LibGuides: eastlibrary.org: SUMMER READING

Summer Reading 2020

Dear English Student and Guardians:

The English Department requires all incoming freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors to read at least one book during the summer, and we certainly encourage you to read more than the single title. Please select a book (or more) from the list provided. The list includes a range of interests and genres. Guardians, please feel free to help your student come up with a final selection.

Given the recent changes to our daily school routine, we understand that it might be difficult for some students to acquire a summer reading book. Our committee worked hard to provide students with current, engaging titles, and so to that end, please note that we highly encourage all students to participate in summer reading to the best of their abilities. Beginning of the year activities will center around reading for enjoyment, and will provide students opportunities to share their reading experiences.

It is important for families to read and discuss together, so we encourage parents/guardians to read these books also. All summer reading books will be available via students' school-issued iPads through the Sora app. Community libraries have been informed of our summer reading program. These books are also available through Amazon.com, BN.com, other online bookstores, and through your local, independent bookstores.

We look forward to meeting you in August. In the meantime, enjoy the rays and a great read!

Sincerely,

The Glenbard East English Department

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Freshman choices:

Freshman Summer Reading Bibliography

#Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil
Falsely accused of murdering her stepsister, seventeen-year-old Dee fights to survive paid assassins on Alcatraz 2.0, the most popular prison on social media.
Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings
An autobiography of Jazz Jennings in which she shares her experiences of transitioning for male to female and becoming an advocate for transgender youth.
Grenade by Alan Gratz
On April 1, 1945 with the battle of Okinawa beginning, fourteen-year-old native Okinawan Hideki, drafted into the Blood and Iron Student Corps, is handed two grenades and told to go kill American soldiers; small for his age Hideki does not really want to kill anyone, he just wants to find his family, and his struggle across the island will finally bring him face-to-face with Ray, a marine in his very first battle--and the choice he makes then will change his life forever.
Hooper by Geoff Herbach
For Adam Reed, basketball is a passport. Adam's basketball skills have taken him from an orphanage in Poland to a loving adoptive mother in Minnesota. When he's tapped to play on a select AAU team along with some of the best players in the state, it just confirms that basketball is his ticket to the good life: to new friendships, to the girl of his dreams, to a better future. But life is more complicated off the court. When an incident with the police threatens to break apart the bonds Adam's finally formed after a lifetime of struggle, he must make an impossible choice between his new family and the sport that's given him everything.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
As Will, fifteen, sets out to avenge his brother Shawn's fatal shooting, seven ghosts who knew Shawn board the elevator and reveal truths Will needs to know.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Xiomara, also known as X, loves to write poetry. While she wants to compete in slam poetry contests, she finds it hard to share this writing with her family. Her mother is concerned with X being a good Catholic girl, while her twin brother receives so much praise that X feels inferior. X starts to have a romantic relationship with her lab partner Aman. Eventually X's mother finds the poetry forcing a confrontation between the two.
Slay by Brittney Morris
An honors student at Jefferson Academy, seventeen-year-old Keira enjoys developing and playing Slay, a secret, multiplayer online role-playing game celebrating black culture, until the two worlds collide.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds; Ibram X. Kendi
The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited. Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.
Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra
Fresh from med school, sixteen-year-old Saira starts her first day at work: treating children and teens with cancer. She has always juggled family, friendships, and her Girl Genius celebrity, but now she has to prove herself to skeptical coworkers in life-and-death situations. (Working in the same hospital as her mom isn't making things easier!) Life gets even more complicated when Saira falls for a patient. To improve his chances, she will risk her career--and it could cost her everything.
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband's household or raise his children. Both paths promise a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school's top student, but her pedigree is a lie. She must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society. And school couldn't prepare her for the difficult choices she must make after graduation, especially when she is asked to spy for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio. Will Dani cling to the privilege her parents fought to win for her, or will she give up everything she's strived for in pursuit of a free Medio - and a chance at a forbidden love?
What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper
Liberated from Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in 1945, sixteen-year-old Gerta tries to make a new life for herself, aided by Lev, a fellow survivor, and Michah, who helps Jews reach Palestine.

