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Reading list - this is a link to the WEBCAT for books that some English teachers have reccommended. Check out the "New Read" section too!
Why should I read books outside of school?
Reading outside of the classroom is a fantastic way to strengthen your reading ability, boost your vocabulary and improve your writing. Many schools have a school-wide independent reading programme to encourage students to read more books outside of school.
How will I be marked for just reading?
Each teacher will have a criteria for evaluation. Some teachers will use a two part evaluation of multiple choice test and points system, and others will use interview and book talks for evaluations. Each term, 10% of your term mark will come from independent reading.
What books can I choose?
Check with your English whether they have specific list. You are encouraged to read as many novels as you like for the term. There are many from which to choose and the list will be continually updated. The list indicates whether the book is easy, moderate or challenging for those English teacher using the points system.
Please note that you may read any book from the list, regardless of your grade. Since your reading interests and abilities do not necessarily correspond to your grade level, you can choose what suits you best.
Where will I find these books? Do I have to buy them?
You should not need to buy any books. The PW library has many of these books in its collection, and multiple copies in some case. Otherwise, check out the Vancouver Public Library or share with friends. Talking about books is a great way to find out about books you and your friends have in common.
How will I keep track of which books I have read?
You will have to choose your book early each term. A tracking sheet will be used by your English teachers throughout your years at PW and helps to ensure that you don’t simply re-read the same books year after year.
But I don’t have time to read! I have too much homework to do and I’m on a sports team!
Everyday at PW we have 20 minutes built into the schedule for Independent Reading (USR). Use USR wisely, and you shouldn’t have any difficulty in keeping up with your reading. Also take your book with you when you’re on the bus, or waiting for your orthodontist appointment. Learn to build some reading time into each day and you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to fit it in.
Key: C = Challenging M = Moderate E = Easy
| Author | Title (click to check number of copies and status) | Level |
Availability (Ereaders with loaded Ebooks are available for loan or you may download ebooks onto your own device) |
| Allende, Isabel | Daughter of Fortune | C |
|
| Alvarez, Julia | How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents | M |
|
| Alvarez, Julia | In the Time of the Butterflies | M |
|
| Angelou, Maya | I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings | M |
|
| Atwood, Margaret | Alias Grace | ||
| Atwood, Margaret | Cat's Eye | ||
| Atwood, Margaret | Edible Women | on order or available from other schools |
|
| Atwood, Margaret | The Handmaid's Tale | C |
|
| Atwood, Margaret | The Year of the Flood | ||
| Austen, Jane | Emma | also available as an Ebook |
|
| Boukreev, Anatoli | The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest | M |
|
| Bronte, Emily | Wuthering Heights | also available as an Ebook |
|
| Callaghan, Steven | Adrift | ||
| Carey, Peter | His Illegal Self | ||
| Carroll, Lewis | Alice's Adventures In Wonderland | E |
|
| Chang, Jung | Wild Swans: Three daughters of China | C |
|
| Cleave, Chris | Little Bee | ||
| Coelho, Paulo | The Alchemist | E |
|
| Coelho, Paulo | The Valkyries | E |
|
| Coelho, Paulo | Veronika Decides to Die | E |
|
| Coupland, Douglas | Girlfriend in a Coma | on order or available from other schools |
|
| Culleton, Beatrice | In Search of April Raintree | E |
|
| Davis, Kenneth C. | Don't Know Much About Geography | M |
on order or available from other schools |
| de Witt, Patrick | The Sisters Brothers | ||
| Diamant, Anita | The Red Tent | on order or available from other schools |
|
| Donoghue, Emma | Room | ||
| Dumas, Alexandre | The Count of Monte Cristo | C |
