MEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2012 HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST
English Language Arts & Social Studies
English Language Arts
ENTERING GRADE 9 HONORS:
Required Reading: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Plus read one book from the following list:
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neal Hurston
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
ENTERING GRADE 9 STANDARD:
Read one book from the following list:
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neal Hurston
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
ENTERING GRADE 10 HONORS:
Students must read two books. One book must come from List A; the second book can
come from either List A or List B.
List A
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent by Julia Alvarez
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Soldier Boy by Ishmael Beah
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
List B
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
MEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2012 HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST
English Language Arts & Social Studies
One Fan’s Story: If This Hat Could Talk by Jared Carrabis
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
How I Live Now by Meg Rosof
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
ENTERING GRADE 10 STANDARD
Select one book to read:
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent by Julia Alvarez
Thirteen reasons Why by Jay Asher
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Soldier Boy by Ishmael Beah
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
One Fan’s Story: If This Hat Could Talk by Jared Carrabis
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
How I Live Now by Meg Rosof
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
ENTERING GRADE 11 ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE &
COMPOSITION:
Read ALL of the following:
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” (available online) by M.L. King
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
ENTERING GRADE 11 HONORS
Required Reading
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” (available online) by M.L. King
Plus one book from the following list:
MEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2012 HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST
English Language Arts & Social Studies
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie by Michael P. MacDonald
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
Drive by Larry Bird
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X with Alex Haley
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother
by James McBride
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
ENTERING GRADE 11 STANDARD
Read ONE book from the following list:
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie by Michael P. MacDonald
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
Drive by Larry Bird
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X with Alex Haley
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James
McBride
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
ENTERING GRADE 12 ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Read ALL of the following books:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell ***highly recommended but not required
ENTERING GRADE 12 HONORS
Required Reading:
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Plus one book from the following list:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
MEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2012 HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST
English Language Arts & Social Studies
ENTERING GRADE 12 STANDARD
Read ONE book from the following list:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
MEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2012 HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST
English Language Arts & Social Studies
Social Studies
ENTERING GRADE 9 HONORS
Required Reading: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
ENTERING GRADE 10 ADVANCED PLACEMENT EUROPEAN HISTORY
Required Reading: A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the
Renaissance by William Manchester
ENTERING GRADE 10 HONORS:
American Uprising: The Untold Story of America's Largest Slave Revolt by Daniel
Rasmussen
ENTERING GRADE 11 HONORS:
Required Reading: Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattilo Beals
ENTERING GRADE 11 ADVANCED PLACEMENT U.S. HISTORY:
Assignment available in June from the teacher.
ENTERING GRADE 12 ADVANCED PLACEMENT PSYCHOLOGY:
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
written by Stephen J. Dubner, 2009
and
The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse written by Steven C.
Scholzman, MD 2011
ENTERING GRADE 12 HONORS PSYCHOLOGY:
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything written
by Stephen J. Dubner, 2009
ENTERING GRADE 12 AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT
"Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty" by Daron
Acemoglu
ENTERING GRADE 12 ADVANCED PLACEMENT U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS:
ASSIGNMENT: In order to prepare for the AP US Government class, you will be required to
complete the following summer assignment. There are multiple components, so please take care to
read through the directions carefully.
MEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2012 HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST
English Language Arts & Social Studies
1. Vocabulary – Define each of the vocabulary words that are located on the back page. Don’t just
write down Mr. Webster’s definition. Understand the term in its political context, and use your
own words to explain it. Consider this: if I were to give you an open-notebook test on these terms,
would you feel comfortable with your answers?
2. Essay – You will write a clear and well-documented essay with a thesis statement, comparing
and contrasting Republicans and Democrats. The essay should address the historical evolution of
the two parties, changing viewpoints, and target demographics. Also, you should include their
positions of the following topics: drugs, crime control, abortion, social security, economy, gun
control, immigration, gay rights, and health care. Be sure to address the nuances within the party –
you will find that in some cases, there are differing views, even within the party. Be sure to
mention key leaders within each party. The essay should be approximately 3-5 pages long.
3. Fact Recall – List the Supreme Court Justices. For each, write a short paragraph on their
judicial philosophy, using specific cases as evidence.
4. Constitution – Read it. Know it. Love it. There will be a test on it.
5. Current Events – You are required to collect at least 10 newspaper, internet or magazine
clippings pertaining to United States politics. You need to keep abreast of the major events
occurring in the U.S. (as a student in AP Government and as a conscientious citizen). You need 5
articles from July and 5 from August. For each article, include a short summary and your views on
the issue. *Note* You may have more than 10 articles.
If you have any questions, you can contact me at [email protected]. It may take a day or
two for me to reply, so do not wait until the last minute to ask questions. The summer assignment
is due the first day of class. Failure to hand in the summer assignment will result in a zero exam
grade.
Have a great summer, and see you in September.
Mr. Tucci
(Vocabulary terms are on the back)
AP US Government Vocabulary
Americans with Disabilities Act
Amicus Curiae brief
Appellate courts
Bill of attainder
Blanket primary
Block grants
Brown v. Board of Education
Caucus
MEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2012 HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST
English Language Arts & Social Studies
Cloture
Congressional Budget Office
Contract with America
De facto segregation
De jure segregation
Deficit
Ex post facto
Exclusionary rule
Executive order
Federalism
Filibuster
Franking privileges
Gender gap
Great Society
House Ways and Means Committee
Interest groups
Issue ads
Judicial activism
Judicial restraint
Line item veto
Logrolling
Mandates
McCain-Feingold Act
Medicaid
Medicare
Pentagon Papers
Necessary and proper clause
New Deal Coalition
Office of Management and Budget
Oversight
Patronage
Plurality
Pocket veto
Pork barrel
Realignment
Revenue sharing
Soft money
Split ticket voting
Stare decisis
War Powers Act
ENTERING GRADE 12 GOVERNMENT & LAW HONORS & STANDARD
Virginia Declaration of Rights
MEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
2012 HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST
English Language Arts & Social Studies