Summer Reading 2012
Reading is fun. Reading is also a summer staple for every SSM student.
“When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” – Maya Angelou, American Poet
“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” – Confucius
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” - Dr. Seuss
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” – Ray Bradbury
Here is the basic information:
Summer Reading Grades 6-9 (2012)
Summer Reading Grades 10-12 (2012)
Summer Reading for ESL Students (all grades)
Advanced & AP Required Summer Reading
For Questions About Summer Reading
Here are some interesting ideas for your summer reading consideration…
What is a dystopia? Several of the books on this year’s list (The Hunger Games for example) are labeled as dystopias. A dystopia is a society where people are unhappy and life is miserable. A utopia is a society where life is ideal. In literature, a dystopia usually depicts a futuristic society where life is not how we would like it to be!
Reading about war is a good way to begin to understand the effect war has on people. Try Purple Heart, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Good Soldiers, Sunrise Over Fallujah, Fallen Soldiers, The Things They Carried, or A Long Way Gone.
Recently, our own history master, Dr. Brian Libby, completed the last book in his Mercenaries trilogy. Try part one of this epic fantasy saga, Storm Approaching, and then the second Gold and Glory, and the exciting third volume Resolution. Dr. Libby’s books are available at the school store or Amazon.com.
Try a memoir this summer! The Bell Jar, Funny in Farsi, Thinking in Pictures, Another Day in the Frontal Lobe, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, It’s Not About the Bike.
Let’s say you’ve read a book and liked it so much, you want to read more books like it. Here’s a great website that will help you find What I Should Read Next.
YALSA the Young Adult Library Services Association of the American Library Association creates some terrific lists of award books and recommended titles. Check out YALSA’s Book Awards and Booklists.
The Teen’s Top Ten List is a “teen choice” list where teens make nominations for the list of their favorite books of the year.
Here are some websites that have recommended lists and information on books. Some provide forums for discussion.
The new SSM Book Club – Try something new! A few books this year are marked as selections for the SSM Book Club. If you choose to read any of these books, there will be an opportunity to join an informal book discussion in September. We hope this leads to the formation of several book clubs here at SSM. Give it a try!
Faculty Favorites – Ever wonder what the favorite books are for some of your favorite faculty members? Many of our faculty members list some of the books which have influenced them. Here’s an example… Mr. Bailey’s favorite books are: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee; Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer; and Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand.
Check out the list of Faculty Favorites Summer Reading
