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Cardinal Ritter High School
Summer Reading List for 2015
The following books are required readings for the core English courses listed below. All
students are responsible for reading the assigned texts and will be given a small assessment testing
their comprehension over the material read within the first month of school.
All high school students are also required to complete a written assignment as listed below
each set of readings. These assignments should be typed and submitted on the first official class
meeting of their English class. The assignment for the AP English class, however, is due August 1,
2015.
Throughout the summer, we encourage our students to share their reading locations with us
on Twitter by using #ritterreaders and sending their tweets to @CRHS_indy.
Language Arts 7:
1) Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan (fiction)
2) Living Up the Street, by Gary Soto (non-fiction)
Language Arts 8:
1) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford (historical fiction)
2) Ryan White: My Own Story, by Ryan White (non-fiction)
Honors Language Arts 8: 1) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford (historical fiction)
2) Ryan White: My Own Story, by Ryan White (non-fiction)
English 9A and 9 A+:
Honors English 9:
1) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens, by Sean Covey (non-fiction)
2) The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd (fiction)
1) Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck (fiction)
2) The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak (fiction)
3) The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba (nonfiction)
English 9A and English 9A+ Students:
In 1-2 pages (double-spaced), explain which of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" you will
rely on most during your first year of high school. Your writing should include: an explanation of
the habit you are addressing, an explanation of the benefits the habit will have for you personally,
why you believe this habit will help you (consider past experiences or your witness of others), and a
plan of action you will use to hold yourself to this habit throughout the year.
Honors English 9 Students:
Since all three novels represent different cultures, pay close attention to the customs and cultures of
each story's setting. In an essay of 2-3 pages (double-spaced), explain the effect setting has on the
main character of each novel. For Of Mice and Men, you may focus on either George or Lennie.
Questions to consider when formulating your paper include: How does the setting (time and/or
place) create obstacles for the main character? How has the character overcome the obstacles that
were created by the setting? (Students should use proper MLA documentation.)
English 10 A and 10 A+: 1) Farewell to Manzanar, by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (non-fiction)
2) The Painted House, by John Grisham (fiction)
Honors English 10:
1) Farewell to Manzanar, by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (non-fiction)
2) The Painted House, by John Grisham (fiction)
3) Othello, by William Shakespeare (drama)
All English 10 A, English 10 A+, and Honors English 10 Students:
In a 2-3 page essay (double-spaced), explain and analyze the primary conflicts for the main
character(s) in each of the texts. Because characters wrestle with both internal and external
conflicts, consider the causes, results, and consequences of these conflicts. Essays should use MLA
documentation and be textually supported. (Include a minimum of one important quotation from
each text).
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English 11 A and 11 A+: 1) A Walk Across America, by Peter Jenkins (non-fiction)
2) The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver (fiction)
Honors English 11:
1) A Walk Across America, by Peter Jenkins (non-fiction)
2) The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver (fiction)
3) Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls (nonfiction)
English 11 A and English 11 A+ Students:
In The Bean Trees and A Walk Across America, you will notice both main characters take a journey,
Taylor in The Bean Trees and Peter in A Walk Across America. Throughout their experiences, they
encounter some interesting people. Find one character from each novel that has a significant
impact on the main character in either a positive or negative way. In a 1½ - 2 page essay (doublespaced), explain the circumstance when Peter or Taylor meets the other person and how this other
character impacts Taylor or Peter. You will find a character from each novel.
Honors English 11 Students:
All three of these novels deal with a type of journey. Glass Castle is a memoir as the author shares
her childhood story. A Walk Across America, another nonfiction piece, shares a man's adventures
as he searches for the meaning to his life, and The Bean Trees, our only fictional piece, follows a
young woman who leaves home for the first time in pursuit of her independence. In a 3-4 page
essay (double-spaced), compare and contrast the journey of the three main characters. Some
questions to think about as you prepare your essay include: How are their struggles similar? What
do they discover through their experiences? How are they changed because of their journeys?
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English 12 A: 1) I Dare You, by William H. Danforth (non-fiction)
2) The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson (fiction)
Edition Information: Signet Classics (2003). ISBN: 0451528956
English 12 A+: 1) I Dare You, by William H. Danforth (non-fiction)
2) The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas (Abridged) (fiction)
English 12 A Students:
In I Dare You, Danforth dares his audience to become better people through a series of lifestyle tips
and advice. In 1½ -2 pages (double-spaced), explain how you think Dr. Jekyll might have changed
the way he thought about his experiments had he read I Dare You? How might the short
story/novella have been different? Use specific details from both books to support your answer.
English 12 A+ Students:
Edmond Dantes, once impoverished and a prisoner due to his "friend’s'" actions, is able to still find
success and wealth after escaping Chateau d'If. In order to become a Count, Dantes had to change
the way he lived his life. In a 2-3 page (double-spaced) essay, connect some of the advice Danforth
offers in I Dare You with how Dantes composes himself in society in order to be viewed as a
cultivated and successful man. Use specific details from both books to support your answer.
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AP English: 1) Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White (2005) (non-fiction)
2) The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner (fiction)
3) A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway (fiction)
AP English Students:
Analyze the stylistic qualities and their purposes/effects in The Sound and the Fury and A
Farewell to Arms. Do not merely provide a summary of the two novels. The essay must be 5-6
pages (double-spaced). A separate cover page, abstract, and references should also be included.
These pages do not count toward your 5-6 pages for the written essay. The essay must include
sufficient evidence from all three books, using proper APA documentation. A minimum of twelve
parenthetical citations should be included in each essay, including approximately three
parenthetical citations per body paragraph. A minimum of two references must be made from
Elements of Style (sections II, III, and/or V). This additional assignment must be submitted to
Ms. Fligge by August 1, 2015.