Summer Reading

Our Foundations program serves students in grades 6-12 with a primary diagnosis of dyslexia or other language learning-based difference. If your student is not registered for our Foundations program, please see the summer reading tabs for the standard classes.

Non-Foundations 6th grade students have no summer reading assignment.

Please read two books from the list below. Do not read two books by the same author and
read two different genres. If you have read the first book in a series before this summer, you
may choose one of the sequel books.

Realistic Fiction

• Peak (Book 1), The Edge (Book 2), Ascent (Book 3) by Roland Smith
• Ungifted, Swindle series, Restart, The Unteachables by Gordon Korman
• Unstoppable, Left Out, Pinch Hit, Touchdown Kid, or Baseball Genius by Tim Green
• Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie or Falling Over Sideways by Jordan Sonnenblick
• Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel by Kimberly Willis Holt
• Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
• Zebra Forest by Adina Rishe Gewirtz
• All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
• Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin

Historical Fiction

• Into the Killing Seas, The Enemy Above by Michael Spradlin
• My Louisiana Sky or The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt

Nonfiction

• Lincoln’s Grave Robbers, Bomb, The Notorious Benedict Arnold, Born to Fly, Undefeated by Steve Sheinkin
• Chasing Lincoln’s Killers by James Swanson

Science Fiction/Fantasy

• Beneath (Book 1), Above (Book 2), Cryptid Hunters, Sasquatch by Roland Smith
• Wizard for Hire (Book 1), Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed (Book 2) by Obert Skye
• Killer Species by Michael Spradlin
• Loot (Book 1) or Sting (Book 2) by Jude Watson
• The Selection by Kiera Cass
• Steelheart (Book 1), Firefight (Book 2), or Calamity (Book 3) by Brandon Sanderson
• Magnus Chase: The Sword of Summer (Book 1), The Lightning Thief (Book 1) by Rick Riordan

Mrs. Sims, jsims@cacmustangs.org

As you look over the diverse list of summer reading options, I encourage you to focus on selecting books that pique your interest and excite you. Pick TWO books from the list below that you have not already taken an AR test over before. When you return from summer break, you will take AR tests over the two books you chose and complete a symbolism project over one of your reading selections.  As you read, I would encourage you to take some notes about the characters, the settings, and important events that occur.  Looking over these notes in August will help with comprehension as you take your AR tests and complete your project. Please feel free to email me with any questions at jsims@cacmustangs.org. Have an amazing summer, and happy reading!

Historical Fiction

• Allies or Prisoner B-3087 or Projekt 1065 or Ground Zero by Alan Gratz
• Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
• Between Shades of Gray, Salt to the Sea, Fountains of Silence or I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Non-Fiction

• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
• Unbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation) by Laura Hillenbrand

Books in Verse

• The Crossover or Booked by Kwame Alexander
• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Realistic Fiction

• Calico Joe by John Grisham
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
• Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Fantasy/Dystopian

• Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay or Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
• The Magician’s Nephew, A Horse and His Boy, or Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
• Scythe by Neal Schusterman

Graphic Novel

• New Kid by Jerry Craft

Dear Students,

I am greatly looking forward to next year, and I hope you are as well. However, in order to get ready for next year, there are a few things to do over the summer – Summer Reading. 

All students entering the 9^th grade will need to read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. A test will be given over the book on Friday, August 18.  The test will check for completion of the reading as well as comprehension. We will spend the first few days looking at lessons from this book.

An AR test will also be given on Monday, August 21. This can be any book of your choice! So find a book that you love and start reading! This is a great time to start a new series that you can finish with other AR book assignments throughout the year.  The requirements for 9th grade AR books are 6.0 reading level, 5 points.  Check to see if your book has a test or check book level and points here: AR Book Finder

If you have any questions over the summer, feel free to email me at barnold@cacmustangs.org.

I hope you have a great summer, and I look forward to getting to know each of you next year. 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Arnold 

Dear Students,

I am greatly looking forward to next year, and I hope you are as well. However, in order to get ready for next year, there are a few things to do over the summer – Summer Reading. 

All students entering the 9^th grade will need to read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. A test will be given over the book on Friday, August 18. The test will check for completion of the reading as well as comprehension. We will spend the first few days looking at lessons from this book.

