Essex High School Summer Reading Assignment
During the summer months, students need to keep their minds sharp by completing the summer
reading. High school and middle school students have different assignments, and these
assignments are given at the end of the school year in anticipation of the new school year.
Summer reading assignments are due the first day of school and students are expected to
complete in class assignments and assessments based on summer reading. Advanced and
Advanced Placement courses have specific summer assignments that are assigned before
school ends in June.
Select your reading from the titles listed below. Be sure to choose a title from the appropriate
grade level. You will find these titles at the Essex Public Library or you might download them to
your mobile device. Whatever format you choose, be sure to have fun this summer and read to
keep your mind sharp!
English 9
As you begin your high school career, it is important to step up your game and do your best work.
Reading will be a skill that you will need to develop and master as you go through the next four
years of high school. English 9 begins with one summer reading assignment. This summer, you
will choose one of the following novels to read over the summer. Keep a journal of questions
and comments (see the Dialectical Journal directions) that you have as you read the book. At the
end of the novel, write a reflection essay. The reflection essay should be at least one page written
right after you finish the novel and should include your thoughts and opinions on the themes,
characters, and events that took place throughout the novel. Turn in your Dialectical Journal and
reflection essay on the first day of school. This will be the first grade of your high school career,
so make it a good one! Do not forget to complete this assignment. Late work will not be
accepted.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipović
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Tears of a Tiger by Sharon M. Draper
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Anthem by Ayn Rand
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Advanced English 9
As you begin your high school career, it is important to step up your game and do your best work.
Reading will be a skill that you will need to develop and master as you go through the next four
years of high school. Advanced English 9 begins with two summer reading assignments. This
summer, you will choose one of the following novels to read.
#1 Keep a journal of questions and comments that you have as you read the book (see the
Dialectical Journal directions). After reading the novel, write a reflection essay. The reflection
essay should be written right after you finish the novel and should include your thoughts and
opinions on the themes, characters, and events that took place throughout the book.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipović
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Tears of a Tiger by Sharon M. Draper
#2 Choose one of the three novels listed below. Keep a Dialectical Journal for the selected
novel. You will be tested on the content of this novel on the first day of school. This will be your
first test grade for the year. The test will have multiple choice and essay questions.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Anthem by Ayn Rand
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
English 10 and Advanced
English 10 Advanced students must read two titles from the list below.
English 10 students must read one title from the list below.
Every student must complete a Dialectical Journal and Novel Study questions for his or her
selected novel(s). Directions for Dialectical Journal and Novel Study are included with this
document.
Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. LeGuin
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, Carolyn Macker
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger
Monster, Walter Dean Meyers
Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury
English 11
English 11 students must read one title from the list below.
Every student must complete a Dialectical Journal and Novel Study questions for his or her
selected novel(s). Directions for Dialectical Journal and Novel Study are included with this
document.
Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Hiroshima, John Hersey
Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury
I Know why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelo
Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
The Power of One, Bryce Courtenay
The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
English 12 and Advanced
English 12 Advanced students must select from the titles listed below: one biography of 200
pages or more (complete a Dialectical Journal and Novel Study questions for Nonfiction)
and one book (complete a Dialectical Journal and Novel Study questions for Fiction).
English 12 students must select from the titles listed below: one book (complete a Dialectical
Journal and Novel Study questions for Fiction) or one biography (complete a Dialectical
Journal and Novel Study questions for Nonfiction) of 200 pages or more.
Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
Man Eaters of Tsavo, John H Patterson
All Quiet on the Western Front, Eric Remarque
And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie
One Second After, William Forstchen
First Phone Call from Heaven, Mitch Albom
The Winter King, Bernard Cornwell
Agincourt, Bernard Cornwell
The Last Dickens, Matthew Pearl
Captain Alatriste, Arturo Perez-Reverte
What the Dead Know, Laura Lippman
One biography (not autobiography) of 200 pages or more—must bring book to school
DIALECTICAL JOURNALS
The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using
conversation involving question and answer.” Think of your dialectical journal as a series
of conversations with the novel you select for summer reading. The process is meant to
help you develop a better understanding of the text. We will use journals to incorporate
your personal responses to the texts, your ideas about the themes we cover and our class
discussions. You will find that it is a useful way to process what you’re reading, prepare
yourself for group discussion, and gather textual evidence for your Literary Analysis
assignments.
PROCEDURE:
 As you read, choose passages that stand out to you and record them in the lefthand column the chart (ALWAYS include page numbers).
 In the right column, write your response to the text (ideas/insights, questions,
reflections, and comments on each passage)
 You must label your responses using the following codes:
(Q) Question – ask about something in the passage that is unclear
(C) Connect – make a connection to your life, the world, or another text
(P) Predict – anticipate what will occur based on what’s in the passage
(CL) Clarify – answer earlier questions or confirm/disaffirm a prediction
(R) Reflect – think deeply about what the passage means in a broad sense –
not just to the characters in the story/author of the article. What
conclusions can you draw about the world, about human nature, or
just the way things work?
(E) Evaluate - make a judgment about what the author is trying to say
Sample Dialectical Journal entry: Beyond the Yellow Highlighter
Passages from the text-Must quote at least 10 per
reading assigned. Make
sure to number them.
