Summer Reading List 2016 Upper School 7th Grade: ​
Among the Hidden​
by: Margaret Peterson Haddix 8th Grade: ​
Alice in Wonderland​
by: Lewis Carroll Freshmen: ​
The Hound of Baskervilles​
by: Arthur Conan Doyle Honors: ​
Great Expectations​
by: Charles Dickens Sophomores: ​
The Pigman​
by: Paul Zindel Honors: ​
The Once and Future King​
by: T.H. White Juniors: ​
Gulliver’s Travels​
by: Jonathan Swift Honors: ​
A Separate Peace ​
by: John Knowles Seniors: ​
Frankenstein​
by: Mary Shelley Honors: ​
Grendel​
by: John Gardner **ALL students must read the novel assigned to their grade level, complete the assignment (middle school) or data sheet (high school), and be prepared for a test the first full day of school.** HONORS: Any student wishing to be in an English Honors section this Fall must read ​
both​
books assigned to his/her grade level and complete the accompanying work. See below for specific homework assignment for each grade level. 7th Grade Summer Reading Assingment Among the Hidden Jen and the other hidden children communicate via a chat room on the Internet. Create a transcript of an imaginary chat room session among the hidden children debating whether to demonstrate at the White House. Incorporate one quote from the book into your chat room transcript. This assignment should be typed and approximately 1­2 pages in length. (12 point font, double spaced) 8th Grade Summer Reading Assignment Alice in Wonderland Write a short essay (2­3 pages in length) that includes a summary of Alice’s journey and an analysis of what she learns along the way. She meets many different characters; I suggest you choose 4­5 and discuss (in about a paragraph each) what the character teaches her and how he/she does so. (12 point font, double spaced) Freshmen Honors Great Expectations CHAPTERS 1­2 1. What is Pip doing when the story opens? 2. How does the author hook readers immediately? 3. What is Pip afraid will happen if he does not return with the file and food? 4. Why do you think Mrs. Joe calls her stick “Tickler”? What does this irony reveal about her? 5. From whose point of view is the story told? What is unusual about the way the author has used this point of view? 6. Why is Pip living with Joe Gargery? What is their relationship? CHAPTERS 3­4 1. Who does Pip meet when he sets out to make his delivery? 2. What is surprising about how the first convict acts when he hears about the second one? 3. What does Mr. Wopsle say about “the prodigal”? Why did Dickens include this allusion? 4. What is ironic about Mrs. Joe not attending church? Why doesn’t she go? 5. Who attends dinner at the Gargerys’ house? What is funny about the dinner scene? About the scene when Joe and Pip go to church? 6. How does Dickens characterize Mr. Wopsle? Uncle Pumblechook? 7. How does the author build suspense at the end of Chapter 4? CHAPTER 5 1. How does the author characterize the sergeant? 2. What accounts for the strange expression on the convict’s face as he looks at Pip? 3. What seems to explain the anger existing between the two convicts? 4. How does Joe react when the prisoner says he stole the pie? What does this reveal about Joe as a person? 5. Why does the narrator refer to the ship as “a wicked Noah’s ark”? CHAPTERS 6­7 1. At the beginning of Chapter 6, why does Pip feel bad? 2. What does Mr. Pumblechook make of the news that a convict had stolen the food? What does his explanation reveal about him? 3. Where does Pip get his education? In what ways does the author satirize public education? CHAPTER 8 1. Describe Satis House. Though it is a mansion, what other type of building does it seem to resemble? 2. What does Pip conclude about why Miss Havisham and the room look as they do? 3. How do Pip and Estella interact? What do their interactions reveal about each of them? 4. After visiting Satis House, why does Pip feel ashamed? 5. What does Pip see hanging by a beam as he leaves? CHAPTERS 9­10 1. Why won’t Pip tell the truth about what happened at Satis House? 2. How have Pip’s expectations changed? What does he expect now? CHAPTER 11 1. Who does Pip meet during his next visit to Satis House? (Identify and describe the characters.) 2. Which relative do the others talk about? What do they dislike about him? 3. How does Estella treat Pip when he arrives? 4. Has her attitude toward him changed when he leaves? How do you know? CHAPTERS 12 ­13 1. Why do you think Miss Havisham manipulates and misleads Pip into thinking she is his secret benefactor? What could she get from this behavior? 2. Who does Pip begin to confide in instead of Joe? Why does he do this? 3. Who takes most of the credit for Miss Havisham’s gift? Who takes the money? CHAPTERS 14­15 1.Why doesn’t Pip run away if he is so ashamed of his home and the forge? 