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 sophomores. 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
- Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
- Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield
- Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein
- I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
- Impossible by Nancy Werlin
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
- Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz
- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
- Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
- Sold by Patricia McCormick
- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Student Recommendations
- The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
- The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- Believarexic by Jennifer Johnson
- Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
- Delirium by Lauren Oliver
- Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
- Evermore by Alyson Noel
- Every Day by David Levithan
- I Am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff
- The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry
- Matched by Ally Condie
- Maus by Art Spiegelman
- Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
- Reality Boy by A.S. King
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown
- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
- Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
- Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World by Bill Nye
- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
- Winger by Andrew Smith
Challenge List*
- Candide by Voltaire
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
- The Epic of Gilgamesh
- Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
*Please note: The Challenge List includes classic titles that deal with issues/themes which have historically been of great interest to high school sophomores. 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.