An AR test will also be given on Monday, August 21. This can be any book of your choice! So find a book that you love and start reading! This is a great time to start a new series that you can finish with other AR book assignments throughout the year. The requirements for 9th grade AR books are 6.0 reading level, 5 points. Check to see if your book has a test or check book level and points here: AR Book Finder

Students taking Honors English must also read Animal Farm by George Orwell. Be ready to take a test over the book on Wednesday, August 23. The test will check for completion of the reading as well as comprehension. It will be the first piece of literature we will study as the new school year resumes. 

If you have any questions over the summer, feel free to email me at barnold@cacmustangs.org.

I hope you have a great summer, and I look forward to getting to know each of you next year. 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Arnold 

Whether or not you will be taking any trips with your family or youth group this summer, all incoming 10th graders will be traveling unshod to the Lonely Mountain and experiencing Middle Earth through the eyes of Bilbo Baggins. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is a trip everyone needs to go on at least once in life, and you get to do it this summer—hopefully with less reluctance than Bilbo. I hope it is a memorable journey for you because I will be testing you over this experience on Monday, Aug. 21. You may want to compile a list of characters and places as you read. Try to enjoy yourself along the way as well.

I’m excited to get to know you next year! In the meantime, if you have any questions as you’re reading or any thoughts you’d like to share about the reading, I’d be happy to hear from you at ytucker@cacmustangs.org. Have a great summer.

Whether or not you will be taking any trips with your family or youth group this summer, all incoming 10th graders will be traveling unshod to the Lonely Mountain and experiencing Middle Earth through the eyes of Bilbo Baggins. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is a trip everyone needs to go on at least once in life, and you get to do it this summer—hopefully with less reluctance than Bilbo. I hope it is a memorable journey for you because I will be testing you over this experience on Monday, Aug. 21. You may want to compile a list of characters and places as you
read. Try to enjoy yourself along the way as well.

Students in Honors English 10 will also need to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Besides being a ground-breaking coming-of-age gothic romance that deals with race and patriarchy, Eyre is also the fifth most often-mentioned book on AP exams since 1971. Eyre is definitely knowledge you want to have in your pocket if you take the AP exam in a couple of years. Jane is also easy to sympathize with. Notice as you read what level of control Jane has over her circumstances. Could she have done anything differently to have changed her life in any significant way? You will take an AR test on Tuesday, Aug. 22, and will write an in-class essay on Jane Eyre during our first unit in British Literature.

I’m excited to get to know you next year! In the meantime, if you have any questions as you’re
reading or any thoughts you’d like to share about the reading, I’d be happy to hear from you at
ytucker@cacmustangs.org. Have a great summer.

Mrs. Arnold, barnold@cacmustangs.org

Born in Jonesboro, Ark., John Grisham is one of today’s most influential, Southern writers. Students entering 11^th grade will read A Painted House by John Grisham. A test will be given over the book on Monday, August 21. The test will check for completion of the reading as well as comprehension. We will spend the first few days discussing and working with this text.

A Painted House is a semi-autobiographical tale of a 7-year-old boy growing up in the impoverished cotton farms of the 1950s Arkansas Delta. Told from the perspective of the child, whose farm-laboring youth mirrors Grisham’s own, the story follows the lives of poor migrant workers.

You might even want to visit “The Painted House” located in Lepanto, Arkansas. Check out this link for more information: http://thecountryfarmhome.blogspot.com/2012/03/visit-to-painted-house.html

Welcome to AP Language and Composition! As this is not a typical English class, your summer reading will look a bit different from the standard “read this book and take a test” format from years before. AP Lang is a non-fiction course, and we will spend the summer training our minds to read non-fiction text. Due dates are assigned throughout the summer, and assignments will be submitted in Google Classroom. There will be no test when we get back to school; therefore, your summer reading grade will consist of the work turned in on Google Classroom.

Each assignment will consist of a group of essays divided by theme. The essays will be attached and need to be printed so that you can annotate them. The annotated essays will be submitted back. Also due for each assignment is your response to each group of essays in which you answer the prompt given in the assignment. Again all this will be found on Google Classroom.

If you know you are going to be out of town, be sure your work is submitted in advance. 

AP LANG 2023-2024 Google Classroom join code – 23hjszv

Due Dates: 

• June 22 – Education and Learning
• July 6 – Family
• July 13 – Nature
• July 20 – United States
• July 27 – Minorities
• August 3 – NACIREMA

If you have questions, email me (barnold@cacmustangs.org) or send me a note through Google Classroom.   See you on August 16^th!

