Summer Reading Assignment Seniors - North Branford High School

NORTH BRANFORD HIGH SCHOOL
SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2013
FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE TWELVE
Completion of the summer reading assignment is OPTIONAL for students entering grade twelve.
Students who wish to earn EXTRA CREDIT must select one of the books from the attached list. After
finishing the book, students must answer the following three journal questions which must be
submitted to Chair of the English Department no later than Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013. The books on
the list are widely available at most bookstores and libraries. Please note: Students enrolled in the
UConn Early College Experience (ECE) course or Contemporary Literature are required to complete a
specific summer reading assignment (see below).
ENGLISH HONORS – BOOK ASSIGNMENTS:
AP Literature/UConn ECE: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Contemporary Lit/UConn ECE: How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
Include a cover page with your name, the title of the book you read, the author, and the total
number of pages in the book.
Responses must be neatly handwritten or typed.
All responses must contain accurate characters and place names.
All quotes provided must be copied in full and must include an accurate page number
where the quote can be found. Quotes cannot be used more than once.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT:
1. Describe how the main character changes from the beginning of the book to the
end. Include two specific examples supported by quotes – one from the beginning
and one from the end of the book. The circumstances surrounding the quote must
be explained clearly and thoroughly.
2. Identify an important turning point or event from the second half of the book,
supported by a quote. Give two reasons why it is significant to either the characters
or the plot.
3. How did the book end? Cite and explain three specific ways the outcome was
either surprising or predictable.
PROGRAM NOTES:
Students who complete the Summer Reading Journal will receive EXTRA CREDIT (the exact amount
to be determined by the teacher) in one of their English electives. The student may select which
teacher receives their journal. No extra credit will be awarded in the Contemporary Literature or
UConn ECE classes, since both classes have summer reading requirements.
Seniors must submit a Parent Verification form (see attached) and their journal to the Chair of the
English Department no later than Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013. No late assignments will be accepted.

SUMMER READING LIST
FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADE TWELVE
In Cold Blood – Truman Capote (True Crime, Nonfiction)
Two criminals are out to make the heist of their life, but when things don't go as planned, the robbery turns ugly.
Capote's spellbinding narrative plumbs the psychological and emotional depths of a senseless quadruple murder
in America's heartland.
The True History of the Kelly Gang – Peter Carey (Fiction)
Every Australian grows up hearing the legend of outlaw Ned Kelly. No reader will be left unmoved by this
dramatic tale of Kelly from his destitute youth until his death at age 26.
§* Looking for Alaska – John Green (Fiction)
Miles “Pudge” Halter heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, anything-but-boring world of Culver
Creek Boarding School. Down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, self-destructive, screwed
up, utterly fascinating Alaska pulls Pudge into her world.
§ The Devil in the White City – Erik Larson (True Crime, Nonfiction)
The incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair are revealed through the experiences of two
men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer
masquerading as a charming doctor who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of
the fair.
The Pilot’s Wife – Anita Shreve (Fiction)
A pilot’s wife is taught to be prepared for the late-night knock at the door. But when Kathryn Lyons receives
word that a plane flown by her husband has exploded near the coast of Ireland, she confronts the unfathomable –
one startling revelation at a time.
House Rules – Jodi Picoult (Fiction)
Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome and a special focus on one subject -- forensic analysis.
He's always showing up at crime scenes and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But
then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. Did
Jacob commit murder?
Catch-22 – Joseph Heller (Fiction)
Sometimes moving, sometimes disturbing, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, this is the story of Yossarian, an air
force pilot during World War II, who sees absurdity in the bizarre and often-contradictory expectations of the U.
S. Armed Services.
Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction)
Vonnegut's classic introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by
aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display, we follow Pilgrim through all phases of his
life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses
the firebombing of Dresden.
* The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls (Nonfiction, Autobiography/Memoir)
Here is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that
despite its profound flaws gave Jeannette the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.
§ Denotes mature subject matter
* Denotes student recommendation

NORTH BRANFORD HIGH SCHOOL
SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2013
PARENT VERIFICATION FORM
Student:
Book title:
Author:
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
English teacher in whose class you wish to apply the extra credit (include the name of the class):
_______________________________________________________________
Dear Parent:
Please sign below to attest that the above student has read the book listed. The student must submit the
form to the Chair of the English Department no later than Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013.
Thank you for your participation in the NBHS Summer Reading Program. We wish your child success
in the coming school year.
Sincerely,
The North Branford High School English Department
I attest that the student above has read the book listed above.
___________________________________________
(parent signature)