DeLaSalle High School 2017-18
Honors English 9 Summer Reading Assignment
Ms. Rachel Arens ([email protected])
Due Monday, August 21, 2017 (First Day of School)
1. Read: Until They Bring the Streetcars Back by Stanley Gordon West
Obtain a copy of the novel Until They Bring the Streetcars Back by Stanley
Gordon West. You are welcome to check out the book from the library as we
have copies at school that can be used in August.
Summary:
Until They Bring The Streetcars Back serves up a nostalgic journey through the
streets of post-war 1949 Saint Paul-- those wistful days of ten-cent sodas, big
band music, and burning leaves. Stanley West weaves rollicking humor,
riveting suspense, and a bittersweet love story into the fabric of those
optimistic times. Through a seemingly harmless prank and a chance
conversation, Cal Gant, previously secure in the friendly neighborhoods of his
idyllic life, stumbles onto the naked face of cruelty, incest, and murder. When
he attempts to rescue a strange and haunting girl, he finds himself in a heart-stopping struggle with her
ruthless father, leading Cal to the brink of self-doubt, terror, and death itself. Can he find within himself
the backbone to stand against the horror and the daring to concoct some scheme to set Gretchen free?
2. Write: Reading Journal
Obtain a composition notebook (non-spiral bound) to record your thoughts as you read Streetcars this
summer. This notebook will also be used in our class throughout the year so please use the backs of pages
to conserve paper.
As you read Streetcars, write 9 journal entries of one page in length, one for each of the following sections
of the novel.
1. Ch. 1-5
2. Ch. 6-10
3. Ch. 11-15
4. Ch. 16-20
5. Ch. 21-25
6. Ch. 26-30
7. Ch. 31-35
8. Ch. 36-40
9. Ch. 41-45
Each entry should contain close reading and analysis of some aspect of the novel. Close reading and
analysis means reading to uncover layers of meaning in a text. It is NOT merely a summary of what
happens in the novel. Here are some elements of close reading that could be included in your journal:
• vocabulary words from the text that you don’t know with definition
• allusions - references to people, places or events in history or literature that are not explained in
the novel. List the reference and briefly explain what it is after doing some outside research. Some
examples of allusions that are mentioned in the novel include James Cagney, Roy Rogers,
Oldsmobile Rocket V8, Charlie Chaplin and many more.
• setting -when and where the story takes place. Describe features of St. Paul in 1949 and make
comparisons to the city today.
DeLaSalle High School 2016-17
• character analysis - list each new and important character with a brief description of their role
in the book and information such as their personality traits, motivations, desires, flaws, values and
physical features.
• connections to yourself (text-self), other texts you have read (text-text) and events or
experiences in today’s world (text-world)
• significant quotations - write down the quotation and the page number and explain why you
think it is important to the novel as a whole, what it shows about a particular character, or any
connections you can make.
• make predictions at the end of each section about what you think will happen next in the story
• record the use of literary terms/devices such as metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole,
oxymoron, imagery, irony, symbol, tone and foreshadowing. Provide examples from the book
including the page number, state which literary term is used, and explain what you think it means
or why you think the device was used.
• discuss connections to important themes in the novel including morality (determining right and
wrong), the meaning of love, the value of friendship, the role of streetcars, coming of age, justice,
family dynamics, sacrifices, popularity, success, and honesty.
You do not have to address each one of these in each journal entry; they are just suggestions of the types of things you
could write about! This is the type of close reading and analysis that we will be doing throughout the class
so this is a chance for you to keep your skills fresh over the summer and for me to see your progress. Also,
we will spend the first couple of weeks of school discussing the novel so this journal will be especially
helpful if you read the novel early in the summer.
You need to have the book read and the Reading Journal completed by the first day of school, Monday,
August 21, 2017. Please feel free to email me over the summer if you have any questions or concerns
about the assignment ([email protected]). If you are having trouble obtaining a copy of the
novel, let me know and we can schedule a time to meet at DeLaSalle so I can give you one of the school’s
copies to borrow.