LibGuides: Required Summer Reading 2018: Madison County Schools

Sparkman Middle School

Click on the image or title to find the book in the HMCPL library catalog. A hold can be placed from the catalog online once you log in to your account with card number and PIN.

Holes by Louis Sachar
Call Number: J SAC
ISBN: 9780374332655
Publication Date: 1998-08-20
*6th Grade*

As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Call Number: J LOW
ISBN: 0395510600
Publication Date: 1989-04-24
*6th Grade*

In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be brave and courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis.
Schooled by Gordon Korman
Call Number: J KOR
ISBN: 9781423105169
Publication Date: 2008-08-26
*6th Grade*

Since he was little, Capricorn Cap Anderson has lived on a farm commune and has been home-schooled by his hippie grandmother, Rain. When Rain breaks her hip in a fall from a tree and is hospitalized, Cap is forced to attend the local middle school. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared him for the politics of public school.
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Call Number: J RAS
ISBN: 0525423206
Publication Date: 1978-06-01
*6th Grade*

The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Call Number: YA RIO
ISBN: 0786856297
Publication Date: 2005-06-28
*6th Grade*

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse -- Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon, a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.
Legend by Marie Lu
Call Number: YA LU
ISBN: 9780399256752
Publication Date: 2011-11-29
*6th Grade*

In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-old Day--a famous criminal, and prodigy June--the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Call Number: YA RIO
ISBN: 9781423113454
Publication Date: 2011-08-16
*7th Grade*

After their father's research experiment at the British Museum unleashes the Egyptian god Set, Carter and Sadie Kane embark on a dangerous journey across the globe--a quest which brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Call Number: YA DUP
ISBN: 9780375822742
Publication Date: 2004-05-25
*7th Grade*

Many hundreds of years ago, the city of Ember was created by the Builders to contain everything needed for human survival. It worked…but now the storerooms are almost out of food, crops are blighted, corruption is spreading through the city and worst of all—the lights are failing. Soon Ember could be engulfed by darkness…
But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Call Number: YA BAC
ISBN: 0316056219
Publication Date: 2010-05-01
*7th Grade*

In a futuristic world, teenaged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Call Number: YA CAR
ISBN: 0812550706
Publication Date: 1994-07-15
*8th Grade*

Child-hero Ender Wiggin must fight a desperate battle against a deadly alien race if mankind is to survive.
Nothing but the Truth by Avi
Call Number: YA F AVI
ISBN: 0531059596
Publication Date: 1991-09-01
*8th Grade*

A ninth-grader's suspension for singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes a national news story.
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Call Number: YA BED
ISBN: 9780142409411
Publication Date: 2007-08-21
*8th Grade*

The Myth: Alice was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carroll in his famous storybook. The Truth: Wonderland is real. Alyss Heart is the heir to the throne, until her murderous aunt Redd steals the crown and kills Alyss? parents. To escape Redd, Alyss and her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, must flee to our world through the Pool of Tears. But in the pool Alyss and Hatter are separated. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Yet he gets the story all wrong. Hatter Madigan knows the truth only too well, and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.

Sparkman Middle Titles Available as eBooks and Audiobooks

The following book selections are available in other formats besides paperback. These include downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks as well as audiobooks in CD format. Click on the title to check catalog or Digital Media Zone for current checkout availablity.

Holes
CD Audiobook
Holes
DMZ Audiobook
Holes
DMZ eBook
Number the Stars
CD Audiobook
Number the Stars
DMZ Audiobook
Number the Stars
DMZ eBook
Schooled
CD Audiobook
The Westing Game
CD Audiobook
The Westing Game
DMZ eBook
The Lightning Thief
CD Audiobook
The Lightning Thief
DMZ Audiobook
The Lightning Thief
DMZ eBook
The Lightning Thief
DMZ eBook
Legend
CD Audiobook
Legend
DMZ Audiobook
The Red Pyramid
CD Audiobook
The Red Pyramid
DMZ eBook
The Red Pyramid
DMZ eBook
The City of Ember
CD Audiobook
The City of Ember
DMZ Audiobook
The City of Ember
DMZ eBook
Ship Breaker
CD Audiobook
Ender's Game
CD Audiobook
Ender's Game
DMZ eBook
Ender's Game
DMZ Audiobook
The Looking Glass Wars
CD Audiobook
The Looking Glass Wars
DMZ eBook
The Looking Glass Wars
DMZ Audiobook

Sparkman 9th

All Students should read To Kill a Mockingbird. There is a project, quiz, essay, and test on all of the summer reading material. PreAP students have a second reading assignment in choosing one of the following titles:

Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly; Martin Dugard
Call Number: 973.7092 ORE
ISBN: 9780805093070
Publication Date: 2011-09-27
This book is a historical narrative of the events that surrounded the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The book recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history, how one gunshot changed the country forever. In the spring of 1865, the bloody saga of America's Civil War finally came to an end after a series of increasingly harrowing battles. President Abraham Lincoln's generous terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender are devised to fulfill Lincoln's dream of healing a divided nation, with the former Confederates allowed to reintegrate into American society. But one man and his band of murderous accomplices, perhaps reaching into the highest ranks of the U.S. government, are not appeased. In the midst of the patriotic celebrations in Washington D.C., John Wilkes Booth, charismatic ladies' man and impenitent racist, murdered Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. A furious manhunt ensued and Booth immediately became the country's most wanted fugitive. Lafayette C. Baker, a smart but shifty New York detective and former Union spy, unraveled the string of clues leading to Booth, while federal forces tracked his accomplices. The chase ended in a fiery shootout and a series of court-ordered executions, including that of the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government, Mary Surratt.
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
Call Number: 614.57 PRE
ISBN: 9780385479561
Publication Date: 1995-07-20
The bestselling landmark account of the first emergence of the Ebola virus. A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientists is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic "hot" virus. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race. Shocking, frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zone proves that truth really is scarier than fiction.
Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper
Call Number: YA F DRA
ISBN: 0689821816
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Two fifteen-year-old girls--one a slave and the other an indentured servant--escape their Carolina plantation and try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish colony that gives sanctuary to slaves.
Bleachers by John Grisham
Call Number: F GRI
ISBN: 0385340877
Publication Date: 2007-05-29
High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever to play for the legendary Messina Spartans. Fifteen years have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who molded the Spartans into an unbeatable football dynasty.

Now, as Coach Rake’s “boys” sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field lights to signal his passing, they replay the old games, relive the old glories, and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake – or hate him. For Neely Crenshaw, a man who must finally forgive his coach – and himself – before he can get on with his life, the stakes are especially high.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Call Number: YA SHU
ISBN: 1442472421
Publication Date: 2016-11-22
"In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ('gleaned') by professional reapers ('scythes'). Two teens must compete with each other to become a scythe--a position neither of them wants. The one who becomes a scythe must kill the one who doesn't"
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Call Number: YA THO
ISBN: 9780062498533
Publication Date: 2017-02-28
"Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life"--

Sparkman 9th Titles Available as eBooks and Audiobooks

Killing Lincoln
CD Audiobook
Killing Lincoln
DMZ Audiobook
The Hot Zone
CD Audiobook
Bleachers
DMZ Audiobook
Bleachers
DMZ eBook
The Hate U Give
Audiobook on 9 CDs
The Hate U Give
DMZ eBook
The Hate U Give
DMZ Audiobook

Sparkman English 10

Optional Summer Reading

*Students may read one of the following titles and complete an extra credit project due on the first day of class. Project description can be found on the "School Projects" tab of this Lib Guide.

Anthem by Ayn Rand
Call Number: F RAN
ISBN: 9781482549126
Publication Date: 2013-02-16
Anthem is a dystopian fiction novella by Ayn Rand, written in 1937 and first published in 1938 in the United Kingdom. The story takes place at an unspecified future date when mankind has entered another Dark Age.
1984 by George Orwell; Erich Fromm (Afterword by)
Call Number: YA ORW
ISBN: 0451524934
Publication Date: 1950-07-01
Portrays life in a future time when a totalitarian government watches over all citizens and directs all activities.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Robert G. O'Meally (Introduction by, Intro and Notes by); Frederick Douglass
Call Number: B DOU DOU
ISBN: 9781593080419
Publication Date: 2005-08-01
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an 1845 memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass.
Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam
Call Number: B HIC HIC
ISBN: 9780385333207
Publication Date: 1998-09-15
The life and times of aerospace engineer Home Hickman and his friends in Big Creek, West Virginia.
Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang
Call Number: B JIA JIA
ISBN: 0061667714
Publication Date: 2018-01-23
An outstanding student and much admired leader of her class, Ji-Li Jiang was poised for a shining future in the Communist party until the Cultural Revolution of 1966. Told with simplicity, innocence and grace, this unforgettable memoir gives a child's eye view of a terrifying time in 20th-century history--and of one family's indomitable courage under fire.

Sparkman English 11

Optional Summer Reading

Students will choose one of the following novels over the summer, choose one of the projects (details can be found under the "school projects" tab) to complete and turn in on the first day, and write a brief paragraph about what grade they think they deserve for the project and why. Questions? Email kneis@madison.k12.al.us

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Call Number: YAB ANG ANG
ISBN: 0553279378
Publication Date: 1983-04-01
Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local "powhitetrash." At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors ("I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare") will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.

Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.
The Pact by Jodi Picoult
Call Number: F PIC
ISBN: 0061150142
Publication Date: 2006-08-29
A teenage suicide pact between a pregnant girl and her boyfriend, both children of wealthy New England families. He shoots her, but fails to shoot himself and is charged with murder. At the trial he explains what made them do it.
The Color of Water by James McBride
Call Number: B MACB MACB
ISBN: 9781594481925
Publication Date: 2006-02-07
The Color of Water tells the remarkable story of Ruth McBride Jordan, the two good men she married, and the 12 good children she raised. Jordan, born Rachel Shilsky, a Polish Jew, immigrated to America soon after birth; as an adult she moved to New York City, leaving her family and faith behind in Virginia. Jordan met and married a black man, making her isolation even more profound. The book is a success story, a testament to one woman's true heart, solid values, and indomitable will. Ruth Jordan battled not only racism but also poverty to raise her children and, despite being sorely tested, never wavered. In telling her story--along with her son's--The Color of Water addresses racial identity with compassion, insight, and realism. It is, in a word, inspiring, and you will finish it with unalloyed admiration for a flawed but remarkable individual. And, perhaps, a little more faith in us all.
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Call Number: F FAU
ISBN: 067973225X
Publication Date: 1991-01-30
As I Lay Dying is Faulkner's harrowing account of the Bundren family's odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Told in turns by each of the family members—including Addie herself—the novel ranges in mood from dark comedy to the deepest pathos.
Night by Elie Wiesel (Preface by); Marion Wiesel (Translator)
Call Number: 940.5318 WIE
ISBN: 0374399972
Publication Date: 2006-01-16
Night is Elie Wiesel's masterpiece, a candid, horrific, and deeply poignant autobiographical account of his survival as a teenager in the Nazi death camps. This new translation by Marion Wiesel, Elie's wife and frequent translator, presents this seminal memoir in the language and spirit truest to the author's original intent. And in a substantive new preface, Elie reflects on the enduring importance of Night and his lifelong, passionate dedication to ensuring that the world never forgets man's capacity for inhumanity to man.

Night offers much more than a litany of the daily terrors, everyday perversions, and rampant sadism at Auschwitz and Buchenwald; it also eloquently addresses many of the philosophical as well as personal questions implicit in any serious consideration of what the Holocaust was, what it meant, and what its legacy is and will be
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Matthew J. Bruccoli (Preface by)
Call Number: F FIT
ISBN: 0684830426
Publication Date: 1996-06-01
THE GREAT GATSBY, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.

Sparkman English 11 Titles Available as eBooks and Audiobooks

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
CD Audiobook
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
DMZ Audiobook
The Pact
CD Audiobook
The Color of Water
CD Audiobook
As I Lay Dying
CD Audiobook
Night
CD Audiobook
Night
DMZ Audiobook
The Great Gatsby
CD Audiobook
The Great Gatsby
MP3 Audiobook
The Great Gatsby
Digital Audiobook
The Great Gatsby
DMZ Audiobook
The Great Gatsby
DMZ Audiobook. Copy 2

Sparkman High English 12

Optional Summer Reading

Students will choose one of the following novels and complete the project for extra credit, due on the first day of class.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley; Diane Johnson (Introduction by)
Call Number: YA SHE
ISBN: 0553212478
Publication Date: 1984-05-01
Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.

Frankenstein, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë; Susan Fromberg-Schaeffer (Introduction by)
Call Number: YA BRO
ISBN: 0451523385
Publication Date: 1959-07-01
Wuthering Heights is a wild, passionate story of the intense and almost demonic love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine's father. After Mr Earnshaw's death, Heathcliff is bullied and humiliated by Catherine's brother Hindley and wrongly believing that his love for Catherine is not reciprocated, leaves Wuthering Heights, only to return years later as a wealthy and polished man. He proceeds to exact a terrible revenge for his former miseries. The action of the story is chaotic and unremittingly violent, but the accomplished handling of a complex structure, the evocative descriptions of the lonely moorland setting and the poetic grandeur of vision combine to make this unique novel a masterpiece of English literature.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë; Susan Ostrov Weisser (Intro and Notes by, Introduction by); Oscar Wilde
Call Number: YA BRO
ISBN: 1593080077
Publication Date: 2003-04-01
Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead and subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a wider and richer life than Victorian society traditionally allowed.

With a heroine full of yearning, the dangerous secrets she encounters, and the choices she finally makes, Charlotte Bronte's innovative and enduring romantic novel continues to engage and provoke readers.
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Call Number: F GRE
ISBN: 0743227441
Publication Date: 2002-06-04
When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realises just how much she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king and take fate into her own hands.

A rich and compelling novel of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, The Other Boleyn Girl introduces a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamourous court in Europe and survived by following her heart.
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare; SparkNotes Staff
Call Number: YA 822.33 SHA
ISBN: 141140100X
Publication Date: 2004-01-22
Renowned as Shakespeare's most boisterous comedy, The Taming of the Shrew is the tale of two young men, the hopeful Lucentio and the worldly Petruchio, and the two sisters they meet in Padua.

Lucentio falls in love with Bianca, the apparently ideal younger daughter of the wealthy Baptista Minola. But before they can marry, Bianca's formidable elder sister, Katherine, must be wed. Petruchio, interested only in the huge dowry, arranges to marry Katherine -against her will- and enters into a battle of the sexes that has endured as one of Shakespeare's most enjoyable works.
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Call Number: B SCH ALB
ISBN: 076790592X
Publication Date: 2002-10-08
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying of ALS - or motor neurone disease - Mitch visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final 'class': lessons in how to live.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Call Number: YA HUX
ISBN: 0060850523
Publication Date: 2006-10-17
Far in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs, all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone harbouring an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations, where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress...

Huxley's ingenious fantasy of the future sheds a blazing light on the present and is considered to be his most enduring masterpiece.

Sparkman English 12 Titles Available as eBooks and Audiobooks

Brave New World
DMZ eBook
Brave New World
DMZ Audiobook. Copy 2
Brave New World
DMZ Audiobook
Brave New World
Digital Audiobook
Frankenstein
DMZ eBook
Frankenstein
CD Audiobook
Jane Eyre
CD Audiobook
Jane Eyre
Digital Audiobook
Jane Eyre
DMZ Audiobook
Jane Eyre
DMZ eBook
Jane Eyre
DMZ eBook. Copy 2
The Other Boleyn Girl
CD Audiobook
The Other Boleyn Girl
CD Audiobook. Copy 2
The Taming of the Shrew
CD Audiobook
The Taming of the Shrew
DMZ Audiobook
Tuesdays with Morrie
CD Audiobook
Tuesdays with Morrie
CD Audiobook. Copy 2
Tuesdays with Morrie
DMZ Audiobook
Tuesdays with Morrie
DMZ eBook
Wuthering Heights
DMZ eBook
Wuthering Heights
Digital Audiobook
Wuthering Heights
MP3 Audiobook
Wuthering Heights
Cd Audiobook

Sparkman High AP Literature 12

Students will choose one book from the provided list, as well as How to Read Literature Like a Professor. The summer reading assignment is detailed under the "School Projects" tab. Questions about the assignment should be directed to afitch@madison.k12.al.us or asilvey@madison.k12.al.us

