Can’t find your Summer Reading Guide? Well, here’s a fresh copy.
Summer Reading
This summer, you will be reading 2 books for your summer reading. Please follow the directions below to complete your summer reading before the first day of school. The books should be available at your local public library.
Step 1: Chose 1 book from the list on the next page for the grade you will be going into. Read the book over the summer and come to school prepared to discuss and write about the book in class. Your teacher may ask you to do an in-class writing assignment, participate in book chats with fellow students, or complete an in-class project on the book.
Step 2: Select 1 book of your choosing to also read over the summer. Make sure you book is grade-level appropriate. Feel free to use the list of suggested authors to help you decide. After you finish the book, chose one of the following assignments to complete based on the book. Your English teacher will collect the assignment from you at the beginning of the school year.
a. Write a 2+ page letter to the author in which you explain what impacted you the most, ask questions you have on the book, and explain connections you found between the book and your own life or the lives of others you know.
b. Write a 2+ page spin-off story for the main character(s). You could add a new scene to the book, rewrite the ending, or create a new scene that would happen after the book ended. Whatever you write should clearly connect to the original book.
c. Write a 2+ page newspaper article on a major event from the book. Make sure to hit all of the key facts from the event and to make it dramatic.
9th Grade:
1. Anderson, Laurie Halse. Twisted
2. Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak
3. Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451
10th Grade:
1. Schusterman, Neal. Unwind
2. Gruen, Sara. Water for Elephants
3. Twain, Mark. Tom Sawyer
11th Grade:
1. Morrison, Toni. Sula
2. Knowles, John. A Separate Peace
3. Partridge, Edith. John Lennon: All I want is the Truth: A Biography.
12th Grade:
1. Picoult, Jodi. My Sister’s Keeper.
2. Strauss, Darin. Half a Life
3. Wright, Richard. Black Boy
4. Albom, Mitch. The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Suggested Science Readings
1. A Whale for the Killing. Farley Mowat
2. The Perfect Storm. Sebastian Junger
3. Fatal Forecast. An Incredible True Tale of Disaster and Survival at Sea. Michael J. Tougias
4. Never Cry Wolf. Farley Mowat
5. Cod: A Biography of the Fish that changed the World. Mark Kurlansky
6. Games Wars: The Undercover Pursuit of Wildlife Poachers. Marc Reisner
Featured Authors by Genre:
Graphic Novels Neil Gaiman Marjane Satrapi Hiromu Arakawa
Nobuhiro Watsuki
Tite Kubo
Paranormal Stephenie Meyer Carrie Ryan Carrie Jones Lili St. Crow Claudia Gray
Poetry Langston Hughes Margarita Engle Julia Alvarez Nikki Giovanni Sports Chris Crutcher Mike Lupica John Coy John Feinstein Catherine Murdock
Horror Stephen King Darren Shan Simon Holt Sara Shepard Neil Shusterman Laurie Stolarz
Science Fiction Scott Westerfield Orson Scott Card Michael Crichton Kevin Brooks
Humor Gordon Korman Tim Tharp Jordan Sonnenblick Michele Jaffe Ned Zizzini David Sedaris
Romance Simone Elkeles E. Lockhart Sarah Dessen Lauren Myracle Nicholas Sparks Meg CabotRita Williams Garcia Coe Booth Teri Woods Richard Wright
Memoirs Jeannette Walls Esmeralda Santiago Dave Pelzer
Mystery/Adventure Peter Abrahams Anthony Horowitz James Patterson Siobhan Dowd Elizabeth Chandler Jodi Picoult Dan Brown
Historical Fiction Richard Peck Judy Blundell Adam Bagdasarian Ann Rinaldi
Fantasy Rick Riordan Cassandra Clare Suzanne Collins Christopher Paolini Libba Bray P.C. and Kristen Cast Kenneth Oppel
Urban Fiction L. Divine Matt de la Pena Nikki Grimes Sister Souljah Walter Dean Myers Sharon Draper Rita Williams Garcia Coe Booth Teri Woods
