Welcome, Entering Freshmen

Summer Reading for Incoming CIBA Freshmen:

Choose one of the selected novels & compose one essay response

Welcome, Entering Freshmen!

Mr. Campbell and Mrs. Sawyer eagerly await the first day of school when we are able to meet you. But before that momentous occasion, we would like you to put on your reading goggles and dive into some enticing literature.

Your summer reading assignment is to read any ONE of the novels listed in this packet. These titles are some of the recognized award winning books of 2010 from YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association, an organization that prides itself on scouring the literary world to discover the stories that appeal to today’s youth. A few years ago, several of our CIBA students participated in a conference that helped to select some of the titles that made the Top Ten List of 2005. Perhaps yours will be one of the voices that helps to narrow down the list of nominees for 2011!

After you finish reading the novel that you selected from the list, perform the following assignment, addressing the 3 Focus Correction Areas:

WRITE THESE FCA’S AT THE START OF YOUR ESSAY; INCLUDE THEIR POINT VALUES

FCA1: Identify the novel you read by it Title and the full name of its author. In 3 sentences, summarize what the book was about. ____ / 10 pts

FCA2: What kind of lingering taste or final thoughts and impressions did the book leave for you? Why? How did you feel when it was over, and what made you feel this way? Provide specific information from the novel as a whole that influenced your opinion of it. ____ / 20 pts

FCA2: How did the novel end? Were you satisfied with the ending? Why or why not? What kinds of issues were resolved for you, and what kinds of issues left you wanting more? Provide specific information from the end of the novel that influenced your reaction to it. ____ / 30 pts

FCA3: What kind of message or theme did the conflict of the novel and its resolution seem to convey? What was the main problem the characters faced, and what lesson or moral did you learn from their experiences? How? Is this a valuable lesson? Why or why not? ____ / 30 pts

Technical Expectations: The response must be at least 500-words in length (yes, you must count each word and include word count—or just use the word counting tool on Microsoft!). As well, it must be typed, double-spaced, size 12 Arial or Times New Roman font. If you must handwrite your assignment, it must still adhere to the prescribed word count, be written in blue or black ink, double-spaced, with 1” margins on the right and left; write only on one side of the page. ______/ 10 pts

Try to showcase your best writing, and be specific to the WHY and HOW parts of the prompt so that you record key aspects of the book before they slip away into the recesses of your mind. These assignments are due Friday, September 3, 2010. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. You will be performing an assignment that later grows off of this first response, so do not treat this summer reading task lightly.

We look forward to seeing you and diving into the wonderful world of literature together! Until then, have a great summer! J

Sincerely,

Ryan Campbell Jennifer Sawyer

English Teacher English/TOK Teacher

The first 7 selections are taken from the Alex Awards of 2010, which are given to books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins (9780061730320) American readers will have their imaginations challenged by 14-year-old Kamkwamba's description of life in Malawi, a famine-stricken, land-locked nation in southern Africa. . . . Witnessing his family's struggle, Kamkwamba's supercharged curiosity leads him to pursue the improbable dream of using "electric wind" to harness energy for the farm. This exquisite tale strips life down to its barest essentials, and once there finds reason for hopes and dreams, and is especially resonant for Americans given the economy and increasingly heated debates over health care and energy policy.

The Bride’s Farewell by Meg Rosoff, published by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (9780670020997) In rural 1850s England, a horse-mad young woman flees home on her wedding day. Fearful that her fiancé's promise of "a house full of children" will translate into a future of drudgery, Pell plans to visit the Salisbury Horse Fair. Her mute little brother insists on accompanying her, but when he and her horse disappear at the fair—along with the man for whom she's spent the day working and who still owes her money—Pell's vision of her future is drastically altered.

Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr., published by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (9780670020928) On the day that Junior Thibodeau is born, he learns the exact moment when the world will end: 36 years, 168 days, 14 hours, and 23 seconds into the future--pretty heavy news for a newborn. Knowledge of the pending apocalypse--revealed by an omniscient, unnamed "we"--colors Junior's existence from day one and leaves him wondering: "Does anything I do matter?" . . . . Everything Matters! is one of the most unique novels I've come across this year--unpredictable without being flashy, sweet without being sentimental, thoughtful without being preachy--a fun read that will keep you thinking long after the story is over.

The Good Soldiers by David Finkel, published by Sarah Crichton Books, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux (9780374165734) It was the last-chance moment of the war. In January 2007, President George W. Bush announced a new strategy for Iraq. He called it "the surge." . . . . About to head to a vicious area of Baghdad, they decided the difference would be them. Fifteen months later, the soldiers returned home forever changed. . . .What was the true story of the surge? Was it really a success? Those are the questions he grapples with in his remarkable report from the front lines.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman, published by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (9780670020553) Quentin Coldwater lives in a state of perpetual melancholy, privately obsessed with his childhood books about the enchanted land of Fillory. When he’s admitted to the surreptitious Brakebills Academy for an education in magic, Quentin finds mastering spells is tedious (and love is even more fraught). He also discovers his power has thrilling potential--though it's unclear what he should do with it once he's moved with his new magician cohorts to New York City. Then they discover the magical land of Fillory is real and launch an expedition to use their powers to set things right in the kingdom--which, naturally, turns out to be a much murkier proposition than expected.

My Abandonment by Peter Rock, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (9780151014149) A thirteen-year-old girl and her father live in Forest Park, an enormous nature preserve in Portland, Oregon. They inhabit an elaborate cave shelter, wash in a nearby creek, store perishables at the water's edge, use a makeshift septic system, tend a garden, even keep a library of sorts. Once a week they go to the city to buy groceries and otherwise merge with the civilized world. But one small mistake allows a backcountry jogger to discover them, which derails their entire existence, ultimately provoking a deeper flight. Inspired by a true story and told through the startlingly sincere voice of its young narrator, Caroline, My Abandonment is a riveting journey into life at the margins and a mesmerizing tale of survival and hope.

Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger, published by Orbit, an imprint of Hachette Book Group (9780316056632) Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

The final selection is the 2010 winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House (0385733976) In this ambitious novel, Cameron, a 16-year-old slacker whose somewhat dysfunctional family has just about given up on him, as perhaps he himself has, when his diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jacob, "mad cow" disease, reunites them, if too late. The heart of the story, though, is a hallucinatory—or is it?—quest with many parallels to the hopeless but inspirational efforts of Don Quixote, about whom Cameron had been reading before his illness. Just like the crazy—or was he?—Spaniard, Cam is motivated to go on a journey by a sort of Dulcinea. . . . It's a trip worth taking, though meandering and message-driven at times.