Discovery Charter Preparatory School

Summer Reading 2022

English 10 Honors

With the goals of fostering life-long learning, reinforcing academic achievement and promoting
reading as an enjoyable activity, each Discovery Charter Preparatory student is required to
complete a summer reading project. Students are to read two books this summer: one from
the approved choice list and one school appropriate book of his/her choice during the
summer months and complete an assignment from the assignment list below. Students must
create one project on each book, resulting in two complete projects.

PLEASE USE your local library! Lapl.org has a great selection of online resources including full
texts and audition books.

Projects are due the first day of school and will be counted for a grade.
I am excited to share this year’s theme of Dealing with Adversity. This theme is near and dear to
my heart as I feel we have all struggled and persevered through many challenges!

Approved Choice list:

Concrete Kids
by Amyra León, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky
Told in free-verse, Concrete Kids is playwright, musician, and educator Amyra León’s own life
story as the daughter of a single mother. She falls into the foster care system before being
adopted and raised in Harlem. Writes Kirkus, “León describes with gripping honesty the
heartbreak of being separated from one’s mother, the trauma of enduring violence at the hands of
those who are supposed to care for you, and the bittersweet feeling of being adopted and finding
a sense of belonging outside of one’s biological parentage.”

Break the Fall

by Jennifer Iacopelli

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It’s a story ripped from the headlines—the U.S. gymnastics team is torn apart by a sexual abuse
scandal involving a coach, and 17-year-old Audrey Lee’s Olympic dreams hang in the balance.
Writes Publishers Weekly, “Detailed descriptions of training sessions and step-by-step accounts
of gymnastics routines combine with #MeToo considerations and dramatic friendship shifts to
create a fraught behind-the-scenes look at the lives of young Olympic hopefuls.”

Dear Martin - Nic Stone

Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and
Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning #1 New York
Times bestselling debut, a William C. Morris Award Finalist.
Justyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend—but none
of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Despite leaving his rough
neighborhood behind, he can’t escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new
classmates.

Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up
anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.
Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down,
music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly.
Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it’s Justyce
who is under attack.

This Is My America
by Kim Johnson
For another book about the broken criminal justice system in this country, read This Is My
America. This debut novel follows 17-year-old Tracy Beaumont as she tries to save her father, a
wrongfully accused man on death row, as well as her older brother, who is also unjustly charged
with murder. But all is not lost. Writes Kirkus, “[Johnson’s] belief in the power of social
movements shines through, inciting a new generation of social change activists to be called into
service of transformative change.”

The Beautiful Struggle

by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ 2008 memoir, adapted for a young adult audience, is “a beautiful meditation
on the tender, fraught interior lives of Black boys,” says Kirkus.

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Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
A Stonewall Honor Book, Felix Love’s name is quite ironic as Felix has never been in love.
Black, queer, and transgender, Felix wonders if he’ll really find love.

Attending a competitive arts program – with dreams of a full scholarship to Brown – Felix
becomes the target of transphobic messages.Someone has posted Felix’s dead name along with
pictures of him pre-transition.One of the newer and stunning LGBT books for teens released in
2020, watch as a plot of revenge leads to self-discovery and the shot at love that Felix deserves.

Second Book Choice:

The book of choice must be at least 200 pages long and was written by a BIPOC (minority;
Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc.) author.
YOU MUST EMAIL ME Mrs. Griffin (cgriffin@discoveryprep.org) with your book proposal.
Please title your email Book Proposal.
The body of your email should include the title and author of the book the page count or minutes
if audio book, the format. 1 sentence why this book appeals to you and how this book is BIPOC.

Project Choices:

1. Choose a favorite character and create a diagram that shows how the character changes
throughout the story. The diagram should include one page written explanations for the
character’s transformation. This should include at least 7 character changes.

2. Turn the novel (or part of the novel) into a comic book
• Should be at least 20 tiles
• Consider using Pixton (free, online animation website)

3. Journal your reading experience throughout the novel. There must be at least 12 entries – ½
page each. Questions to consider:
• How are the characters changing?
• Write about a personal experience that is similar to one a character is having
• Write down a quote or passage that you like. Explain why.
• Make a prediction about what will happen next.
• What is your opinion of a character’s actions?

4. Imagine you are a Hollywood producer, who is turning the novel into a movie.
Create a plot outline including the following elements:

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• What actors/actresses would play each role? Why?
• Where would you film the movie? Why?
• Which parts of the novel would you emphasize? Why?
• What kind of movie would it be (children vs. adult, animation, action, comedy, etc..)? Why?
• Would you change anything in the novel’s plot to make it a better movie?
• What special effects would you need, if any?
• Would people be interested in seeing this movie? Why?

5. Write a poem, or a series of poems, that pertain to the novel. Must total 100 lines

6. Create an art portfolio about the novel.

• Should include at least 6 pieces of original art
• Can include photography, painting, drawing, sculpting, Photoshop etc.
• Each piece should have a 5-7 sentence description about how it relates to the novel.

6. Your choice! (Please email me cgriffin@discoveryprep.org with your idea for approval)

Please email me with any questions that you may have. I am available all summer but please be
mindful of the time constraints. You should have your books chosen for summer reading within
the first couple weeks of school which means you should be emailing me with your book
proposals by the end of June, beginning of July at the latest!

I look forward to discussing these wonderful books with you!

Have a wonderful summer!

Mrs. Griffin