Embedded Files
Summer Reading Assignment
Summer Reading Assignment
Because English 9 is a genre-based course, we have included six choices from which students can select. There are multiple genres represented including nonfiction, non-fiction memoir, historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, and prose fiction. Students are required to purchase a print copy of the book, and they need to read only ONE book of their choice. When finished with the book, students must PRINT and hand-write answers to the Reader Response Sheet linked below. Students must also bring their personal, print copy of their chosen book to class during the first two weeks of school. Students are encouraged to review the descriptions of each book and the provided informational links to find the book that best matches their interests and reading level.
Supplemental Materials
Supplemental Materials
The reader response sheet is the only required work other than reading. Students need to PRINT the reader response sheet from the link below, hand write answers to each question, and have the sheet ready to turn in to their teacher the first full day of school.
Purchasing Book
Purchasing Book
The purchase links are simply provided for your convenience. Books can be purchased anywhere, as long as they are the same edition (ISBN number) as the one on the link.
Links to Purchase Books for English 9
Links to Purchase Books for English 9
Boys in the Boat Amazon Link | I Will Always Write Back Amazon Link
Silver People Amazon Link | Heartless Amazon Link
Uprising Amazon Link | The Girl I Used To Be Amazon Link
Nonfiction
Nonfiction
Boys in the Boat
Boys in the Boat
Young Adult Version
Young Adult Version
By: Daniel James Brown
By: Daniel James Brown
Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.
It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era.
Study Questions (not an assignment)
Source: danieljamesbrown.com
PROSE Fiction
PROSE Fiction
SILVER PEOPLE: VOICES FROM THE PANAMA CANAL
BY: MARGARITA ENGLE
The Panama Canal is back in the news, as President Trump seeks to regain control of this vital shipping lane that American engineers and thousands of workers built for the world.
In 1914, the world celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, which connected the world’s two largest oceans and signaled America’s emergence as a global superpower. It was a miracle, this path of water where a mountain had stood, and creating that miracle was no easy task. Thousands lost their lives building it, and those who survived worked under the harshest conditions for only a few silver coins a day.
This prose novel tells the story of Mateo, a Cuban boy who lies about his age and signs up to work on the canal when a recruiter comes to his village. He quickly learns the danger and difficulty of the job. The author intricately weaves in the story of the Panamanian people through the character Anita whose mysterious ways and delicate heart are juxtaposed with the harsh reality for the laborers and for the landscape.
The beautiful language and poetic infusion of varying narrators creates an unforgettable story that exposes the human and ecological costs in building one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
Jimmy Carter Letter about Panama Canal Treaty
Source: Amazon.com
HISTORICAL FICTION:
UPRISING
BY: MARGARET PETERSON HADDIX
Set in New York City in 1910-1911, Uprising tells the story of three young women from different walks of life whose lives become connected through the shirtwaist workers’ strike and subsequent fire that changed United States labor laws forever. Chapters alternate between each of the girls, allowing readers to experience three different perspectives of the events that unfold. Not only is Uprising the story of the strike and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, it is also a story of friendship, family, choices, and the social classes and rules of society that existed in America in the early 1900s. This book is an excellent read that makes history come alive for any student. It challenges students to evaluate the shared human experience and the way we treat one another.
Reading Guide (not an assignment)
Factory Fire Video and Article (History.com)
Source: Amazon.com
Nonfiction MEMOIR
Nonfiction MEMOIR
I WILL ALWAYS WRITE BACK: HOW ONE LETTER CHANGED TWO LIVES
BY: CAITLIN ALIFIRENKA & MARTIN GANDA WITH LIZ WELCH
It started as an assignment. Caitlin had never even heard of Zimbabwe when everyone in her class was told to write a letter to an unknown student in a distant place. Excited for the first time about homework, she went home that night and wrote about her favorite color and what sports she played, and asked her mystery pen-pal about life in Zimbabwe.
Martin had never heard of Pennsylvania when he read Caitlin’s letter. He was lucky to even receive a pen-pal letter—his class only received ten letters for fifty kids! But as the top student, he got the first one. He wrote Caitlin back, talking about his siblings and soccer and saying he hoped she wrote again.
These letters were the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives. In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends—and better people—through their inspiring long-distance exchange.
Source: Amazon.com
FANTASY
HEARTLESS
By: MARISSA MEYER
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, the infamous Queen of Hearts was just a girl who wanted to live the life of her dreams. She was one of the most beautiful girls in Wonderland, and she was the favorite of the unmarried and somewhat awkward King of Hearts. Her parents arranged an uncomfortable courtship with the King, but Cath had no feelings for him whatsoever. As a talented baker, all she wanted was to open a bakery with her best friend. Sadly, according to her mother, such a goal was unthinkable for the aristocratic, young woman who could be the next queen.
Then, Cath met Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time in her life, she felt the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest entered into a secret courtship full of adventure, romance, and mystery. Cath became determined to define her own destiny and to fall in love on her own terms with the person of her choice. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate had other plans.
In Heartless, Marissa Meyer dazzles readers with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and she captures the whimsical joy of youth in Cath and juxtaposes her with the diabolical queen she becomes in the original classic.
Source: Amazon.com
Young Adult Fiction / MYSTERY
Young Adult Fiction / MYSTERY
THE GIRL I USED TO BE
BY: APRIL HENRY
Olivia was only three years old when her mother was killed and everyone suspected her father of murder. But his whereabouts also remained a mystery. He had not been seen since the day of the mother's death. Fast forward fourteen years. New evidence now proves Olivia's father was actually murdered on the same fateful day her mother died. That means there's a killer still at large. Olivia is determined to uncover who the killer might be. But can she do that before the killer tracks her down first? The Girl I Used to Be is a thrilling murder-mystery that'll have you on the edge of your seat.
Author Information / Inspiration
Source: Amazon.com
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