 SMHS SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT 2015 
GRADE 10 (Class of 2018)
ENGLISH II HONORS ASSIGNMENT
If you are enrolled in the English II Honors class for the upcoming year, you must complete the
following two assignments:
1. Read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Please see
your teacher for a copy of the text to borrow for the summer. If you borrow a book from
SMHS, you must return it in August or you will be charged to replace it.
You will complete an in-class test on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
within the first 2 weeks of class.
2. Select a book from the list below and be prepared to complete an in-class essay on the
book you chose during the first week of school.
ENGLISH II ASSIGNMENT
If you are enrolled in the English II class for the upcoming year, you must complete the following
assignment:
1. Select a book from the list below and be prepared to complete an in-class essay on the
book you chose during the first 2 weeks of school.
BOOK LIST
Th1rteen R3asons Why: A novel by Jay Asher – When Hannah Baker commits suicide, she
leaves behind thirteen cassette tapes to those she feels contributed to her decision to end her life.
Clay finds the box of tapes on his front porch, and as he starts listening to Hannah recount the events
leading up to her suicide, his heartrending night begins.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins –Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home
has been destroyed. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding. District 13 has
come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Though she's long been a part of the
revolution, Katniss hasn't known it. Now it seems that everyone has had a hand in the carefully laid plans
but her. The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility
for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her
feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the cost.
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman - Stuck in Neutral tells the story of a (nearly) typical fourteen
year-old boy named Shawn McDaniel. He likes potato chips and rock and roll. His palms get sweaty
and his heart pounds when he sees Allison Williams. Yes he is very typical, except for one thing, he
has cerebral palsy. He cannot move a muscle, he can't blink, and he can't talk. However trapped
inside this vegetable of a body is a smart, witty, outgoing kid with Photographic memory. He never
forgets anything he sees, hears, or experiences. Shawn's life gets pretty frustrating and lonely
sometimes, however he stays positive, until he finds out his dad is planning to kill him.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in
heaven. This was before milk carton photos and public service announcements, she tells us; back in
1973, when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed these things didn't happen. Susie
relates the awful events of her death and her own adjustment to the strange new place she finds
herself. With love, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie watches her family as they cope with
their grief, her father embarks on a search for the killer, her sister undertakes a feat of amazing
daring, her little brother builds a fort in her honor and begin the difficult process of healing.
Nation by Terry Prachett – Mau is caught in the tidal wave that destroyed his island and Daphne is
her ship’s only survivor of that tsunami. Together on the devastated island, they form a new nation.
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult - Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she
has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can
somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. Anna was conceived as a bone
marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most
teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always
been defined in terms of her sister -- and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be
unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the
sister she loves.
The Great Wide Sea by M. H. Herlong – Only two months after the death of their mother, Ben’s
father sells their house and buys a sailboat. The angry and resentful Ben, along with his two younger
brothers, must go with their father on a year-long voyage around the Bahamas. Their father
disappears overboard one night. The brothers must battle a terrible storm by themselves and are then
stranded on a small island with little food, water, or hope of rescue. An action packed survival story.
Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia – Trina has unknowingly insulted the unstable Dominique in the
hall, and she is in danger of being jumped after school. Leticia knows what is going on, but does not
want to get involved by telling anyone.
Last Climb: the Legendary Everest Expeditions of George Mallory by David Breashears
and Audrey Salkeld – In 1924 the explorer, George Mallory, disappeared on Mount Everest only to be
found seventy-five years later on the icy slopes. The authors reveal the astounding facts of early
mountain climbing on Mount Everest, describe the events of Mallory’s adventurous life, and suggest
scenarios that may have led to his death on this most dangerous climb.
Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald - It begins with a free and joyful act--but from then on,
Michael finds it impossible even to remember what it felt like to be free and joyful. When he fires his
new rifle into the air on his seventeenth birthday, he never imagines that the bullet will end up killing
someone. But a mile away, a man is killed by that bullet as he innocently repairs his roof. And
Michael keeps desperately silent while he watches his world crumble. Meanwhile Jenna, the dead
man's daughter, copes with desperation of her own. Through her grief, she tries to understand why
she no longer feels comfortable with her boyfriend and why a near stranger named Michael keeps
appearing in her dreams. Suspenseful and powerfully moving, this is the unforgettable story of an
accidental crime and its haunting web of repercussions.
The following essay prompts are the same prompts you will see in the first week of school for your inclass essay. You are not expected to write this essay during the summer. Essays should be
written in class when we all return from vacation. A copy of the prompts is provided below so you can
familiarize yourself with the questions before you return to school. This serves to help you start
thinking about what you might write about as you read so that you are better prepared for the in-class
essay during the first week of school.
IN-CLASS ESSAY PROMPTS FOR FIRST ESSAY ASSIGNMENT OF THE YEAR
1. Literature often depicts characters caught between colliding cultures—national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional,
etc. Such collisions can call a character’s sense of identity into question. Using a literary work in which a character
responds to such a cultural collision, write a well-organized essay describing the character’s response and explain its
relevance to the work as a whole.
2. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause,
a love, a desire for revenge, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which
a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written
essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and the significance to the work.
3. Choose a complex or important character in a literary work that might be considered evil or immoral. Write a wellorganized essay explaining both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more
sympathetically than we otherwise might.
4. Some literary works seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a literary
work and note the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the
techniques the author uses to influence the reader's or audience's views.
5. In a literary work, characters are often surrounded by an opposite type of character, often known as a foil. These foil
characters possesses traits that emphasize the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character by contrast or
comparison. For example, the ideas or behavior of a foil character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths
of another character. Choose a literary work in which a character serves as a foil for the main character and write a wellorganized essay which analyzes how the relation between the two characters illuminates one or more themes of the work.