English I Summer Reading List - Summerville High School

English I Summer Reading List
Dorchester District Two

For Rising English I CP Students
� Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman (680L)
� The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (1090L)
� Let’s Roll by Lisa Beamer
� Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
(700L)
� Party Girl by Lynne Ewing (740L)
� Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (820L)
� Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Fighting to Get Back
on the Board by Bethany Hamilton (960L)
� This Ain’t Brain Surgery: How to Win the Pennant Without Losing
Your Mind by Larry Dierker
� Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (770L)
� Zazoo by Richard Mosher (680L)
� Mythology by Edith Hamilton

Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey
Ullman
� This story is based on the author‘s
experiences with climbing the
Matterhorn. This is the story of
Rudi, who is determined to pay
tribute to the man he never knew
and to complete the quest that
claimed his father‘s life. Rudi must
search deep within himself to find
the strength for the final ascent to
the summit of the mountain.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by
Arthur Conan Doyle
� The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle, published in 1902,
was the result of a visit to scary English
moors and prehistoric ruins. While
Doyle was there, a friend told him
marvelous local legends about an
escaped prisoner — a seventeenth
century aristocrat who fell afoul of the
family dog. Thus, generations ago, a
hound of hell tore out the throat of a
devilish man on the moonlit moor. Now,
in this fictional story, poor accursed
Baskerville Hall has another mysterious
death: that of Sir Charles Baskerville.
This classic is a challenging read, but will
engage mystery fans.

Let’s Roll by Lisa Beamer
� In this biography, Beamer provides
an account of her heroic husband
and the effects 9-11 had on her
life. Her story makes for
compelling and inspirational
reading.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
by James Patterson
� This science-fiction, suspense novel is first in a
series and focuses on six unforgettable kids
who do all they can to stay together as a family
and remain alive in the midst of constant
danger. Fourteen-year-old Max becomes leader
of this group of kids whose DNA has been
altered to give them wings at ―The School‖
where they have been kept in cages and
experimented on like lab rats. However, each
has special powers, making him/her superior to
humans. Jeb, a man from ―The School,‖ rescues
the birdkids, teaches them survival skills, then
mysteriously disappears. One of the flock is
kidnapped by the mutant wolf-like Erasers, and
Max must find her. Some violence.

Party Girl by Lynn Ewing
� Party Girl focuses on a group of
teenagers not often seen in young
adult novels, and this detail alone
makes it notable. Although the
story is surprisingly lacking in
tension and suspense for a book
that covers this type of subject
matter, its sheer readability and
polished prose should appeal to
both teenage and adult readers.
Readers should be aware that
gangs, guns, violence, and teen
pregnancy are aspects of the story.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by
Ray Bradbury
� This adventure novel tells the story
of William Halloway and Jim
Nightshade, who are drawn to the
seductive song of a calliope and
Cooger & Dark‘s Pandemonium
Shadow Show. These two boys
experience the thrill of having their
fondest wish granted and then finding
out there is a price one has to pay
for that secret dream— a price that
will change the life of every person it
touches.

Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Fighting to
Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton
� This autobiography, written by fourteenyear-old
Bethany Hamilton, is the story of
her lifelong love of surfing and return to
competition with the help of family, friends,
and faith after recovering from losing her
arm in a shark attack at the age of
thirteen. Bethany‘s powerful message is
one of amazing strength, unfaltering spirit,
determination, courage, faith, and humility.
She emphasizes the importance of a strong
support group which includes God, her
parents, brothers, friends, and family pet.
Bethany‘s ―girl power‖ and spiritual grit
demonstrate that the body is no more
essential to surfing than the soul.

This Ain’t Brain Surgery: How to Win the Pennant
Without Losing Your Mind by Larry Dierker
� This is the autobiography of Larry
Dierker whose professional adult life
has been absorbed by baseball and the
Houston Astros. Dierker displays his
perspective of the game and his role in
it. As he recounts his time as manager,
he splices in tales from his own playing
days and profiles several of baseball‘s
―lifers,‖ including Doug Rader and
Casey Candaele. In a serious tone, he
also discusses how he coped with the
big-money world of modern baseball
and how he made the day-to-day
decisions with which a baseball
manager is confronted.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
� Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic society whose
citizens are taught to believe they are ―ugly‖ until, on
their sixteenth birthday, they undergo a mandatory
operation that transforms them into ―pretties.‖ The
―New Pretties‖ play and party in ―New Pretty Town‖
while envious ―uglies‖ wait to become ―pretties.‖ A
few ―uglies,‖ including Tally‘s new best friend Shay,
distain the false values and conformity of their
society and run away to the Smoke, a distant rebel
settlement of simple-living ―uglies.‖ Tally‘s friendship
with Shay and other rebels from the Smoke is put to
the test. This story contains videogame-like action
sequences, using intriguing inventions like
hoverboards and bungee jackets. Behind all the
commotion is the disturbing commentary on our
own society. This imaginative selection is the first in
a trilogy series and is followed by Pretties and
Specials.

