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Middleton High School 2015 Summer Reading for English Classes
Because it is important that students continue to read over the summer and have opportunities to
think deeply about the choices that writers make, all students at Middleton High School should
read a minimum of one book for their English classes. Honors students are to read a minimum
of two books – one from this list and another from the Florida Teen Reads list (attached).
Within the first week of your return to school, you will turn in an assessment project to ensure that you read and
understood the assigned text. A list of project choices accompanies this list. Honors and AP students may be asked to
further analyze the text by discussion or essay.
Your teacher may use the summer reading as a foundation of instruction during the opening of school, so it is very
important that you read the book carefully. You are encouraged to record your thoughts about the book by using
margin notes, Cornell notes, outlining, and/or a dialectical journal. Note-taking, however, is NOT required.
All students enrolled in English should read a work that fits the theme for their grade level during the 2015-16 school
year. A list of works from which to choose for each grade level and theme has been provided below. NOTE: AP
Language and AP Literature courses have specific summer reading assignments. Please be sure to see the separate
assignment sheets for these courses.
Ninth Grade (English 1) Theme: Coming of Age
Tenth Grade (English 2)
 I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, Theme: Culture and Community
 Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
and Beyond by Michael Oher
 Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by
 Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon
Marjane Satrapi
 The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
 Nothing But the Truth by AVI
Eleventh Grade (English 3)
Twelfth Grade (English 4)
Theme: The American Dream
Theme: Perception and Perspective




Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by
Barbara Ehrenreich
 Fences by August Wilson
 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
 Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
AP Language (Juniors)
AP Literature (Seniors)
See separate assignment sheet
See separate assignment sheet

“The Declaration of Independence” by Thomas
Jefferson
 “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Required by September 10:
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis
Stevenson
Required by the beginning of school:
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Dual Enrollment (ENC1101)
See separate assignment sheet
Choose one of the following
 In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
 Black Boy by Richard Wright
 Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Required by September 10:
A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
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Middleton High School 2015 Summer Reading for English Classes
2015-2016
Florida Teen
Reads &
Reading
Rumble Titles
Second Impact by David Klass and
Perri Klass Kendall is a football town, and
Jerry Downing is the high school's star
quarterback, working to redeem himself
after he nearly killed a girl in a drunk driving
accident last year. Carla Jenson, lead
reporter for the school newspaper's sports
section, has recruited Jerry to co-author a blog chronicling
the season from each of their perspectives. When Jerry's best
friend on the team takes a hit too hard and gets hurt, Carla
wonders publicly if injury in the game comes at too high a
cost in a Player's life—but not everyone in Kendall wants to
hear it...
The Living by Matt De La Pena
Shy took the summer job to make some
money. In a few months on a luxury cruise
liner, he'll rake in the tips and be able to
help his mom and sister out with the bills.
And how bad can it be? Bikinis, free food,
maybe even a girl or two—every cruise has different
passengers, after all. But everything changes when the Big
One hits. Shy's only weeks out at sea when an earthquake
more massive than ever before recorded hits California, and
his life is forever changed. The earthquake is only the first
disaster. Suddenly it's a fight to survive for those left living.
Pinned by Sharon Flake
Autumn and Adonis have nothing in
common and everything in common.
Autumn is outgoing and has lots of
friends. Adonis is shy and not so eager to
connect with people. But even with their
differences, the two have one thing in
common--they're each dealing with a handicap. For Autumn,
who has a learning disability, reading is a painful struggle that
makes it hard to focus in class. But as her school’s most
aggressive team wrestler, Autumn can take down any
problem. Adonis is confined to wheelchair. He has no legs.
He can't walk or dance. But he’s a strong reader who loves
books. Even so, Adonis has a secret he knows someone like
Autumn can heal.
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn
Barnes Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a
natural at reading people. Piecing
together the tiniest details, she can tell
you who you are and what you want. But,
it's not a skill that she's ever taken
seriously. That is, until the FBI come
knocking: they've begun a classified
program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous
cold cases, and they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn't realize
is that there's more at risk than a few unsolved homicidesespecially when she's sent to live with a group of teens whose
gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that
no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when
a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal
game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to
have to use all of their gifts just to survive.
Shadows on the Moon by Zoe
Marriott Trained in the magical art of
shadow-weaving, sixteen-year-old Suzume is
able to re-create herself in any form — a
fabulous gift for a girl desperate to escape
her past. But who is she really? Is she a girl
of noble birth living under the tyranny of her
mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama? Or a lowly drudge
scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens? Or is
she Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands?
Whatever her true identity, Suzume is destined to use her
skills to steal the heart of a prince in a revenge plot to destroy
Terayama. And nothing will stop her, not even the one true
aspect of her life- her love for a fellow shadow-weaver.
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Middleton High School 2015 Summer Reading for English Classes
The Statistical Probability of Love
at First Sight by Jennifer Smith
Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine
Harden
The heart wrenching New York Times
bestseller about the only known
person born inside a North Korean
prison camp to have escaped North
Korea’s political prison camps have existed twice as
long as Stalin’s Soviet gulags and twelve times as
long as the Nazi concentration camps. No one born
and raised in these camps is known to have escaped.
No one, that is, except Shin Dong-hyuk.
