Summer Reading List
Advanced World Literature
2009 - 2010
Of the four listed novels, you must choose and read TWO over the course of the summer.
All titles are available in the school library, public library, and local bookstores. A limited
number of copies for some titles are available to be signed out for the summer.
Please choose two:
Master Harold and the Boys – Athol Fugard
My Forbidden Face – Latifa with Sheekeba Hachemi
Chinese Cinderella : the true story of an unwanted daughter - Adeline Yen Mah
Nectar in a Sieve - Kamala Markandaya
Teachers will not only test summer reading through an objective test the first week of school,
they will also incorporate the reading assignment into a first marking period writing prompt.
Students who wish to excel on both the objective test as well as the subsequent writing
assignment should employ some or all of the following reading activities:
To help with comprehension:
Look up words in the dictionary for added clarification on meaning or usage.
Re-read difficult passages and chapters before moving on with reading.
Note important events as you come across them in the reading.
To check for comprehension while reading:
• Compose a one-paragraph chapter summary incorporating the major details after
finishing each chapter.
o If you are unable to adequately and accurately summarize the chapter, this
indicates that you may need to re-read it.
o The summaries should be complete but short. Overly lengthy summaries often
include minor details instead of major events.
To review for the objective summer reading test:
• Create a character worksheet with names and important facts and character traits about
the characters in the story.
• Re-read the chapter summaries you wrote while reading.
o This is an excellent way to review, as the most important information is now in
your own words, with only a paragraph per chapter.
Master Harold and the Boys: A Drama
Author: Athol Fugard
Set in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 1950, this powerful
three-character play considers the interwoven relationships
of young Harold (Hally), the seventeen-year-old son of the
white proprietor of a tea room, and two of the African men
who have worked there for years.
My Forbidden Face: Growing Up under the Taliban : A Young
Woman's Story
Author: Latifa ; written with the collaboration of
Sheekeba Hachemi ; translated by Linda Coverdale
A young woman born into a middle-class Afghan family
describes the 1996 revolution in which the Taliban seized
power in Kabul, the resulting changes in her life as a
victim of Taliban fanaticism, and her eventual escape with
her family.
Chinese Cinderella : the true story of an unwanted
daughter*
Author: Adeline Yen Mah.
The author tells the story of her painful childhood in
China where she lived until the age of fourteen with her
father, stepmother, and siblings, all of whom considered
her bad luck because her mother died shortly after giving
birth to her.
Nectar in a Sieve
Author: Markandaya, Kamala
A traditional peasant woman in early twentieth-century
India struggles with poverty and the changes arriving in
her agrarian village, particularly the tanning factory that
takes her son's life.
* Please note: Do NOT read “Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon
Society.” This is the WRONG title.