2.Why does Pip go back to Satis House despite Joe’s advice that he shouldn’t? 5.Why did the author make Joe such a “big” man? What might his size symbolize? CHAPTERS 16­17 1. Explain why Biddy believes Orlick may have hurt Mrs. Joe. What does this tell you about Biddy? 2. How does the author characterize the police? 3. In Pip’s mind, how are Biddy and Estella different? Who does he value the most? What does this tell you about Pip? 4. In what ways does Pip seem immature? CHAPTER 18 1. Summarize the news that Jaggers brings. 2. What conditions are set for Pip to realize his new, great expectations? 3. Why does Pip believe Miss Havisham sent Jaggers? 4. Why does Pip say he is unhappy despite his great fortune? What does he mean by this? CHAPTER 19 1. Pip promises that he will come back to his village and do something for everyone. Do you think he will keep this promise? Why or why not? 2. Why does Pumblechook tell Pip that his fortune is “well­deserved”? Give evidence to support the idea that he is insincere. 3. What does Miss Havisham say and do that makes Pip more certain that she is the source of his new wealth? 4. How many of Pip’s earlier expectations have been realized? 5. How have Pip’s expectations changed? What does he expect now? CHAPTERS 20­21 1. Why do you think Jaggers believes Pip will not make anything of his new good fortune? 2. What does Jaggers’s office reveal about him? 3. How is Wemmick characterized? What is he compared to? Why? CHAPTER 22 1. Describe Herbert and Pip’s interactions. How do they relate? What do their interactions reveal about each of them? 2. Why does Herbert call Pip by another name? 3. What is Herbert’s profession? What does he aspire to do? 4. Why is Pip not bothered when Herbert corrects his manners? 5. Why did Miss Havisham order Matthew Pocket to leave her house? CHAPTERS 27­28 1. Why does Joe call Pip “Sir”? 2. What do these chapters show about Pip’s snobbery? 3. Why does Joe come to London? 4. The second to the last paragraph in Chapter 27 is one of the most important in the entire novel. Reread the paragraph. What feelings does it create? Explain Joe’s metaphor, “Life is made of ever so many partings welded together...Diwisions amongst such must come, and must be met as such.” Do you agree with his philosophy? CHAPTER 29 1. What role does Pip imagine for himself as he returns to Satis House? 2. How has Estella changed? 3. Why does Miss Havisham seem to enjoy ridiculing Pip? 4. Why does Pip decide not to visit Joe? 5. To what extent do you believe Estella when she says no heart, no softness, and no sentiment? 6. Explain the apparition, or ghost, that Pip sometimes sees when he looks at Estella. 7. Why does Miss Havisham want Pip to love Estella so much? CHAPTERS 34­35 1. Who are the “Finches of the Grove”? Why does Pip associate with them? 2. Describe Pip’s spending habits. What do Pip and Herbert do when their spending seems out of control? Explain “leaving a margin.” How helpful is this practice? 3. What is the significance of Mrs. Joe’s death? What is surprising about how Pip feels about his sister now? Why doesn’t it bring Joe and Pip closer? 4. What is ironic about Pip’s claim that Biddy has done “an injustice” and “an injury” to him? CHAPTER 38 1. Reread the descriptions of Miss Havisham. What images does the author invoke to describe her? Why? 2. Why is Miss Havisham so pleased with Estella’s behavior? How does her success teaching Estella also cause her great pain? 3. What does Pip clearly realize about Miss Havisham? 4. What devastating news does Pip get about Estella while visiting Satis House? 5. Why does Pip stay devoted to Estella even when he sees how she treats him and her other suitors? CHAPTERS 45­46 1. What is the mood at the Hummums? Why does he stay there? 2. Based on the information Pip receives from Wemmick, what adjectives would you use to describe Wemmick? Why? 3. Describe life at Clara’s house. 4. What information does Pip give Magwitch? Why does he withhold information about Compeyson? What does this reveal about Pip? 5. How does the pair plan to get Magwitch on a ship leaving England? CHAPTERS 49­50 1. What does Miss Havisham want in exchange for helping Herbert? 2. Do you believe Pip when he says that he forgives Miss Havisham? Why or why not? 3. Do you believe Miss Havisham when she tells Pip that in raising Estella she “meant to save her from misery like (her) own”? Why or why not? 4. Explain what Pip means by “the vanity of sorrow...the vanity of unworthiness...the vanity of penitence.” How could these traits be considered vanities? 