also available as an Ebook |
| Dunn, Katherine | Geek Love | on order or available from other schools |
|
| Egger, Dave | Zeitoun | ||
| Fielding, Helen | Bridget Jones's Diary | M |
|
| Fitch, Janet | White Oleander | C |
|
| Flagg, Fannie | Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café | M |
|
| Frank, Anne | Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl | M |
|
| Gaiman, Neil | The Graveyard book | ||
| Gantos, Jack | Hole in my life | ||
| Garcia, Christina | Dreaming in Cuban | M |
|
| Gibbons, Kaye | Ellen Foster | E |
|
| Golden, Arthur | Memoirs of a Geisha | C |
|
| Greene, Bette | The Summer of my German Soldier | E |
|
| Gregory, Phillipa | The Constant Princess | on order or available from other schools |
|
| Grisham, John | The Brethren | M |
|
| Guevara, Ernesto "Che" | The Motorcycle Diaries | M |
|
| Haley, Alex | Roots | C |
|
| Heinlein, Robert A. | Stranger in a Strange Land | on order or available from other schools |
|
| Hemingway, Earnest | The Sun also rises | ||
| Hill, Lawrence | The Book of Negroes | ||
| Hinton, S.E. | Rumblefish | E |
|
| Hornby, Nick | Juiliet Naked | ||
| Horby, Nick | Slam | ||
| Huxley, Aldous | A Brave New World | C |
|
| Irving, John | A Widow for One Year | C |
|
| Irving, John | The World According to Garp | C |
|
| Jones, Lloyd | Mister Pip | C |
|
| Keyes, Daniel | Flowers for Algernon | ||
| Kesey, Ken | One flew over the cuckoo's nest | ||
| Kidd, Sue Monk | The Secret Life of Bees | M |
|
| King, Stephen | Different Seasons (Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption) | E |
|
| King, Stephen | Misery | available from other schools |
|
| King, Stephen | Under the dome | ||
| Kingsolver, Barbara | The Poisonwood Bible | C |
|
| Kingsolver, Barbara | Prodigal Summer | C |
|
| Kinsella, W.P. | Shoeless Joe | M |
|
| Kogawa, Joy | Obasan | C |
|
| Krakauer, Jon | Into Thin Air | M |
|
| Laird, Elzabeth | Kiss the Dust | E |
|
| Lane, Patrick | Red dog, red dog | ||
| Laurence, Margaret | The Stone Angel | C |
|
| Lawrence, Grant | Adventures in Solitude | ||
| Lawson, Mary | Crow Lake | ||
| Lee, Harper | To Kill a Mockingbird | C |
|
| Le guin, Ursula K. | Gifts | ||
| L'Engle, Madeleine | The Moon by Night | M |
|
| Lipsyte, Robert | The Contender | E |
|
| Mandela, Nelson | A Long Walk to Freedom | C |
|
| Marquez, Gabriel Garcia | Love in the Time of the Cholera | C |
|
| McCourt, Frank | Angela's Ashes | C |
|
| McMillan, Terry | How Stella Got Her Groove Back | M |
|
| Miklowitz, Gloria.D | War Between the Classes | E |
|
| Mitchell, W.O. | Who Has Seen the Wind | C |
|
| Montgomery, L.M. | Anne of Green Gables | E |
|
| Montgomery, L.M. | Anne of Avonlea | E |
|
| Moriaty, Laura | The rest of her life | not available please check VPL |
|
| Mezrich, Ben | Bringing down the house | ||
| Ondaatje, Michael | The English patient | ||
| Pearson, Kit | Awake and Dreaming | E |
|
| Piccoult, Jodi | My Sister's Keeper | M |
|
| Poplak, Richard | Ja, No, Man | ||
| Quarrington, Paul | King Leary | ||
| Redfield, James | Celestine Prophecy | M |
on order or available from other schools |
| Rees, Matt Beynon | The Collaborator of Bethlehem | on order or check with VPL |
|
| Rowling, J.K. | Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets | E |
|
| Rowling, J.K. | Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallow | E |
|
| Rowling, J.K. | Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire | E |
|
| Rowling, J.K. | Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince | E |
|
| Rowling, J.K. | Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone | E |
|
| Rowling, J.K. | Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban | E |
|
| Rozan, S.J. | China Trade | M |
available from other schools |
| Saramago, Jose | Blindness | M |
|
| Saul, John | The God Project | M |
|
| Saul, John | The Presence | M |
|
| Schlink, Bernhard | The Reader | M |
|
| Shipley, Jocelyn | Seraphina's Circle | E |
|
| Slipperjack, Ruby | Honour the Sun | C |
|
| Sleator, William | Singularity | E |
|
| Slovo, Gillian | Every Secret Thing, My family, My Country | C |
|
| Sparks, Nicholas | A Walk to Remember | E |
|
| Stein, Garth | The Art of racing in the rain | ||
