9th Grade Reading List
Entering 9th Grade
Summer Reading Choices. Thematic Question: What is worth fighting for? **Please think about the above question as you read ONE of the following books.** Assignment: Choose ONE of the following novels to read over the summer. Choose a title that interests you, not necessarily something that’s short! Be prepared to discuss and write about the novel in connection to the question above on the first day of class. **You may also choose to read something else if you have not already read that book for another class. Your parent/guardian or another teacher must approve an alternate choice. |
LEVEL 6 STUDENTS MUST READ:
A Separate Peace, John Knowles (fiction) Gene and Phineas are friends who are spending the summer of 1942 at their boarding school, Devon. The two are opposite: Gene is a hardworking student and Phineas is a gifted athlete. When an accident happens at Devon, though, the boys’ friendship will be changed forever. LEVEL 4 AND 5 CHOICES: Words in the Dust, Trent Reedy (realistic fiction) Now that the Taliban have been driven out of Afghanistan, Zulaikha hopes that her life is more peaceful. However, when the Americans come to her village and offer to fix her cleft palate she is not sure whether she can trust them. Should she accept this opportunity for change or stay true to the life that she known for so long? The Pearl, John Steinbeck (fiction) Kino is a poor diver, barely able to support his wife and baby. He dreams about finding a pearl that will forever change their lives. One day, he emerges from the ocean with a great pearl. But does his life improve? Uglies, Scott Westerfeld (science fiction) Tally cannot wait to turn sixteen so that she can be pretty. She has decided that on her sixteenth birthday, she will have an operation that changes her from an ugly into a pretty whose only job is to have fun. However, when Tally’s friend Shay introduces her to a whole new side of the pretty world, Tally is faced with a decision. Will Tally choose to betray her friend or lose being pretty forever? The Maze Runner, James Dashner (science fiction) When Thomas wakes up in the Glade, all he can remember is his name. He soons discovers that he is surrounded by an ever-changing maze--and no one has ever made it out alive. The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (fantasy) In this fantastical tale of adventure and hardship, Frodo Baggins is destined to begin a journey of a lifetime: to win a share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. The Selection, Kiera Cass (fiction) For America Singer, the idea of being Selected to win the prince’s hand is a nightmare. It means entering a fierce competition and leaving her secret love, Aspen. But when America’s name is announced as one of the Selected, will she question the life she has chosen? |