Education and Learning – June 22

Read and comment on these four essays; let me know you actually read the essays by including “quotes” from the essays as you write about them. Write about your own feelings and impressions concerning learning.  What have been your best learning experiences so far?  If time, money, and grades were not a factor, what new thing would you like to learn?

Do you agree with any of these authors? Disagree with them? Do any of these texts have similar or different ideas about education? What can we learn from any of these texts today? Do any of the authors provide details of characters that you can connect to?

• “Of Studies” by Francis Bacon
• “Learning to Read and Write” by Frederick Douglass
• from “Listening” by Eudora Welty
• “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan

Family – July 6

Read and comment on these four essays; let me know you actually read the essays by including “quotes” from the essays as you write about them.   Write about your own feelings and impressions concerning family; what does family mean to you personally?  What is your favorite childhood memory and why?  Consider how the entertainment industry portrays the American family.  Name your favorite movie or television show about family and explain what makes it your favorite.

Do you agree with any of these authors? Disagree with them? Do any of these texts have similar or different ideas about family? Perhaps these essays remind you of a family memory you wish to comment on. Have families changed over time? Do any of the authors provide details of characters that you can connect to?

• “Growing Up” by Russell Baker
• “Marrying Absurd” by Joan Didion
• “The Company Man” by Ellen Goodman

Nature – July 13

Read and comment on these three essays; let me know you actually read the essays by including “quotes” from the essays as you write about them.   Write about your own feelings and impressions concerning nature.  What activities do you enjoy in “the great outdoors?”  Where is your favorite place in nature and why do you like this particular place?  Describe the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of your favorite place in nature; use details to create a vicarious experience for me.

Do you agree with any of these authors? Disagree with them? Do any of these texts have similar or different ideas about nature? Perhaps these essays remind you of a time you spent in nature that you wish to comment on.

• “Why I Went to the Woods” by Henry David Thoreau
• “The Death of the Moth” by Virginia Woolf
• “Heaven and Earth in Jest” by Annie Dillard

United States of America – July 20

Read and comment on these three essays; let me know you actually read the essays by including “quotes” from the essays as you write about them.   Write about your own feelings concerning the United States of America.  Are we the greatest country in the world?  How have we changed since the time of our founding fathers and first-generation immigrant ancestors?   Relate the events of one recent news story that back up your opinion; give the details of the news story and how they prove your point.

Do you agree with any of these authors? Disagree with them? Do any of these texts have similar or different ideas about government and the USA? 

• “The Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson
• “The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln
• “More Than Just a Shrine—Ellis Island” by Mary Gordon

Minorities – July 27

Read and comment on these four essays; let me know you actually read the essays by including “quotes” from the essays as you write about them. Write about your own feelings concerning minorities.  How do you relate to the experiences minority Americans have faced?   How might you be considered a minority based on your ethnicity, your gender, your religion, your wealth, your education, your height/weight, or your region/residence?  Why do so many authors seem to focus on racial issues?

Do you agree with any of these authors? Disagree with them? Do any of these texts have similar or different ideas about prejudice, racism or minorities today? Perhaps these essays remind you of a memory or situation you wish to comment on. Do any of the authors provide details of characters that you can connect to?

• “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston
• “Just Walk On By:  Black Men and Public Spaces” by Brent Staples
• “Landscape, History, and the Pueblo Imagination” by Leslie Marmon Silko
• “The Way to Rainy Mountain” by N. Scott Momaday

Nacirema – August 3

Read and comment about the Nacirema.   Do a quick google search and find out more about this culture, then write to me about what other things you learned about them (other than what the essay told you) and what things about the Nacirema surprised you. Write and comment on the other essays as well; let me know you actually read the essays by including “quotes” from the essays as you write about them.

Do you agree with any of these authors? Disagree with them? Do any of these texts have similar or different ideas about Nacirema? Perhaps these essays remind you of a memory or situation you wish to comment on. Do any of the authors provide details of characters that you can connect to?

• “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell
• “The Body Language of the Nacirema” by Horace Miner
• “Road Warrior” by Dave Barry
• “Living with Music” by Ralph Ellison
• “Arriving at Perfection” by Benjamin Franklin
• “Naps” by Barbara Holland

English 12/College English will use readings from a combination of nonfiction sources and classic world literature to help you develop critical thinking skills and learn to express your ideas clearly and in a style that is appropriate to the writing situation.

