky, an account of the rape and the year that followed it.

Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates: The senator. The girl. The accident. Oates creates an unforgettable allegory about power, morals, and ambition.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s wise, funny, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

So Far From God by Ana Castillo: Sofia and her fated daughters, Fe, Esperanza, Caridad, and la Loca, endure hardship and enjoy love in the sleepy New Mexico hamlet of Tome, a town teeming with marvels where the comic and the horrific, the real and the supernatural, reside.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon: Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor’s dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby: High Fidelity is the story of Rob, a pop music junkie who runs his own semi-failing record store. His girlfriend Laura has just left him for Ian from the flat upstairs. Rob is both miserable and relieved. After all, could he have spent his life with someone who has a bad record collection?

Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher: Based on research and her own battle with anorexia and bulimia, which left her with permanent physical ailments and nearly killed her, Hornbacher’s book explores the mysterious and ruthless realm of self-starvation, which has its grip firmly around the minds and bodies of adolescents all across this country.

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey: James Frey’s memoir of drug addition and recovery was a bestseller even before Oprah Winfrey picked it for her book club in 2005, but the subsequent revelations about discrepancies between the story and the author’s real life touched off a national debate about the line between fact and fiction.

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt: Despite impoverishing his family because of his alcoholism, McCourt’s father passed on to his son a gift for superb storytelling. He told him about the great Irish heroes, the old days in Ireland, the people in their Limerick neighborhood, and the world beyond their shores.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini: With his second novel, Khaled Hosseini proves beyond a shadow of doubt that The Kite Runner was no flash in the Afghan pan. Once again set in Afghanistan, the story twists and turns its way through the turmoil and chaos that ensued following the fall of the monarchy in 1973, but focuses mainly on the lives of two women, thrown together by fate.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides: Eugenides’s tantalizing, macabre first novel begins with a suicide, the first of the five bizarre deaths of the teenage daughters in the Lisbon family; the rest of the work, set in the author’s native Michigan in the early 1970s, is a backward-looking quest as the male narrator and his nosy, pals describe how they strove to understand the odd clan of this first chapter.

All Souls by Michael Patrick MacDonald: In this plainly written, powerful memoir, MacDonald, now 32, details not only his own story of growing up in Southie, Boston’s Irish Catholic enclave, but examines the myriad ways in which the media and law enforcement agencies exploit marginalized working-class communities. MacDonald was one of nine children born (of several fathers) to his mother, Helen MacDonald, a colorful woman who played the accordion in local Irish pubs to supplement her welfare checks.