Optional Summer Reading

Translate this page

Summer is a great time to dive into a good book or get ahead on the reading you'll be doing during the year. Although summer reading is optional, we encourage all our students to dive into a book or two this summer! Below, you will find the texts that will be read throughout the year, organized by course. We hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to get ahead on your reading or simply pick up a book of your choice and enjoy the relaxing pasttime of lounging in the shade with a good book.

English 9

Themes: Young Dystopian Novels

The English 9 collaborative team has developed a summer reading list that prioritizes student choice and engagement and exposes you to some of the central themes we will explore in our classes throughout the year. Rising ninth grade students are strongly encouraged to read one YA dystopian novel over the summer and consider how this novel offers relevant criticism for the society in which we currently live. We’ve included links below each title that indicate where you can find these texts in ebook or audiobook form for free.

While we have selected these books because of their literary merit and thematic connections, we also invite you to expand beyond this list if you find a different dystopian book. We also encourage you to do some research before selecting the books you will read this summer. For guidance and information on book selection, visit www.commonsensemedia.org, www.goodreads.com, or email the English Department Chair, Bridget Donoghue, at @email.

English 9 Choice Reading

English 9 Course Texts: The Odyssey & Romeo and Juliet

English 10

Themes: Cultural Collision, Tragic Inevitability, War in Society, Survival, Power and Authority

As the English 10 teaching team, we have developed a summer reading assignment that prioritizes student choice and engagement. Below, we have listed the central themes we will explore in our World Literature classes throughout the school year, along with suggested books that connect to these themes. Every English 10 student should read 1-4 books connected to the course themes this summer and prepare to participate in class discussions and activities based upon those books. The suggested list represents a wide range of genres, styles, and reading levels. In fact, many of these books are prize-winners and best-sellers that might appeal to parents or other family members as well. We hope that this list will spark shared reading experiences within your families this summer.

While we have selected these books because of their literary merit and thematic connections, we also invite you to expand beyond this list if you find a different book that connects well to one or more of these themes. We also encourage you to do some research before selecting the books you will read this summer. For more guidance and information on book selection, visit www.commonsensemedia.org, www.goodreads.com, or email the English Department Chair, Bridget Donoghue, at @email.

English 10 Choice Reading

English 10 Course Texts: Night (on-level), Frankenstein & Night (Honors)

English 11

Themes: The Individual in Society, Culture & Identity in America, Groupthink & Conformity, Race in America, The Individual in Nature, Fantasy, Horror & Imaginative Fiction, Money & Class

As the English 11 teaching team, we have developed a summer reading assignment that prioritizes student choice and engagement. Below, we have listed the central themes we will explore in our American Literature classes throughout the school year, along with suggested books that connect to these themes. Every English 11 student is strongly encouraged to read 1-4 books connected to the course themes this summer and prepare to participate in class discussions and activities based upon those books. The suggested list represents a wide range of genres, styles, and reading levels. In fact, many of these books are prize-winners and best-sellers that might appeal to parents or other family members as well. We hope that this list will spark shared reading experiences within your families this summer.

While we have selected these books because of their literary merit and thematic connections, we also invite you to expand beyond this list if you find a different book that connects well to one or more of these themes. We also encourage you to do some research before selecting the books you will read this summer. For more guidance and information on book selection, visit www.commonsensemedia.org, www.goodreads.com, or email the English Department Chair, Bridget Donoghue, at [email protected].

English 11 Choice Reading

English 11 Course Texts: American Born Chinese & The Great Gatsby (On-Level), The Great Gatsby (Honors), The Crucible, Frederick Douglass & The Great Gatsby (AP Language)

English 12

Themes: Mythology as Fiction, Shakespearean Tragedy and the Tragic Hero, The Female Perspective, The Stranger and Existentialism

As the English 12 teaching team, we have developed a summer reading assignment that prioritizes student choice and engagement. Below, we have listed the central themes we will explore in our classes throughout the school year, along with suggested books that connect to these themes. Every English 12 is strongly encouraged to read 1-4 books connected to the course themes this summer and prepare to participate in class discussions and activities based upon those books. The suggested list represents a wide range of genres, styles, and reading levels. In fact, many of these books are prize-winners and best-sellers that might appeal to parents or other family members as well. We hope that this list will spark shared reading experiences within your families this summer.