Red Bank Catholic High School
Summer Reading List 2016-2017
Our objective in assigning our students summer reading includes the following: to provide them with meaningful, relevant selections that will help foster their critical reading and analytical skills and hopefully spark a new curiosity and appreciation for literature, as well as the wondrous world around them.
We provide a variety of assessments, including projects, writing assignments, and objective tests. These will all be completed by the end of the second week of school (specific dates will be provided by English teachers in September). These assessments enable our students to demonstrate their comprehension of the books they read, as well as their ability to analyze and connect with the literature.
FRESHMEN
Honors English I
Required Books: 7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens – Sean Covey (for Leadership class)
I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban – Malala Yousafzai
Choose 1 of the Following: Atlantia – Ally Condie
A Lesson Before Dying – Ernest Gaines
We Were Liars – E. Lockhart
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith
Required Assessments:
A. Create an original SparkNotes booklet for the book you choose to read.
Instructions:
1. On 8 ½ x 11 paper, create a Spark Notes booklet. The cover should include your name, title and author of the book. All text inside of the booklet should be typed in Times New Roman, size 12 font.
2. Based on your reading of the book, you should provide the following inside the booklet:
- Plot Overview (2-3 paragraphs)
- Summary & Analysis of 1 Major Scene in the Book (1-2 paragraphs)
- Analysis of 1 Major Character in the Book (1-2 paragraphs)
- 3 Important Quotations Explained (2-3 sentences for each)
- 2 Essay Questions Related to the Book (questions only)
- An Explanation of the Main Theme of the Book (1-2 paragraphs)
B. Be prepared to write an in-class essay on I am Malala.
Accelerated College Prep English I
Required Books: 7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens – Sean Covey (for Leadership class)
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Choose 1 of the Following:
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Salt to the Sea – Ruta Sepetys
Believe: The Victorious Story of Eric LeGrand – Eric LeGrand, Mike Yorkey
Required Assessments:
A. Based upon the book you choose to read, complete the following project:
On 8 ½ x 11 paper, create an original magazine that includes the following:
- A cover that includes a title of the magazine, a visual (illustration, photo, collage, etc.), and headlines.
- An article that discusses an important scene in the book (3 paragraphs, typed in Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced).
- An article in the form of an interview that profiles one of the main characters in the book (4-5 questions and answers, typed in Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced).
- An advertisement for the book that mentions the most important lesson people will learn from reading this story.
Your work should follow all instructions, be neat, creative, and original.
B. You will be provided with a quiz during the first couple of weeks of school, in order to assess your reading and comprehension of Of Mice and Men.
College Prep English I
Required Books: 7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens – Sean Covey (for Leadership class)
The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan
Required Assessment:
Create a “One-Pager”: This is a graphic representation of your response to one scene in The Lightning Thief. Read the book, and then decide what incident from the book sparked a reaction from you. On the “One-Pager” you create to illustrate this scene and your reaction, you must include the following: title of the book; a drawing or picture of what is happening in the scene; two quotes from this scene; and your reaction to what is happening in the scene. You should write two paragraphs about one of the following: the decision Percy makes in this chapter, and whether you agree or disagree with it; or any similarity you discovered between yourself and Percy; or what the scene told you about the world you live in.
Your “One-Pager” MUST:
- Be on an 8.5” by 11” sheet of unlined, white paper (Divide the paper by drawing a line across the paper one inch from the top, and drawing another line across the paper three inches from the bottom. A vertical line can be placed in the middle of the page to divide it into two sections. You should now have four sections total, one each for the title, quotes, graphics and personal response.)
- Be typed, not handwritten (you may type the words on another sheet of paper and then cut and paste it on).
- Include the title of the book and the chapter the scene is taken from.
- Include two quotes from one chapter in the book.
- Contain a graphic representation of one scene, such as your drawing, a photograph taken by you, an image downloaded from the computer or a magazine/newspaper picture.
*(See sample attached)
SOPHOMORES
Honors American Literature
Required Books: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain
O Pioneers! – Willa Cather
Choose 1 of the Following: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane – Katherine Howe
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot
A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson
Required Assessments:
Students should take notes as they read each of the books to reinforce comprehension of plot, characters, central themes and motifs. Students will be assessed on their reading of these books in September through essays and quizzes.
ACP American Literature
Required Books: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet – Jamie Ford
The Boys in the Boat – Daniel James Brown
Choose 1 of the Following: Bad – Jean Ferris
Gym Candy – Carl Deuker
Required Assessments:
A. For one of the required books, students must complete the following:
On 8 ½ x 11 paper, create a magazine that includes the following:
- A cover that includes the name of the magazine, a visual (illustration, photo, collage, etc.), and 3-5 headlines.
- 1 article that discusses an important event in the book (at least 3 paragraphs, typed in Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced).