| Steinbeck, John | East of Eden | C |
|
| Steinbeck, John | The Grapes of Wrath | C |
|
| Steinbeck, John | The Pearl | E |
|
| Swift, Jonathan | Gulliver's Travel | also available as an Ebook |
|
| Tan, Amy | The Joy Luck Club | M |
|
| Ten Boom, Corrie | The Hiding Place | M |
|
| Thompson, Jim | The Killer inside me | ||
| Toews, Miriam | The flying Troutmans | ||
| Twain, Mark | The Advertures of Huckleberry Finn | also available as an Ebook |
|
| Verne, Jules | Journey to the Centre of the Earth | M |
also available as an Ebook |
| Vizzini, Ned | It's kind of a funny story | ||
| Walker, Alice | The Color Purple | M |
|
| Wearing Alison | Honeymoon in Purdah | ||
| Westerfield, Scott | Behemoth | ||
| Westerfield, Scott | Goliath | ||
| Westerfield, Scott | Leviathan | ||
You also may use the Web Cat and search for Stellar Award winners
Author |
Title (click to check number of copies and status) |
Aker, Dan |
One on One (available from other schools) |
Aker, Dan |
|
Beam, Matt |
|
Bennett, Holly |
|
Bennett, Holly |
|
Boraks-Nemetz, Lillian & Irene N. Watts |
|
Bradford, Karleen |
|
Bradford, Karleen |
|
Brooks, Martha |
|
Buffie, Margaret |
|
Burtinshaw, Julie |
|
Chalifour, Francis |
|
Chan, Gillian |
|
Choyce, Lesley |
|
Choyce, Lesley |
|
Collins, Sandy & Yvonne Rideout |
|
Collins, Sandy & Yvonne Rideout |
|
Cooper, John |
Season of Rage: Hugh Burnett and the Struggle for Civil Rights. |
Cowan, Shannon |
|
Donato, Rick & Andy Broadhead |
|
Dunnion, Kristyn |
|
Ellis, Deborah |
|
Foon, Dennis |
|
Friesenm, Gayle |
|
Fullerton, Alma |
|
Goobie, Beth |
|
Granfield, Linda |
I Remember Korea: Veterans Tell their Stories of the Korean War, 1950-53 |
Grant, Vicki |
|
Graydon, Shari |
|
Graydon, Shari |
Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know |
Haworth-Attard, Barbara |
|
Haworth-Attard, Barbara |
|
Haworth-Attard, Barbara |
|
Hull, Maureen |
|
Jackson-Davis, Greg |
|
Jacobs, Deborah Lynn |
|
Jessica, Hein |
|
Johnson, Julie |
|
Juby, Susan |
|
Juby, Susan |
|
Juby, Susan |
|
Korman, Gordon |
|
Korman, Gordon |
|
Luiken, Nicole |
|
Lunn, John |
|
Mac, Carrie |
|
Mac, Carrie |
|
Major, Kevin |
|
Matas, Carol |
|
Matas, Carol |
|
Matas, Carol |
|
Mc Bay, Bruce & James Heneghan |
|
McClintock, Norah |
|
McKay, Sharon |
|
McNaughton, Janet |
|
McNaughton, Janet |
|
McNicoll, Sylvia |
|
Olsen, Sylvia |
Just Ask Us: a conversation with First Nations teenage moms. |
Olsen, Sylvia |
|
Olsen, Sylvia |
|
Oppel, Kenneth |
|
Paperny, Myra |
|
Peters, Kimberly Joy |
|
Poulsen, David |
|
Rae Baxter, Jean |
|
Rivers, Karen |
|
Ryan, Darlene |
|
Scandiffio, Laura |
|
Scarsbrook, Richard |
|
Scarsbrook, Richard |
|
Schwartz, Virginia F. |
|
Sherrard, Valerie |
|
Shipley, Jocelyn |
|
Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk |
|
Stratton, Allan |
|
Tanner, Mike |
|
Taylor, Drew Hayden |
|
Toten, Teresa |
|
Trembath, Don |
|
Trottier, Maxine |
|
Tullson, Diane |
|
Tullson, Diane |
|
Tullson, Diane |
|
Ulrich, Maureen |
|
Waldorf, Heather |
|
Waldorf, Heather |
|
Walters, Eric |
|
Wilson, John |
|
Wilson, John |
|
Wilson, John |
|
Wiseman, Eva |
|
Wood, Maggie L. |
|
Ye, Ting-Xing with William Bell |
|
Yee, Paul |
| Grade 8 | Grade 9 | Grade 10 | Grade 11 | Grade 12 | Literature 12 |
ACTS of EXCLUSION
See: In the Heat of the Night Assignment for links.
See Also:VPL Research Guide. This guide has a wealth of information on Chinese Canadian history.
See: I Heard the Owl Call My Name for links.
See Also:VPL Research Guide. This guide has a wealth of information on the Holocaust.
See: First Nations on the Social Studies page.
See: Residential Schools on the Western Civilization 12 page
Holocaust
Anne Frank Guide
Jewish Virtual Library: Holocaust
A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Holocaust Education Fountation
BBC History: Genocide Under the Nazis
Vancouver City Archives
Vancouver Maritime Museum
Canadian Encyclopedia
Access news sources from the News Page
I HEARD the OWL CALL MY NAME
Information is readily available on the Internet; however, your research must be based on vetted, valid and reliable sources to be credible. A project, essay or assignment based on unreliable information will be a poor learning experience, even if expertly crafted.
