Brentwood High School’s Summer Reading Project has taken a new direction. This summer,
at each grade level, students will be reading one required novel. Each novel and its corresponding
activities have been carefully selected and designed to encourage your independent reading, and to build
your critical thinking skills in order to gain a deeper understanding of the text. In September, after
having completed the assignment you will be able to fully participate in the classroom lessons, activities
and assessments your teacher has planned for the novel. We are certain that you will enjoy the selection
and its timeless themes. We wish you all an enjoyable summer and good reading!
“It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
― Paulo Coelho, Alchemist
This year’s summer reading assignment for 12th graders is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. As seniors in
high school you will spend this year preparing to embark on the next phase of your life’s journey. This
threshold will mark the point of no return, a moment of commitment and change, leaving behind the old
and accepting the new. Some of you may do so reluctantly or because external forces have given you no
other choice. By the end of the year you will be faced with new opportunities and new dangers. After
reading The Alchemist you will be inspired to embark on your journey, reflect upon your dreams, and
prepare for the years ahead.
It is an amazing story with powerful lessons of advice that we all can apply to improve the
quality of our thoughts and our lives. Having been translated into 41 languages, the novel has
captured the imagination of a wide audience beyond the United States; it could serve to help you
as you become “citizens of the world”. - Gene Brunak
Summary: The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to
travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he
journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the
alchemist.
Santiago is a shepherd boy who dreams that a treasure awaits him beside the Egyptian pyramids.
After a long, uneventful journey he finds that real riches are waiting for him in an unexpected place.
Santiago's journey teaches us about the wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the signs
along life's path, and following our dreams.
The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us about the essential wisdom of
listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our
dreams.
Essential Questions: In order to develop your own understanding of the novel’s themes, characters and
conflicts and to help you draw personal connections to the literature, consider the following essential
questions before, during and after reading:
 How does the theme of the journey in literature help develop an understanding of the world
around us?
 How do our dreams influence us and change who we are?
 How do we find meaning in life?
Name___________________________________ Period _______ Date____________________________
The Alchemist Pre-reading Survey: Following Your Dreams
Statement
Opinion
Explain why or why not
1. Some people say, “Everything
Yes/No
happens for a reason.” Do you
believe in fate, that some or most
things in life are destined or meant
to happen?
Why or why not?
2. Do you believe you have a
destiny, a calling, or a particular
mission in life to fulfill?
Why or why not?
Yes/ No
3. List five things you dream about accomplishing in your lifetime
1. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Would your family and/or friends
approve of or support you in any or
all of your five dreams?
Yes/No
Why or why not?
5. Do you feel you have the power
within yourself (without anyone
else’s help) to achieve all five
dreams?
Yes/No
Why or why not?
6. What is one thing you will achieve
in your life regardless of the price,
time, or effort it requires?
_____________________________
What are three steps you must take to fulfill this most
important aspiration?
a.
b.
_____________________________
c.
_____________________________
_____________________________