Zazoo by Richard Mosher
� In this work of fiction, Zazoo, almost fourteen,
lives with her adoptive grandfather who
brought her from Vietnam to France when she
was two years old. They share a tangled
history that Zazoo is beginning to understand.
She knows that Grand-Pierre was involved in
World War II, but she never imagined that he
had served in Vietnam. A boy who rides his
bicycle into her village one morning and a local
middle-aged pharmacist have surprising
connections to Zazoo and Grand-Pierre. With
the help of new and old friends, Zazoo
discovers that the past isn‘t over, but it informs
and colors the present – and the future.

Mythology by Edith Hamilton
� Greek, Roman, and Norse myths
come to life!

Rising English I Honors Students
� Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther (1060L)
� I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya
Angelou (1070L)
� Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons (870L)
� The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (900L)
� The Chosen by Chaim Potok (970L)
� The Contender by Robert Lipstye (760L)
� A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer (850L)
� The Color of Water by James McBride (1240L)
� And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
(570L)

Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther
� Johnny Gunther died of a
brain tumor at the age of
seventeen, and during his
months of his illness, everyone
was impressed with his gallant
struggle. This story is a journey
into a father‘s heart to extract
a collection of heartbreaking
memories of his young son.
(Non-fiction)

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by
Maya Angelou
� Maya chronicles her early life with
this moving testimony of how she
confronted the hardships of her
early years with wonder and
dignity. (Non-fiction)

Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
� Ellen is an 11-year-old orphan who
is an old woman in a child's body;
her frail, unhappy mother dies, her
abusive father alternately neglects
her and makes advances on her,
and she is shuttled from one
uncaring relative's home to
another before she finally takes
matters into her own hands and
finds herself a place to belong.

The Bean Trees by Barbara
Kingsolver
� Taylor Greer, a native of
Kentucky, finds herself in
Oklahoma, near Cherokee
territory. A woman leaves a
Cherokee infant with Taylor,
whom she later names Turtle,
and the remainder of the novel
traces their experiences
together into Turtle's early
childhood, along with a colorful
cast of characters.

The Chosen by Chaim Potok
� In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an
accident throws Reuven Malther and
Danny Saunders together. Despite
their differences (Reuven is a
Modern Orthodox Jew with an
intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is
the brilliant son and rightful heir to a
Hasidic rebbe), the young men form
a deep, if unlikely, friendship that is
tested by cultural differences and
conflicts rising from news of the
Holocaust overseas.

The Contender by Robert Lipstye
� Alfred is a high-school dropout
working at a grocery store. His best
friend is drifting behind a haze of
drugs and violence, and now some
street punks are harassing him for
something he didn't do. Feeling
powerless and afraid, Alfred gathers
up the courage to visit Donatelli's
Gym, the neighborhood's boxing
club. There, he struggles to become
a champion, on the streets and in his
own life.

A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer
� Dave Pelzer was brutally beaten and
starved by his emotionally unstable,
alcoholic mother, a mother who played
tortuous, unpredictable games – games
that left one of her three sons nearly
dead. She no longer considered Dave a
son, but a slave; no longer a boy, but an
‗it‘. His bed was an old army cot in the
basement, his clothes were torn and
smelly, and when he was allowed the
luxury of food it was scraps from the
dog‘s bowl. The outside world knew
nothing of the nightmare played out
behind closed doors, but throughout his
struggle Dave kept alive dreams of finding
a family to love him. (Non-fiction)

The Color of Water by James McBride
� These memoirs follow the
author‘s mother (Ruth McBride
Jordan), the two good men she
married, and the 12 good
children she raised. Ruth Jordan
battled not only racism but also
poverty to raise her children
and, despite being sorely tested,
never wavered. (Non-fiction)

And Then There Were None by Agatha
Christie
� Ten strangers are invited to
an island by the mysterious
U.N. Owen. All are accused
of murder and slowly,
inexorably, they begin to die
in this classic murder
mystery.

