Summer Reading Program (2024-2025)

Dear Parents of High School Students,

It’s that time of year again. This summer we will again offer students the opportunity to participate in the Glenwood School Summer Reading Program. The program is designed to cultivate a love of reading and reward dedication to the spirit of education and learning. This is how it works:

1. SUMMER READING IS OPTIONAL! We strongly encourage students to read, not only during the summer, but in spring, winter, and fall as well! That being said, we want our students to enjoy a break from their studies, and we do not want late-enrolling students to start the school year behind.

2. HOWEVER, IF YOU DO READ DURING THE SUMMER…there are incentives for picking up a good book. Upon returning for the 2024-2025 school year, students will be allowed to complete projects on a maximum of four selected summer reading books. For the first project passed on a designated summer reading book, the student will receive a test-weighted grade in their English class at the end of the first nine weeks. For the second project passed on a designated summer reading book, the student will receive a test-weighted grade in their English class for the second nine weeks. This trend will continue through the third and fourth nine weeks with a maximum of four books allowed per student. Teachers will outline project guidelines at the start of the school year.

3. SO WHAT’S MY TIME FRAME? All projects on the summer reading books must be completed during the first week of school. We will not give bonus grades for any book projects completed for summer reading books after Friday at 3:30 p.m. the first week of school.

4. BRING ON THE BOOKS! Check out the suggested reading list provided below. Students may choose, with parental approval, to read books that are not on the list. The book must be grade-level appropriate and a minimum of 100 pages.

9^th and 10^th Grade Summer Reading List

The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson

The Westing Game – Ellen Raskin

Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card

A Lesson Before Dying – Ernest J. Gaines

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom

The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd

Rocket Boys - Homer Hickam

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon

The Absolute True Diary of a Part-time Indian - Sherman Alexie

The Maze Runner (series) - James Dashner

Cannery Row - John Steinbeck

Ten Little Indians - Agatha Christie

Echoes - Laura Tisdall

The Road - Cormick McCarthy

Northhanger Abbey - Jane Austin

The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

11^th Grade Summer Reading List

The Kitchen God’s Wife - Amy Tan

A Girl Named Zippy - Haven Kimmel

Something Rising (Light and Swift) - Haven Kimmel

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

The Night Circus - Erin Morganstern

On the Road - Jack Kerouac

Look Me in the Eye - John Robinson

All Over but the Shoutin’ - Rick Bragg

The Memory of Running - Ron McLarty

Life Expectancy - Dean Koontz

East of Eden - John Steinbeck

Notes of Native Sons - James Baldwin

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson

Shift - Jennifer Bradbury

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullars

A Raisin in the Sun - Loarraine Hansberry

12^th Grade Summer Reading List

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad

The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling

1984 - George Orwell

Angela’s Ashes - Frank McCourt

Reading in the Dark - Seamus Deane

The End of the Affair - Graham Greene

Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie

Sarah’s Key - Tatiana de Rosnary

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

Along Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - Ishmael Beah

Girl in Translation - Jean Kwok

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi

Independent Summer Reading Project

Independent Summer Reading Projects

During the summer, many of you read books of your choice as part of the Independent Summer Reading Project. If you did, then you may create up to four book projects from the following list to be used as a test grade per quarter. Grading for the Independent Reading Project: = 100 points

NOTE: All book projects (up to four) must be submitted to Mrs. Shaver by your class period time on or before August 31st.

Book Requirements:

The book(s) you read this summer could have included any work of fiction.
Books should have been 100 pages or more in length. See me if you have questions.

Directions:

1. Review the book(s) you read this summer.

2. Include the following at the beginning of your project(s): (Please type this portion of your project. This will probably be one to two pages in length.)

a.) Your Name and Class Period

b.) title and author

c.) genre of the story

d.) names of major characters

e.) a brief description of conflict(s)

f.) what you liked/disliked about the book

g.) a recommendation/book review for a specific audience.

3. FINAL PROJECTS: Please select one of the following activities to complete for your book project(s):

Write a letter to the author of the book. Tell him/her what you liked and disliked about the story and his/her writing style. Give them specific reasons and examples from the story to support what you say. Be sure that your letter is in the correct format.
Write a resume of one of your better-detailed characters. Imagine that the character is applying for a job (appropriate to his/her role in the story). Include objective, prior experience, education/schooling/degrees, vital statistics, hobbies, and references. Make the document look official. Type it!
Imagine you were to go through the trash of one of the characters. Explain what you might find and why. Base your “finds” on the story and character actions. Please describe at least ten items.
Write an ad for a dating service for one of the characters. Include details such as a physical description, hobbies, interests, education, job, likes/dislikes, favorites, and what he/she is looking for in a potential date. You should use information you learned about this character from the story, but you can also use your imagination to fill out the ad.
Find the top 10 websites a character in your book would most frequently visit. List the title and web address for each choice. Include 2-3 sentences for each on why your character might like each of the sites. (Be sure the web addresses are accurately recorded, as they will be verified.)
Create a comic strip or a storyboard for the events in the story. Be sure that the illustrations explain the story clearly. Do not include every detail-- only those that are necessary to understand the actions. You will not be judged on your artistic talent, only on your apparent effort. However, please use good judgment
Design a website or construct a PowerPoint presentation about the book. Include a short story map of important elements like characters, settings, themes, or other information that you feel would be useful.
Make a scrapbook about the story or pretend a character had made it about his/her life. This should look like a real scrapbook, complete with actual memorabilia, awards, letters, photos, mementos, ticket stubs, report cards, etc. Include the book title or the character’s name in the book. Label each item (at least ten) and explain its significance.