Birmingham City Schools Reading Lists
Department of Reading/Language Arts 6-12
2009 Summer Reading Program
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pdf)
Essay Quality Reading
Mountain Solo by Jeanette Ingold
Wuthering
Heights by Emily Bronte
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Free Response Essay: After reading one of the three
above listed novels, write a careful analysis of how the author reveals the
character traits of the protagonist. You may emphasize whichever devices
(tone, selection of detail, syntax, point of view, figurative language,
etc.) you find significant! Be sure to discuss at least three devices.
Leisure Reading
Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez. A teenage youngest sister
investigates mysterious psychic happenings.
The Black Chord by Carol Snow. A teenage girl is able to switch bodies
during electrical storms.
The Rule of Won by Stefan Petrucha. A young man joins a school club just
to get close to a girl.
Laika by
Nick Abadzis. The story of an abandoned puppy that was the Soviet Union's
first animal astronaut.
Speak by
Laurie H. Anderson. A high school freshman must bounce back after a summer
of misfortune.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Arnold Spirit. The
main character leaves the reservation to go to an upscale private school.
Pride of
Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughn. A graphic novel about a pride of lions that
escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during a bombing raid.
(pdf)
Essay Quality Reading
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Free Response Essay: After reading one of the three above
listed novels, write a careful analysis of how the author reveals the
character traits of the protagonist. You may emphasize whichever devices
(tone, selection of detail, syntax, point of view, figurative language,
etc.) you find significant! Be sure to discuss at least three devices.
Leisure Reading
Twinkie Deconstructed by Steve Ettlinger. The really questionable
ingredients of snack cakes are revealed.
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles. An unpopular bookworm is transformed into
the school "hottie" with a tragic ending.
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson. Ginny's Aunt Peg leaves her a
series of mysterious envelopes.
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Mariner. Every full moon five sisters cross into
another world.
The Life of Pi: A Novel by Yann Martel. A shipwrecked teen and a tiger share
a lifeboat.
Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers. A story of a young man's
confusion, friendship, and duty during the Iraq War.
The Sugarcane Academy by Michael Tisserand. A man and his wife leave New
Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina only to return and have to forget about
their own needs in order to help others.
(pdf)
Essay Quality Reading
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Free Response Essay: After reading one of the three above listed novels,
write a careful analysis of how the author reveals the character traits of
the protagonist. You may emphasize whichever devices (tone, selection of
detail, syntax, point of view, figurative language, etc.) you find
significant! Be sure to discuss at least three devices.
Leisure Reading
The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti. A waitress receives a gift of
$2.5 million and her whole life is turned around.
Tell No One: A Novel by Harlan Coben. Dr. David Beck is emailed a clue to
the murder of his wife.
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. The books on the
bookshelf in David's attic bedroom begin to whisper their secrets to him.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley.
The collaboration of Alex Haley
and Malcolm X paint a first—hand picture of the ideology of Malcolm X.
Run by Ann Patchett. Mayor Doyle and his sons experience a snowstorm that
causes the family to go from riches to rags.
Fences: A Play by August Wilson. Set in the 1950's, the patriarch of a black
family tells stories of the struggle for equality in America.
(pdf)
Essay Quality Reading
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Free Response Essay: After reading one of the three above
listed novels, write a careful analysis of how the author reveals the
character traits of the protagonist. You may emphasize whichever devices
(tone, selection of detail, syntax, point of view, figurative language,
etc.) you find significant! Be sure to discuss at least three devices.
Leisure Reading
American Born Chinese by Gene Luey Yang. This graphic novel explores
Chinese myths and legends that influence the life of a high school boy.
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev. The ideological differences between a
young graduate student and the older generation in Russia clash in this
novel.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. This autobiographical novel about the
eventual breakdown of the author is a moving story.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. A young black girl longs to change her
appearance and has life by obtaining blue eyes.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Jacob has to drop out of veterinary
school because of money problems during the Great Depression. He joins a
traveling circus where he learns about circus life and about life in
general.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. A student believes that his
own intellect raises him above the common people and even above the law.
Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin. A young man searches for
his spirituality while struggling with his identity.