Complete listing of high school summer reading assignments
This list contains titles that students may wish to read
In addition to their assigned summer reading.
FICTION
Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Seconds
before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent
is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the
revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last
fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
Together
this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by a galaxy-full of
fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two- headed, three-armed ex-hippie and
totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend;
Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig,
a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the
ballpoint pens he bought over the years.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Life of a Part-Time Indian
Exploring Indian identity, both self and tribal, Alexie's first
young adult novel is a semiautobiographical chronicle of Arnold Spirit, aka
Junior, a Spokane Indian from Wellpinit, WA. The bright 14-year-old was born
with water on the brain, is regularly the target of bullies, and loves to draw.
He says, "I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my
cartoons are tiny little lifeboats." He expects disaster when he transfers
from the reservation school to the rich, white school in Reardan, but soon
finds himself making friends with both geeky and popular students and starting
on the basketball team. Meeting his old classmates on the court, Junior
grapples with questions about what constitutes one's community, identity, and
tribe.
Anderson, Laurie. Chains
Historical fiction; African American;
Slavery; U.S. Revolutionary War
As the Revolutionary War
begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised
freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel
twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons,
who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and
Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he
encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for
invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth,
Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with
freedom.
Andrews, Jesse. Me Earl and the Dying Girl
A frequently hysterical
confessional from a teen narrator who won't be able to convince readers he's as
unlikable as he wants them to believe."I have no idea how to write this
stupid book," narrator Greg begins. Without answering the obvious
question—just why is he writing"
this stupid book"?—Greg lets readers in on plenty else. His filmmaking
ambitions. His unlikely friendship with the unfortunately short, chain-smoking,
foulmouthed, African-American Earl of the title. And his unlikelier friendship
with Rachel, the titular "dying girl." Punctuating his aggressively
self-hating account with film scripts and digressions, he chronicles his senior
year, in which his mother guilt-trips him into hanging out with Rachel, who has
acute myelogenous leukemia. Almost professionally socially awkward, Greg
navigates his unwanted relationship with Rachel by showing her the films he's
made with Earl, an oeuvre begun in fifth grade with their remake of Aguirre, Wrath of God. Greg's
uber-snarky narration is self-conscious in the extreme, resulting in lines
like, "This entire paragraph is a moron." Debut novelist Andrews
succeeds brilliantly in painting a portrait of a kid whose responses
to emotional duress are entirely believable and sympathetic
Arnold, David. Mosquitoland
Mary Iris Malone, aka Mim,
has moved from Cleveland to Mississippi (or Mosquitoland as Mim derisively
calls it) with her father and new stepmother, who want her to forget her old
life and even her mother. Mim is already struggling, but when she becomes
convinced that her stepmother is keeping them apart, the teen steals money and
hits the road to Cleveland to save her mother. The journey has bumps along the
way—from a bus crash to unsavory characters. There are allies too, including
romantic lead Beck and Walt, a homeless young man with Down syndrome. Mim grows
on the trip and is forced to confront hard truths. Debut author Arnold's book
is filled with some incredible moments of insight. The protagonist is a
hard-edged narrator with a distinct voice. There is a lot for teens to admire
and even savor-but there are also some deeply problematic elements. There's
cultural appropriation: Mim uses lipstick to paint her face to soothe herself,
calling it "war paint" and assuring readers that this is fine because
she's "part" Cherokee. Walt's characterization veers close to stock,
being only an inspiration for Mim. She and Beck have to take Walt to a
veterinarian during a medical emergency. They joke that he is "kind of our
pet." The revelations about Mim's mother's mental health, and her own
mental health, arrive without clear foreshadowing and feel somewhat
disjointed—particularly Mim's ultimate decision about her own medication.
Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker
In
America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down
for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper
wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by
luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent
hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship
for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl
who could lead him to a better life. . . .
Banks, Russell. Rule of the Bone
The
story of a troubled fourteen-year-old boy who, upon leaving an abusive
home-life, lives on the edge of society, struggling to find himself.
Bondoux, Anne-Laure. A Time of Miracles
In
the early 1990s, a boy with a mysterious past and the woman who cares for him
endure a five-year journey across the war-torn Caucasus and Europe, weathering
hardships and welcoming unforgettable encounters with other refugees searching
for a better life.
Coben, Harlen. Shelter
Mickey
Bolitar's year can't get much worse. After witnessing his father's death and
sending his mom to rehab, he's forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron
and switch high schools. Fortunately, he's met a great girl, Ashley, and it
seems like things might finally be improving. But then Ashley vanishes. Mickey
follows Ashley's trail into a seedy underworld that reveals that Ashley isn't
who she claimed to be. And neither was Mickey's father. Soon Mickey learns
about a conspiracy so shocking that it leaves him questioning everything about
the life he thought he knew.
This gripping young adult novel will introduce a whole new
generation of fans to the humorous dialogue and clever plotting of Coben’s
popular suspense thrillers. Harlan Coben is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous adult novels, He has
won the Edgar Award, Shamus Award, and Anthony Award--the first author to
receive all three. His books are published in forty-one languages--with over 50
million copies in print worldwide--and have been #1 bestsellers in over a dozen
countries.
Courtenay,
Bryce. The Power of One
A boy in
South Africa during World War II, Peekay turns to two men, one black and one
white, to show him how to find the courage to dream, to succeed, to triumph
over a world when all seems lost.
Crichton, Michael. Timeline
In an
Arizona desert, a man wanders in a daze, speaking words that make no sense.
Within twenty-four hours he is dead, his body swiftly cremated by his only
known associates. Halfway around the world, archaeologists make a shocking
discovery at a medieval site. Suddenly they are swept off to the headquarters
of a secretive multinational corporation that has developed an astounding
technology. Now this group is about to get a chance not to study the past but
to enter it. And with history opened up to the present, the dead awakened to the
living, these men and women will soon find themselves fighting for their very
survival--six hundred years ago. . See also other titles by Crichton: Jurassic Park, Andromeda Strain and
more.
Ford, Jamie. Hotel
on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Henry
Lee, a Chinese-American in Seattle, loses his wife to cancer and recalls his
youth, when he and his Japanese-American friend, Keiko, spent time together
during WWII--before Keiko and her family were interred at a camp--and deals
with generational difficulties between himself and his father and college-age
son.
Galbraith, Robert. Cuckoo’s
Calling
A brilliant debut mystery in a classic vein: Detective
Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide.
After
losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely
scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and
creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend
and is living in his office.
Then
John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the
legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously
fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John
refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire
beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him
to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.
Green, John. The
Fault in Our Stars
In The Fault in Our Stars,
John Green has created a soulful novel that tackles big subjects--life, death,
love--with the perfect blend of levity and heart-swelling emotion. Hazel is
sixteen, with terminal cancer, when she meets Augustus at her kids-with-cancer
support group. The two are kindred spirits, sharing an irreverent sense of
humor and immense charm, and watching them fall in love even as they face
universal questions of the human condition--How will I be remembered? Does my
life, and will my death, have meaning?-- has a raw honesty that is deeply
moving.
Haddon, Mark. The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night
Despite
his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a
mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate
the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his
mother.
Hiaasen, Carl. Skink—No
Surrender
Richard and his cousin Malley are best friends. But while
Richard is pretty levelheaded, Malley tends to get into trouble. So Richard is
only mildly surprised to discover that she's run off with a guy she met on the
Internet in order to avoid being sent to boarding school in New Hampshire.
Richard wants to go find her, and luckily he runs into what may be the perfect
person to help him do just that: a ragged, one-eyed ex-governor of Florida
named Skink. With Skink at the helm, the two set off across Florida in search
of Richard's
cousin.
Lockhart, E. We
Were Liars
Each summer the wealthy, seemingly perfect, members of the
Sinclair family gather on their private island. We Were Liars is the story of those annual reunions; in particular
what happened during a summer that protagonist Cadence is unable to remember.
