Evangelistic Temple School Summer Reading List

Entering 9th Grade

Required reading:

What if Jesus Had Never Been Born by D. James Kennedy

Evaluation:

AND

Choose one selection 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 on the first week of school in Language Arts.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

            Kidnapped by Captain Nemo, master of the powerful submarine Nautilus, a French professor embarks on a fantastic voyage and disputes his host's hatred for a flawed humanity.

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

            One of a space trilogy, Dr. Ransom is kidnapped and finds himself on the way to Malacandra (Mars).   The reader is made aware of human actions from the Malacandran point of view.

1984 by George Orwell

            Depiction of life under totalitarianism, this novel has been described as one of the most powerful commentaries on what life is like without freedom.

This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti

            A newspaperman and pastor find themselves fighting a plan by demonic forces to subjugate the human race.   The secondary plot activates in the spiritual realm and illustrates the power of prayer as a weapon against evil.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

            Hidden from Nazi soldiers, a young girl keeps a diary of her experiences.

Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Green

            The summer that Patty Bergen turns twelve is a summer that will haunt her forever. When her small hometown in Arkansas becomes the site of a camp housing German prisoners during WW II, Patty learns what it means to open her heart. Even though she's Jewish, she begins to see a prison escapee, Anton, not as a Nazi - But as a lonely, frightened young man with feelings not unlike her own.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

            The classic adventure tale of young Jim Hawkins on a swashbuckling journey with the villainous Long John Silver in a hunt for buried treasure, Treasure Island is a coming-of-age story that has captured the imaginations of children for more than 100 years.

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.

  1. It is your responsibility to retitle the book.   You must choose a new title; keeping its current title is not an option.   What will you rename the book and why?
  2. Write a question about the novel that shows reflective thinking, thinking that shows serious and deep consideration about what you have read.   (Good example: in To Kill A Mockingbird, how is the mockingbird a symbol for Boo Radley?   Poor Example:   Who is Atticus?)
  3. 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?
  4. 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.
  5. 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.