Saint Patrick High School
Freshmen Summer Reading List
2011
Choose one book to read this summer. Complete the packet available on edline. Extra credit will be given for one more book read.
Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
Bridge to Terabithia presents the strength and encouragement that can be drawn from friendship. Two young classmates, Jess and Leslie, form a surprising friendship that is solidified by their invention of Terabithia, an imaginary kingdom beyond a nearby creek. A tragic event forces Jess to confront loss and pain, but eventually he manages to build a bridge back to Terabithia and to open up this imaginary world to another person.
Night, Elie Wiesel
Written in 1958, Night is Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's message to the world that the horrors of the Holocaust must never be repeated. This autobiographical story traces events from 1941 to 1945, during which time Wiesel and his family are taken from their village to a Nazi concentration camp. The family is split apart and Wiesel never again sees his mother and one of his sisters. The rest of the story focuses on Wiesel and his father as they struggle to survive the brutal horrors of the camps. Although his father eventually dies, Wiesel survives to be liberated by Allied troops and to offer this account of terror and guilt as well as faith.
The Yearling, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Set in the wild and beautiful interior of the Florida scrublands in the 1930s, The Yearling follows one year in the life of young Jody Baxter and the young pet he has so desperately longed for, a fawn whom he names Flag. Throughout this tale of Jody's love for his pet, the reader encounters rich descriptions of natural beauty and thrilling accounts of adventure and danger. In the end, however, harsh reality requires Jody to make the most difficult decision of his young life.
A Separate Peace, John Knowles
This celebrated novel is about the relationship between two boys at a boarding school during World War II. Gene is a brilliant student; Finney is a great athlete. Jealousy between them builds until Gene's internal battle for identity and security leads to a tragedy that changes both of their lives forever.
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
First published in 1847, Jane Eyre presented a new type of heroine-an intelligent and passionate woman. The use of the first person enables the reader to move immediately into Jane's world-the lonely and difficult world of an orphaned girl who must make difficult choices and think for herself in nineteenth-century England. Overcoming class prejudices, others' unjust actions, and difficult circumstances, Jane's character shines and ultimately brings her happiness.
The Call of the Wild, Jack London
This classic tale follows the life of a domesticated dog named Buck who is stolen from his comfortable California home and taken to the harsh wilds of the Alaskan gold rush of 1897 to work as a sled dog. Although told from the perspective of a dog, the allegorical story presents the journey undertaken by anyone who has left the predictable and safe for adventure and danger and who has consequently undergone a complete transformation along the way.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
This classic tale of the divided self was inspired by Stevenson's own recurring dreams, in which he led a respectable life by day and a completely different existence by night. Written in only three days and published in 1886, the story was instantly popular. This tale of the good side of humankind versus the evil side chronicles the experiments that transform the good Dr. Jekyll into the evil Mr. Hyde.
Saint Patrick High School
Sophomore Summer Reading List
2011
Choose one book to read this summer. Complete the packet available on edline. Extra credit will be given for one more book read.
The Summer of the Swans, Betsy Byars
With warmth, realism, and humor, Betsy Byars tells the story of Sarah Godfrey, a fourteen-year-old who wishes she were pretty and popular and had a normal, supportive family that included her absent father. Though she loves her mentally disabled younger brother, Charlie, she is tired of watching over him. When Charlie leaves the house one night and becomes lost, Sarah learns a little more about herself and her family.
Sounder, William H. Armstrong
This powerful novel provides a picture of the harsh realities of segregation in the rural South of the early 1900s. An African American sharecropper's family faces a daily struggle to survive. Their lives become even more difficult when the father is jailed for stealing food, and the family's hunting dog, Sounder, is shot and maimed while trying to protect his master. The sharecropper's eldest son takes on the responsibility of providing for the family while struggling with his own anger, loneliness, and hunger for education. During his journey to find his father, the boy discovers inner strength and self-reliance and learns that the compassion of one person can bring hope to a life full of despair.
Across Five Aprils, Irene Hunt
It is 1861, and the Civil War has begun. The conflict that divides the nation is soon reflected in the opposing loyalties within the Creighton's farming community. Jethro Creighton, too young to enlist, must face the tensions within his family, his community, and his own soul as his brothers choose opposing sides in the war. These tensions, along with his father's health, force Jethro to shoulder adult concerns and responsibilities prematurely.
Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
This harsh story is set against an equally and appropriately harsh landscape—that of rural Massachusetts in the late-nineteenth century. As the novella begins, the unnamed narrator meets a striking figure whose appearance and limping gait attract his notice. As he gains the man's confidence, the narrator uncovers the painful and ironic story of the man, Ethan Frome, and hears his tale of misplaced loves and warped loyalties that have destroyed three lives.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain
Originally envisioned as a collection of adult memoirs of his own childhood, Mark Twain revised Tom Sawyer for young audiences, and the result has been an enduring classic. The story follows young Tom Sawyer and his friends Huck Finn, Joe Harper, and Becky Thatcher through a series of mishaps, pranks, narrow escapes, and everyday situations revealing the humorous side of growing up. Set in the 1840s along the Mississippi in St. Petersburg, Missouri, the book affords an enlightening view of pre-Civil War America and a timeless portrayal of the trials and tribulations of growing up.
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
The dark recesses of what was once the Belgian Congo provide an appropriate background for Heart of Darkness, a tale of the psychological and physical diminishment of Kurtz, the once-charismatic chief of a trading company's Congo station. The journey to the Congo that opens this story provides the introduction to both Kurtz and the setting in which he has lived.
The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
As Gregor Samsa wakes up to find himself turned into a giant insect, the reader is plunged into Kafka's bizarre world where fantasy and reality are one. The main theme of this work -the alienation of the individual-is revealed as Gregor faces the disgrace he brings to his family and the experience of being an outsider in his own home. Kafka's meditation on issues of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation is a masterpiece of the novella form.
