WSHS English 10 Honors:
Summer Reading List 2007

---

Rising sophomore honors students will be required to read two books. For the first book chose one of the following two books:

1. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank.  At the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, a small rural community in an isolated town in Florida, survives a nuclear attack only to find its struggles just beginning. (F Fra)

or

2. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. The novel’s cover tells us it is “set in South Carolina in 1964” and “tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed.” Accompanied by Rosaleen, the African American woman who raised her, Lily journeys to unlock the mystery of her mother’s death.  (F Kid)

Choose a second book from the following list, or you may read both of the books listed above.

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolpho A. Anaya. Antonio has questions about evil, forgiveness, and finding the truth. He learns from each character around him about dreams, family, tolerance, and tradition. Anaya emphasizes the importance of thinking independently and reconciling conflicting cultural traditions. Antonio, with guidance from Ultima, discovers the importance of finding his own identity and his own answers.
(F Ana)

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. In the future, people will have only one child-- unless there is reason to believe that the child might be special: a gifted warrior, able to fight an alien menace. Ender Wiggin might be such a child. Find out whether a picked-on "third" is born to lead humanity in Ender's Game. (FAN Car )

The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston. This non-fiction account tells the story of a laboratory outbreak of the Ebola virus in Reston, Virginia, while also discussing past epidemics of similar diseases. Publisher’s Weekly compares this book to the work of thriller writer Michael Crichton. Note: It does contain graphic descriptions of the disease. (614.57 Pre)

Students will complete graded assessments on the two books they read during the first weeks of school. Graded assignments might include, but are not limited to, quizzes, essays, projects, and group discussions. Students are strongly encouraged to purchase the books, to take notes while reading, and to pay close attention to the development of character, setting, and theme.

---

Students unsure of what they would like to read are encouraged to borrow a library book first.

I am available by prior arrangement during most of July.

The WSHS Library is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 3:30 beginning July 30.
Please let me before you come, as I may be out for meetings, staff development, etc. (703) 913-3852 or stephanie.byrnes@fcps.edu

The loan period is 3 weeks, no renewals, with overdue fines of $1 per non-holiday weekday.

Online CataloglWSHS onlylAll FCPS SchoolslFairfax County Public Library
lLibrary HomepagelWSHS HomepagelFCPS Homepage

Stephanie Byrnes, Webpage Curator/Librarian

Che Ferch-Jablonski, Librarian

5/30/07

West Springfield High School Library, 6100 Rolling Road, Springfield, VA  22152, (703) 913-3939

This web page contains links to one or more web pages that are outside the FCPS network. FCPS does not control the content or relevancy of these pages.