5. Why did Miss Havisham’s dress catch fire? Does Dickens want readers to believe this was an accident? 6. How does Pip show real courage and character in Chapter 50? CHAPTERS 55 ­56 1. Does Dickens think that all criminals are bad? How do you know? 2. How does Dickens gain sympathy for the people who are on trial? 3. What does the author do to keep the chapters from being too dark and tragic? 4. What is the significance of Magwitch’s death? Why did Dickens have him die, but not hanged, as he was sentenced? 5. How does Pip repay Magwitch before he dies? 6. How do you think the book will end? What will Pip do now? CHAPTERS 58­59 1. Reread Pip’s speech to Biddy and Joe. What does he say? Why is his speech significant? 2. What advice does Biddy give to Pip after his return 11 years later? 3. During this 11­year period, what happened to Estella? What does Pip notice about her when he meets her at the site of Satis House? 4. How have Pip’s expectations changed? What does he expect now? 5. What do you think will happen to Pip during the next twenty years? 6. Which ending of the story do you find the most believable? The most satisfying? Why? Sophomore Honors The Once and Future King You will keep a series of reading journals for T.H. White’s ​
Once and Future King​
. . How many journals?​
You must complete FOUR mini­journals for this novel (one for each sections of the book: “The Sword in the Stone,” “The Queen of Air and Darkness,” “The Ill­Made Knight,” and “The Candle in the Wind”). What should a journal include?​
Each basic reading journal has five required parts IMPRESSIONS/CONNECTIONS​
: Did you find symbols or allusions? Record anything that reminded you of people, places, events, or situations from real life, from a movie, from the Bible, or from another story. What lessons did you learn? Record a minimum of FOUR Impressions or Connections for each journal. Use COMPLETE SENTENCES. QUESTIONS: ​
Good readers are ​
involved ​
in their reading. List any questions that come to your mind as you read. Use question words such as ​
who​
, ​
what​
, ​
when​
, ​
where, how​
, and especially ​
WHY.​
In the left column, record the page number you were reading when the question occurred to you. Ask a minimum of THREE questions for each journal ​
(at least one of your three questions must be a WHY or HOW question)​
. INTERESTING PHRASING​
: Pay attention to the author’s use of words, especially the way people, places, or events are described. Did White say something in a clever way? Does he reveal something about a character using a simile or metaphor? Record at least FOUR brief quotes and the page number where each can be found. Tell why you chose each and what you think that author means. SIGNIFICANT QUOTES​
: Look for lines spoken by characters that reveal his or her thoughts about his or her current situation. Watch for remarks that characters make about life or about dealing with issues; these may reveal a major change or growth in the character. Sometimes the author may directly tell us what the character has learned; at other times, the author tells us indirectly through dialogue. Such quotes are usually related to ​
themes ​
in the book. Make sure you write the quote, where the quote may be found, and why it is important. You are required to cite THREE quotes minimum for each journal. Junior Honors Assignment A Separate Peace Questions​
(answer in complete sentences) Ch. 1 1. How long ago did the narrator attend the Devon School? 2. Who jumps from the tree? Ch. 2 3. What does Finny use for a belt ? 4. How does Finny save the narrator’s life at the end of the chapter? Ch. 3 5. How often does the Super Suicide Society meet? 6. What is the narrator’s first name? Ch. 4 7. What causes the narrator to fail his trigonometry test? 8. What causes Finny to fall from the tree? Ch. 5 9. What was Finny’s injury after falling from the tree? 10. According to Dr. Stanpole, what is finished for Finny? Ch. 6 11. What job does Gene apply for? 12. Who calls Gene on the telephone at the end of the chapter? Ch. 7 13. What are the two things the students do to help the war effort? 14. Whom does the narrator find in his room when he returns? Ch. 8 15. Why are there no maids at Devon when Finny returns? 16. Where do the narrator and Finny go when they cut class? Ch. 9 17. What causes Leper to enlist? 18. What is the name of the celebration Finny organized? Ch. 10 19. Where is the narrator going when he leaves Devon? 20. Why does Gene tip Leper’s chair over? Ch. 11 21. When Gene returns from Vermont, what does he find Finny doing? 22. What happens to Finny when he runs out of the room? Ch. 12 23. What does Finny accuse the narrator of when he comes to the window? 24. How does Finny die? Ch. 13 25. What are the soldiers carrying in their Jeeps as they arrive on the Devon campus? 26. Who does Brinker say is the cause of the war? Journal Entries​
(Answer each in a 5­7 sentence paragraph) Ch 1­5 List some pros and cons of competition. Considering your list, do you think competition is healthy or unhealthy? Ch 6­10 In this section, what details does the author use to show the ways in which war is changing the atmosphere at Devon? Ch 11­13 What does Gene mean when he says, “Phineas, you wouldn’t be any good in the war, even if nothing had happened to your leg?” What qualities make Finny a poor candidate for military service? Senior Honors Assignment Grendel * Each of the chapters in this novel correspond to a zodiac sign. Based on the content of each chapter, identify the sign associated with it and explain HOW that chapter is associated with that sign.* Ares= Ram Taurus=Bull Gemini= Twins Cancer= Crab (food/nourishment) Leo= Lion Virgo= Virgin Libra= Scales (balance) Scorpio= Scorpion Sagittarius= the Archer Capricorn= Goat Aquarius= Water­Bearer Pisces= Fish Questions​
(answer in complete sentences) 1. Carefully read the opening page. What is the narrative point of view? Why is that point of view important to the novel? How would the novel be different if told from another point of view? 2. Who is the narrator? What immediate impressions do you get of him? How does the novel use time? How does it mark the passage of time? How does Grendel think about time? What references to time do chapters make? Is time part of the novel’s overall structure? How many chapters? 3. Early in the novel, Grendel wants to join men. What happened? How does Grendel understand his identity? Find his key comments. How many does he take on? Which is the truest? What is “Grendel’s law” (93)? 4. Explain Grendel’s reaction to Wealtheow (100­101). Does it show us another side of Grendel? Does it complicate our view of him and deepen our understanding of his situation? 5. Why is Grendel’s experience while trapped in the tree trunk important? 6. Define the importance of Grendel’s encounter with the shaper. How does it change Grendel? 7. Consider Grendel’s rather negative view of men. Is he right to so harshly judge them? 8. Why is Grendel afraid at the opening of chapter 9? What riddle does Grendel see in the hart as it dies (127)? 9. Consider Grendel’s meeting with Ork. What does Ork say about the nature of God? Do Ork’s comments about God’s purpose remind you of what the dragon tells Grendel about his? What does Ork name as the “ultimate evil” (132)? Why are they evil? 10.Define the different views: Grendel, shaper, dragon. 11. How does Ork define “[u]ltimate wisdom” (133)? Is he right? Is Ork senile, his theories ridiculous? 12.Why would the young priest have thought them “bloodless rationalism” (135)? Does the novel contrast rationalism and irrationalism? Does it favor one over the other? 13. What do you make of Grendel’s reaction to Orks comments? (And see 136.) 14. What does Grendel mean when he says, “And yet I am restless. I would fall, if I could, through time and space to the dragon” (137)? 15. Grendel seems to have changed his mind about the dragon and the shaper. Why? 16. Is this a keynote to Grendel: “At last, unsatisfied as ever, I slink back home” (145)? “Tedium is the worst pain” (157)? Are these statements the core of Grendel’s plight? 17. Why do “strange thoughts” occur to Grendel once the shaper is dead (146)? What are those thoughts? Are they indeed new? 18. What are Grendel’s values? What does he value and why? How are values important to him and in the novel? 19. Is Unferth’s statement about the foolishness of Beowulf’s swim consistent with his earlier statements about inner heroism? 20. What affect does Beowulf have on Grendel, even before he lands? List Grendel’s observations of Beowulf. What story­telling technique is at work here? 21. Catch the allusion to Psalm 23 on page 170? Have there been other Biblical allusions? Explain them. Name_________________________
Major Works Data Sheet
Biographical information about the author:
Title:___________________________
Author:_________________________
Date of Publication:_______________
Genre: __________________________
Historical information about the period of publication:
Characteristics of the genre:
Plot summary:
Major Works Data Sheet
Describe the author’s style:
Page 2
An example that demonstrates the style:
Memorable Quotes
Quote
Significance
Major Works Data Sheet
Name
Role in the story
Page 3
Characters
Significance
Adjectives
Major Works Data Sheet
Page 4
Setting
Significance of the opening scene
Significance of the ending/closing scene
Symbols
Possible Themes