Download 9th-12th Summer Reading List - Good Hope Country Day School

Good Hope Country Day Upper School
Summer Reading 2015-2016
The summer reading program is an important part of the academic curriculum at Good Hope
Country Day School. We expect the students to read their assigned books carefully. Some of the
books have been assigned to provide background material for subjects to be discussed during
the school year. Other books will be studied in some depth during the first semester with the
knowledge that the student has already read the book once, and knows something about it.
Books were chosen with one or more of several goals in mind: to encourage reading and
sharpen reading skills, to stimulate interest in an upcoming subject, to illuminate ideas, and to
broaden a student's perspective and allow the student to exercise his/her intellect. We also hope
the students will enjoy most of the books that they are assigned each summer!
There is a corresponding assignment for each English and 12th Grade History class. Students
should ensure that they complete the assignments before the first day of class. The summer
reading assignments will count towards the first quarter grade. Teachers in English, History
and Spanish 5 may also administer a reading test at the start of the school year. This too
will account for a portion of the 1st quarter grade.
We understand that some students will get more out of these books than others, but we expect
everyone to get something from this reading, and that is what will be looked for in the test. We
do recommend that students avoid waiting until the last minute to do summer reading. The best
approach is to read early to mid-vacation and make notes on key points. Then about a week
before school begins, review your notes and skim through the books to refresh your memory.
GHCDS 2015-2016 Summer Reading
9th Grade
English: All Read
John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men
Choose one of the following:
E. Lockhart
We Were Liars
Danielle Paige
Dorothy Must Die
John Green
Paper Towns
Orson Scott Card
Ender’s Game
History:
Eugenie Golden Kelley-Labine
Masego's Special Gift
10th Grade
English: Read all
Tracy Chevalier
Markus Zusak
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Book Thief
History: William Manchester
A World Lit Only by Fire
11th Grade
English: Choose 1 Non-Fiction and 1 Fiction
Non-Fiction
Truman Capote
John Berendt
Tom Wolfe
Jeannette Walls
In Cold Blood
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
The Right Stuff
The Glass Castle
Fiction
John Irving
Donna Tartt
Arthur Golden
Richard Russo
Last Night in Twisted River
The Secret History
Memoirs of a Geisha
Empire Falls
History: Nathaniel Philbrick
Mayflower
12th Grade
English: Read all
Barbara Kingsolver
Colum McCann
Poisonwood Bible
Let the Great World Spin
For incoming 12th graders in Civics/Government:
Russell J. Dalton
The Good Citizen: How A Younger Generation Is Reshaping
American Politics
For seniors taking Economics in the spring:
Charles Wheelan
Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science
Spanish 5:
Isabel Allende
La Ciudad de las Bestias