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Lord of the Flies, William Golding (Fiction/ Adventure/ Classic)William Golding's compelling story about a group of very ordinary young boys stranded on a coral island has become a modernclassic. At first, it seems as though it's all going to be great fun; but the fun before long becomes furious, and life on the islandturns into a nightmare of panic, survival, death. As ordinary standards of behavior collapse, the whole world the boys know collapseswith them—the world of cricket, homework, and adventure stories— and another world is revealed beneath, primitive, and terrible.The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd (Historical Fiction)Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurredmemory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of thedeepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secretto her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of beesand honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story women will share and pass on totheir daughters for years to come.English I On-LevelThe Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World’s Most Notorious Nazi, Neal Beacom(Non- Fiction)A thrilling spy mission, a moving Holocaust story, and a first-class work of narrative nonfiction. In 1945, at the end of World War II, AdolfEichmann, the head of operations for the Nazis' Final Solution, walked into the mountains of Germany and vanished from view. Sixteenyears later, an elite team of spies captured him at a bus stop in Argentina and smuggled him to Israel, resulting in one of the century'smost important trials -- one that cemented the Holocaust in the public imagination. THE NAZI HUNTERS is the thrilling and fascinatingstory of what happened between these two events. Survivor Simon Wiesenthal opened Eichmann's case; a blind Argentinean and histeenage daughter provided crucial information. Finally, the Israeli spies -- many of whom lost family in the Holocaust -- embarked ontheir daring mission, recounted here in full. THE NAZI HUNTERS is a can't-miss work of narrative nonfiction that young adult readers willcertainly enjoy.Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard (Dystopian/ Fantasy)This is a world divided by blood – red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. Andto Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is, until shefinds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood,she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvershide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep wouldmean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is aworld of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against herown heart .The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Sean Covey (Non-Fiction)This helpful guide for teenagers will bring a special perspective and focus to the lives of young people everywhere. Sean speaks directlyto teenagers in a language they can really understand and relate to, providing a step-by-step guide to help them improve self-image,build friendships, resist peer pressure, achieve their goals, get along with their parents, and much more.When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, Kimberly Willis Holt (Realistic Fiction)Nothing ever happens in Toby’s small Texas town. Nothing much until this summer that’s full of big changes. It’s tough for Toby when hismother leaves home to be a country singer. Toby takes it hard when his best friend Cal’s older brother goes off to fight in Vietnam. Nowtheir sleepy town is about to get a jolt with the arrival of Zachary Beaver. Toby is in for a summer unlike any other, a summer sure tochange his life. While it's a summer filled with heartache of every kind, it's also a summer of new friendships gained and old friendshipsrenewed. And it's Zachary Beaver who turns the town of Antler upside down and leaves everyone, especially Toby, changed forever. Withunderstated elegance, Kimberly Willis Holt tells a compelling coming-of-age story about a thirteen-year-old boy struggling to find himselfin an imperfect world. At turns passionate and humorous, this extraordinary novel deals sensitively and candidly with obesity, war, andthe true power of friendship.English II Pre-AP/GTThe Chosen, Chaim Potok (Historical Fiction)The classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is bestsuited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored worldthat neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again.The Book of Strange New Things, Arthur Miller (Dystopian, Science Fiction)This story begins with Peter, a devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away fromhis wife, Bea. Peter becomes immersed in the mysteries of an astonishing new environment, overseen by an enigmatic corporation knownonly as USIC. His work introduces him to a seemingly friendly native population struggling with a dangerous illness and hungry for Peter’steachings—his Bible is their “book of strange new things.” But Peter is rattled when Bea’s letters from home become increasinglydesperate: typhoons and earthquakes are devastating whole countries and governments are crumbling. Bea’s faith, once the guiding lightof their lives begins to falter. Suddenly, a separation measured by an otherworldly distance, and defined both by one newly discoveredworld and another in a state of collapse, is threatened by an ever-widening gulf that is much less quantifiable. While Peter is reconcilingthe needs of his congregation with the desires of his strange employer, Bea is struggling for survival. Their trials lay bare a profoundmeditation on faith, love tested beyond endurance, and our responsibility to those closest to us.Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (Historical Fiction, Tragedy)

THINGS FALL APART tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village inNigeria. The first of these stories traces Okonkwo's fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives, and in its classical purity of lineand economical beauty it provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society. Thesecond story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, and which elevates the book to a tragic plane, concerns the clash of cultures andthe destruction of Okonkwo's world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries. These twin dramas areperfectly harmonized, and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, andthe mysterious compulsions of the soul.English II On-LevelThe Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century, Sarah Miller (Non- Fiction, Historical, Suspense/Thriller)Many of us have heard the saying, “Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gaveher father forty-one.” But how many readers actually know the real story behind this saying? In a linear narrative, appropriate for uppermiddle school and above readers, author Sarah Miller takes readers along non-fiction story line that actually reads more like a thriller, asshe investigates a brutal crime: the August 4, 1892, murders of wealthy and prominent Andrew and Abby Borden. The accused? Mildmannered and highly respected Lizzie Borden, daughter of Andrew and stepdaughter of Abby. Most of what is known about Lizzie’s arrestand subsequent trial (and acquittal) comes from sensationalized newspaper reports; as Miller sorts fact from fiction, and as a legal battlegets under way, a portrait of a woman and a town emerges.The Crossover, Kwame Alexander (Novel in Verse, Poetry)"With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering,"announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more thanbasketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle novel of family andbrotherhood. Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terribleprice, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle (Mystery, Adventure, Classic)Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson are faced with their most terrifying case yet. The legend of the devil-beast that haunts the moors aroundthe Baskerville family home warns the descendants of that ancient clan never to venture out in those dark hours when the power of evil isexalted. Now, the most recent Baskerville, Sir Charles, is dead and the footprints of a giant hound have been found near his body. Willthe new heir meet the same fate?Swallowing Stones, Joyce McDonald (Realistic Fiction)It begins with a free and joyful act--but from then on, Michael finds it impossible even to remember what it felt like to be free andjoyful. When he fires his new rifle into the air on his seventeenth birthday, he never imagines that the bullet will end up killingsomeone. But a mile away, a man is killed by that bullet as he innocently repairs his roof. And Michael keeps desperately silent while hewatches his world crumble. Meanwhile Jenna, the dead man's daughter, copes with desperation of her own. Through her grief, she triesto understand why she no longer feels comfortable with her boyfriend and why a near stranger named Michael keeps appearing in herdreams. Suspenseful and powerfully moving, this is the unforgettable story of an accidental crime and its haunting web of repercussions.English III Advanced Placement Language and Composition***AP English III Language students are to choose one of the following nonfiction titles listed after these summarypages of this document. This list is compiled by the American Library Association and College Board for collegebound high school students.English III On-LevelBleachers, John Grisham (Realistic Fiction)High school All-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever to play for the legendary Messina Spartans. Fifteenyears have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who molded theSpartans into an unbeatable football dynasty. As Coach Rake's 'boys' sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field lights to signal hispassing, they replay the old glories, and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake – or hate him. For Neely Crenshaw,still struggling to come to terms with his explosive relationship with the Coach, his dreams of a great career in the NFL, and the choiceshe made as a young man, the stakes could not be higher.The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Daniel James Brown(Non-Fiction)Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for anOlympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyardworkers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing forAdolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager withoutfamily or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew isassembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other thatmakes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together—a perfectmelding of commitment, determination, and optimism. Drawing on the boys’ own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of aonce-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the mostdesperate of times—the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the GreatDepression, showed the world what true grit really meant.

The Help, Kathryn Stockett (Fiction)Twenty-two-year old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi,and her mother will not be happy until Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising herseventeeth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after,though she knows both their hearts may be broken. Minny, Aibileen’s best friend is perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She cancook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working forsomeone too new to town to know her reputation, but her new boss has secrets of her own. Seemingly as different from one another ascan be, these women will nonetheless come together for a secret project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they aresuffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed. In pitch-perfect voices,Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, andthe way women- mothers, daughters, caregiver, friends- view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, andhope, The Help is a timeless universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brein (Short Stories, Memoirs)They carried malaria tablets, love letters, 28-pound mine detectors, illustrated bibles, each other. And if they made it home alive, theycarried unrelenting images of a nightmarish war that history is only beginning to absorb. Since its first publication, The Things TheyCarried has become an unparalleled Vietnam testament, a classic work of American literature, and a profound study of men at war thatilluminates the capacity, and the limits, of the human heart and soul.English IV Advanced Placement Literature and CompositionHow to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, Thomas C. Foster(Non- Fiction)What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey? Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is muchmore going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface -- a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twiston a character -- and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you.In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, andto discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, isnever just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor isthe perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.***In addition, during the first six weeks, AP English IV Literature students will choose to work with a text ofliterary merit. Students will have already read several works of literary merit throughout high school, and any ofthose would be a great choice. If a student is wanting to read something new this summer, works of literary meritthat have been listed numerous times on the AP exam are included on the last page of this document.English IV On-LevelCry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton (Fiction)A deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people riven bysocial injustice. Remarkable for its lyricism, unforgettable for character and incident, Cry, the Beloved Country, is a classic work of love,hope, courage, and endurance, born of the dignity of man.How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, Thomas C. Foster(Non- Fiction)What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey? Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is muchmore going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface -- a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twiston a character -- and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you.In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, andto discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, isnever just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor isthe perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Sean Covey (Non-Fiction)This helpful guide for teenagers will bring a special perspective and focus to the lives of young people everywhere. Sean speaks directlyto teenagers in a language they can really understand and relate to, providing a step-by-step guide to help them improve self-image,build friendships, resist peer pressure, achieve their goals, get along with their parents, and much more.The Sword and the Stone, (from the Once and Future King Tetralogy) T.H. White (Fantasy)“Learn. That is the only thing that never fails.”- Merlyn the WizardBefore there was a famous king named Arthur, there was a curious boy named Wart and a kind old wizard named Merlyn. Transformedby Merlyn into the forms of his fantasy, Wart learns the value of history from a snake, of education from a badger, and of courage froma hawk- the lessons that help turn a boy into a man. Together, Wart and Merlyn take the reader through this timeless story ofchildhood and adventure.English III Advanced Placement Language and CompositionSummer Reading Assignment 2017

***AP English III Language students are to choose one of the following nonfiction titles listed after thesesummary pages of this document. This list is compiled by the American Library Association and College Boardfor college-bound high school students.Amazon.com, Goodreads.com, or BN.com can provide summaries and reviews of the books tohelp you decide.During the first six weeks of the school year, AP English III students will be required to writean essay over the issues that are discussed, and the message the author is attempting tocommunicate.The books represent a wide array of topics and subjects. Try to find a book that reallyinterests you. If you are particularly interested in chemistry or physics, a book on those topicsmight be wise choices. Half-Price Books on 377 in Watauga and Recycled Books in Denton aregreat places to find bargain books.If you are interested in being on the UIL Social Studies team this year, the book is: Lenin'sTomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire, by David Remnick. You can read it thissummer and it will prepare you for the UIL competition and it will count for your summerreading for AP English.Illustrate an idea in the book that you find compelling. (done either on the computer orby hand) that is 8 ½ by 11 inches and is not the same as the cover of the book.A paragraph (with textual support) explaining why you find the idea compelling; thisshould be around 250 words and should be typed or written neatly IN INK. Make sure youproofread for errors, and it should not be torn out of a spiral notebook.History—(Any of these books will supplement your study of AP US History this year.)Brown, Daniel James. The Boys in the Boat: And Their Epic Quest for Gold in the 1936 BerlinOlympics.Bryson, Bill. One Summer, America 1927. 2012.deWaal, Edmund. The Hare with Amber Eyes. 2011.Ellis, Joseph. The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution. 2015.Gopnik, Adam. Angels and Ages: A Short Book about Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life.2009.Grandin, Greg. Fordlandia. 2010.Greenblatt, Stephen. Swerve. 2011.Kiernan, Denise. The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped WinWorld War II. 2013.

Larsen, Erik. The Devil in the White City. 2004.Larsen, Erik. Dead Wake. 2014.Larsen, Erik. Thunderstruck. 2007.McCullough, David. 1776. 2005.McCullough, David. The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal. 1978.McPherson, James. The War that Forged a Nation: Why the Civil War Still Matters. 2015.Nelson, Craig. Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon. 2009.Nolen, Stephanie. Promised the Moon: The Untold Story of the First Women in the SpaceRace. 2002.Pietrusza, Peter. 1920: the Year of the Six Presidents. 2008.Stark, Peter. Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire. 2014.Tuchman, Barbara. The Guns of August. 2004.Vowell, Sarah. Assassination Vacation. 2006. (Visiting sites in the US where infamousassassinations have taken place).Vowell, Sarah. Take the Cannoli. 2000.Vowell, Sarah. The Partly Cloudy Patriot. 2002.Vowell, Sarah. The Wordy Shipmates. 2008. (An amusing take on the Puritans).Vowell, Saraj. Unfamiliar Fishes. 2012. (The story of the annexation of Hawaii).Winchester, Simon. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and theMaking of the Oxford English Dictionary. 2005.Winchester, Simon. The Map That Changed the World. 2009.Wolfe, Tom. The Right Stuff. 2008Math and Science:Cone, Marla. Silent Snow: The Slow Poisoning of the Arctic. 2005.Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. 1997.Feynman, Richard. Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most BrilliantTeacher. 1995.

Freeberg, Ernest. The Age of Edison. 2012.Frienkel: Plastic: A Toxic Love Story. 2011.Johnson, Steven. The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic and How ItChanged Science, Cities, and the Modern World. 2006.Johnson, Steven. The Story of Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World. 2014.Keane, Sam. The Disappearing Spoon and Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History ofthe World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. 2011.LeCouteur, Penny and Jay Burreson. Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules ChangedHistory. 2003.Muller, Richard. Physics for Future Presidents. 2008.Roach, Mary. Gulp: Adventures in the Alimentary Canal. 2Roach, Mary. Packing for Mars. 2012.Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. 2004.Sobel, Dava. Planets. 2005.Sullivan, Robert. Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most UnwantedInhabitants. 2004.Tyson, Neil DeGrasse. The Pluto Files. 2009.Waldman, Jonathan. Rust: The Longest War. 2015.Social Issues and Current Events:Blackwell, Andrew. Visit Sunny Chernobyl and Other Adventures in the World’s Most PollutedPlaces. 2012.Bonnett, Alastair, Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and other InscrutableGeograp

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Sean Covey (Non-Fiction) This helpful guide for teenagers will bring a special perspective and focus to the lives of young people everywhere. Sean speaks directly to teenagers in a language they can really understand and relate to, provid