Saint Patrick High School
Junior Summer Reading List
2011
Choose one book to read this summer. Complete the packet available on edline. Extra credit will be given for one more book read.
Hatchet, Gary Paulson
When young Brian takes off in a two-person small plane to join his father in the Canadian wilderness for the summer, he has no idea that his life will be changed forever. While in flight, the pilot has a fatal heart attack, leaving Brian to think quickly, to draw upon all he has ever learned, and to fight panic and despair. Hatchet follows the amazing resourcefulness and courage of a boy who simply will not be beaten by his circumstances.
The Pigman, Paul Zindel
Cocky and alienated, two sixteen-year-olds set out to take advantage of an elderly man by asking him to contribute to a nonexistent charity. When they come to Mr. Pignati's house to collect his check, they find a lonely and slightly eccentric retiree who greets them warmly and with respect. A friendship grows, and John and Lorraine are trusted with their friend's house. When this trust is betrayed, the teenagers must ponder the meaning of their actions and the effect their actions have on other people.
Animal Farm, George Orwell
A masterpiece of political satire, Animal Farm is a tale of oppressed individuals who long for freedom but ultimately are corrupted by assuming the very power that had originally oppressed them. The story traces the deplorable conditions of mistreated animals-animals who can speak and who exhibit many human characteristics. After extreme negligence by their owner, the animals revolt and expel Mr. Jones and his wife from the farm. The tale of the society the animals form and its deterioration into a totalitarian regime is generally viewed as Orwell's critique of the Communist system in the former Soviet Union.
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Published in 1861, Great Expectations uses brilliant writing and intricate character development to tell the story of young Pip, whose unexpected rise from poverty to wealth initially causes him to turn his back on those who had been his true friends. Trials and loss open his eyes to the deception of his "great expectations" and teach him what it means to be a real friend and a true gentleman.
Beowulf, a translation by Burton Raffel
This timeless adventure tells the tale of Beowulf, the greatest of Great warriors, who sets out to avenge the monster Grendel's slaughter of thirty warriors of the Danish king Hrothgar. Beowulf must risk his life and the lives of his followers as he faces the monster and tries to bring an end to Grendel's reign of terror.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin
The life of this amazing American-scientist, statesman, philosopher, businessman, civic leader-is an enduring source of inspiration. Originally Franklin wrote this work, or "family history," as an encouragement for his son, but the account of Franklin's rise from a penniless printer's apprentice to a man of world renown is a "rags-to-riches" story for all.
A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
The tumultuous and bloody years leading up to the French Revolution of 1789 form the setting for this classic novel. The story revolves around Charles Darnay, recently released from the notorious Bastille prison, who has been brought to London by a French doctor to recover his health. Darnay and the doctor's daughter fall in love, but their happiness is threatened when Darnay is pulled back into the maelstrom of French politics. Their friend, the flawed but loveable Sydney Carton, plays a pivotal role in securing their happiness.
Saint Patrick High School
Senior Summer Reading List
2011
Choose one book to read this summer. Complete the packet available on edline. Extra credit will be given for one more book read.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn is generally considered one of the most important books in American literature-a book that continues to influence subsequent novels and generate scholarly discussion more than a century after it was written. Hungry for comradeship, the mischievous Huck Finn befriends an African American man named Jim. Together they raft down the Mississippi River, Huck escaping from his cruel father and Jim escaping from enslavement. Along the way Jim helps Huck learn the nature of friendship and the meaning of freedom.
Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand
Although the tale of Cyrano with his unsightly nose is a tragic love story, the play explores a much deeper theme: True beauty transcends external appearance and is found in the generosity of heart. Ashamed of his appearance, Cyrano is persuaded to help a rival suitor win the heart of the woman he himself loves. In the end, however, this deception leads to heartbreak for all.
The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane had no personal experience of warfare when he wrote this novel, yet he successfully depicts the experiences, the terror, and the bravery of an ordinary soldier in the Civil War. Facing his own cowardice and the gruesome death of a friend, Henry Fleming finds courage and returns to fight with all illusions of the glory of war gone forever.
The Tempest, William Shakespeare
When the Duke of Milan, Prospero, prefers magic to governing his country, he and his two-year-old daughter, Miranda, are abandoned at sea to die. Instead, they find refuge on a mysterious, magical island. Years later, when Miranda is a young woman, a shipwreck brings to the island the only other human she has ever seen, the handsome young Ferdinand. Eventually the two are engaged to be married and the Duke is restored to his rightful position in Milan in this tale of magic, revenge, romance, and morality.
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
At the center of this brooding romance are Cathy Earnshaw, a beautiful and privileged woman, and Heathcliff, the penniless servant who loves her. When their union is thwarted, Heathcliff plots the ruin of the Earnshaws, all the while pursuing a close relationship with Cathy. With its deep sense of mystery, this classic novel of ill-fated love is a masterpiece of storytelling.
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Elizabeth Bennet is the bright, self-assured, and irreverent daughter of a country gentleman of modest means. Fitzwilliam Darcy is the snobbish, disapproving, and very proper nephew of a wealthy landowner. What happens when these two opposites attract? Austen's novel recounts the comic misadventures of two whose stubborn pride and foolish prejudices threaten to keep them forever apart.
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
When Frankenstein appeared in 1818, it not only opened the door for the new genre of science fiction but also introduced a theme of enduring importance: moral responsibility in light of scientific invention. The story centers on young Dr. Frankenstein and his obsession with giving an inanimate object life. Upon seeing the grotesqueness of his creation, Dr. Frankenstein flees it. The creature, however, seeks to find acceptance among humans but is rejected. In the end, both the creator and the creature are destroyed.
