Freshman Summer Reading Assignment
Gulfport High School
English I
This summer, before beginning English I your freshman year, you will need to choose one book
from the list on the back of this page. You are, of course, encouraged to read as many as you
like, but you must read one to complete an assignment. As you read, think about the themes
and ideas posed in the novel. Then, choose and complete one of these assignments:
Option 1: movie poster – design a movie poster for your book as if it is being made into a
movie. If a movie has ever been made of your book, do not copy that poster in any way.
Requirements:
Poster should be on half of a standard sized poster in the tall (portrait) position
Title should be bold and very noticeable
The main characters should be pictured in some manner (head or full body)
Hook or teaser statement – the catchphrase on the poster to get people interested in
seeing the movie – may be a quote from the novel
Other images, theme concepts, and symbols from the book that would be important
to the movie
A written rationale explaining the inclusion of each character you picture on the
poster in the movie (why must these characters of the novel make it into the movie)
Choose three events or scenes from the novel that you feel must be in the movie;
write a summary of each of these scenes and explain why each has to be in the movie
A written review of the book explaining why the novel should be made into a movie
and what theme from the novel should be the theme of the movie
Choose a theme song for the movie; bring the song in with the lyrics and your
explanation as to why this song fits the movie’s theme
Option 2: Soundtrack – just like a movie would, select songs that would go with specific scenes
and events in the book.
Requirements:
choose five of these six to have a song on your soundtrack for a total of 5 songs
on the soundtrack
1. A particular character
2. The setting of the story
3. The relationship between two or more characters
4. A significant event in the story
5. The prominent theme in the story
6. A specific conflict the main character struggles with
Write a paragraph for each song on your soundtrack explaining how the song
connects to the literary element from the above list it represents
Include a quote in each explanation paragraph to support how the song represents
the specific literary element
Create a cover for the CD case that includes the title of the novel along with imagery
that symbolizes characters or ideas from the novel along with a significant quote that
illustrates the main theme of the novel
Choose from these titles:
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
Battle of Jericho by Sharon Draper
Spies of Mississippi by Rick Bowers
Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers
The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemmingway
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher
1984 by George Orwell
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Black Boy by Richard Wright
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Awakening by Kate Chopin
Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley