Trumbull High School Summer Reading List

Summer 2012 June 2012

Greetings students, parents and readers,

Welcome to the Trumbull High School Summer Reading booklist. The English department and many other THS faculty members believe firmly in students, teachers, administrators, parents and all community members keeping their minds active and engaged during the summer months through reading. We also believe that the relaxed atmosphere of summer is a perfect time for students to be able to choose the reading material that they interact with. Students who are empowered to choose their own books are much more likely to enjoy their reading and to continue the act of reading as a life-long interest. To quote a former Trumbull High School English teacher: “We believe summer belongs in the hands of students and we want to put good books into those hands.”

We also believe that life-long readers engage in the habitual shar- ing of their books with other readers. Most of us come upon many of the books we love through the recommendation of others. To these ends, we have made several changes to the Trumbull High School summer reading program to reflect these beliefs. Please read the rest of this letter carefully so you understand what is ex- pected of you this summer and early next school year.

“WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?”

First, spend some time exploring our extensive list of recommended summer reading books. This list has been compiled jointly by the THS faculty and student contributors. The titles have been researched to provide our students with valuable literary experiences and the widest choice possible. You are not required to choose books from the THS list—you may choose any books—but we hope you’ll begin by checking out the list.

Next, choose a book to begin your summer with. Which title really interests or intrigues you? What seems like a good fit given your time, interests and level of commitment? Perhaps you and a friend or two would like to read the same book and be able to talk about it. THS expects that you will make time for at least two books in the summer but you can read as many books as you like. Be sure to read actively, making note of specific passages that intrigue you. Consider your reactions to characters and conflicts, ask yourself what you would do in similar situations or whether you agree with the actions of the characters, etc. You should note at least two significant passages in one book that you read. Record these passages somewhere (in a notebook, on an index card, in a googledoc) so that you can access them at the beginning of the school year. This is especially important if you are borrowing the book and won’t have access to it in September.

Upon returning to school, you will be given the opportunity to share one of your books with your classmates in English class. You’ll be able to give them a brief overview, share your reactions, work with the significant passages and make a recommendation to your classmates. It is always a great day in English class and will be a fantastic chance to get some recommendations for further reading. So, have a great summer and read great books. Read for yourself. We look forward to hearing about your reading experiences in September!

Best wishes for an enjoyable summer,

Mrs. Spillane, THS English Dept Mr. Neenan, THS Media Center

Note: Titles that are marked with an asterisk* contain content that requires maturity and may not be suitable for all readers. Parents, we encourage you to communicate with your students about their choices and to read the books along with them. Summer Reading Journal Prompts

Characterization: 1. Write an advice letter that one of the characters might have written asking for help solving a conflict. 2. What character would you like to be in this book? Why? What personality traits does this character have that you admire? Explain. 3. Imagine that you are friends with the main character in high school. You see him / her 20 years after the novel ends. What questions would you ask him/ her? Why are you wondering these things? Explain.

Setting / Plot: 1. What makes you wonder in this book? What confuses you? What came as a surprise? 2. Draw a map of the setting of this book, showing major areas, buildings, and other features. Label everything carefully. Explain the importance of these places. 3. What is the major conflict in the book? How do the characters solve the conflict?

Theme: 1. What does the author want you to know about life from reading this book? Explain. 2. Choose a sentence, quote, or passage from the book that moved you in some way. Why do you think this is? What did it reveal about the book? What did it reveal about life in general? 3. How did the book’s message change your life? Explain. Connections: 1. What connections are there between the book and your own life? Explain. Be specific. 2. In what ways are you like any of the characters? Do any of the characters remind you of friends, family members or classmates? Explain. 3. Compare this book with another book with the same theme or message. How do these books deal differently with the same concept?

