Grade 9 Summer Reading List
Purpose: The summer reading program supports our conviction that a student’s vocabulary and power of expression improve with reading. The English department is providing this book list, which is continually reviewed and updated to provide appropriate reading and to stimulate interest in reading for all students.
Reading and Writing Requirements: Choose ONE book to read from this list and complete the Summer Reading Graphic Organizer. In September you will participate in a group discussion and assessment related to this book. These assessments and your graphic organizer will be part of your first quarter grade. Please bring the graphic organizer (and a copy of the book, if possible) to class on the day that you will complete the summer reading assessment.
The Iliad (Graphic Novel Adaptation of Homer's epic)
by Gareth Hinds Year Published:
More than three thousand years ago, two armies faced each other in an epic battle that rewrote history and came to be known as the Trojan War. The Iliad, Homer's legendary account of this nine-year ordeal, is considered the greatest war story of all time and one of the most important works of Western literature. In this stunning graphic novel adaptation — a thoroughly researched and artfully rendered masterwork — renowned illustrator Gareth Hinds captures all the grim glory of Homer's epic. This volumefeatures notes, maps, a cast of characters, and other tools to help readers understand all the action and drama of Homer's epic.
Gym Candy
by Carl Deuker Year Published:
Runningback Mick Johnson has dreams: dreams of cutting back, finding the hole, breaking into the open, and running free with nothing but green grass ahead. This novel explores the dark corners of the heart of a young football player as he struggles for success under the always glaring—and often unforgiving—stadium lights.
You Should See Me in a Crown
by Leah Johnson Year Published:
Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay -- Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor. But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen.
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter Year Published:
It is the spring of 1939 and three generations of the Kurc family are doing their best to live normal lives, even as the shadow of war grows closer. The talk around the family Seder table is of new babies and budding romance, not of the increasing hardships threatening Jews in their hometown of Radom, Poland. But soon the horrors overtaking Europe will become inescapable. A story of hope in the midst of atrocity.
An Ember in the Ashes
by Sabaa Tahir Year Published:
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. For lovers of fantasy and action.