THOMAS CAMPUS
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT, INCOMING 11 TH AND 12 TH GRADE, 2015
“It is not true we have only one life to love, if we can read,
we can live as many lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.”
― S.I. Hayakawa
All incoming 11th and 12th graders are required to read at least one novel over the summer and represent the
novel in one of the following forms: an interview, a scrapbook, a song/poetic response, a journal entry, or a
PowerPoint presentation. The required novel list in addition to brief synopses follow—if you’d like to read a
different novel, you must have approval from Mrs. Patterson (incoming 11 th graders) or Ms. Russell (incoming
12th graders).
This assignment will serve as your first grade for the 2014-2015 academic year—your first opportunity to
impress your teachers and establish yourself for the new academic year! It will be due at the beginning of
Literature class on the first full day of class in August (not during Student Orientation). Assignments submitted
after this day will be marked late. This assignment should be either typed in 12 point Times New Roman and
double-spaced or neatly handwritten in black or blue ink.
 In your representation, you must include information around the following questions:
 What are the strengths of the protagonist? How do the strengths aid him/her?
 What are the weaknesses of the protagonist? How do the weaknesses create obstacles
for him/her?
 Which relationships are influential to his/her life? In what specific ways?
 Identify the pivotal moments for the protagonist. What does s/he learn from these
moments? Does s/he make good choices in these pivotal moments?
 Overall, how has the character changed from the way s/he was in the beginning of the
text to the end of the novel? Be specific and use examples.
 Consider which theme (lesson) the character represents. What can you learn from
him/her and his/her experience?
 All AP students must read 2 novels. If you read more than 2 novels, you are eligible for extra credit
from Mrs. Patterson or Ms. Russell.
You may represent your novel in any of the following forms:
Song or Poetic Response: Locate a song or poem that represents a significant aspect of your novel such as the
theme, the protagonist’s development, or a major conflict/resolution. Print out the song lyrics or poem and
include an explanation of how it represents the novel. Identify specific lines of the song/poem and analyze
how that connects to your novel. Your explanation should be at least two pages long.
Diary: Create a diary for the protagonist of the novel. The entries should be from the character’s point-ofview and should cover the significant problem and resolution the character faces in the story. Each entry
should be at least one paragraph, and you must write a minimum of five entries (the equivalent of two pages).
PowerPoint: Create an informational presentation to present to your Literature class. Your presentation
must include (at a minimum) the following components—a brief biography of the author, the characters, the
plot, a quote analysis, and whether you’d recommend the novel and why.
Interview: Interview a character from your novel. Create a dialogue with at least 10 questions and provide
responses from the character’s point-of-view. Be sure to include specific references to characters, places, and
events in the novel and thoroughly explain the character’s thoughts and feelings at different points in the
novel.
Scrapbook: Create a scrapbook that highlights the main events in the novel. You can create the scrapbook
from the main character’s point of view. Each page should have at least one picture/sketch and a paragraph
explanation of why this illustration or photograph is significant to the story. Your scrapbook should include at
least 5 events (Be sure to include the conflict and resolution as events.).
If there's a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.
~Toni Morrison
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NOVEL CHOICES FOR INCOMING 11th and 12th GRADERS—CHOOSE AT LEAST ONE
The Living by Matt de la Pena (Grade 11 ONLY)
Shy takes the summer job to make some money. A few months on a luxury cruise liner--how bad can it
be? Bikinis, free food, maybe even a girl or two . . . every cruise has a fresh crop of passengers, after all. He'll
rake in the tips and be able to help his mom and sister out with the bills.
But then, an earthquake more massive than any ever recorded hits California and Shy's life is changed
forever.
The earthquake is only the beginning. Twenty-four hours and a catastrophic chain of events later, Shy is lost at
sea, fighting to survive--and stuck with her.
She's blond and she's rich, and never in her life would she have dreamed she'd be adrift in the Pacific
Ocean, surrounded by death and completely dependent on a guy like Shy.
And Shy hasn't even faced the worst yet.
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (Grade 11 ONLY)
Between 1854 and 1929, so-called orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the East Coast to the
farmlands of the Midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose fates would be determined by
pure luck. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face a childhood and adolescence
of hard labor and servitude?
As a young Irish immigrant, Vivian Daly was one such child, sent by rail from New York City to an uncertain
future a world away. Returning east later in life, Vivian leads a quiet, peaceful existence on the coast of Maine,
the memories of her upbringing rendered a hazy blur. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a
turbulent past.
Seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer knows that a community-service position helping an elderly widow clean out
her attic is the only thing keeping her out of juvenile hall. But as Molly helps Vivian sort through her keepsakes
and possessions, she discovers that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they appear. A Penobscot Indian who
has spent her youth in and out of foster homes, Molly is also an outsider being raised by strangers, and she,
too, has unanswered questions about the past.
Moving between contemporary Maine and Depression-era Minnesota, Orphan Train is a powerful tale of
upheaval and resilience, second chances, and unexpected friendship.
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Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius (Grade 11 and 12)
They all thought he was gone. But he was alive and trapped inside his own body for ten years. In January 1988
Martin Pistorius, age twelve, fell inexplicably sick. First he lost his voice and stopped eating. Then he slept
constantly and shunned human contact. Doctors were mystified. Within eighteen months he was mute and
wheelchair bound. Martin's parents were told an unknown degenerative disease left him with the mind of a
baby and less than two years to live. Martin was moved to care centers for severely disabled children. The
stress and heartache shook his parents' marriage and their family to the core. Their boy was gone. Or so they
thought. Ghost Boy is the heart-wrenching story of one boy's return to life through the power of love and
faith. In these pages, readers see a parent's resilience, the consequences of misdiagnosis, abuse at the hands
of cruel caretakers, and the unthinkable duration of Martin's mental alertness betrayed by his lifeless body.
We also see a life reclaimed, a business created, a new love kindled - all from a wheelchair. Martin's
emergence from his own darkness invites us to celebrate our own lives and fight for a better life for others.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Grades 11 and 12)
Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the
Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran
from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic
Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of
committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a
childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.
Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between
home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and
heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own
extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story
of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on,
with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with
whom we cannot help but fall in love.
Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah (Grades 11 and 12)
The stunning national bestseller now features an illuminating discussion with Sister Souljah -- her secret
thoughts on creating the story that has sold more than one million copies worldwide and introduced readers
everywhere to the real ghetto experience. Here are answers to the questions fans everywhere have been
asking; the meanings and inspirations behind such memorable characters as Winter, Midnight, and Santiaga;
and insights into why and how Souljah conceived of one of the most powerful novels of our time.
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A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story? By Sister Souljah
At last, mega-bestselling author Sister Souljah delivers the stunning sequel to The Coldest Winter Ever that
fans have been eagerly waiting for. Frighteningly fierce, raw, and completely unpredictable, this coming-of-age
adventure is woven with emotional intensity.
A Deeper Love Inside is written in the words of Porsche Santiaga, Winter’s sharp-tongued, quick-witted
younger sister. Porsche worships Winter. A natural born hustler, Porsche is also cut from the same cloth as her
father, the infamous Ricky Santiaga.
Passionate and loyal to the extreme, Porsche refuses to accept her new life in group homes, foster care, and
juvenile detention after her wealthy family is torn apart. Porsche— unique, young, and beautiful—cries as
much as she fights and uses whatever she has to reclaim her status.
Unselfishly, she pushes to get back everything that ever belonged to her loving family. In A Deeper Love Inside,
readers will encounter their favorite characters from The Coldest Winter Ever, including Winter and Midnight.
Sister Souljah’s soulful writing will again move your heart and open your eyes to a shocking reality.
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