Critique of Craft: 1. Do you think the title fits the book? Why or why not? 2. What do you admire most about this writer’s work? 3. What are the best parts of the book? Why? What are the worst parts of this book? Why? Fiction

A Game of Thrones George R.R. Martins In a world where the approaching winter will last four decades, kings and queens, knights and renegades struggle for control of a throne. Some fight with sword and mace, others with magic and poison. Beyond the Wall to the north, meanwhile, the Others are preparing their army of the dead to march south as the warmth of summer drains from the land.

Zero Day David Baldacci From the modern master of the thriller and #1 worldwide bestselling novelist-comes a new hero: a lone Army Special Agent taking on the toughest crimes facing the nation. And Zero Day is where it all begins....

The Fault in Our Stars John Greene Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Matched Ally Condie For Cassia, nothing is left to chance--not what she will eat, the job she will have, or the man she will marry. In Matched, the Society Officials have determined optimal outcomes for all aspects of daily life, thereby removing the “burden” of choice. Outside the Box * Dan Allosso Teenager Reid Anderson knows there’s something wrong with society, otherwise he wouldn’t feel so alienated. He has a problem with authority but can’t decide: “am I antisocial or does society suck?” So he goes through life pretending he doesn’t care. A new Wii console and simulation game show up in his rec room, and Reid is just bored enough to try them out. When a demon from inside the game threatens him in reality, Reid is plunged into a world of troubled teens he didn’t know existed.

11/22/63 Stephen King On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King’s heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassina- tion—a thousand page tour de force.

Anna and the French Kiss Stephanie Perkins Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she’s less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris-until she meets Etienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Etienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend. But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight Jennifer E. Smith Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it. Black and White Paul Volponi Marcus and Eddie are best friends who found the strength to break through the racial barrier. Marcus is black; Ed- die is white. Stars of their school basketball team, they are true leaders who look past the stereotypes and come out on top. They are inseparable, watching each other’s backs, both on and off the basketball court. But one night—and one wrong decision—will change their lives forever. Will their mistake cost them their friend- ship . . . and their future?

Peace, Love and Baby Ducks Lauren Myracle When Carly comes back from her wilderness camp she attended over the summer, she finds that her younger sister, Anna, has changed. Carly is overcome with jealousy by her sister’s new “look” and learns over the course of a year what it means to be a true and loyal sister.

Leaving Paradise Simone Elkeles Have you ever been drawn to something or someone you knew was bad for you? In the story, Maggie Armstrong and Caleb Becker are two people who never want to cross paths again after a fateful accident. Caleb Becker collided into Maggie with his car while drunk driving and Maggie has now been left disabled and with a permanent limp. So what happens when the person who damaged you for life becomes the person you trust the most?

Return to Paradise Simone Elkeles In the second book of the Paradise series, Caleb left Paradise with a secret big enough for him to run away from. Maggie tries to stay strong after her heartbreak and make a new life without Caleb in it. But fate makes them cross paths again. Will Maggie be able to forgive Caleb? Will his secret destroy their relationship?

Delirium Lauren Oliver Love is a disease one must be cured of. In this book, Lena Hol- loway is counting down the days until her surgery to rid her of the disease; amor nervosa. The people have been blinded into believ- ing that love must be cured because it causes suicide, delirium, and puts the victim in a dangerous state of mind. But just 95 days after “being saved” Lena does the unthinkable and dreaded….she falls in love. Lena is suddenly struck with the thought – what if being loved is being saved?

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything Hanelle Brown A razor-sharp critique of the absurd expectations that, these days, have come to stand for ambition, All We Ever Wanted Was Every- thing is wrenching, riveting, and still manages to be great fun. This is a wise, intimate chronicle of one family’s struggle to take off their masks and live in the place they most feared: the real, imper- fect world.

Along for the Ride Sarah Dessen Ever since her parents began fighting, Auden has been unable to sleep at night. Now, spending a summer at a charming beach town with her father and his new family, she has to find new places to pass the time she spends awake. And so she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac who becomes her nighttime guide. Blink & Caution Tim Wynne-Jones Wynne-Jones (The Uninvited) delivers a dazzling crime novel that evokes the taut writing and tropes of hard-boiled fiction while interweaving social justice themes and a solid sense of realism.