- 1 article in the form of an interview that profiles one of the main characters in the book (4-5 questions/answers, typed in Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced).
- 2 advertisements related to the setting and time period of the book.
- An entertainment/gossip column page that includes headlines, pictures, captions, etc., based on details of the book.
B. For the other required book, students will write an essay in class.
C. Students will take a quiz on the book they chose to read.
CP American Literature
Required Book: Hatchet – Gary Paulsen
Choose 1 of the Following: The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls
Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong – Juliet Macur
Required Assessments:
A. Students will take a quiz on Hatchet upon their return to school in September.
B. For the book they choose to read, students must complete a book folder:
Materials: File folder, colored paper, markers, stickers, scissors, glue; or you may use the computer to create your visuals and summaries.
Front of the folder: Cover of the book. Draw a picture that mimics the cover of your book or find an image online. The picture should take up most of the folder’s front.
Inside left: Information about the author. Include biographical information, information on their careers and other books they have written (if any). Include a small picture of the author.
Inside right: Include an excerpt from your book. Go online to find an excerpt, make a copy of one of the pages from the novel or type the excerpt. The excerpt should be long enough to take up most of this side of the folder.
Back: Write a review of the book. Use this space to write down your opinion of the novel. Include your opinion, reasons why you feel this way and if you would read another story by the same author.
BE CREATIVE and BE NEAT!! These things count! Add artwork, pictures, scrapbooking materials, colors, different fonts, etc.
If you have questions while doing this assignment, please email me at and I will be able to assist you.
JUNIORS
All juniors are required to read the following book for their Religion class:
Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination
Honors British Literature
Required Books: Victory – Joseph Conrad
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Required Assessments:
Testing in September will consist of objective questions and the writing of essay responses.
ACP British Literature
Required Books: Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
July’s People – Nadine Gordimer
Required Assessments:
Testing in September will consist of both plot-based objective questions and essay writing.
CP British Literature
Required Book: 5 Little Pigs - Agatha Christie
Choose 1 of the Following: The Broken Bridge - Philip Pullman
Storm Breaker - Anthony Horowitz
Required Assessments:
Students should read each book carefully, taking notes in order to help bolster their comprehension and connection with the stories. They should pay attention to overall plot, characters, setting, themes, etc. In September, students will be given an objective test and a writing assignment.
SENIORS
AP English Required Books:
A Passage to India – E. M. Forster
Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
Mythology/Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes – Edith Hamilton
Required Assessments:
Students will have both objective tests covering content and the opportunity to write thoughtful essays in September.
Honors World Literature Required Books:
Siddhartha – Herman Hesse
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
Required Assessments:
Students will be assessed through a combination of quizzes and essays.
Literature/Media Studies Required Books:
In an Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing – Lee Woodruff
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – Stephen King
Required Assessments:
Students will write an in-class essay for On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, and they will take an objective test on In an Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing.
Detective Fiction
Required Books:
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King
Students will write an essay about this book during the first week of school. On Writing will also be used as a textbook throughout the school year.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery – Agatha Christie
Students will take a quiz on this novel during the first full week of school.
The Maltese Falcon – Dashiell Hammett
Students must write four newspapers style stories of 350-500 words each which might have appeared in a San Francisco newspaper during this mystery. The stories should reflect progress in the mystery which a newspaper might cover. For example, a story about the murders of Miles Archer and/or Floyd Thursby would include only facts a reports would be able to find out at that point. It could not name the actual murderer.
Each story should follow “inverted pyramid” (Google it) format with the important Who, What, When, Where, Why, How at the beginning of the stories and details added as the stories go on. Read some of the front page stories in a daily newspaper if you need to get an idea. If you do not get a newspaper, many are available on- line. Stories should follow MLA format: Times Roman 12 point, double spaced, 1” margins on all four sides.
Put one cover on the pack of stories with an illustration that is relevant to the novel.
This assignment is due on Monday of the first full week of school.
Shakespeare Required Book:
How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare – Ken Ludwig
(ISBN-10: 0307951499; ISBN-13: 978-0307951496)
Students in the Shakespeare class must choose one of the following assessments:
1. A travel brochure of Elizabethan England—demonstrating an extensive grasp of the time and location.
2. A scrapbook of Shakespeare’s Life—including all known information, pictures, drawings.
3. A film depicting some of Shakespeare’s most famous scenes/monologues—approx. 2-3 minutes long. Must have memorized dialogue, costumes, props. You may work with another Shakespeare student to complete this. 4. A graphic novel/comic book version of one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays (that you have read thus far).
5. A 3D model of the Globe Theater—fully envisioned, informative, detailed.
6. A skit complete with memorized dialogue, costumes, and props—to be performed in class upon the start of the school year. You may work with another Shakespeare student to complete this assignment. You are free to choose one scene from any previously read Shakespearean play.