Summer Reading

To offer a list of books that young teens would enjoy reading
To offer books that would nicely correspond to the existing freshmen curriculum
To allow students to analyze books’ themes by writing their own original ideas (in other words, no quizzes).

The Method:
All students are required to read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg OR The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.
Then pick one of the following pairs of books. Please respond to the essays that correspond to your pairing.

Option 1: Speak by Laurie Halse Andersen AND Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
Option 2: Perfect by Natasha Friend AND Stick Figure by Lori Gottlieb
Option 3: So B. It by Sarah Weeks AND The Color of Water by James McBride
Option 4: A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel AND Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth, Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please pick a pair of books and a required book that you have not already read. Be honest!

About the Books:
Following are brief summaries of the summer reading books.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: Melinda Sordino is starting high school with a horrible secret, yet she refuses to discuss it with anyone. It’s fascinating to watch Melinda’s character develop from a frightened, silent victim into a strong advocate for herself. As the secret comes out, you will feel an incredible sympathy for Melinda. The summer reading panel and I think this book is a must-read for teens. This book has received many honors: it was a Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence honoree, a National Book Award finalist, and a School Library Journal best book of the year.

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch: Keir is a great guy: his family loves him, his classmates love him, and he thinks Gigi loves him. So when Gigi accuses him of rape, he refuses to believe that he could be guilty of such a thing because, after all, he’s a good guy. This book is an interesting read, and it contains a great example of an unreliable narrator. It also provides a very interesting perspective on date rape as told from the guy’s point of view. This book was named one of 2006’s Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association and was also a 2005 National Book Awards finalist.

Perfect by Natasha Friend: In this powerful, simple book, 13-year-old Isabelle Lee copes with the loss of her father by becoming bulimic. Her mother whisks Isabelle off to group therapy, where she discovers that the most “perfect” girl in school also has bulimia. The two girls become friends, but Isabelle starts to discover that people conceal their secrets and their fears in many ways. Eventually, the book has an uplifting ending and moral.

Stick Figure by Lori Gottlieb: This is a sad but fascinating book about the author’s bout with anorexia when she was just eleven-years old. Gottlieb relies heavily on the diaries she kept when she was eleven and uses them as the foundation of her book, which chronicles her family life, her feelings about food and her weight, her disdain for her doctors, her hospitalization, and the moment that ultimately helped Lori stop her anorexic behaviors. This book was selected as one of the freshmen’s favorite books of 2006-2007, and it was considered one of 2001’s Best Books for Young Adults by the Young Adult Library Services Association.

So B. It by Sarah Weeks: This is a beautiful book about a thirteen-year-old girl who tries to uncover the secrets of her birth. Heide’s mother is profoundly retarded, capable of speaking only 23 words. But one of those words – soof – is a word so unique that Heide thinks it is the key to finding out who she and her mother really are. This is a lovely book about family, motherhood, and learning what is and what isn’t important about life. The book’s writing is a smidge below grade-level, but when paired with The Color of Water, you’ll understand why we selected this pair. This book was on the Young Adult Library Services Association’s Top Ten list of best books for young adult readers in 2005.

The Color of Water by James McBride: James McBride alternates his life story with his mother’s life story in this bittersweet nonfiction memoir (his mother, Rachel, is White; McBride is Black). The mother of twelve children, Rachel sees all twelve of her children graduate college, in spite of bigotry, poverty and loss. Interspersed with Rachel’s story is McBride’s tale. Although his mother completely ignores “issues involving race and identity,” McBride’s story focuses on his search for his identity and his mother’s personal history. The Young Adult Library Services Association has named this work as an Outstanding Book for the College-Bound.

A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel. In her autobiography, Kimmel records the day-to-day events of life in small-town Indiana during the 1960s and 70s. This book was funny and sweet – a real delight to read. As the book jacket says, “A Girl Named Zippy offers a rare a welcome treat: a memoir of a happy childhood.” Students and I highly recommend it.

Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey: This book, the nonfiction story of two parents and their twelve wild children, is one of my favorite books ever. In this book, the authors (who were two of the twelve aforementioned kids) tell the story of their happy childhood during the 1920s, recalling memories of trips to the movies, a cross-country train trip to California, dating under the watchful eye of Dad, sharing household jobs, and generally dealing with the chaos that comes with a household of 14. A darling, funny book!

Writing Assignments:
Please complete the writing assignment that corresponds to the books that you read.

Assignment for Option 1: Both Speak and Inexcusable focus on the issue of date rape – yet from two entirely different points of view: the girl’s and the boy’s. Please write a two paragraph essay (one paragraph per book) in which you discuss the following:
-What reaction does each main character (Melinda and Keir) have to his or her particular date rape situation? Be specific.
-What responsibility, if any, do Melinda and Keir assume for the date rape? Who should assume responsibility and why?
-Are the characters reliable in the telling of their stories (in other words, who is telling the truth?) Be specific in your supporting evidence.

Assignment for Option 2: An epiphany can be described as a sudden moment of insight or understanding that causes a character to change or act in a certain way. In the books Perfect and Stick Figure, the main characters (Isabelle and Lori, respectively) each experience at least one epiphany during the course of the book.

Please write a two-paragraph essay in which you discuss the epiphany each character experiences. In each paragraph (one paragraph per character), you should answer the following questions:
-What was the character’s epiphany or realization? Be specific.
-What event or moment in the story triggered the character’s epiphany?
-In what ways did the character change as a result of this epiphany? Be specific.

Assignment for Option 3: In So B. It and The Color of Water, the main characters (Heide and James McBride) each go on a “quest” in search of their mothers’ identities. Please write a two paragraph essay (one paragraph per book) in which you discuss the following:
-The discoveries (both about themselves and their mothers) that each character makes.
-The lessons they learn while searching for their mothers’ stories or as a result of searching. Be specific.
-How the characters are altered by their searches. Be specific.
(Note: Please keep in mind that McBride’s story is true.)

Assignment for Option 4: Both A Girl Named Zippy and Cheaper by the Dozen tell the story of the authors’ childhoods. Please write a two paragraph essay in which you discuss the following:
-The ways the authors’ lives are similar to one another (i.e., how are the Kimmels and the Gilbreths similar?). Be specific.
-The ways the authors’ lives are different from one another. Be specific.
-The common “ingredients” of a happy childhood according to these two books. Support with evidence.
(Note: Please keep in mind that both stories are true.)

Checklist:
-Each essay should be approximately 1.5 pages.
-Please be sure that your full name and date are in the upper left-hand corner of the paper.
-This paper should be typed.
-Papers must be double-spaced.
-Be sure to write a strong topic sentence. You should include the titles of the works, the authors of the works, and your main idea in the topic sentence. Remember: the topic sentence needs to mention both works and should summarize your whole paper.
-Use concrete, accurate evidence – and two quotes (one from each book) – to support your ideas.
-Don’t forget a conclusion!
-Again – pick books that you haven’t already read.
-Pick books that you enjoy reading. If you pick up a book and don’t like it, then choose something else. Summer reading should be fun!
-I will be looking to see that you have read the books, so you will want to support your ideas with specific evidence. Therefore, aim for depth and specificity. Don’t make a statement or opinion without being able to back it up.
-I am not looking for your opinions regarding the books. In other words, don’t tell me how much you liked/disliked the books or the characters or the plots, etc. Your goal is to answer the given questions clearly and in depth.

Due Date:
Please note that the summer reading assignment must be completed before the first day of school in August. Your essays must be submitted on the first day of school (not during freshmen workshop week).

If you have questions or concerns, please email me. If you do not have access to the Internet, I would be more than happy to mail a copy of the assignment to you during June. Call the school to find out how to get in touch with me over the summer.