Friday, May 28, 2010

Summer Reading Lists

Are you going to be at Waupaca High School next year? Here are your required summer reading lists. You only need to read one of the books on the list--but take good notes, because you'll be tested on that book when you get back to school next fall!

9th Grade:

The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones
Marley and Me by John Grogan
The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
Son of the Mob by Gordan Korman
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Peak by Roland Smith
Box Out by John Coy
Cut by Patricia McCormick
Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Graceling by Kristin Cashore



10th Grade:

Paper Towns by John Green
Chasing Tail Lights by Patrick Jones
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson



11th Grade:

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Nailed by Patrick Jones
Deception Point by Dan Brown
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz



12th Grade English (not CAPP):

Looking for Alaska by John Green
Lottery by Patricia Wood
Silver Compass by Holly Kennedy
Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Christmas Stones and The Story Chair by Justin Isherwood
Wart Son of Toad by Alden Carter
Black Cross by Greg Iles
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch



12th Grade CAPP:

If you are taking a CAPP course you have to read two books:

All CAPP students will read one of the following classic American novels:

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Native Son by Richard Wright
Little Big Man by Thomas Berger

All CAPP students will also choose one of the following contemporary novels:

The Help by Kathyrn Stockett
The Quiet Game by Greg Iles
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Beach Music by Pat Conroy



Students taking Communications 111 and or Theatre Appreciation need to read:

The Last Lecture By Randy Pausch

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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Unwind by Neal Shusterman


Remember when Teen Room Staffer Lydia reviewed Unwind? Click here to see her review.







Check out this fan-made video on YouTube that also features Unwind.


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Friday, May 14, 2010

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper


Sophie FitzOsborne lives in the crumbling ruins of her family’s castle on the tiny island Kingdom of Montmaray, which lies between England and Spain. She lives there with her younger sister Henry, her cousin Veronica, the housekeeper, Rebecca, and her completely mad uncle, King John. The year is 1936, and Sophie just received a journal for her sixteenth birthday. She begins by recording the events of her daily life; her desire to move to London to have her official debut, and her longing for a certain young man’s attention. Veronica, only a year older, but much more worldly wise, takes an interest in the politics of Europe and the brewing tension there. Sophie could care less, until the day that German soldiers land on Montmaray. Sophie’s journal takes a more serious turn, and so does she. She struggles to follow Veronica’s example and become Sensible, even in the face of the most bizarre disaster that Montmaray and Sophie has ever seen.

The writing was well done and told through a diary format. Sophie was a realistic character, but in comparison with her intelligent and quick-witted cousin Veronica, she seemed naïve and younger than 16. Veronica, on the other hand, was behaving and speaking in ways that made her seem older than 17. Also, Sophie was a rather flat character, while Veronica was not. In some ways the book was more about her than the narrator. The concept for the book is genius—an island kingdom that has two teen orphan girls as the main royalty figures? Honestly, the author could have taken this idea in so many thrilling directions. I almost want to steal the idea and rewrite the entire book. Have you ever felt that way about a book? If so, what book? What would you have changed?

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Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz


After the murder of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6. After only two weeks of training, Alex is assigned his first mission—to complete his uncle’s last assignment and discover the secret behind a generous donation that was made to every school in the country. Can Alex learn to use his new skills and special tools to uncover the secret?

I just got started on the Alex Rider Series, and I think that it's pretty great--full of action, spy gadgets, and mystery. All my favorite things! Don't miss a single second of the action!

Stormbreaker
Point Blank
Skeleton Key
Eagle Strike
Scorpia
Ark Angel
Snake Head
Crocodile Tears


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