Pg#/¶
1. "The yellow marks in my
textbooks...did not help
me very much.”
82/1
2. "Annotations do make me
read a lot slower and I wish I
didn't have to do them. It is so
much harder to fake read if you
have to annotate like we have to
do now. So now I actually read,
because it's too hard to fake
annotate"
87/2
EACH Passage you Quote must relate to
one of the following codes above. Make
sure to use a variety. Using the same
codes for most or all of your entries will
result in a lower score.
(C) I can relate since I often used to
highlight what I thought
was important and then end up with most
of the page
highlighted.
(C) It is harder to fake annotate--it almost
takes more time.
(R) People are prone to find the easy way
to do something. Since there's really no
easy way to annotate--fake or real--it
makes sense to really read and think about
the texts.
(Q) Is it really harder to fake read if you
have to annotate? Or does it just take
longer?
CHOOSING PASSAGES FROM THE TEXT:
Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. For
example, you might record:
o Effective &/or creative use of stylistic or literary devices
o Passages that remind you of your own life or something you’ve seen before
o Structural shifts or turns in the plot
o A passage that makes you realize something you hadn’t seen before
o Examples of patterns: recurring images, ideas, colors, symbols or motifs.
o Passages with confusing language or unfamiliar vocabulary
o Events you find surprising or confusing
o Passages that illustrate a particular character or setting
RESPONDING TO THE TEXT:
You can respond to the text in a variety of ways. The most important thing to remember
is that your observations should be specific and detailed. You can write as much as you
want for each entry. You must have a minimum of 10 entries. You should have more
than ten entries BUT less than ten entries will result in a lower grade.
Basic Responses
o Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text
o Give your personal reactions to the passage
o Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
o Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
o Write about what it makes you think or feel
o Agree or disagree with a character or the author
Sample Sentence Starters:
I really don’t understand this because…
I really dislike/like this idea because…
I think the author is trying to say that…
This passage reminds me of a time in my life when…
If I were (name of character) at this point I would…
This part doesn’t make sense because…
This character reminds me of (name of person) because…
Higher Level Responses
o Analyze the text for use of literary devices (tone, structure, style, imagery)
o Make connections between different characters or events in the text
o Make connections to a different text (or film, song, etc…)
o Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
o Consider an event or description from the perspective of a different character
o Analyze a passage and its relationship to the story as a whole
Literary Analysis: A Fiction Novel Study
Directions: after reading and completing a Dialectical Journal for a novel from the
summer list, answer completely each of the questions below.
DO NOT WRITE YOUR ANSWERS ON THIS
DOCUMENT! Write answers to these questions on
notebook paper. Turn in your novel along with your
analysis written.
1. Title and author
2. Which element is the most important to the development of the novel? Explain
and support your response.
3. Identify the elements of plot. Justify your response.
4. Give an example of conflict. Identify the type of conflict and identify how it is/
why it isn’t resolved.
5. Give an example of irony. Identify the type and explain how or why it is so.
6. Identify a flashback from the novel and explain the effect of the use of this device.
7. Give an example of foreshadowing and explain the effect of the use of this device.
8. From what point of view is this story told? What effect does this point of view
have on the reader?
9. Describe the setting—physical and social.
10. Identify two major characters. For each, identify character type
(protagonist/antagonist) and provide three quotes (textual evidence) that illustrate
the character.
11. Give a one sentence statement of theme.
12. Identify one symbol from the novel and explain the symbolism.
13. Identify one allusion from the novel and explain the allusion.
14. Identify six different types of figurative language or literary devices used in the
novel. For each, name the type, supply a quote with page number, and explain the
effect.
15. If you were to write a fully developed essay for this novel—what would your
thesis statement be (be sure to include title of novel and author’s name)?
Literary Analysis
Nonfiction/Biography
DO NOT WRITE YOUR ANSWERS ON THIS
DOCUMENT! Write answers to these questions on
notebook paper. Turn in your novel along with your
analysis written.
1. The book’s title and author, the date of publication, and the number of
pages.
2. Subject of book.
3. Brief summary of the book’s contents—chapter by chapter, section by
section, topic by topic.
4. Characterize the subject using both narrative and descriptive details—
a minimum of three pieces of textual evidence for each from various
sections of the book—not from the same few pages. Identify narrative
details=sequence of events that make up an incident, specific actions,
gestures, feelings of the people involved in the incident. Identify
descriptive details=information about the subject’s appearance and
personality, setting or specific places where incidents occur.
5. A statement of what you believe to be the author’s primary purpose in
writing, and why you believe that to be true. Provide textual evidence
(minimum of three) to support your claim.
6. An explanation of the organization of this book.
7. An explanation of how this subject influenced history, art, literature,
science, etc.
8. Identify and define (5) five new words you learned from this book.
Include the sentence(s) in which the words appear, page numbers, and
contextual and dictionary definition.
9. A brief critique of the book, stating clearly whether you found reading
it a valuable experience or not and explaining your reasons for that
conclusion.
10.IF you were to write a fully developed essay—what would your thesis
be?