SummerReadingforPathwaysPathwaysThemefor2016-2017:CHARACTER
Peopletodayarequestioningwhotheyareandwhattheystandfor.Bookshave
alwaysshedlightontheseideasforcingustorethinkhowweseeourselves.This
summerweareaskingyoutoreadonebook(ormore!)fromtheattachedlistof
fictionandnon-fiction.Inthislistyouwillfindavarietyofgenres–lovestories,
tragedies,sciencefiction,truestories,self-help,fantasy.Allofthesebookshavea
strongleadcharacterthatexhibitstraitsfromtheNewPillarsofCharacter:
resilience,citizenship,self-control,grit,conscientiousness,empathy,caring,fairness,
optimism,respect,responsibility,andtrustworthiness.Ashumanbeings,weall
exhibitthesequalitiesattimes,justasthesecharactersdo.
Yourassignmentistoanalyzethemaincharacterofyourchosenbookand
explainhowheorsheshowsatleastthreeofthetraitslistedabove.Howyou
presentyourideasisuptoyou:Aposter,video,essay,Prezi,oranyotherformatis
acceptable,andcreativityisencouraged.Yourworkwillbedisplayedinourschoolto
kick-offayearofCHARACTERexploration.Seetheprojectspecificationsbelow.
Specificationsfortheassignment
• Includesalevelofdetailthatshowsafullreadinganddeeperunderstanding
ofthebook
• UsesatleastthreeoftheNewPillarsofCharacter
• Createdbyyou
• Organizedinacoherentway
• Includescorrectspellingandpunctuation
• Looksattractiveandworthyofprofessionaldisplay
2016-17PathwaysSummerReadingBookChoices
IntotheWildbyJonKrakauer
InApril1992ayoungmanfromawell-to-dofamily
hitchhikedtoAlaskaandwalkedaloneintothe
wilderness.HisnamewasChristopherJohnson
McCandless.Hehadgiven$25,000insavingsto
charity,abandonedhiscarandmostofhispossessions,
burnedallthecashinhiswallet,andinventedanew
lifeforhimself.Fourmonthslater,hisdecomposed
bodywasfoundbyamoosehunter.
TheLifeofPibyYannMartel
Thesonofazookeeper,PiPatelhasanencyclopedic
knowledgeofanimalbehaviorandaferventloveof
stories.WhenPiissixteen,hisfamilyemigratesfrom
IndiatoNorthAmericaaboardaJapanesecargoship,
alongwiththeirzooanimalsboundfornewhomes.
Theshipsinks.Pifindshimselfaloneinalifeboat,his
onlycompanionsahyena,anorangutan,awounded
zebra,andRichardParker,a450-poundBengaltiger.
CinderbyMarissaMeyer
Humansandandroidscrowdtheraucousstreetsof
NewBeijing.Adeadlyplagueravagesthepopulation.
Fromspace,aruthlesslunarpeoplewatch,waitingto
maketheirmove.NooneknowsthatEarth'sfate
hingesononegirl....Cinder,agiftedmechanic,isa
cyborg.She'sasecond-classcitizenwithamysterious
past,reviledbyherstepmotherandblamedforher
stepsister'sillness.Caughtbetweendutyandfreedom,
loyaltyandbetrayal,shemustuncoversecretsabout
herpastinordertoprotectherworld'sfuture.
TheHitchhiker’sGuidetotheGalaxybyDougAdams
SecondsbeforetheEarthisdemolishedtomakeway
foragalacticfreeway,ArthurDentispluckedoffthe
planetbyhisfriendFordPrefect,aresearcherforthe
revisededitionofTheHitchhiker'sGuidetotheGalaxy
who,forthelastfifteenyears,hasbeenposingasan
out-of-workactor.
Grit:ThePowerofPassionandPerseveranceby
AngelaDuckworth
InthisinstantNewYorkTimesbestseller,pioneering
psychologistAngelaDuckworthshowsthatthesecret
tooutstandingachievementisnottalentbutaspecial
blendofpassionandpersistenceshecalls“grit.”