Rising English II CP Students
� All Over But the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg (1160L)
� Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn (510L)
� Buried Onions by Gary Soto (850L)
� China Boy by Gus Lee (880L)
� The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (960L)
� Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody (870L)
� Dancing on the Edge by Han Nolan (850L)
� Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland (950L)
� It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong (890L)
� The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1120L)
� Peeling the Onion by Wendy Orr (790L)
� Postcards from No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers (900L)
� The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (840L)
� A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (810L)
� Avalon: The Return of King Arthur by Stephen R. Lawhead (1150L)
� Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley (1110L)

All Over But the Shoutin’ by Rick
Bragg
� In this autobiography, Rick
Bragg grows up ―dirt poor‖
in northeastern Alabama.
Through the efforts of his
strong-willed mother, Rick
and his brothers get a
chance to break out of the
family‘s poverty.

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
� In this novel, Nick Andreas is
charming and popular among
his classmates, but he holds a
dark secret ─ an abusive
parent. His anger carries over
to his relationship with his
girlfriend, Caitlyn. A quick and
capturing read suitable for all
readers. Contains strong
language and mature content.

Buried Onions by Gary Soto
� Eddie, a young Hispanic, is
desperately seeking a way out
of his present life in the barrio.
Many obstacles hinder his
progress; every step forward
results in two steps back.

China Boy by Gus Lee
� Kai Ting, a seven-year-old Chinese immigrant, is the
main character of this novel. Facing complete
culture shock, unable to speak clearly in either
English or Songhai, and banished to the street
outside his house by his father‘s new American
wife, Kai is a punching bag for his neighbors.
Caught between obeying scholarly cultural
traditions to which he is forbidden by his racist
―Stepma Edna‖ and needing to defend himself from
the daily ritual of abuse from his peers, Kai enrolls
in boxing lessons. The novel centers on the men
who serve as mentors to Kai in the program. The
author has a keen eye for characterization and
describes these men accurately and honestly. In the
end, Kai has a showdown with the toughest
neighborhood bully and boxes him bloodily into
submission, finding the courage in this victory to
stand up to his stepmother as well.

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
� In this first of a series of three
novels, Merlin‘s royal birth,
education in the Crystal Cave
with Galapas, sight, and powers
are explained. The book ends
with the birth of Arthur, who
is destined to become the king
who unites all of Britain. The
book is told in first person
from Merlin‘s point of view

Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne
Moody
� In this autobiography, Anne
Moody, an African American
woman, invites the reader to
experience the hardships she
endured and overcame while
growing up during the Civil
Rights movement in Mississippi.

Dancing on the Edge by Han Nolan
� In this National Book Awardwinning
novel, Miracle‘s
mother is a dancer and her
father, a novelist. Like her
grandmother, she believes in
things no one can see. Step
into Miracle‘s world ─ a world
where reality and the spirit
world vie for control.

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan
Vreeland � This finely crafted novel tells the
story of the girl in an imagined,
undiscovered portrait by Vermeer.
Created in the 17th century, the
painting passes through a number
of people‘s hands; following its path
provides a series of tales that
reflect the history and character of
Holland and Europe through the
years. This selection begins in the
present and works its way
backward.

It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey
Back to Life by Lance Armstrong
� This book is an autobiography
of Tour de France winner
Lance Armstrong from his
humble childhood in Texas to
his triumph over the Tour de
France and cancer. This account
of Lance‘s struggles with his
illness and his sport is an easy,
yet engaging read regarding an
inspirational fellow Texan.

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer
Bradley
� There are always two different
sides to every story. Morgan le
Fay, or as she prefers to be
known, Morgaine, tells her
version of the Arthurian legend
and the various conflicts within
it. This amazing book from the
New York Times’ ―Bestseller
Lists‖ contains mature and
sensitive material.

Peeling the Onion by Wendy Orr
� In this selection, young Anna
Duncan‘s life changes in a flash. In a
traumatic car crash, Anna loses her
ability to be who she thought she
was. She is no longer an open,
happy, outgoing girl, but an
introverted, beautiful, poetic young
woman. In her struggle to beat her
injuries, she discovers who she
really is.

