Colonie Central High School 1 Raider Blvd. Albany, NY 12205 June 2014 Dear Incoming English 11 Students and Parents: Reading is one of the most valuable and pleasurable habits you can develop. Much of our class time together next year will be spent reading, talking and writing about what we read. As an incoming 11th grader, you must read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow, as well as a book of your choice, over the course of the summer. You will be assessed on these two books at the end of September. The English 11 teachers strongly recommend that you complete the following procedures to ensure effective recall: A. Keep notes on The Last Lecture including: 1. An outline or list of the advice the narrator imparts to his readers and the wisdom he has acquired over his lifetime. 2. A list of morals/values/themes he conveys throughout the novel and his purpose for them. AND B. Keep notes on your choice book including: 1. A list of main characters and descriptions of each. 2. A brief outline of the plot. 3. The literary devices used (for example, characterization, irony, symbolism, plot structure, point of view, flashback, etc.) and an explanation of how they contribute to author’s intent and your understanding of the book. •
On the back, you will find a list of suggested list of reading choices. You may select your choice book from that list or select a choice book on your own. English 11 is an exciting and challenging course. Reading over the summer will assist in your preparation for the Regents exam taken in June. Enjoy your summer! We look forward to meeting with you in September. Sincerely, The English Department A NOTE FROM THE LIBRARY: Visit www.southcolonieschools.org and follow the library link on the left column to the library research center/summer reading selection. This will bring you to the CCHS research center. Click on the summer reading tab for help with required reading lists, summer library hours, and sites designed to help your student make the best book choices. We encourage you to use the CCHS research center for easy access to our catalog, newspaper database, and reading previews…if you haven’t seen this binder yet, it has lots of information for parents too! English 11 Recommended Choice Book List 2014 Fiction Wrecked by E.R. Frank Would You by Marthe Jocelyn Love, Football, and Other Contact Sports by Alden R. Carter Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers Chanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night‐Time by Mark Haddon Cold Skin by Steven Herrick Swim the Fly by Don Calame The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho An Abundance of Catherines by John Greene Dying to Know You by Aidan Chambers A Certain October by Angela Johnson My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher The Final Four by Paul Volponi In Darkness by Nick Lake Caring is Creepy by David Zimmerman Historical Fiction Never Fall Down: A Boy Soldier’s Story of Survival by Patricia McCormick Crossing Stones by Helen Frost The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Nonfiction Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different: A Biography by Karen Blumenthal The Warrior’s Heart: Becoming a Man of Courage and Compassion by Eric Greitens Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson Trial: The Inside Story by Susan Kuklin Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers How Angel Peterson Got His Name; and Other Outrageous Tales about Extreme Sports by Gary Paulsen Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees by Deborah Ellis Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mendella Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes‐Courter Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich Mythbusters:The Explosive Truth Behind 30 of the Most Perplexing Urban Legends of All Time by Keith and Kent Zimmerman No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin With Their Eyes: September 11th‐‐ A View From a High School at Ground Zero, ed. by Annie Thomas In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle by Madeline Blais A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park Mystery/Thrillers Nothing to Lose by Alex Finn Acceleration by Graham McNamee Jade Green: A Ghost Story by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum‐Ucci Fake I.D. by Walter Sorrells Borderline by Allan Stratton Horror/Fantasy/Science Fiction Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs After (Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia) by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, eds. Firestorm by David Klass The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding