Mystery Genre Reading Assignment

Your next book test will be an essay.  The study topics are the same as those for The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (click here), and you should KEEP ALL YOUR NOTES ON THE MEMOIRS, as you will need them for the next test.
Due to a scarcity of books, I've had to add to the list.  Here are your options:

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  (Shafer has 4 copies, it's easy to find in libraries and bookstores, and it's available free online.  Just click the title to be taken to the gutenberg.org site where you can download it in various formats.  This is by far the easiest and most popular book.  Yes, it's another Sherlock Holmes story, but this time it's a full-length novel.)

The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie by Alan Bradley.  (Shafer has four copies, the kids in the kindle club have e-copies.  This is a popular book only a few years old and is definitely around in libraries and bookstores.  It is too new to be found online for free.  You can, of course, buy an e-copy of it.  This book features an 11-year-old genius as the protagonist and has some very funny parts, but it is not really a YA novel.)

Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith.  This book may be used ONLY if I have a note from your parents.  It does contain swearing and several adult themes.  I would've been fine reading it in 9th grade, but some of you (and some of your parents) may be too sensitive for this book.  (This is a very popular book that was published a few years ago.  It is about 2 cowboy brothers who decide they want to be detectives like Sherlock Holmes -- who is a real person in this series of books.  The book has some humor in it as well.  It should be relatively easy to find in a library or a bookstore, and, of course, buying an e-copy is always an option, but the book is too new to be available for free online.)

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.  (This is a very popular novel and the Salt Lake City libraries have several copies available.  Unfortunately for you, the author only died in 1976, so the book is still 30 years away from being public domain and free.)

Murder At The Vicarage by Agatha Christie.  (Ditto above commentary.)

Now you have 5 choices.  Pick ONE of them and read it, using post-it notes or taking handwritten notes to find examples of the common elements of 20th Century detective fiction.  Your test essay will involve comparing and contrasting the stories in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes to the full-length novel you choose from the above list.
If you are at a loss as to which book to choose, I will tell you that Baskervilles is the most common and the one that most people will expect you to have read by the time you're in college.  It's also the easiest to find.  If in doubt, go with Baskervilles.

Now, if you followed directions and are reading this post on the evening of 10/26/11, as directed to do in class, you are in luck.  At the moment, your grades are final for first term, except for the grades of BG, IR, and JW, who  know what needs to happen before their grades are final.  If you are happy with your grade at this point, you can stop reading this post now.  I have already added in extra credit for no tardies and for missing not a single assignment (including planner checks) all term, but some of you still are just a few points away from a higher grade.  If, then, you are still reading this on the evening of 10/26/11, and you want a few extra points, then e-mail me your best and most convincing paragraph ever about why you should get 10 more points.  You need not be truthful.  Creatively fictional reasons will be considered amusing.  However, you MUST write a good paragraph with a topic sentence, 3+ reasons, and a concluding sentence.  And I must receive it no later than 11:59 PM on 10/26/11.  Yes, this is to reward those who follow directions and read this post tonight instead of putting it off.

Extra Credit Project For Holmes Stories

Create a book trailer for one of the stories in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.  Be sure to make it clear which one.  Remember that the purpose of a book trailer is to hook someone's interest so that they will want to read the story.
The book trailer should be 20-30 seconds long, and may be posted on youtube (e-mail me the link), burned on a disc, or put on a flashdrive.
You may have your friends or family members help you with the acting or with still photos to be used in the trailer, but only one person gets credit for the trailer.  If you and your friends work together, then you must each help each other for trailers on different stories.
Here are some links to help you get ideas.
Bad Girls Don't Die
13 Little Blue Envelopes
Black Pearls

Worth up to 30 extra credit points if done well.
Due by October 17.

Wordles of "The Final Problem"

Four people did the extra credit (so easy!).

I thought I'd share their creations, which are pretty fun.

This first one is from VN:

The second one was made by VS:

The third one was done by CS:

And the final one was submitted by MG:

Remember that you can click on the pictures to see them full-sized.

Check back again to see more extra credit opportunities.

Information About The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes

If you are going to read the e-book instead of the physical book, here's a link:
The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes
You can also find a link on my website.

For background information for test day (October 26), you will need to go to this wikipedia link (Wikipedia "Detective Fiction") and read the introduction and the sections entitled "Early Western Detective Fiction," "Golden Age Detective Novels," and "The whodunit vs. the inverted detective story."
Please pay special attention to this list of items, particularly the red herring and the other linked items):

• English country house robbery
• An "inside job"
• red herrings
• A celebrated, skilled, professional investigator
• Bungling local constabulary
• Detective inquiries
• Large number of false suspects
• The "least likely suspect"
• A rudimentary "locked room" murder
• A reconstruction of the crime
• A final twist in the plot

Early Bird Extra Credit Special:
For 10 extra credit points, click the e-book link to The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, copy the text of "The Final Problem," and use it to make a Wordle, designing it however appeals to you.  Take a screen shot of your Wordle and e-mail it to Ms. Shafer at school by 10:00 AM on Sunday, October 9, 2011.  This is a little perk to reward those who check this blog on 10/7 or 10/8, as you were directed to do in class.  Wordles are fun and easy, so have a good time.  (But, no, I won't take the extra credit late.)