Prejudice, greed, and shifting patriarchal favoritism among the three adult
sisters contrasts with the camaraderie and worldview of the teenage cousins and
their dear friend Gat. Lazy days of sticky lemonades on the roof and marathon
Scrabble games give way to twisty suspense, true love, and good intentions gone
horribly wrong.
Marchetta, Melina. Jellicoe
Road
Abandoned
by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now
seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant
leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn't a lot of time for
introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has
disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all. In this
absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue
leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her
mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a
mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her
dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the
maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he
does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able
to change her future.
Martel, Yann. Life
of Pi
Pi Patel, having spent an idyllic childhood in
Pondicherry, India, as the son of a zookeeper, sets off with his family at the
age of sixteen to start anew in Canada, but his life takes a marvelous turn
when their ship sinks in the Pacific, leaving him adrift on a raft with a
450-pound Bengal tiger for company.
McDonald, Joyce. Swallowing Stones
Michael MacKenzie, 17, spends a tormented summer of guilt
squeezing through the interstices of lies that he and his unsavory friend, Joe,
concoct to hide the fact that a shot Michael fired from a rifle killed a man
working on his roof over a mile away. In alternating chapters, Michael and the
dead man's 15-year-old daughter, Jenna, creep inexorably toward their
inevitable confrontation. This mesmerizing story largely derives its power from
the respect McDonald demonstrates for these teens and their emotions, and her
unwavering focus on their changing relationships in response to the tragedy.
While on the surface the summer revolves around parties and the pool, readers
are insinuated into the underlying culture that structures and controls their
lives.
Moriarty, Laura. The Chaperone
Adolescent,
pre-movie-star Louise Brooks, and her thirty-six-year-old chaperone have their
lives changed on their visit to New York City in the summer of 1922. Drawing on
the rich history of the 1920s,'30s, and beyond--from the orphan trains to
Prohibition, flappers, and the onset of the Great Depression to the burgeoning
movement for equal rights and new opportunities for women-- Laura Moriarty's The Chaperone illustrates how rapidly
everything, from fashion and hemlines to values and attitudes, was changing at
this time and what a vast difference it all made for Louise Brooks, Cora
Carlisle, and others like them.
Pearson, Mary E. The Adoration of Jenna Fox
The ethics of bioengineering in the not-so-distant future drives
this story. Jenna, 17, severely injured in a car crash, is saved by her
heartbroken father, a scientist who illegally uses the latest medical
technology to help her. Only 10 per cent of her original brain is saved, but
Dad has programmed her by uploading the high-school curriculum. She could live
two years, or 200. Is she a monster or a miracle? Why have her parents hidden
her away? The science (including allusions to the dangerous overuse of
antibiotics) and the science fiction are fascinating, but what will hold
readers most are the moral issues of betrayal, loyalty, sacrifice, and
survival. Jenna realizes it is her parents’ love that makes them break the law
to save her at any cost. The teen’s first-person, present-tense narrative is
fast and immediate as Jenna makes new friends and confronts the complicated
choices she must make now.
Reynolds,
Jason. All American Boys
Realistic fiction; racism & prejudice;
alternating points of view
Rashad
Butler is a quiet, artistic teen who hates ROTC but dutifully attends because
father insists "there's no better opportunity for a black boy in this
country than to join the army." He heads to Jerry's corner store on a
Friday night to buy chips, and ends up the victim of unwarranted arrest and
police brutality: an event his white schoolmate Quinn Collins witnesses in
terrified disbelief. Quinn is even more shocked because the cop is Paul
Galluzzo, older brother of his best friend and Quinn's mentor since his father
died in Afghanistan. As events unfold, both boys are forced to confront the
knowledge that racism in America has not disappeared and that change will not
come unless they step forward. Reynolds and Kiely's collaborative effort deftly
explores the aftermath of police brutality, addressing the fear, confusion, and
anger that affects entire communities. Diverse perspectives are presented in a
manner that feels organic to the narrative, further emphasizing the tension
created when privilege and racism cannot be ignored. Timely and powerful, this
novel promises to have an impact long after the pages stop turning. VERDICT
Great for fostering discussions about current events among teenage audiences.
Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park
Eleanor is the new girl in town and her wild red hair and
patchwork outfits are not helping her blend in. She ends up sitting next to
Park on the bus, whose tendencies towards comic books don’t jibe with the rest
of his family’s love of sports. They sit in awkward silence every day until
Park notices that Eleanor is reading his comics over his shoulder; he begins to
slide them closer to her side of the seat and thus begins their love story.
Their relationship grows gradually--making each other mixed tapes (it is 1986
after all) and discussing X-Men characters--until
they both find themselves looking forward to the bus ride more than any other
part of the day. Things aren’t easy: Eleanor is bullied at school and then goes
home to a threatening family situation; Park’s parents do not approve of
Eleanor’s awkward ways. Ultimately, though, this is a book about two people who
just really, really like each other and who believe that they can overcome any
obstacle standing in the way of their happiness.
Ruby, Laura. Bone
Gap
It is a rare book that sits
comfortably on the shelf with the works of Twain, McCullers, Conroy, Stephen
King, and D'Aulaires' Greek Myths-rarer still that a novel combines elements of
these authors together. Bone Gap does just this, to superb effect. We start
with a boy named Finn and his brother, Sean. Sean is the classic hero: strong,
silent, great at everything he does. Finn is a pretty boy whose otherworldly
goofiness has earned him the nicknames Spaceman, Sidetrack, and Moonface. Along
comes Rosza, a beautiful and damaged young woman, fleeing from some unknown
evil. When she disappears, only Finn witnesses her abduction and he is unable
to describe her captor. He is also unsure whether she left by force or choice.
The author defies readers' expectations at every turn. In this world, the
evidence of one's senses counts for little; appearances, even less. Heroism
isn't born of muscle, competence, and desire, but of the ability to look beyond
the surface and embrace otherworldliness and kindred spirits. Sex happens, but
almost incidentally. Evil happens, embodied in a timeless, nameless horror that
survives on the mere idea of beauty. A powerful novel.
Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades
of Gray.
Sepetys' first novel offers a harrowing and horrifying account
of the forcible relocation of countless Lithuanians in the wake of the Russian
invasion of their country in 1939. In the case of 16-year-old Lina, her mother,
and her younger brother, this means deportation to a forced-labor camp in
Siberia, where conditions are all too painfully similar to those of Nazi
concentration camps. Lina's great hope is that somehow her father, who has
already been arrested by the Soviet secret police, might find and rescue them.
A gifted artist, she begins secretly creating pictures that can--she hopes--be
surreptitiously sent to him in his own prison camp. Whether or not this will be
possible, it is her art that will be her salvation, helping her to retain her
identity, her dignity, and her increasingly tenuous hold on hope for the
future. Many others are not so fortunate. Sepetys, the daughter of a Lithuanian
refugee, estimates that the Baltic States lost more than one-third of their
populations during the Russian genocide. Though many continue to deny this
happened, Sepetys' beautifully written and deeply felt novel proves the reality
is otherwise. Hers is an important book that deserves the widest possible
readership.
Sparks, Nicholas. A Walk to Remember
When
a twist of fate makes Jamie Sullivan his date at the homecoming dance, Landon
Carter never dreamed they would fall in love, but as he comes to realize his
true feelings for Jamie, he learns of a terrible secret that will take his love
away from him forever.
Stein, Garth. The Art of Racing in the Rain
Enzo,
the dog of professional race car driver Denny Swift, recalls the memories of
his life and shares his insight into the human condition that he learned from
observing his owner. Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher
with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has
educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very
closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car
driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human
condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast.
Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate
all of life's ordeals. A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately
uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and
captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a
dog could tell it.
