English 9 Honors Independent Reading

Directions: You will be completing one independent reading assignment per semester. Your job
is to pick one book from each list per semester and complete the corresponding work. You must
pick from the appropriate list for each semester. No other books are approved. You must
complete the work by the deadline. No late independent reading assignments will be
accepted.

Semester 1 Theme: Coming of Age in a Different Time Project due: Friday,

12/08/23

Bless Me Ultima by Rudolo Anaya Through his dreams and challenges–including

a mob beating from his schoolmates, the death
of a close friend, and his brothers’
waywardness–Ultima and her owl remain a
watchful, benevolent presence. Bless Me,
Ultima is a coming-of-age novel about a
young boy’s loss of innocence and approach
to maturity.

Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang
Red Scarf Girl is a historical memoir written
about the author’s experiences during the
Cultural Revolution of China. Jiang was very
important in her classroom and was respected
until 1966 when the Cultural Revolution
started.

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson In 1793Philadelphia, 16-year old Matilda

Cook, separated from her sick mother, learns
about perseverance and self-reliance when she
is forced to cope with horrors of a yellow
fever epidemic.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho A boy named Santiago embarks on a journey

seeking treasure in the Egyptian pyramids
after having a recurring dream about it and on
the way meets mentors, falls in love, and most
importantly, learns the true importance of who
he is and how to improve himself and focus
on what really matters in life.
Semester 2 Theme: Coming of Age in the Present
05/24/23
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini**
**This book deals with topics of teen
depression and suicide.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Mark My Words by Muhammad Khan
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Project due: Friday,
Based on author Ned Vizzini's five days in the
adult psychiatric unit of a Brooklyn hospital,
this is the story of 15-year-old Craig, a high
school freshman who collapses under the
pressures of a demanding school, sexual
desire, jealousy, and party drugs. The book's
eye is on the humorous and its ear catches the
way teens, a middle-class New York family,
hospital staffers, and phychiatric patients talk
and interact.
A 16-year old Hazel is diagnosed with cancer
and joins a support group, where she meets
Augustus and is set on a rollercoaster of
emotions as their relationship develops.
Fifteen-year old Dua Iqbal has always had
trouble minding her own business. With a
silver tongue and an inquisitive nature, a
career in journalism seems fated. When her
school merges with another, Dua seizes her
chance and sets up a rival newspaper,
exposiign the controversial stories that
teachers and the kids who rule the school
would rather keep buried.
Daunis Fontaine, an 18-year-old girl with a
French mother and an Ojibwe father, often
feels torn between cultures. When she
witnesses a murder and goes undercover for
the FBI, Daunis uses her knowledge of both
cultures to unravel the case.