TO:
John F. Kennedy Parents and Students
FROM:
English Department
RE:
Summer Reading 2015
Students are responsible for completing the summer reading text (s) prior to the first day of school. Assessments will be
determined by the teacher and will be given within the first two weeks of the 2015-2016 school year in August 2015.
If you have any questions, please e-mail Jacquelin Testa at [email protected]. We will also put a link to the
summer reading program on our school website (http://jfk.dpsk12.org).
9th Grade Introduction to Literature and Composition
You are required to choose and read one novel this summer from the list below. If you need more information, you can go
to the American Library Association webpage for young adult fiction (www.ala.org/yalsa/printz-award) and read
descriptions. Remember, you can check out and/or request a book for free at any Denver Public Library using a My Denver
Card. You can also ask the knowledgeable librarians there for recommendations on the books listed below.
Remember, you should finish reading your novel before the first day of school, as you will receive an important assignment
that first week.
Science Fiction/Suspense/ Fantasy/Horror
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Love and Loss
In Darkness by Nick Lake
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond
Growing up/Coming of Age
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whale
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrea
Postcards from No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers
Monster by Walter Dean Meyers
Graphic Novel
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Non-Fiction/Autobiographical
A Step from Heaven by An Na
9th Grade Introduction to Literature and Composition HONORS
Before the first day of class, please read and annotate* the following short stories. Bring your annotated stories on the first
day of class. Notes on annotation are located as a separate handout on the last page.
“The Lady or the Tiger” by Frank Stockton
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
“A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune” by Chris
“Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
Crutcher
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor
*A Word on Annotation*
Use a pen, pencil, post-it notes, or a highlighter (although use it sparingly!).
Summarize important ideas in your own words.
Add examples from real life, other books, TV, movies, and so forth.
Define words that are new to you.
Mark passages that you find confusing with a ???
Write questions that you might have for later discussion in class.
Comment on the actions or development of characters.
Comment on things that intrigue, impress, surprise, disturb, etc.
Feel free to draw picture when a visual connection is appropriate
Explain the historical context or traditions/social customs used in the passage.
American Literature
All students in this class will read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
All students in this class will read
both texts
Read one age-appropriate book of
choice by a non-American author (in
your language of choice).
Here are some suggestions:
American Literature Honors
How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
World Literature
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung
The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
World Literature Honors
All students in this class will read The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
British Literature
All students in this class will read The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
British Literature Honors
All students in this class will read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
AP English
Read both of the following texts
How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
CCR 092, Contemporary Literature, and Creative Writing
Choose one of the following texts
Cash by Johnny Cash
Why Soccer Matters by Pele
Blue Rage, Black Redemption by Stanley Tookie Williams
We the Animals by Justin Torres
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kernan
Me Talk Pretty One Day (or any of his essay collections) by David Sedaris
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls