This Life Is In Your Hands by Melissa Coleman. Watership Down by Richard
Adams. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. The
Hungry ...
Junior Summer Reading Assignments Summer reading expectations at NMH are divided into two categories: an English department assignment and a selection for a book discussion group held at the beginning of the academic year. The book required for English class and the subsequent writing assignments are designed to introduce students to and help them prepare for the academic challenges they will face in each course. These readings are an integral part of the NMH classroom experience and it is important that students read with intention, take meaningful notes, complete the writing assignment, and think about the important characteristics of the work before they return to school. The required reading assignment for English class and subsequent writing assignments are listed below.
Don DeLillo, The Angel Esmeralda Please choose to respond to any of the prompts below and write at least 250 words demonstrating your knowledge and grasp of the ideas and the author’s techniques in these short stories. 1. Considering the stories as a unit, write an essay examining the order in which the author chooses to present them. What do the stories in each “Part” have in common? How are they connected? 2. Contrast the narrative style in any two of the short stories. 3. Choose a significant passage from three of the short stories and write a paragraph for each discussing how that passage helps a reader understand the entire story. Students are expected to email their written responses to
[email protected] prior to the first day of classes. Please bring The Angel Esmeralda to the first English class meeting. If you have questions regarding this reading call Hugh Silbaugh, 413-498-3432. The second reading assignment is for a school-wide book discussion initiative. The goal of each book group is to have people with a common interest to discuss a book at length. It is important for students to read with close attention to detail, but there is no writing assigned. Students will be evaluated based on thoughtful participation in the discussion group. Students will be placed in grade-level discussion groups based on books they select. The books listed below have been chosen by NMH faculty and staff. Students provide us with their top seven selections (for the books allotted to their specific grade) via this link: (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qUKbX9IFGs-mKYU6yLSjEHAyxC6rK6HTeh5PDKG91Wc/viewform?pli=1). Students selections must be made by May 20th. Students will be notified of their assigned book by Diane Garland of the dean of the faculty’s office during the first week in June. Those students who do not submit selections will be randomly placed in a discussion group. If you have difficulty with the link for the Google docs selection page, please contact Diane Garland at 413-498-3432 or at
[email protected].
Book choices for the Class of 2015 Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
This Life Is In Your Hands by Melissa Coleman
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh The Red Tent by Anita Diamant over
Book choices for the Class of 2015
continued
Canada by Richard Ford
The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez
The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein
Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas
The Garlic Ballads by Mo Yan and Howard Goldblatt Behind The Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Belzoni: The Giant Archeologists Love To Hate by Ivor Noel Hume
Standing Alone In Mecca by Asra Nomani
Sold by Patricia McCormick
The Spirit In The Stick by Neil Duffy
The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
On Writing by Stephen King
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Looking For Alaska by John Green
Travel Writing by Peter Ferry
