2011 SUMMER READING FOR INCOMING SOPHOMORES
You will be choosing 2 books to read this summer; however, there are
requirements regarding which books you may choose:
The novels must be written by one of the authors listed on these sheets.
You may read novels by the following authors. There is no restriction as to when
they were first published:
Thomas Hardy Edith Wharton Jane Austen
John Steinbeck James Michener Charlotte Bronte
Ernest Hemingway William Faulkner George Eliot
F. Scott Fitzgerald Alice Walker Louisa May Alcott
Mark Twain Charles Dickens Emily Bronte
*Standard English students may not read: Of Mice and Men, To Kill a
Mockingbird, The Old Man and the Sea, Seedfolks, The Pearl or Tangerine.
*Honors English students may not read: Of Mice and Men, The Good Earth,
Pride and Prejudice, The Old Man and the Sea, The Pearl, To Kill a
Mockingbird, or Ethan Frome.
You may read books written by the following authors; however they must have
been published from 1995 - present:
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION:
Annette Gordon-Reed NEBULA AWARD FOR
Tim Weiner SCIENCE FICTION AND
Timothy Egan FANTASY
Joan Didion Michael Chabon
Kevin Boyle Jack McDevitt
Carlos M. N. Eire Joe Haldeman
Robert A. Caro Lois McMaster Bujold
Andrew Solomon Elizabeth Moon
Nathaniel Philbrick Neil Gaiman
John W. Dower Catherine Asaro
Edward Ball Greg Bear
Joseph J. Ellis Octavia E. Butler
James Carroll Joe Haldeman
Tina Rosenberg Vonda N. Mcintyre
Nicola Griffith
THE HUGO AWARD FOR SCIENCE FICTION Robert J. Sawyer
Vernor Vinge
Robert Charles Wilson
Susanna Clarke
Lois McMaster Bujold
Robert Sawyer
Neil Gaiman
Connie Willis
Joe Haldeman
Kim Stanley Robinson
Neal Stephenson
THE EDGAR AWARD FOR MYSTERY FICTION AND NONFICTION
John Hart
Jason Goodwin
Jess Walter NEWBERY MEDAL AWARD
T. Jefferson Parker Neil Gaiman
Ian Rankin Laura Amy Schlitz
S. J. Rozan Susan Patron
Joe R. Lansdale Lynne Rae Perkins
Jan Burke Cynthia Kadohata
Robert Clark Kate DiCamillo
James Lee Burke Avi
Thomas H. Cook Linda Sue Park
Dick Francis Richard Peck
Mary Willis Walker Christopher Paul Curtis
Louis Sachar
Karen Hesse
READER'S CHOICE AWARD E. L. Konigsburg
Rick Riordan Karen Cushman
Jodi Lynn Anderson Sharon Creech
Eoin Colfer
Terry Pratchett
Christopher Paolini NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR
K. L. Going FICTION
Gordon Koman Peter Matthiessen
Nancy Farmer Denis Johnson
Ann Brashares Richard Powers
Gordon Korman William T. Vollman
Joan Bauer Lily Tuck
Carolyn Meyer Shirley Hazzard
William Sleator Julia Glass
Mel Glenn Jonathan Franzen
Eve Bunting Susan Sontag
Karen Cushman Ha Jin
Caroline B. Cooney Alice McDermott
Lois Lowry Charles Frazier
Lois Duncan Andrea Barrett
Phillip Roth
In addition, you may not use a book that you have already read as a
required novel for a previous class.
These authors have been recommended by various organizations and are
award-winning authors; however, this does not mean that they may not contain
adult content. Please refrain from reading a book that may be objectionable to
you or your parents. If a book is questionable, you may want to explore it on the
Internet to see if the content is appropriate or have your parent read it first.
For one book you will need to fill in the attached sheet. For the other book, you
will conduct a book talk for which you will receive information at the start of the
school year. If you are afraid that you will forget details of your book talk novel,
you may need to take notes on it. (The information on the sheet for the first book
can guide you as to what may be important information to have for the book talk.)
Questions for Summer Reading (one book only)
Please answer on a separate piece of paper:
1. Is the setting of the novel important? Explain your answer.
2. How would you describe the mood of this novel?
3. From what point of view is the novel?
4. Describe one main conflict within the novel.
5. Describe the author's style and give one example.
6. Does the author use symbols or motifs (These are different,)? If so, explain.
7. What topics does this author explore in this novel?
8. How did the author's life influence his/her work?
9. How are the main characters presented (directly or indirectly)? Explain your answer
with information from the novel.
10. Are characters all "round" characters? Or are there "flat" and " stock" characters as
well? Give examples of each (if possible).
11. Who might be considered the protagonist? the antagonist?
12. What is the climax of the novel?
13. Give one example of three of the following (Use the entire sentence from the
novel):
Irony Simile Personification
Paradox Oxymoron Onomatopoeia
Metaphor Imagery Hyperbole
Foreshadowing Foil Anthropomorphism
Alliteration Allegory Verbal Irony
Idiom Allusion
For your second book you will do a book talk. I will discuss more details about
this after school begins; however, the rubric for the book talk is on the back of
this page.