Craig High School
Summer Reading Program
For Students Entering Grade 9
Read and enjoy one of the following novels this summer.
A Summer Reading Packet is attached for the book of your choice. Complete all parts of the packet
for your selected book. Once you have completed the Summer Reading Packet you must then create
a book jacket (instructions included at the end of this packet), including illustrations, an enticing
synopsis, author bio, and favorable reviews for your selected book and turn this in on the first day
of school to your English teacher.
Instructions for the Summer Reading Packets:
1. Complete the Reading Log
First complete the top part of the Reading Log, indicating your name, class (next Fall),
title, author, type of book, and number of pages.
• Each day as you read the assigned novel, record and date what chapter and page you
have completed.
2. Complete the Summary by Chapter
• As you finish each chapter, use the Summary by Chapter form to tell what happened
to whom in each chapter. Include the important parts of the story here.
• This packet has a few sheets for recording your summaries to help you get started.
As you read, you may need more pages. To make the copies you need, photocopy the
Summary Page, use lined white paper, or type out the summaries on your computer
(You may consider using GoogleDocs to save your work).
3. Complete the Report Planning Pages
• First, for each novel, complete the top part of the form, indicating your name, the
date you stated reading, the author’s name, title, publisher’s information, and
copyright date.
• After you finish reading the book, follow all Student Directions, including descriptions
of settings, themes, characters, events, conflicts, and connections. You may use
additional paper if you need extra room. Be sure to staple any extra sheets to the
printed form (Again, you may consider using GoogleDocs to save your work).
•
Bring the finished forms (or share them with your teacher via GoogleDocs) with you on the first
day of class.
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9th Grade Book Choices
Siddhartha
By: Hermann Hesse
In the novel, Siddhartha, a young man, leaves his family for a contemplative life, then,
restless, discards it for one of the flesh. He conceives a son, but bored and sickened by lust and
greed, moves on again. Near despair, He comes to a river where he hears a unique sound. This
sound signals the true beginning of his life - the beginning of suffering, rejection, peace, and
wisdom.
The Secret Life of Bees
By: Sue Monk Kid
When Lily’s fierce-hearted black “stand-in mother,” Rosaleen, insults three of the town’s
most vicious racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina—a town that
holds the secret to her mother’s past. There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black
beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black
Madonna who presides over their household. This is a remarkable story about divine female power
and the transforming power of love.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
By: Sherman Alexie
Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing
up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior
leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the
only other Indian is the school mascot.
A Child Called It
By: Dave Pelzer
This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse
cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved
by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in
order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy,
but an "it." The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to
turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of, loving, and calling him
their son.
Out of My Mind
By: Sharon Draper
Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic
memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter
than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her
integrated classroom—the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged, because
she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she’s
determined to let everyone know it…somehow.
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Summer Reading Log
Name: _______________________________________
Grade: __________________
Book Title: ____________________________________
# of Pages: ______________
Author: ______________________________________
Type of Book: _____________
Date Reading Started: ___________________
Date
Date Reading Completed: ______________
Completed to Page #
Date
1.
29.
2.
30.
3.
31.
4.
32.
5.
33.
6.
34.
7.
35.
8.
36.
9.
37.
10.
38.
11.
39.
12.
40.
13.
41.
14.
42.
15.
43.
16.
44.
17.
45.
18.
46.
19.
47.
20.
48.
21.
49.
22.
50.
23.
51.
24.
52.
25.
53.
26.
54.
27.
55.
28.
56.
Completed to Page #
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Summary By Chapter
Name: _______________________________________
Grade: __________________
Book Title: ____________________________________
Chapter #: _______________
What Happens in This Chapter?
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Summary By Chapter
Name: _______________________________________
Grade: __________________
Book Title: ____________________________________
Chapter #: _______________
What Happens in This Chapter?
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Summary By Chapter
Name: _______________________________________
Grade: __________________
Book Title: ____________________________________
Chapter #: _______________
What Happens in This Chapter?
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Make copies as necessary… Then continue on to Report Planning Pages…
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Report Planning Pages
Name: _______________________________________
Grade: __________________
_________________, ___________________, _______________________________
Author’s Last Name
Author’s First Name
Title (underlined)
__________________, __________________, _______________________________
Location of Publisher
Publisher
Copyright Date
Setting: When and where do the events of this book take place? What information can you tell
the reader about this time period in history?
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Themes: What are the themes (main ideas) of the book?
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Characters: Identify the main characters, their roles in the novel and describe their
personalities (character traits).
Character
Role in the Novel
Personality/ Character Traits
Events: List in order three major events that occur in the story.
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Problem: Identify the main conflict (problem) of the novel.
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Solution: Was the main conflict solved? Explain your answer using specific examples from the
novel.
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Personal Connection: Think about what you read and how it connects to you. Did anything about
the book make you particularly excited, sad, or angry? Explain why you think any part of the
book had this effect on you.
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