Summer Reading Project (9th Grade English)
You will be required to read one book over the summer. You will choose a book off of the list below.
While you are reading, you need to annotate. Once you have read the book, you will be required to do three of the
activities described below. Overview: Read one book and annotate, and do three activities. All of the reading and
assignments are due the first day of school. You must also have the book with all annotations on the first day of
school.
Books: (Choose any one book) [Must be a book that you have not already read]
As I Lay Dying
Black Boy
Emma
The Grapes of Wrath
Hiroshima
The Hobbit
A Lesson Before Dying
1984
Pride and Prejudice
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Five People You Meet In Heaven
Wuthering Heights
Speak*
Chains
Ender’s Game
The House on Mango Street
Monster
Uglies
*Mature Content (Please make sure that your parents/guardians are okay with you reading this book)
Annotations: (You need to annotate throughout the entire book!) –Bring your book on the first day.
1.
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5.
Highlight key information. This includes important characters, ideas, events, and/or terms in the book. Use a
highlighter color that is not too distracting or dark so that the text is still legible.
Use brackets to single out important paragraphs/sections. If the text is too long to highlight, bracketing it will
help you determine which parts are worth going back and re-reading.
Write notes in the margins. If you chose to highlight or bracket a section, be sure to use a pen or pencil to write
the significance of the text in the margins so that you can quickly remember why you highlighted a particular
section without having to re-read the entire chapter or section. 4
Look up words you don't know. Have a dictionary on-hand to look up words or terms that you don't
understand. You may want to write the definition into the margins
so that you don't forget them when you go back and re-read.
Summarize the end of each chapter or section (optional). To
keep your memory fresh, consider writing a short summary at the
very end of each chapter that sums up the important events, ideas
and concepts that were discussed in the chapter.
Activities: (Complete three activities) [You may choose any three to
Picture of a page from a book that
complete]
is annotated.
 1. Create a mini-comic book on a chapter of the book or
summarizing the book as a whole. This requires some artistic
ability. Stick figures on lined paper and put together the night before will not get a passing grade.
 2. Take your book and make it into a children’s book. Minimum of 10 pages and it must be colorful, appealing
to the age group you choose, capture the plot, key characters (antagonist and protagonist), setting and the theme
of your book. Make sure to have a beginning, middle and an end!
 3. Create a 2-3 page “newspaper” that has headlines discussing events that happened in your book. For
example, if someone died, have an obituary section. Did someone get arrested? Have a police blotter. Did a
character do something good for another character? Have a good deeds section where you recognize that
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character(s). What was the setting of the play? Have a weather section to discuss the setting or create an events
section to talk about the places your characters may have gone in the book. Make it look as much like a
newspaper as possible. You must have at least 4-5 “headlines” or sections to your newspaper. Be creative!
4. Create a scrapbook about a character from your book. Include objects like ticket stubs, photographs, letters,
schoolwork and report cards, hobbies, and much more, depending widely on the character. You can include
pictures of objects or actually collect physical objects. In addition to selecting the items that your character
would collect for a scrapbook, it is important to explain why the objects are important to the character and the
events of the novel – this can be written separately or right on the page of the object/picture. The scrapbook
must have at least 5 pages to it.
5. Create a book soundtrack! To do this, divide your book into sections or major scenes and then provide a song
to accompany each segment, just as a movie soundtrack provides music to mirror the events of the film. Then
write an explanation for why each song fits a specific section of the book. This should be about ½ page to 1
page in length for each explanation. You can design a cover for the soundtrack to provide an additional
opportunity to show your understanding of the book. You should select songs with lyrics that highlight the
major plot points and themes of the book, with the exception of classical pieces that can be chosen to evoke the
mood of a scene. Lyrics must be appropriate and edit where necessary. Lyrics must be printed out and you have
to highlight the part(s) of the song that relates to that part of the book. You should have at least 6-7 songs to go
with your book.
6. Travel Brochure! Did your book take you places? Did the characters travel to an amazing place? Create a
travel brochure that would make someone want to visit the place(s) your book brought you. The brochure
should include bright pictures, descriptions of not only the place but also things to do and see. Your best bet is
to look at some travel brochures and go from there. It must have SIX panels and each of the panels need to be
filled.
7. Theme in a bottle – A character from your book decided to send a message in a bottle to shore and express
what he/she has learned from his or her experiences to help others understand important life lessons. You need
to write a letter from the main character’s point of view. The letter should express the main character’s feelings
about the life lessons he or she has learned throughout the course of the story. The letter needs to be typed and
2-3 pages in length (double-spaced). Decorate the bottle with symbols that relate to the main character’s
message and to the theme of the story. For example, Annemarie Johansen in Number the Stars might put
religious symbols of the courage and survival shown by herself, families and friends on the bottle.
8. Compare and contrast characters within your book. (2-3 pages, double-spaced)
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email (hhook@westfallschools.com). You can find
these books on Amazon.com, Wal-Mart and many other retailers. If you are having trouble getting the books,
please contact me!
Thanks, Mrs. Hook