Evangelistic Temple School Summer Reading List

Entering 11th Grade

Required reading: The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel

Students should completely read The Case for Faith and be ready for a test the first week of school. This book will be used throughout the year as a supplement, so it should be kept for this purpose.

AND

Choose one of the following books based on your interests. The books can be purchased at various bookstores or checked out from the public library. Some copies may also be available for checking out from ETS in the front office.   Summer hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Your choice must be a book you have not previously read.   If you have read all the books listed, please contact the Director of Instruction.   After reading the book, complete the Summer Reading Response for Novel sheet.   This assignment is due the first week of school.

The Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland

            A professor reveals to a colleague a painting he has kept secret for years, which he believes is a Vermeer, and which has a history from its time of inception through WWII.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

            When Lily's black nanny insults a group of angry black men on her way to register to vote in the 1960's, Lily and Rosaleen flee and are taken in by three bee-keeping sisters.

Roots by Alex Haley

            A saga of African-American life, based on Alex Haley's family history. Throughout the novel, the family observes notable events in U.S. history, such as the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, slave uprisings, and emancipation.

Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

            Set in pre-Revolutionary times, this story tells of the Indians caught in the struggle of Europeans for the North American continent.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

            The story of a rebellious Georgia woman named Scarlett O'Hara and her travails with friends, family and lovers in the midst of the antebellum South, The American Civil War, and the Reconstruction period.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

            Centers on Jurgis Rudkus, A Lithuanian immigrant working in Chicago's infamous Packington. Instead of finding the American Dream, Rudkus and his family inhabit a brutal, soul-crushing urban jungle dominated by greedy bosses, pitiless con-men, and corrupt politicians.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

            Compelled by the need to see a tree, the site of an accident fifteen years before, Gene Forrester returns to his old preparatory school.   The visit helps him recuperate from guilt feelings for having indirectly caused the death of his roommate.

Summer Reading Response for Novel

First Name:__________________ Last Name:___________________________

Novel Read:________________________________________________________

Author:____________________________________________________________

After reading your book, complete each of the responses on separate lined paper.   Read all directions carefully.   All writing should be neat and easy to read.

• Choose a character to whom you particularly relate and explain why in a detailed 10 to 12 sentence paragraph.
• Looking at two separate parts of the novel, list two themes.   Explain what central ideas the novel shows.   How do these themes connect to your own experiences?
• Write two direct quotations from the novel about two separate ideas or issues which you feel are important, relevant, or powerful.   Then explain why you chose these quotes.
• Explain how this book supports a biblical worldview or an anti-biblical worldview.   Write your response giving two supporting examples from the book in one to three concise paragraphs.
• Write a paragraph explaining why you would or would not recommend the novel. Give three supporting reasons for your position.