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Sophomore - Senior choices:

Sophomore, Junior, & Senior Bibliography

Basketball (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano; Arturo Torres (Illustrator); Reggie Miller (Foreword by)
Presents 33 basketball questions and answers, accompanied by color illustrations and charts. Questions cover NBA history, pickup basketball, and basketball players from television and film.
Boots on the Ground by Elizabeth Partridge
An exploration of the Vietnam War from many different perspectives including an American soldiers, a nurse, and a Vietnamese refugee.
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
At the Castellana Hilton in 1957 Madrid, eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson connects with Ana Moreno through photography and fate as Daniel discovers the incredibly dark side of the city under Generalissimo Franco's rule.
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
High school senior Frank Li takes a risk to go after a girl his parents would never approve of, but his plans will leave him wondering if he ever really understood love--or himself--at all.
The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib
Forced to seek treatment after her anorexia and depression made her lose too much weight, professional dancer Anna Roux is admitted at 17 Swann Street. There she meets three other girls who are also struggling with their own problems. All of them are on a journey and fight to reclaim their lives.
The Hive by Barry Lyga; Morgan Baden; Jennifer Beals (Created by); Tom Jacobson (Created by)
Cassie McKinney has always believed in the Hive. Social media used to be out of control, after all. People were torn apart by trolls and doxxers. Even hackers--like Cassie's dad--were powerless against it. But then the Hive came. A better way to sanction people for what they do online. Cause trouble, get too many "condemns," and a crowd can come after you, teach you a lesson in real life. It's safer, fairer and perfectly legal. Entering her senior year of high school, filled with grief over an unexpected loss, Cassie is primed to lash out. Egged on by new friends, she makes an edgy joke online. Cassie doubts anyone will notice. But the Hive notices everything. And as her viral comment whips an entire country into a frenzy, the Hive demands retribution.
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
When seventeen-year-old Jay Reguero learns his Filipino cousin and former best friend, Jun, was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, he flies to the Philippines to learn more.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds; Ibram X. Kendi
The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited. Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
While true-crime afficionado Ellery and her twin brother are staying with their grandmother in a Vermont community known for murder, a new friend goes missing and Ellery may be next.
The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells
The author describes possible ways global warming will affect the Earth and people, including scientific research that support his theories.
We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss
Toby and Luke are best friends, bound by a goal of leaving their hometown for Luke's wrestling scholarship, but a series of events during their senior year will test their resolve.
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Teen mother Emoni Santiago struggles with the challenges of finishing high school and her dream of working as a chef.

Honors English 1

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Sustained by the hope of someday owning a farm of their own, two migrant laborers arrive to work on a ranch in central California.

E1H Summer Reading Letter

Honors English 2

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Scout Finch, the young daughter of a local attorney in the Deep South during the 1930s, tells of her father's defense of an African-American man charged with assaulting a white girl.

E2H Summer Reading Letter

English 3AP

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
The author explores why some people are high achievers and others are not, citing culture, family, and upbringing as possible reasons some people are not as successful as others.
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Related stories, linked by recurring characters and an interwoven plot, recreate an American foot soldier's experience in the Vietnam War.

3AP Summer Reading Letter

English 4AP

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Amir, haunted by his betrayal of Hassan, the son of his father's servant and a childhood friend, returns to Kabul as an adult after he learns Hassan has been killed, in an attempt to redeem himself by rescuing Hassan's son from a life of slavery to a Taliban official.

4AP Summer Reading Letter

Humanities Honors

The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
An investigation into the origins of morality, which turns out to be the basis for religion and politics. The book explains the American culture wars and refutes the "New Atheists."

Humanities Honors Summer Reading Letter

AP Capstone