Junior and Senior Summer Reading Lists
Most of these books are available at the Chicago Public Library and at Borders. Please complete the required reading and select TWO books from the General Summer Reading list to read over the summer.
Assignments surrounding the two summer readings will follow in the upcoming 2009-2010 school year. Enjoy your summer, and your summer reading!
Junior Required Reading
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is a portrait of American life, American classic, tragedy, and friendship. It can be completed in 1-2 days.
Senior Required Reading
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, by Marjane Satrapi is the sequel to Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. It can be completed in 1-2 days.
General Summer Reading
Choose at least TWO of these:- Kendra, by Coe Booth (about finding one's place in the world)
- Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel (this surreal story about love takes place in Mexico)
- The Sandman Preludes & Nocturnes, by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by various artist (this graphic novel is filled with magic, dark humor, legend, and myth)
- Sula , by Toni Morrison (a novel about friendship and betrayal with characters who are African-American)
- The Inferior, by Peadar O Guilin (a gory survival tale about an alternate reality)
- Hip Hop High School, by Alan Lawrence Sitomer (student recommended book about urban lov and the ambition to succeed against odds)
Fiction Books
- The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, by Michael Lewis (about American football in general and Michael Oher in particular, who is the starring tackle for the Ole Miss team)
- When the Mirror Lies: Anorexia, Bulimia, and Other Eating Disorders, by Tamra Orr (discusses health and mental heath issues related to eating)
- Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food, by Eric Schlosser (this nonfiction book discusses nutrition, agri-business, and how promotions are directed to young consumers)
- The Art of War by Sun Tzu, by Sun Tzu (student-recommended book that discusses conflict and strategy)
Nonfiction Books
Additional Suggested Reading
If you still would like to read more, we suggest the following. These novels are worth reading once you have completed the required three readings.
- In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez (this novel, set in the Domincan Republic, is a fictional account of events that took place under the brutal dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, through the eyes of the Mirabal sisters)
- Tyrell, by Coe Booth (an urban story of homelessness)
- Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card (an action-packed, fast-paced futuristic science fiction novel; visit the Ender's Game website for more information)
- I Am the Cheese, by Robert Cormier (this suspenseful book is hard to put down)
- House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer (this suspenseful science fiction book's main character, Matt, was cloned for his organs and, little does he know, they're about to be extracted; visit Teen Reads for more information)
- Middle Passage, by Charles R. Johnson (this historical fiction book is full of adventure and romance)
- A Certain Slant of Light, by Laura Whitcomb (this ghost story is told from the vantage point of the ghost, and includes a romantic element)
- American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang (this graphic novel is a modern fable which weaves three stories--one about the Monkey King, another about the struggles of a student named Jin Wang, and the other about an all-American boy--together)
Fiction Books
- Genocide: Modern Crimes Against Humanity, by Brendan January (social studies)
- Freud: Inventor of the Modern Mind, by Peter D.Kramer (psychology)