Summer Reading 2015: Every Hero Has a Story

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We are pleased to present the W.C. Mepham High School Summer Reading Program. Summer should be filled with joyful times, and we hope that reading will be an important part of your child’s summer plans.

Students entering Grade 9 are required to read one of the books on the list. While all of the books on the list clearly have literary merit, some may be suitable for more mature students. Therefore, we urge you to carefully review the list and to help your son or daughter make a selection that is appropriate based upon his or her interests, age, reading level, and maturity. To assist students in making their book selections, the Mepham High School website will have short summaries on each book. Students who are having difficulty choosing a book should ask their teachers, a librarian, or the English Department Chairperson for help. All students will be assessed on their summer reading in September.
Students entering Grades 10 – 12 are required to read the book(s) listed below for the grade level they will enter in September. This approach to summer reading will enable students and teachers to start school with meaningful, focused discussions. The “common read” format will help to increase participation and create a community of readers on each grade level. Through whole class discussions and lessons, students will have the opportunity to thoroughly analyze the text and to exchange ideas and opinions. Additionally, the required text will add value to the summer reading assessment as a springboard exercise to the school year.

Please note, students entering Senior Experience and Advanced Placement English courses will also be given a writing assignment to complete over the summer.

Enjoy the summer with a good book!

Incoming Ninth Grade (E1) 

Alexie, Sherman - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian 

Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only Native American is the school mascot. While this book is not a graphic novel, it does contain several inspiring illustrations.

Defoe, Daniel - Robinson Crusoe 

In 1659, after becoming the sole survivor of a shipwreck, Englishman Robinson Crusoe lives on a deserted island for more than twenty-eight years.

Hoffman, Alice - Green Angel 

Haunted by grief and by her past after losing her family in a fire, fifteen-year-old Green retreats into her ruined garden as she struggles to survive emotionally and physically on her own.

Lupica, Mike - Million-Dollar Throw 

Eighth-grade star quarterback Nate Brodie's family is feeling the stress of the troubled economy, and Nate is frantic because his best friend Abby is going blind, so when he gets a chance to win a million dollars if he can complete a pass during the halftime of a New England Patriot's game, he is nearly overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed.

Mortenson, Greg & David Oliver Relin - Three Cups of Tea 

Traces how the author, having been rescued and resuscitated by Himalayan villagers after a failed attempt to climb K2, worked to build schools that would benefit the young girls who were forbidden an education by Taliban restrictions.

*Three Cups of Tea is not to be confused with Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition, which is a special adaptation for younger people.

Murray, Liz - Breaking Night 

Liz Murray, who was homeless at the age of fifteen and had drug-addicted parents, reflects on how she overcame obstacles and eventually attended Harvard University.

Swanson, James L. - Chasing Lincoln’s Killer 

Recounts the twelve-day pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth, covering the chase through Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, with a discussion of Abraham Lincoln as a father, husband, and friend that examines the impact of his death on those close to him.

Incoming Tenth Grade (E2)

Salinger, J.D. – The Catcher in the Rye 

An adolescent boy, knowing he is about to be dropped by his school, spends three days and nights in New York City on a quest for self-discovery.

Incoming Eleventh Grade (E3) 
and Incoming Eleventh Grade Advanced Placement (11AP)

O'Brien, Tim – The Things They Carried

Related stories, linked by recurring characters and an interwoven plot, recreate an American foot soldier's experience in the Vietnam War.

Incoming Twelfth Grade (E4)
and Incoming Senior Experience 

Gladwell, Malcolm – Outliers: The Story of Success 

The author explores why some people are high achievers and others are not, citing culture, family, and upbringing as possible reasons some people are not as successful as others.

Incoming Twelfth Grade Advanced Placement (12AP)

Alvarez, Julia – In the Time of the Butterflies 

Gives a fictionalized account of four sisters in the Dominican Republic under the dictatorship of General Trujillo.

Foster, Thomas C. – How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Presents a discussion on how to understand symbolism in literature, discussing the appearance of journeys, eating, drowning, rain, violence, sex, illness, geography, Christ figures, and other signifiers, and how to see patterns the way literature professors do.