Boston Arts Academy - Literature Circle Summer Reading

Every year at Boston Arts Academy, we select books for our Literature  Circle Summer Reading. Last year, we did one book for the whole school, and it was a success. We will be doing one book again this summer. This summer, the book is:

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Set in the 2020s where society has largely collapsed due to climate change, growing wealth inequality, and corporate greed, Parable of the Sower centers on a young woman named Lauren Oya Olamina who possesses what Butler dubbed hyperempathy or "sharing" – the ability to feel pain and other sensations she witnesses. As a teenager growing up in the remnants of a gated community near Los Angeles, she begins to develop a new belief system, which she comes to call Earthseed. When the community's security is compromised, her home is destroyed and her family is murdered, and she travels north with other survivors. Society outside the community walls has reverted to chaos due to resource scarcity and poverty, and mixed race relationships are stigmatized amid attacks against religious and ethnic minorities. Lauren believes that humankind's destiny is to travel beyond Earth and live on other planets, forcing humankind into its adulthood, and that Earthseed is preparation for this destiny. She gathers followers along her journey north and founds the first Earthseed community, Acorn, in Northern California.

Students can check out this book from Boston Public Library over the summer. We will have some copies available before the end of the school year here at Boston Arts Academy.  For students who like to read in a digital format, please come see Ms. D in the library to discuss possibilities. We will be posting a link to the digital audiobook as soon as we have it.

If students or parents have any questions about the book, the assignment, or anything else related to summer reading, please ask your Seminar teacher. 

Thank you!

Want to read digitally? Download Libby, the new app for Boston Public Library's Overdrive collection!

Book Review: Ghosts By Raina Telgemeier

*note: Raina Telgemeier is on the Banned Book List this year for her graphic novel Drama. Here is a book review of her graphic novel Ghosts.*

Ghosts By Raina Telgemeier
Genre Graphic Novel
Reviewed by Jabriana G.



My overall opinion of this book is that it’s a really interesting and wonderful book.The plot of this book is that Cat has a little sister named Maya, and they move to Bahia de la Luna because of Maya’s Cystic Fibrosis. They both meet a boy who tells them about the ghosts in the town.


My favorite part in this book is when Maya meets an eight-year-old ghost named Jose, and she tells him,”Jose, if I die, Cat will be all alone. She’s terrible at making friends.” This is my favorite part of this book because even though Maya knows she might die sooner than later it shows that she’s not afraid, but that she’s afraid of what might happen to her sister after she’s gone. I would recommend this book to people who like Graphic Novels, and possibly someone who is struggling from moving from somewhere old to somewhere new.This book is also really good to read if you like stories that involve Dia De Los Muertos or ghosts. I think that someone might enjoy this book as the weather gets colder and windier, so this is a book that’s perfect to read in Autumn, or during Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos.

Book Review - Milk & Honey

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Reviewed by Zorely 

Milk and Honey is a book filled with a series of poems that I absolutely love, and you will too.

This is a book that is filled with meaningful poems that somehow get you inspired to write your very own. The book is divided into four chapters that have poems relating to the title. The Hurting, The Loving, The Breaking, and The Healing.

Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey is by far one of my favorite books that are dedicated to poems. There aren’t many books like that, and I adore them. I don’t have just one favorite poem, in fact I have four poems that I enjoyed and they all happen to be in the same chapter called “The Healing.” The first one is on page 157. It is about co-depending on people to fill the spots you think that are empty. This could mean that you’re lacking happiness, love, anything you think that you don’t have. The last part of it really makes you think deeply about where you stand in life. “Who tricked you into believing another person was meant to complete you when the most they can do is complement.” The second one is on page 167 and it talks about that one quote that is most famous from males who try to impress a woman by saying, “You’re not like most girls.” Some girls might like to hear that, but others don’t. For some it seems more of an insult to them than a compliment because as the poem states, “Something about the phrase-something about how I have to be unlike the women I call sisters in order to be wanted makes me want to spit your tongue out. Like I am supposed to be proud you picked me. As if I should be relieved you think I am better than them.” And lastly, my favorite poem is on page 190. It explains about fellow females joining together hand in hand to help each other. Whether it be emotional support, physical support, jobs, or even something as bold as standing up to women’s rights. In the poem it compares the need for feminism to  flowers needing spring.

I would recommend this book to people who love poems as much as I do. This book is for the people who want to find their inner poet through the writing of another author.

If you feel like reading something that has multiple hidden messages or you just want to read something unlike most books, you’d absolutely enjoy this book.

Literature Circles - Summer 2017!

We are finally ready to reveal the revamp of our Literature Circles! Yay! This information will also be available during RICO reviews.

Hello BAA Family,

Another year is done! In order to help your Artist-Scholar-Citizen stay engaged this summer and be ready for next year, here is some information and resources you should know about, thanks to the BAA Library:

• Summer Literature Circles information: Everyone is reading American Born Chinese, and all students must pick one other book of their choice to read. The assignment is attached. Students can find book recommendations at https://tinyurl.com/baalitcircles (also attached).

• Other libraries (ProArts and public libraries) where students can go to study or read over the summer:
• http://www.bpl.org/branches/index_by_neighborhood.htm
• http://www.proarts.org/libraries/

• Axis 360 is a free Ebook and audiobook database that is available to the BAA community. It is available through the website (http://baa.axis360.baker-taylor.com) or as a mobile app in the App Store on your phone or tablet. In order to create a free account, search for “Boston Arts Academy” as your library, and input your “Library ID” which is “baa” followed by your student ID (so if your student ID is 44444 your Library ID is baa44444).

• Tutors will be available next year. For questions, please contact Ms. D at adambruoso@bostonartsacademy.org

• Proofreading is available during the year from library staff. Students should share papers via Google Drive to read@bostonartsacademy.org.

• The library website is https://bostonartsacademylibrary.blogspot.com/ and provides links and access to the Boston Public Library, eBooks, and other resources.

Thank you all for a great year! Please do not hesitate to contact Ms. D with questions either during the summer or the school year. She is happy to help.

With Love,

Your BAA Library Staff

Literature Circle Assignment: LINK
Book Suggestions: LINK
Boston Public Library book suggestions: 9th-12th grade and 6th-8th grade
Follow the BAA Library on Instagram to see what Ms. D is reading this summer.

Helpful Links for Summer

There is ONE more week of classes! Don't forget that students have RICO conferences on Monday 6/26 and Tuesday 6/27. 

With summer in mind, here is some useful information to get you through until the next school year: 

• Summer Literature Circles information: Everyone is reading American Born Chinese, and all students must pick one other book of their choice to read. The assignment is forthcoming. Students can find book recommendations at https://tinyurl.com/baalitcircles.
• Other libraries (ProArts and public libraries) where students can go to study or read over the summer:
• http://www.bpl.org/branches/index_by_neighborhood.htm
• http://www.proarts.org/libraries/
• Axis 360 is a free Ebook and audiobook database that is available to the BAA community. It is available through the website (http://baa.axis360.baker-taylor.com) or as a mobile app in the App Store on your phone or tablet. In order to create a free account, search for “Boston Arts Academy” as your library, and input your “Library ID” which is “baa” followed by your student ID (so if your student ID is 44444 your Library ID is baa44444).
• Tutors will be available next year. For questions, please contact Ms. D at adambruoso@bostonartsacademy.org
• All BAA students should have a public library card number on their OneCard (T pass). You can find the books and more through the Boston Public Library catalog. Materials can be sent to your closest branch location. 

Thank you all for a great year! Please do not hesitate to contact Ms. D with questions either during the summer or the school year.