Blood of Flowers Anita Amirrezvani Forced into a secret marriage with a man who will never take her as his first wife, a young woman is faced with a daunting decision: forsake her own dignity, or risk everything she has in an effort to maintain it.

The Contractor Colin Mckinnon Rick Behringer is a contractor to the CIA. When Rick comes across a Pakistani who’s attempting to acquire nuclear material from a Russian gangster to build an atomic weapon for terrorist purposes, Rick’s CIA handlers push him to investigate. Soon Rick finds himself in serious trouble.

The Cupcake Queen Heather Hepler When Penny moves to Hog’s Hollow from New York City, her life changes drastically. Penny’s mom now runs a cupcake bakery, and Penny is stuck helping out. But that isn’t the worst of it. Not only did she leave her friends back home, but her dad stayed behind too. And then there’s Charity, resident mean girl who’s out to get Penny. Deadline Chris Crutcher After being diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, 18- year-old Ben Wolf elects to forgo treatment and keep his illness secret from his family and friends in an attempt to have a “normal” senior year at his small Idaho high school. Free from long-term consequences, he connects with his crush, frustrates his biased U.S. Government teacher, and tries out for football. However, Ben’s illness slowly exacts its toll on him, and he begins to realize the consequences of keeping his condition hidden.

Dope Sick Walter Myers Using both harsh realism and a dose of the fantastic, Myers (Game) introduces an inner-city teen in the jaws of a crisis: 17- year-old Lil J is holed up in an abandoned building, believed to have shot an undercover cop in a drug bust, while police officers assemble in the street below.

Duff : Designated Ugly Fat Friend Kody Kiplenger When seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper starts sleeping with Wesley Rush, a notorious womanizer who disgusts her, in order to distract her from her personal problems, she is surprised to find that they have a lot in common.

Forever Judy Blume FOREVER... is the most romantic teen love story ever written! Katherine and Michael are normal teens who meet in a normal way - at a party! What they have together is so bonding it seems like it will last forever. It’s also the most difficult kind of relationship, because they are truly in love. The Fortunes of Indigo Skye Deb Caletti Indigo wants nothing more from life than her job as a waitress until a customer gives her $2,500,000. Then everything changes.

The Girl She Used to Be David Christofono After 20 years in the Federal Witness Protection Program (WITSEC), Melody Grace McCartney hardly knows who she is. On the run since she and her parents stumbled on a murder by mobster Tony Bovaro when she was six years old, Grace saw WITSEC’s promised protection fail her mother and father when they were killed 12 years later. Now she feigns personal danger to be relocated just because she’s bored and wants a change.

Harvesting the Heart Jodi Picoult A young woman, previously abandoned by her own mom, marries a professional man, has a child and then leaves her home in order to find herself.

Girl in Translation Jean Kwok When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life-like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family’s future resting on her shoulders, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition-Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but also herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer “Traditional without seeming stale, and romantic without being naïve” (San Francisco Chronicle), this epistolary novel, based on Mary Ann Shaffer’s painstaking, lifelong research, is a homage to booklovers and a nostalgic portrayal of an era. As her quirky, loveable characters cite the works of Shakespeare, Austen, and the Brontës, Shaffer subtly weaves those writers’ themes into her own narrative. However, it is the tragic stories of life under Nazi occu- pation that animate the novel and give it its urgency; furthermore, the novel explores the darker side of human nature without becoming maudlin.

Handle with Care Jodi Picoult Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe’s daughter, Willow, was born with brittle bone disease, a condition that requires Charlotte to act as full-time caregiver and has strained their emotional and financial limits. Willow’s teenaged half-sister, Amelia, suffers as well, over- shadowed by Willow’s needs and lost in her own adolescent tur- moil. When Charlotte decides to sue for wrongful birth in order to obtain a settlement to ensure Willow’s future, the already strained family begins to implode.