Drawingonherownpowerfulstory,sheprovesthat
whatreallydrivessuccessisnot“genius”butaunique
combinationofpassionandlong-termperseverance.
TheFaultinOurStarsbyJohnGreen
Despitethetumor-shrinkingmedicalmiraclethathas
boughtherafewyears,Hazelhasneverbeenanything
butterminal,herfinalchapterinscribedupon
diagnosis.Butwhenagorgeousplottwistnamed
AugustusWaterssuddenlyappearsatCancerKid
SupportGroup,Hazel’sstoryisabouttobecompletely
rewritten.
TheQuietPower:TheSecretStrengthsofIntrovertsby
SusanCain
Thisbookisallaboutkids'world—school,
extracurriculars,familylife,andfriendship.You’llread
aboutactualkidswhohavetackledthechallengesof
notbeingextrovertedandwhohavemadeamarkin
theirownquietway.You’llhearSusanCain’sown
story,andyou’llbeabletomakeuseofthetipsatthe
endofeachchapter.There’sevenaguideattheendof
thebookforparentsandteachers.
The5thWavebyRickYancey
Afterthe1stwave,onlydarknessremains.Afterthe
2nd,onlytheluckyescape.Andafterthe3rd,only
theunluckysurvive.Afterthe4thwave,onlyonerule
applies:trustnoone.Now,it'sthedawnofthe5th
wave,andonalonelystretchofhighway,Cassieruns
fromThem.Thebeingswhoonlylookhuman,who
roamthecountrysidekillinganyonetheysee.Who
havescatteredEarth'slastsurvivors.Tostayaloneis
tostayalive,Cassiebelieves.
Fahrenheit451byRayBradbury
GuyMontagisafireman.Inhisworld,wheretelevision
rulesandliteratureisonthebrinkofextinction,
firemenstartfiresratherthanputthemout.Hisjobis
todestroythemostillegalofcommodities,theprinted
book,alongwiththehousesinwhichtheyarehidden.
Montagneverquestionsthedestructionandruinhis
actionsproduce,returningeachdaytohisblandlife
andwife,Mildred,whospendsalldaywithher
television“family.”
TheImmortalLifeofHenriettaLacksbyRebecca
Skloot
HernamewasHenriettaLacks,butscientistsknowher
asHeLa.Shewasapoorblacktobaccofarmerwhose
cells—takenwithoutherknowledgein1951—became
oneofthemostimportanttoolsinmedicine,vitalfor
developingthepoliovaccine,cloning,genemapping,
andmore.Henrietta'scellshavebeenboughtandsold
bythebillions,yetsheremainsvirtuallyunknown,and
herfamilycan'taffordhealthinsurance.
TheLastoftheDoughboysbyRichardRubin
Atthecenterofitallwerethelastofthelast,themen
andwomenhemet:anewimmigrant,draftedandsent
toFrance,whoselifewassavedbyahorse;a
ConnecticutYankeewhovolunteeredandfoughtin
everymajorAmericanbattle;aCajunartilleryman
nearlykilledbyaGermanaeroplane;an18-year-old
Bronxgirl“drafted”toworkfortheWarDepartment;a
machine-gunnerfromMontana;aMarinewoundedat
BelleauWood;the16-year-oldwhobecameAmerica’s
lastWWIveteran;andmany,manymore.
AMonsterCallsbyPatrickNess
Atsevenminutespastmidnight,thirteen-year-old
Conorwakestofindamonsteroutsidehisbedroom
window.Butitisn'tthemonsterConor'sbeen
expecting—he'sbeenexpectingtheonefromhis
nightmare,thenightmarehe'shadnearlyeverynight
sincehismotherstartedhertreatments.Themonster
inhisbackyardisdifferent.It'sancient.Andwild.And
itwantssomethingfromConor.Somethingterribleand
dangerous.Itwantsthetruth.
Booksareavailableatyourlocallibraries,bookstores,andonlineatsuchsitesasamazon.com,orhalf.com