We will begin this summer by reading portions of some of the oldest known written texts in the world—and two much more recent texts. Begin by reading the first nine chapters of Genesis, hopefully not for the first or the last time. After carefully reading Genesis 1-9, you will read two probably less familiar texts, noticing similarities and differences between each and the chapters in Genesis.

The first is The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. Maybe you read The Chronicles of Narnia as a child (or it was read to you). I hope so! However, this is the 6th (not the 1st) book in a series that can be read on many levels. This time I want you to read it like an adult; enjoy the story, but also look for layers of meaning — and, of course, for similarities to Genesis.

The second comparison text is a portion of The Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem that was written long before the events of Genesis were written down.

Both of these stories culminate in segments that will be clearly reminiscent of Genesis. Be ready to discuss both the obvious similarities and differences, as well as some point of comparison that you think others might not have noticed.

Finally, you will read C.S. Lewis’s “Myth Became Fact” from a collection of Lewis’s lectures that we will use as a text throughout the fall semester, God in the Dock. Be prepared to give Lewis’s definition of “myth” and to explain why you believe this lecture-essay was assigned in connection with the previous three readings.

You will take an AR test over Magician’s Nephew on Thursday, August 17. An essay over all of the summer reading will be assigned that same day and will be due August 29. A quiz will be given over “Myth Became Fact” on Tuesday, August 22.

I’m excited to get to know you next year! In the meantime, if you have any questions as you’re reading or any thoughts you’d like to share about the reading, I’d be happy to hear from you at ytucker@cacmustangs.org. Have a great summer.

English 12/College English will use readings from a combination of nonfiction sources and classic world literature to help you develop critical thinking skills and learn to express your ideas clearly and in a style that is appropriate to the writing situation.

We will begin this summer by reading portions of some of the oldest known written texts in the world—and two much more recent texts. Begin by reading the first nine chapters of Genesis, hopefully not for the first or the last time. After carefully reading Genesis 1-9, you will read two probably less familiar texts, noticing similarities and differences between each and the chapters in Genesis.

The first is The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. Maybe you read The Chronicles of Narnia as a child (or it was read to you). I hope so! However, this is the 6th (not the 1st) book in a series that can be read on many levels. This time I want you to read it like an adult; enjoy the story, but also look for layers of meaning — and, of course, for similarities to Genesis.

The second comparison text is The Epic of Gilgamesh (Penguin Classics), translated by Andrew George, an epic poem that was written long before the events of Genesis were written down.

Both of these stories culminate in segments that will be clearly reminiscent of Genesis. Be ready to discuss both the obvious similarities and differences, as well as some point of comparison that you think others might not have noticed.

Finally, you will read C.S. Lewis’s “Myth Became Fact” from a collection of Lewis’s lectures that we will use as a text throughout the fall semester, God in the Dock. Be prepared to give Lewis’s definition of “myth” and to explain why you believe this lecture-essay was assigned in connection with the previous three readings.

You will take an AR test over The Magician’s Nephew on Thursday, Aug. 17. An essay over all of the summer reading will be assigned that same day and will be due Tuesday, Aug. 29. A quiz over “Myth Became Fact” will be given on Tuesday, Aug. 22.

I’m excited to get to know you next year! In the meantime, if you have any questions as you’re reading or any thoughts you’d like to share about the reading, I’d be happy to hear from you at ytucker@cacmustangs.org. Have a great summer.

Senior AP Literature and Composition will use readings from classic world literature to help you develop critical thinking, practice close reading and analysis, and hone your writing skills in preparation for the AP Literature Exam.

We will begin this summer by reading Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. I recommend accompanying your reading of Great Expectations with the audiobook read by Martin Jarvis. You will, however, need a hard copy of both novels. I also suggest that you take notes as you read on the names of characters, places, major events, and any themes you notice along the way.

In addition, you will need to choose one of the titles on the list of works Most Frequently Cited 1970-2015 on the AP Literature and Composition Exam that you have not read before (the list appears towards the end of the pages linked above). This is a chance to expand your exposure to works that the College Board considers worthy and that are likely to appear in some form on the exam. Before making a selection, ensure that AR also considers your choice worthy: AR Book Finder.

You will take AR tests over all three of your summer reading assignments on Thursday, Aug. 17. In addition, we will practice AP-Style questions and writing prompts over Wuthering Heights and Great Expectations during the course of the fall semester.

I’m excited to get to know you next year! In the meantime, if you have any questions as you’re reading or any thoughts you’d like to share about the reading, I’d be happy to hear from you at ytucker@cacmustangs.org. Have a great summer.