3500 South Gessner

Houston, Texas 77063

Phone (713) 783-6990 www.tenneyschool.com
Fax (713) 783-0786 Info@tenneyschool.com

The Tenney Schools 2014 Summer Reading List for Grades 9-12
We have tried very hard to provide the best summer reading experience for our students. The list
includes a variety of subjects and writing styles. All of the novels and memoirs are important pieces
of literature, and we believe our students will benefit from the themes and messages contained in
them.
Entering grade:
9 ELL USBORNE copy of Call of the Wild, by Jack London
9 Call of the Wild, by Jack London
10 ELL any novel containing at least 200 pages
10 My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell or any book authorized in
advance by 10
th
grade teacher
11 ELL The Bobbsey Twins of Lakeport, by Laura Lee Hope
11 Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
11 AP The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett
The Murders in the Rue Morgue, by Edgar Allan Poe
12 ELL any novel containing at least 200 pages
12 Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell (respond in writing to the study guide below )
12 AP The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde
1984, by George Orwell
any novel by a Russian author
In addition, all students in grades 9-12 will read ONE of the following memoirs and will choose any 3
questions to discuss in writing. Students are responsible for providing thoughtful
commentary/responses to each question. The assignments are due the first week of school and
will be considered a major grade for the first marking period average.
Memoir Choices: Choose ONE
The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
The Color of Water, by James McBride

3500 South Gessner
Houston, Texas 77063
Phone (713) 783-6990 www.tenneyschool.com
Fax (713) 783-0786 Info@tenneyschool.com
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah
Choose 3 of the following to discuss:
1. In A Long Way Gone, Beah, the author says, I would always tell people that I believe children have
the resilience to outlive their sufferings, if given a chance. First, state whether you agree or disagree
with this statement. Then provide examples from the memoir you read that support your belief.
Finally, discuss the statement from your own experience or observations of others experiences.

2. Discuss the meaning of the memoirs title. Was the actual title in the text? If so, discuss the context
surrounding it. If not, why do you think the author created that title?

3. Discuss a minimum of three external conflicts the author experiences. Describe how each conflict
originates, what each side believes, and how the conflict is resolved.
What did you learn about resolving conflicts from how the author handles conflict?
4. In all three memoirs, the author interacts with other children a great deal. Describe some of these
children and the relationship they have with the author. Were they important in the authors growth
and development?

5. Apply the following quotation to the memoir: The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the
body. How does the quotation apply to the author? What mental/emotional suffering does the
author endure? What does the pain do to him/her?

6. Discuss the ending of the memoir. Be sure to include all aspects of the conclusion. Then discuss
whether or not the ending was expected. Be very specific not only in describing the event, but also in
explaining why it was a perfect ending or why it caught you off guard.
Students entering 12
th
grade: Answer the following questions from Blink below on your own paper. You
may type or write clearly.
1. What is thin-slicing? Give an example of it from the book or your own life.
2. What is a fist ? Give an example from the book.
3. What does Gottman call The Four Horsemen ?
4. What is priming? How does it work?
5. Give an example of the dark side of rapid cognition.
6. What is the Implicit Association Test? Take the test questions given in the book and then discuss
your results.
7. What did JFCOM learn in the Millennium Challenge when the Red and Blue teams fought each other?
8. Tell me something about the Facial Action Cody System. Provide two specific examples of this
system.
9. Give some examples of what can happen when people arent good at mind reading.
10. Provide a personal response to the following quote from the book: But one of the things that Van
Riper taught me was that being able to act intelligently and instinctively in the moment is possible
only after a long and rigorous course of education and experience. Agree, disagree, or discuss.