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Summer Reading List

Summer is a fantastic time to fall in love with a great work of literature and to sharpen the mind. Therefore, Island School requires all students, grades 6-12, to read at least one book over the summer. Below is a grade-by-grade book list and the requirements for that grade and level.

List of 6 items.

  • English 6

    All students are required to read Holes by Louis Sachar. Reading at least one other book from the list below is recommended.
    Among the HiddenMargaret Peterson Haddix
    Beetle BoyM. G. Leonard
    Bridge to TerabithiaKatherine Paterson
    Fish in a TreeLynda Mullay Hunt
    HolesLouis Sachar
    I Heard the Owl Call My NameMargaret Craven
    Where the Red Fern GrowsWilson Rawls

  • English 7

    All students are required to read The Island by Gary Paulsen.  Reading at least one other book from the list below is recommended.
    A Separate PeaceJohn Knowles
    Absolutely Normal ChaosSharon Creech
    FeedMatthew Tobin Anderson
    In the Footsteps of Crazy HorseJoseph Marshall
    Listen SlowlyThanhha Lai
    Mark of the ThiefJennifer A. Nielsen
    The Chocolate WarRobert Cormier
    The IslandGary Paulson

  • English 8

    All students are required to read Watership Down by Richard Adams.  Reading at least one other book from the list below is recommended.
    A Wizard of EarthseaUrsula LeGuin
    As Brave As YouJason Reynolds
    BookedKwame Alexander
    Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid MaryGail Jarrow
    I am Malala (Young Reader's Edition)Malala Yousafzai
    Samurai RisingPamela S. Turner
    The Girl Who Drank the MoonKelly Barnhill
    Watership DownRichard Adams

  • English 9

    All 9th grade students are required to read at least two books from the list below and to be ready to write about them on the first day of class.
    Born a Crime: Stories from a South African ChildhoodTrevor Noah
    East of EdenJohn Steinbeck
    Little BrotherCory Doctorow
    Lunar Chronicles SeriesMarissa Meyer
    Me Talk Pretty One DayDavid Sedaris
    Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel SeriesMichael Scott
    The Book ThiefMarkus Zusak
    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeMark Haddon
    The Kane Chronicles SeriesRick Riordan
    The Omnivore's Dilemma (Young Readers Edition)Michael Pollan

  • English 10

    All 10th grade students are required to read The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Reading at least one other book from the list below is recommended.

    A Tree Grows in BrooklynBetty Smith
    Ender's GameOrson Scott Card
    Ethan FromeEdith Wharton
    Flowers for AlgernonDaniel Keys
    Gone with the WindMargaret Mitchell
    The Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin
    The Joy Luck ClubAmy Tan
    The Red Badge of CourageStephen Crane
    The Scarlett LetterNathaniel Hawthorne
    The Things They CarriedTim O'Brien
    Tuesday with MorrieMitch Albom

  • English 11 & 12

    AP students are required to read at least three books from the list below and to be ready to write about them on the first day of class

    College prep students are required to read at least two books from the list below and to be ready to write about them on the first day of class.

    A Passage to IndiaE. M. Forster
    All the Pretty HorsesCormac McCarthy
    Anna KareninaLeo Tolstoy
    As I Lay DyingWilliam Faulkner
    BelovedToni Morrison
    Candide Voltaire
    Catch-22Jeseph Heller
    Ceremony Leslie Marmon Silko
    Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky
    Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens
    Heart of DarknessJoseph Conrad
    Invisible ManRalph Ellison
    Jane EyreCharlotte Bronte
    Moby DickHerman Melville
    Native SonRichard Wright
    Portrait of the Artist as a Young ManJames Joyce
    The AwakeningKate Chopin
    The Color PurpleAlice Walker
    The Scarlett LetterNathaniel Hawthorne
    Wuthering HeightsEmily Bronte