Postcards from No Man’s Land by
Aidan Chambers
� Seventeen-year-old Jacob Todd travels
to Amsterdam to honor the memory
of his grandfather who died in W.W.
II. Shortly after arriving, Jacob is
robbed and forced to stay with
Gertrui, a woman who cared for
Jacob‘s grandfather during the war.
During his stay, Jacob comes to learn
more about Amsterdam, the history
of W.W. II in the Netherlands, and the
remarkable Gertrui, whose wartime
experiences unfold in a compelling
parallel story. A coming of age novel
for mature readers.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk
Kidd
� The core of this novel‘s story is
Lily Owens‘s search for a mother.
She finds one in a place she never
expects. She finds her Madonna in
a woman named August
Boatwright, the proprietor of a
honey farm that‘s a harbor of
quiet civility. August and her
sisters, June and May, offer Lily a
true ―home!‖

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty
Smith � This is a moving and memorable novel about
the childhood of Francie Nolan who grows up
in the slums of Brooklyn, New York, in the early
1900‘s. Francie grows up with a sweet, tragic
father and a severely realistic mother; she
knows more than her share about the suffering
of the poor. Like the sturdy tree that grows out
of cement near her home, Francie is imaginative,
alert, and resourceful. She survives and thrives
despite poverty, lack of formal education, sexual
assault, and extreme loneliness. This book was
controversial when first published fifty years
ago. Its frank writing about life‘s squalor was
alarming to some, but it is now considered an
American classic. The New York Public Library
selected this novel as one of the Books of the
Century. Contains some mature content.

Avalon: The Return of King Arthur by
Stephen R. Lawhead
� As Britain's King Edward the Ninth
dies, a power-hungry prime
minister is about to realize his
darkest plan by the total
destruction of the British
monarchy in the 21st century. Only
one man can stop him: James
Arthur Stuart who discovers that
he is the legendary Arthur reborn
by as foretold. Aided by Merlin,
Arthur realizes he is not the only
one to return from the mists.

Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia
Woolley
� This story of Camelot focuses on
Guinevere, who has an active, strong
character of her own, as well as being the
wife of the High King of Britain. The reader
sympathizes with her as she struggles to
settle into the life of a queen. This is a
beautifully written story, where the
attention to detail helps to give it a real
period feel.

Rising English II Honors Students
� Whale Talk by Chris Cutcher (1000L)
� Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1080L)
� Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence (850L)
� P.T. 109 by Robert Donovan
� Understanding September 11, Answering Questions about the
Attacks on America by Mitch Frank (1140L)
� The Dream: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a
Nation by Drew Hansen
� Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family by
Shannon Lanier (910L)
� American Indian Ballerinas by Lili Cockerville Livingstone
� Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos (840L)
� A Separate Peace by John Knowles (1110L)

Whale Talk by Chris Cutcher
� What does a guy do when he
has all the talents to be a star
athlete, but hates his high
school athletic program?

Their Eyes Were Watching God by
Zora Neale Hurston
� A compelling story about a
woman‘s struggle to overcome
life‘s most difficult situations.

Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence
� This famous courtroom drama is
based on the Scopes ―Monkey
Trial‖ about the teaching of
evolution.

P.T. 109 by Robert Donovan
� This is the heroic tale of
President Kennedy‘s days in
the Navy during World War
II.

Understanding September 11, Answering Questions
about the Attacks on America by Mitch Frank
� These events are burned into
images we can never forget—but
after the pain of September 11
we ask ―why‖ and ―what‖ do we
need to learn about the
historical, religious and cultural
issues that sparked the attacks.

The Dream: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech
That Inspired a Nation by Drew Hansen
� This great humanitarian and
leader did indeed have a dream,
and it has resonated through the
years to expand all of our hopes
for a future built on tolerance.

Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One
American Family by Shannon Lanier
� Thomas Jefferson fathered two
families—one black, one white,
brought together by his
determined young descendent - a
story about family, a story about
identity, a story about secrets
revealed and history made
complete.

American Indian Ballerinas by Lili
Cockerville Livingstone
� Four Native American women
from Oklahoma share the
struggles and triumphs of their
dance careers and personal
lives in stories that inspire with
courage and beauty.

Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
� The author relates how,
as a young adult, he
became a drug user and
smuggler, was arrested,
did time in prison, and
eventually got out and
went to college.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles
� One of the most frequently read
teenage novels, A Separate Peace is
set in the summer of 1942 at a
boy‘s boarding school in New
Hampshire. The plot focuses on the
relationship between two friends,
Gene Forrester and Phineas. Gene,
the school‘s shy intellectual, and
Phineas, the school‘s charismatic
athlete, form a friendship based on
rivalry. Gene must come to terms
with an act he commits that will
destroy Phineas. Appeals to the
serious reader.