9th grade Advanced English Summer Reading Assignment
Dear Student,
Congratulations on your choice to take Honors English 9. You have four exciting years of high school
ahead of you, and I look forward to beginning your freshman year with you. This letter explains in detail
your summer reading assignment, but if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at
laurel.mervich@uticak12.org. I plan to check my email at least twice a week.
The purpose of this reading assignment is to give you a broad literary foundation and to help you
exercise independent reading and thinking skills during the summer months. As you begin, be mindful of
the fact that you are reading not only to gain an understanding of the plot, but also to look at the story
with an analytical eye, focusing on themes and applying the universal ideas in the story to your own life.
With this in mind, you will be completing a Close and Critical reading in portfolio form for one novel, and
a creative interpretation of the other. We will also be discussing both of these novels during first
semester. The novel Speak will accompany Unit One: The Power of Storytelling, and the novel
Mississippi Trial, 1955 will accompany Unit Two: Changing Attitudes Through Knowledge (To Kill a
Mockingbird). I have copies of both of these novels, so please stop by my room (212) to sign them out if
you don’t want to purchase your own copies.
Please read both of the following novels:
 Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
 Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe
Summer Reading Project Part 1
Then, complete the following assignment for ONE of the novels—the choice is up to you:
Create a literary portfolio for one of the novels you’ve read. The portfolios are due on the first day of
school. For each day the assignment is late, the overall score will be downgraded 10%. The entire inside
pages of the portfolio should be typed and double spaced; please feel free to be creative in assembling
your final project!
Front cover:
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Create an artistic representation of the book. Be creative and colorful. Please include
the title of the novel and the author’s name. Also, include your name.
Inside pages:
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The first one to two pages of your portfolio, (and please do not exceed two pages),
should be a summary of the book. What, literally, is the novel about? Summarize the
major plot elements, main characters, and key points of the novel. Do NOT copy-paste
off the internet! This must be written in your own words.
Next, for each of the main characters, write a brief, detailed paragraph describing
him/her. Consider appearance, personality traits, and interaction with the other
9th grade Advanced English Summer Reading Assignment
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characters in the novel. Think about what the author wanted you to notice about the
character.
Then, choose FOUR quotes from the book that are especially important to the
advancement of the plot. Include the quote, page number, and speaker’s name. In 2-3
sentences, explain why each quote is important. Consider the technical aspects of the
novel in your quote selection, including author’s purpose, author’s craft, point of view,
perspective, mood, irony, symbolism, imagery, simile/metaphor, foreshadowing,
suspense, etc.
The next section should not exceed one page in length, and should be a thematic
discussion of the novel. Imagine that you are one of the main characters of the novel,
and write a journal entry from his/her perspective discussing the theme of the novel.
Generally themes are the roots for change in characters, so analyze how the big idea of
the novel impacted the character that you’ve chosen, and write what you think that
character would discuss in a journal of his/her own. Both of these novels feature main
characters that change at the end of the novel; so, you will be reflective writing as a
possible chapter that could be added on.
Finally, link the theme of the novel to the real world. This discussion should not exceed
one page. Consider what the text means to you and your life, and the significance it
might hold in the real world and lives of others. This is where you demonstrate your
understanding of why the novel you’ve chosen is relevant to people your age.
**This assignment should look familiar to you! You have done it many times in your English class,
otherwise known as CCR!
Summer Reading Project Part 2
For the other novel that you read, you are to complete a creative interpretation on the form of a quilt
square. YOU MAY NOT COMPLETE A PORFOLIO AND QUILT FOR THE SAME NOVEL. Please complete one
assignment for one of the novels, and the other for the second.
Quilt Square Assignment:
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Your square must be nine inches by nine inches, and may be made out of whatever
material you choose (e.g.: paper, fabric, poster board, etc.)
Choose a key scene, main event, character, chapter, or theme to illustrate from ONE of
the novels you read over the summer.
Your illustration must be authentic, in other words, you may not use images from clip
art of the internet. The only instance in which this would be acceptable is if you were to
create a collage.
Around the edges of the square, leave a one-inch border. I recommend that you create
a rough draft first to help with spacing, illustrations, and writing.
9th grade Advanced English Summer Reading Assignment
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Inside the border, create an illustration for your choice of novel. Include a sentence or
two explaining the significance of the illustration, or a quote directly from the book that
supports the illustrations (with page number).
Write the entire title of the novel in the border, and then illustrate the border. Some
suggestions include: words that describe the main character, symbols from the novel,
and images from the novel.
One the back of the square, type or neatly write in clack or blue ink two to three
paragraphs about your square. Describe your illustration and how it represents the
novel you’ve chosen.
You may visit http://www.litcirles.org/Extension/storyquilt.html to view examples of story quilt squares
from students ranging in age from first grade to post college graduate school!
Requirements for Completing This Summer Reading Assignment:
 The portfolio assignment must be typed. Feel free to add creative details throughout the
portfolio to make it more visually appealing.
 For any part that is type, please double space and use 12 point regular font.
 For both assignments, do a thorough and complete job, which means including relevant and
specific details.
 Proofread, proofread, and proofread!
 Remember, whenever discussing a book title, the title is italicized.
 Content, grammar, punctuation, spelling, thoroughness, neatness, color, and creativity are all
important, and all part of the overall grade.
 Any information that is obtained from outside sources must be credited properly. Please use
MLA format. Outside sources would be any source other than the two novels you are required
to read.
Both assignments will be worth a total of 100 points overall: 50 for the CCR portfolio and 50 for the
story quilt square. This will count as a formal writing assignment. Remember, both assignments are due
the first day of school. Should you have any questions during the summer, don’t hesitate to email me at
laurel.mervich@uticak12.org. Good luck, and enjoy your reading time! I can’t wait to meet you in
September and see all of your wonderful assignments!
Also, if you want to get a head start on the short story unit, these are the stories we will be reading this
fall for honors English. Even if you read one of them, it may help you later.
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“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving
“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson