by Sara Sloves - 06-25-2010

June 2010

Dear parents and guardians of Computer School students:

Each summer the students at The Computer School are required to complete a summer assignment to enhance their learning over the summer months.  There are three parts to this assignment.

             I.  Students must read one of the following books, connecting to our 2010-2011 school-wide theme of Illumination.  The books are all middle school friendly, but those near the end of the list are more challenging.

1.     The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

"It is always night in the city of Ember. But there is no moon, no stars. The only light during the regular twelve hours of "day" comes from floodlamps that cast a yellowish glow over the streets of the city. Beyond are the pitch-black Unknown Regions, which no one has ever explored because an understanding of fire and electricity has been lost, and with it the idea of a Moveable Light. For 250 years they have lived pleasantly, because there has been plenty of everything in the vast storerooms. But now there are more and more empty shelves--and more and more times when the lights flicker and go out, leaving them in terrifying blackness for long minutes. What will happen when the generator finally fails? Twelve-year-old Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet seem to be the only people who are worried. They begin to puzzle out the frightening and dangerous way to the city of light of which Lina has dreamed."  (book description from amazon.com)

2.     The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

"Although the book opens with a scary scene--a family is stabbed to death by "a man named Jack” --the story quickly moves into more child-friendly storytelling. The sole survivor of the attack--an 18-month-old baby--escapes his crib and his house, and toddles to a nearby graveyard. Quickly recognizing that the baby is orphaned, the graveyard's ghostly residents adopt him, name him Nobody ("Bod"), and allow him to live in their tomb. The toddler navigates among the headstones, asking a lot of questions and picking up the tricks of the living and the dead. As Bod grows from baby to teen, he learns life’s lessons amid a cadre of the long-dead, ghouls, witches, intermittent human interlopers. A pallid, nocturnal guardian named Silas ensures that Bod receives food, books, and anything else he might need from the human world. Whenever the boy strays from his usual play among the headstones, he finds new dangers, learns his limitations and strengths, and acquires the skills he needs to survive within the confines of the graveyard and in wider world beyond." (book description from amazon.com)

3.     The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

"In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives."  (book description from School Library Journal)

      4 .  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time  by Mark Haddon

"Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057.  He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions.  He cannot stand to be touched.  And he detests the color yellow" (from the back cover).  This book begins with Christopher finding his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, killed by a garden fork.  After Christopher is falsely accused by his neighbor, he ventures out to discover who murdered Wellington.  A social worker at his school encourages Christopher to write about his journey.  Quirky illustrations included. 

5.     Hero by Perry Moore

"The last thing in world Thom Creed wants is to add to his dad, Hal's, pain, so he keeps secrets.  Like that he has special powers.  And that he's been asked to join the League—the very oganization of superheroes that spurned his father.  The most painful secret of all is one Thom can barely face himself: he's gay.  But becoming a member of the League oepns up a new world to Thom.  There, he connects with a mistfit group of aspiring heroes, including Scarlett, who can control fire but not her anger; Typhoid Larry, who can make anyone sick with his touch; and Ruth, a wise old broad who can see the future.  Like Thom, these heroes have things to hide, but they will have to learn to trust one another when they uncover a deadly conspiracy within the League." (book description from back cover)

II.  Each student must read a second book of his or her choosing.  (OR, see the list below for recommendations).

III.  Each student must visit a museum, a monument, a historic site, or attend performance (play, concert, etc.). 

Questions to consider while reading:

           

            1.   What is the theme of the novel?           

            2.   Where and when does the book take place?            

            3.   What is the conflict in the book?           

            4.   How would you describe the characters? 

                  How does where they come from

                  affect their personalities?

            5.   What examples of “Illumination” do you see in this book?  

        

Suggestions for other summer reading:

 

-When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

-The Call of the Wild by Jack London

-Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody

-The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

-Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine

-The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

-Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

-Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz

-Eragon by Christopher Paolini

-Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

-The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

-Flush by Carl Hiassen

-The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

-Holes by Louis Sachar

-Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan

-Within Reach: My Everest Story by Mark Pfetzer & Jack Galvin

-The Misfits by James Howe

-I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier

-Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

-Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

-Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

-Lupita Manana by Patricia Beatty

-Miracle’s Boys by Jaqueline Woodson

-No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman

-Nothing But the Truth by Avi

-Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes

-The Outsiders by S.E Hinton

-Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

-Queen’s Own Fool by Jane Yolen

-Restless Spirit: The Life and Works of Dorothea Lange by Elizabeth Partridge

-Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor

-Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman

-Shipwreck At The Bottom Of The World by Karen Armstrong

-Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

-A Step From Heaven by An Na

-Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene

-This Land was Made for You and Me by Elizabeth Partridge

-Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka

-A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

-A View From Saturday by E.L. Koningsburg

-Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

-A Separate Peace by John Knowles

-The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

-The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

-The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chim

 




For additional reading suggestions, see the New York Public Library’s teen site at http://teenlink.nypl.org/ or Teen Reads at http://www.teenreads.com/.

 

Parents/guardians must sign the form on the back of this page and students must bring this signed form on the first day of school. During the first week, students will participate in discussions and projects about the “Illumination” book they read over the summer. 

 

Student name:  ________________________________________________________

 

“Illumination” book: ____________________________________________________

 

Second book: _________________________________________________________

 

Museum, monument, historic site, or performance: _____________________________

 

Student signature: ______________________________________________________

 

Parent/guardian signature: ________________________________________________

 

Parent/guardian email or phone number: ______________________________________

Posted:

Go to the News Archive page to see all news articles-->