Examples of hoax sources:
- http://descy.50megs.com/Emankato/mankato.html
- http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
- http://www.umich.edu/~engtt516/gallery.html
- http://descy.50megs.com/descy/webcred/webcred/dhmo.html
- http://burmesemountaindog.info/
Prince of Wales Learning Commons
Google | Library Home Page
List of mortal and Heroes: Phaethon, Orpheus, Adonis, Mida Echo and Narcissus, Hero and Leander, Psyche, Daedelus and Icarus, Perseus and Medusa, Bellerophone, Theseus and the Minotaur, and Hercules
See links under
POTLATCH and TOTEM POLES
Google | Library Home Page
The CURIOUS INCIDENT of the DOG in the NIGHT-TIME: AutismAssignment Sheet (Mrs. Thomson)
Be sure to check the authority of the information that you find.
For Teachers: Myths, Folktales, and Fairy Tales
WOLVES: Lupine Project Because this is a controversial topic, verify your information and consider the authority of the author.
World Wide Web Sites
Refer to the Poetry section of this page for general poetry links.
Columbia Granger World of Poetry (subscription on a trial basis until 20 February 2011 - see Teacher-Librarian for username & password)
Use the VSB Digital Library resources such as Ebsco, Biography in Context etc.
These are example of people who participated in civil disobedience:
The library has some books that may be useful for this project. If you have chosen the book review option, use the Online catalogue to locate your book. If we do not have the book, check the Vancouver Public Library. You can access the VPL catalogue through the Library Home Page.
General sites for poets (John Ashbery, Ted Berrigan, Robert Blaser, Hilda Doolittle, Robert Duncan, T.S. Eliot, Denise Levetov, Jack Spicer)
Hilda Doolittle Imaginest .org
T.S. Eliot Nobelprize.org
Allen Ginsberg Frank O'Hara Charles Olson Charlesolson.ca
Ezra Pound University of Kobe - (Japan) Prof. Hishikawa
William Carlos Williams University of Texas Arlington
bp Nichol [sic] bill bissett [sic] Hugo Ball George Bowering Ted Berrigan Denise Levertov Personal blog by Chris Corrigan
Lola Lemire Tostevin Robin Blaser
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
LORD of the FLIES
The following general links will give you a starting point for your research.
- Assignment Sheet PDF (Adapted from International College Library) International College Library - Lord of the Flies project
Plane Crash Info.com site with a list of plane crashes (some spelling mistakes found)Human Rights Watch Profiles places/regions affected by human rights violations.Amnesty International A global organization campaigning to end abuses of human rightsUnited Nations. Human Rights, Peace and Security, International Law.- Shipwreck - the Hannah
- Famous shipwrecks worldwide
- Hurricane Katrina
- Chilean Miners Rescue
- "I shouldn't be alive" documentary series
OF MICE and MEN
. 2. Migrant Workers
. 3. Mental Retardation
. 4. Book Review
. 5. Cast the Roles
The following web sites are all comprehensive sites with links to other resources. See also: In the Heat of the Night resources for Civil Rights Information. .
The following is a list of metapages - pages that provide navigation to other sites.
.
The American Dream
- Wikipedia’s Definition link to some information on the term
The Jazz Age
- Music of the 1920s has a few links on music in 1920s near the bottom of the page (this site also has many links to the 1920’s era—be aware that some of the links are old; this site also recommends some books on the 1920s)
- Videos of Jazz in 1920s links to videos
- 1920s Jazz Age more links to different jazz sites
Fashion in the 1920’s
- Costumes/Fashion has a few links when you scroll down the page to fashion
- Fashion History of 1920s information on the fashion in that period
Black Monday/Great Depression
- The Great Depression in America several links to essays on this subject
- Black Thursday information on the start of the Great Depression
- Market Crashes--1929
Bloody Sunday/Organized Crime
- St. Valentine’s Day Massacre details to the event and links to some criminals (like Al Capone)
- Al Capone brief paragraph on this infamous criminal done by university students with references
European vs. American Society/Politics
- American Politics during the 1920s link to a brief description of the politicians
- Europe in 1920s
Wealthy Influential Families
- John D. Rockefeller information on a prominent Rockefeller member
- Rockefeller Family
- Carnegie Family Tree many links to the different rich Carnegie family members
- Kennedy Family tree synopsis on the different people related to John F. Kennedy
Prohibition
- Prohibition article on About.com
- Prohibition in 1920s link to a detail picture of prohibition
- National Alcohol Prohibition link to the history of prohibition
- Prohibition in Oregon
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda
- Biography.com video and descriptions on the author
- PBS site on both Scott and Zelda
List complied by Kathy Lam
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