Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom:

This is more than just a dying man's last words. It is an inspirational recount of a man's life -- a man whose passion for the human spirit has continued to live long after his last breath.

The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd:

Set in 1964 in South Carolina, a place and time of seething racial divides, violence explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten. Lily is desperate, not only to save Rosaleen, but to flee from a life she can no longer endure. Calling upon her colorful wits and youthful daring, she breaks Rosaleen out of jail and the two escape, into what quickly becomes Lily’s quest for the truth about her mother’s life.

 A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines:

It is 1948 in rural Louisiana, St. Rafael parish. Grant Wiggins, the narrator of the tale, is the teacher of the small black school that meets in the church of their small community. The nearest city and telephone that a black person can use is in the county seat of Bayonne. Slavery has been illegal for over 60 years, but racism and prejudices are firmly in place.

Wish You Well, David Baldacci:

This novel primarily concerns Louisa Mae ("Lou") and Oz Cardinal, the children of a well-known but financially struggling author. An automobile accident kills their father, leaves their mother catatonic, and yanks the children from their familiar big city life into the comparatively primitive environment of 1940 rural Virginia. The children and their vegetative mother are sent to live with Louisa Cardinal, Lou and Oz's great-grandmother. Baldacci's plain, straightforward prose paints a stark but optimistic picture of a simple, difficult, but ultimately happy existence, as the children slowly adjust to life away from the comforts of their previous lives.

10th Grade:

Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card:

This is a futuristic, science fiction story told from the point of view of a boy genius who must save the world from alien invaders.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment , James Patterson:

This novel is about a girl named Max who is 14 years old, in charge of her brothers and sisters, and can fly. She is newly free from the government facility that performed terrible tests on her, but for how long?

The Host, Stephanie Meyer:

The story takes place mostly within the mind of Melanie Stryder who is fighting to have it back from the parasite who has stolen it from her. Written by the author of the Twilight series. 

Turn of the Screw, Henry James

Henry James creates a story that takes place in a haunted (or not) house in which a young woman is sent to watch over two young children. This book is a classic.

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

The title comes from the temperature at which books will burn, takes place in the future when knowledge is bad, and firefighters burn books instead of fighting fires. This book is a classic.

11th Grade:

Twisted. by Laurie Halse Anderson.

High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background, but after getting busted for graffiti and spending the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be the sister of his biggest enemy, and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich during WWII. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist – books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick.

Alex’s parents are separated, his father is dating his former third-grade teacher, and being 16 isn't easy, especially when it comes to girls. Instead of revenge though, Alex ends up in trouble with the law and is ordered to do community service at a senior center where he is assigned to Solomon Lewis, a "difficult" senior with a lot of gusto, advice for Alex, and a puzzling (yet colorful) Yiddish vocabulary. Eventually, the pair learn to deal with their past and each other in ways that are humorous, entertaining, and life changing.

Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins

Kierel is one fed up demon, fed up with being stuck in Hell and fed up with tormenting the damned (a thankless job if ever there was one). So he’s going to take a little break, vacationing on earth in the slightly used body of a 17-year-old.

Click here to visit the book's website.

Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney.

Mitty Blake loved New York City, and even after 9/11, he always felt safe. Mitty was a carefree guy – he didn’t worry about terrorists or blackouts or grades or anything, which is why he was late getting started on his Advanced Bio report. Mitty does feel a little pressure to hand something in, so he considers it good luck when he finds some old medical books in his family’s weekend house that focus on something he could write about. But when he discovers an old envelope with two scabs in one of the books, the report is no longer about the grade–it’s about life and death. His own.

AP 11th Grade:

With each of the following selections, students are to keep a dialectical journal as a means of talking to the text.  For each chapter within each week, select at least two quotations that seem significant; record the quotation and corresponding page number on the left while commenting, analyzing on the right.  These quotations will serve as the basis of discussions and essays in August.  Please type your journals; they are the due the first day of classes.  See www.esubjects.com/curric/general/supplements for a more complete explanation and model.

In addition, with each book create a summary analysis using the SOAPStone method:  an acronym for questions to answer while reading.  These responses should be only a sentence or two for each category.
Speaker:      Who is the narrator?  What does the story reveal about the teller?
Occasion:    What is the context of the story?  When and where does it occur?  Why is the story being recounted?
Audience:    Who is being addressed?  How does the intended audience shape the message?
Purpose:      Why was the text written?  What influence does the author exert or change does he or she recommend?
Subject:       What topic does the thesis address?  Does the work remain focused on a single or on multiple issues?
Tone:          What is the author’s attitude toward the subject?  How is the tone revealed?

All AP students are to read the following four pieces of literature:

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
This nonfiction selection is akin to Henry David Thoeau’s Walden.  It follows a year of Dillard’s observation at Tinker Creek in Virginia.  Scientific, religious, and philosophical insights are drawn from her close analysis of the natural world.

The Things They Carried* by Tim O’Brien
The novel is composed of interrelated short stories that are mediations on the Vietnam War and its’ affect on the soldiers. Based on O’Brien’s experience, it manipulates the boundary between fact and fiction.  The impact of the soldiers’ memories and the power of their stories are explored; consequently the themes and language are for mature readers.

Into the Wild* by Jon Krakauer
The true story of an affluent Emory University graduate who decides to vanish from his comfortable life to experience life closer to nature.  After donating money and possessions to charity, Christopher McCandless travels, living by his wits until his journey leads to Alaska.  In the wilderness, McCandless contemplates the life he has chosen.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Capote’s work has been hailed as the original non fiction novel.  It examines the 1959 murder of a Kansas farm family and explores the psychology of the murderers.

* These books contain mature language.  Should you have concerns about your child reading these novels, please contact us at 236-4322, ext 236 so that we may give you information about an alternative reading selection.