Today should be one of the worst
days of seventeen-year-old Hadley
Sullivan's life. Having missed her
flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and
late to her father's second wedding,
which is taking place in London and
involves a soon-to-be stepmother
Hadley's never even met. Then she
meets the perfect boy in the airport's
cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and
he's sitting in her row.
Thin Space by Jody Cassella.
Ever since the car accident that
killed his identical twin brother,
Marshall Windsor has been
consumed with guilt and crippled
by the secrets of that fateful night.
He has only one chance to make
amends and set things right. He
must find a thin space—a mythical
point where the barrier between
this world and the next is thin enough for a person to
step through to the other side. But when a new girl
moves into the neighborhood, into the exact same
house Marsh is sure holds a thin space, she may be the
key—or the unraveling of all his secrets.
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow
Towell
Set over the course of
one school year in 1986, this is the
story of two star-crossed misfits—
smart enough to know that first love
almost never lasts, but brave and
desperate enough to try. When
Eleanor meets Park, you’ll
remember your own first love—and just how hard it
pulled you under.
Chasing Shadows by Swati
AvasthiBefore: Corey, Holly, and
Savitri are one unit—fast, strong,
inseparable. Together they turn
Chicago concrete and asphalt into a
freerunner’s jungle gym, ricocheting
off walls, scaling buildings, leaping
from rooftop to rooftop.
But acting like a superhero doesn’t make you
bulletproof... After: Holly and Savitri are coming
unglued. Holly says she's chasing Corey's killer, chasing
revenge. Savitri fears Holly's just running wild—and
leaving her behind. Friends should stand by each other
in times of crisis. But can you hold on too tight? Too
long?
In the Shadow of Blackbirds by
Cat Winters
In 1918, the world seems on the
verge of apocalypse. Americans roam
the streets in gauze masks to ward off
the deadly Spanish influenza, and the
government ships young men to the
front lines of a brutal war, creating an
atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old
Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners
flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort,
but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her
bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her
entire way of looking at life and death, for her first
love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form.
But what does he want from her?
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Middleton High School 2015 Summer Reading for English Classes
Burning Blue by Paul Griffin When
Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in
her wealthy New Jersey high school, is
splashed with acid on the left side of her
perfect face, the world takes notice. But
quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than
that—he decides to find out who did it.
Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak,
and he also has a secret: He’s a brilliant hacker. But the
deeper he digs, the more danger he’s in—and the more
he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a
suspect, including Nicole herself.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the
Secrets of the Universe by Ben
Alire Saenz Aristotle is an angry
teen with a brother in prison.
Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of
looking at the world. When the two meet at the
swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common.
But as the loners start spending time together, they
discover that they share a special friendship—the kind
that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through
this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most
important truths about themselves and the kind of
people they want to be.
Beneath a Meth Moon by
Jacqueline Woodson
Hurricane Katrina took her
mother and grandmother. And
even though Laurel Daneau has
moved on to a new life--one that
includes a new best friend, a
spot on the cheerleading squad, and dating the cocaptain of the football team--she can't get past the
pain of that loss. Then her new boyfriend introduces
her to meth, and Laurel is instantly seduced by its
spell, the way it erases, even if only temporarily, her
memories. Soon Laurel is completely hooked, a
shell of her former self, desperate to be whole
again, but lacking the strength to break free. But
with the help of a new friend--and the loyalty of an
old one--she is able to rewrite her own story and
move on with her own life.
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
After the 1st wave, only darkness
remains. After the 2nd, only the
lucky escape. And after the 3rd,
only the unlucky survive. After the
4th wave, only one rule applies:
trust no one.
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Middleton High School 2015 Summer Reading for English Classes
Summer Reading Assignment
Name________________________________________ English Course___________________________________
Title of novel__________________________________________ Author___________________________________
Additional Novels:
Title of novel__________________________________________ Author___________________________________
Title of novel__________________________________________ Author___________________________________
ASSIGNMENT OPTIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS TAKING
 English 1 Regular & Honors
 English 2 Regular & Honors
 English 3 Regular & Honors
 English 4 Regular & Honors
 Circle the number(s) of the project(s) you have chosen to complete. NOTE: For all of the
“writing” options, the length of the piece must be comparable to a traditional essay—two full
pages minimum.
Choose ONE assignment to complete for EACH novel you read:
1. Write a letter, as yourself, to the main character, and write the character’s reply to your letter.
2. Write a different ending for the book.
3. Pretend you are a talk show host who is interviewing the main character; videotape or record
the interview and include at least fifteen questions.
4. Create a travel brochure for the setting of the story; include explanations and pictures.
5. Create a book cover (front and back); include illustration, an enticing synopsis, author
biography, and favorable reviews.
6. Recreate the book into a children’s story; include illustrations.
7. Explain why you think this book will or will not be read 100 years from now. Support your
opinion by stating specific events in the story.
8. Write about one particular episode in the story that you remember most. Describe why you
think it remains so clear; be specific.
9. Write a ballad or a song about the main characters and events in your story; set the words to
the music of a popular song.
10. Write an original poem depicting the setting, characters, and plot.
11. Describe three characters from the story in detail. List specific reasons why you would or
would not want to get to know these people.
12. Design a movie poster depicting the climax of the story. Include an explanation of your
illustration on the back of the poster.
13. Create ten interview questions and choose three characters to interview; provide each
character’s answers.
14. Make a comic strip detailing the main events in your book.
15. Create a newspaper page relating to your book; include title, pictures and advertisements.
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