Summer Reading Assignment: Rising Sophomores, 2009-2010

Hugo, Victor Les Misérables. Fawcett Books.  ISBN: 0-449-30002-1 $5.99.

          (Abridgement by James K. Robinson)

            Please read Les Misérables by Victor Hugo over the summer. There will be a test on the novel on the second day of school in August. You will need to know what happens in the novel (the concrete), and you will need to show that you have thought about what it all means (the abstract). Think about why you like it or why you do not (your affective or emotional response) and what it made you think about (your cognitive or intellectual response).

            There is no writing assignment over the summer, but there will be one on this novel fairly soon, so either take notes as you read or mark what you find interesting or important in your book.

            Read James K. Robinson's introduction to this novel, but limit yourself to that. Do not consult SparkNotes or any other website of that kind. This novel is accessible. You won't need help with it. Beware: the creators of SparkNotes use a different edition than the one we use, so if you depend on that site, you'll know things you shouldn't know, and you won't know things you should know, and that will show on the test (and the same is true of the movie, by the way). If your test shows that you relied on SparkNotes, we'll have a long talk about doing honest work, and that won't be the best way to start the year.

            This novel is very, very long. We are therefore recommending an abridged version. If you choose to read the unabridged version, that's great, but be aware that the test will be based on the abridgement.

            Plan ahead! Even the abridgement is about 400 pages long. Start early so that you can finish the novel by the time school begins. We think you'll find that you like the book!