Requirements
Students may select any two books that interest them. The books must be ones the student has not read before and must not have been made into a movie.
You may read from any genre that interests you, and there is no requirement to read one fiction and one nonfiction book. As long as it is a book, it counts! Do you want to read two books about World War II? Great! Do you want to read a graphic novel? Awesome! Do you want to sit by the pool this summer and read about zombies? Go for it!
Recommended Reading
While you may choose to read whatever you would like, we thought some of you might like to see a list of recommended books. The list for each grade level/class has been compiled from awards lists, teacher recommendations, and even student recommendations!
Teacher Recommendations
Student Recommendations
Challenge List*
*Please note: The Challenge List includes classic titles that deal with issues/themes which have historically been of great interest to high school juniors. Many of these titles, however, were originally intended for adult audiences and include more mature themes. They were included here because they will help prepare/challenge students who are interested in taking honors-level and AP courses later in high school. None of these texts are required, and students should select summer reading that best fits their interests and goals.
Students may select any two books that interest them. The books must be ones the student has not read before and must not have been made into a movie.
You may read from any genre that interests you, and there is no requirement to read one fiction and one nonfiction book. As long as it is a book, it counts! Do you want to read two books about World War II? Great! Do you want to read a graphic novel? Awesome! Do you want to sit by the pool this summer and read about zombies? Go for it!
Recommended Reading
While you may choose to read whatever you would like, we thought some of you might like to see a list of recommended books. The list for each grade level/class has been compiled from awards lists, teacher recommendations, and even student recommendations!
Teacher Recommendations
- 1776 by David McCullough
- Ashes by Laurie Halse Anderson
- Behind Rebel Lines by Seymour Reit
- Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
- Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
- Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
- John Adams by David McCullough
- Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
- The Path Between Seas by David McCullough
- The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
- The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
- Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen
Student Recommendations
- Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt by George Grant
- Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
- Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
- Looking for Alaska by John Green
- The Living by Matt de la Pena
- No Easy Day by Mark Owens
- Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
- Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
- Scowler by Daniel Kraus
- Soldier X by Don L. Wulffson
- A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
- Winger by Andrew A. Smith
Challenge List*
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
- Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
- Roots by Alex Haley
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
*Please note: The Challenge List includes classic titles that deal with issues/themes which have historically been of great interest to high school juniors. Many of these titles, however, were originally intended for adult audiences and include more mature themes. They were included here because they will help prepare/challenge students who are interested in taking honors-level and AP courses later in high school. None of these texts are required, and students should select summer reading that best fits their interests and goals.