AP English 12 Summer Reading List and Assignment
This document contains the book titles available to AP English 12 students as well as outlines the assignment instructions.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
Call Number: 808 FOS
ISBN: 006000942X
Publication Date: 2003-02-18
*AP Literature & Composition 12*

Introduction: How'd he do that? -- Every trip is a quest (except when it's not) -- Nice to eat with you : acts of communion -- Nice to eat you : acts of vampires -- If it's square, it's a sonnet -- Now, where have I seen her before? -- When in doubt, it's from Shakespeare -- Or the bible -- Hanseldee and Greteldum -- It's Greek to me -- It's more than just rain or snow -- Interlude: does he mean that? -- More than it's gonna hurt you : concerning violence -- Is that a symbol? -- It's all political -- Yes, she's a Christ figure, too -- Flights of fancy -- It's all about sex -- Except sex -- If she comes up, it's baptism -- Geography matters -- So does season -- Interlude: One story -- Marked for greatness -- He's blind for a reason, you know -- It's never just heart disease -- And rarely just illness -- Don't read with your eyes -- Is he serious? and other ironies -- A test case.

What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey?. Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface -- a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character - and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you. In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest a shared meal may signify a communion and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.

Monrovia Middle School

All students are required to read one listed book from their grade level. Click on the image or title to find the book in the HMCPL library catalog. A hold can be placed from the catalog online once you log in to your account with card number and PIN.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Call Number: YA RIO
ISBN: 9781423113454
Publication Date: 2011-08-16
*6th Grade*

After their father's research experiment at the British Museum unleashes the Egyptian god Set, Carter and Sadie Kane embark on a dangerous journey across the globe--a quest which brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
Call Number: J HOL
ISBN: 9780375870644
Publication Date: 2014-08-26
*6th Grade*

Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough... he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
Call Number: J MCM
ISBN: 9781442407695
Publication Date: 2012-07-10
*6th Grade*

In a society that purges thirteen-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic.
Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick
Call Number: J PHI
ISBN: 9780545342384
Publication Date: 2014-02-25
*7th Grade*

Zane Dupree is a charismatic 12-year-old boy of mixed race visiting a relative in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits. Unexpectedly separated from all family, Zane and his dog experience the terror of Katrina's wind, rain, and horrific flooding. Facing death, they are rescued from an attic air vent by a kind, elderly musician and a scrappy young girl--both African American. The chaos that ensues as storm water drowns the city, shelter and food vanish, and police contribute to a dangerous, frightening atmosphere, creates a page-turning tale that completely engrosses the reader. Based on the facts of the worst hurricane disaster in U.S. history, Philbrick includes the lawlessness and lack of government support during the disaster as well as the generosity and courage of those who risked their lives and safety to help others. Here is an unforgettable novel of heroism in the face of truly challenging circumstances.
Athlete vs. Mathlete by W. C. Mack
Call Number: J MAC
ISBN: 9781599908588
Publication Date: 2013-02-05
*7th Grade*

Owen Evans lights up the scoreboards. His brother, Russell, rocks the school boards. These twin brothers couldn't be more different. They've long kept the peace by going their separate ways, but all that is about to change. The new basketball coach recruits Russell for the seventh-grade team and a jealous Owen has to fight to stay in the game. When someone tries to steal Russell's spot as captain of the mathlete team, will the two be able to put aside their differences in order to save his position? Or will they be sidelined?
DMZ Link: https://dmz.overdrive.com/media/1306016
Matched by Ally Condie
Call Number: YA CON
ISBN: 9780525423645
Publication Date: 2010-11-30
*7th Grade*

In the Society, officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one…until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Call Number: YA HAR
ISBN: 9780375866562
Publication Date: 2012-07-10
*8th Grade*

In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.
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The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman
Call Number: YA KOR
ISBN: 9781423101628
Publication Date: 2010-01-05
*8th Grade*

Gecko, Arjay, and Terence, all in trouble with the law, must find a way to keep their halfway house open in order to stay out of juvenile detention.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Call Number: YA SEP
ISBN: 9780142420591
Publication Date: 2012-04-03
*8th Grade*

In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Based on the author's family, includes a historical note.