The imagination will not perform until it has been flooded by a vast torrent of reading.
Petronius ca. 27–66 AD
The good, the admirable reader identifies himself not with the boy or the girl in the book, but
with the mind that conceived and composed that book.
Vladimir Nabokov 1899-1977
I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they
have made me.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882
IB English 11- Mr. Leddy
Summer Reading 2015
Success in IB English requires careful, attentive reading and the ability to clearly and
confidently express one’s thoughts in writing. Unfortunately, we often see that students do not
have the vocabulary (or the attention spans) to read and comprehend longer or complex works of
fiction. With that in mind, I strongly urge you all to read as much as possible over the summer.
Read newspaper articles, magazine articles, books, novels – in short, ANYTHING! (For good
reads, follow me on twitter @aaleddy, as I often tweet articles relevant to English & TOK.)
IB tests and quizzes require you to recall specific and important events in a work. Our
writing assignments are all focused on an author’s language and to what effect it is used in
poems or prose. Hence, the need for attentive, careful reading. Do NOT read just to find out
how the story ends. Our goal is to have you look at literature in a wholly new way. As you read
carefully and closely, you will search for what it is that the author has done that elevates a
particular work to greatness.
Over the summer, you will be required to read The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe.
Come by my room (F301) to sign out a copy. You will be quizzed on the novel and expected to
discuss it upon your return to school. You will also be quizzed on the 9th and 10th grade literary
terms that will be posted on the Springbrook website. This quiz will be given within the first few
days of class. Be prepared for this quiz!
Again, don’t hesitate to read as much as you can in any genre –
Fiction, Non-Fiction, Short Stories, Poetry
And keep the Springbrook Reading List at hand so you can easily find a good novel title!