The Help Kathryn Stockett Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs her. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club set relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who’s raised 17 children, and Aibileen’s best friend Minny, who’s found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. Indentical Ellen Hopkins Identical twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne keep dark secrets. Their politician mother is emotionally remote, and their district court judge father is abusive. This novel in verse alternates first person descriptions of abuse, alcoholism, bulimia, drugs and mental illness. Be ready for a revelation at the end of this disturbing and insightful book.

The Juvie Three Gordan Korman What are the odds a teenage gangbanger, a 15-year-old murderer, and a 14-year-old who crashed a stolen car can keep it together when the saintly social worker who has given them a second chance at redemption ends up comatose in the hospital?

The Last Song Nicholas Sparks Seventeen year old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alientated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him.

Little Brother Cory Doctorow Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he fig- ures he already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. Lockdown Walter Myers Teenage Reese, serving time at a juvenile detention facility, gets a lesson in making it through hard times from an unlikely friend with a harrowing past.

Marcelo in the Real World Francisco Stork Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-function- ing end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.

Maze Runner James Dashner Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies from below. A new boy arrives every 30 days. Then a comatose girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change.

My Name is Asher Lev Chaim Potok Asher Lev is a Ladover Hasid who keeps kosher, prays three times a day and believes in the Ribbono Shel Olom, the Master of the Universe. Asher Lev is an artist who is compulsively driven to ren- der the world he sees and feels even when it leads him to blasphe- my. In this stirring and often visionary novel, Chaim Potok traces Asher’s passage between these two identities, the one consecrated to God, the other subject only to the imagination.

Nineteen Minutes Jodi Picoult Picoult offers reads a glimpse of what would cause a 17-year-old to wake up one day, load his backpack with four guns, and kill nine students and one teacher in the span of nineteen minutes. November Blues Sharon M. Draper When November Nelson loses her boyfriend, Josh, to a pledge stunt gone horribly wrong, she thinks her life can’t possibly get any worse. But Josh left something behind that will change No- vember’s life forever, and now she’s faced with the biggest decision she could ever imagine. How in the world will she tell her mom? And how will Josh’s parents take the news?

Once a Runner John Parker “By far the most accurate fictional portrayal of the world of the serious runner. A marvelous description of the way it really is.”

Paper Towns John Greene Weeks before graduating from their Orlando-area high school, Quentin Jacobsen’s childhood best friend, Margo, reappears in his life, specifically at his window, commanding him to take her on an all-night, score-settling spree.

Perfect Chemistry Simone Elkeles Tough guy Alex is primarily known by his classmates as a dangerous member of the Latino Bloods gang. He’s not exactly thrilled when Brittany Ellis, the school’s seemingly perfect beauty queen, is assigned as his lab partner—and the feeling is more than mutual. But Alex’s bravado works against him when he impulsively ac- cepts a bet that he can get Brittany in the sack.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky MTV Books/Pocket Books, 1999. In this controversial, coming-of- age novel, Charlie’s collection of letters to an unspecified recipient details the humorous trials and tribulations of trying to discover who he is and who he might become. Please Ignore Vera Dietz A.S. King Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Prep Curtis Sittenfeld A self-conscious outsider navigates the choppy waters of adoles- cence and a posh boarding school’s social politics in Sittenfeld’s A-grade coming-of-age debut.

Red Riding Hood Sarah Blakley-Cartwright Valerie is torn between Henry, who loves her, and the woodcutter, Peter, as her village is caught up in the return of the Wolf---no lon- ger mollifed by monthly sacrifices--and the arrival of the inquisto- rial Wolf hunter.

Rikers High Paul Volponi It started out as an innocent day for Martin, but it quickly turned into his worst nightmare–arrested for something he didn’t even mean to do. And five months later, he is still locked up in jail on Rikers Island. Will Martin open up and learn from his situation? Or will he be consumed by prison and getting revenge?

Room Emma Donoghue Five-year-old Jack and his Ma enjoy their long days together, play- ing games, watching TV, and reading favorite stories. But, it slowly becomes apparent that their pleasant days are shrouded by a hor- rifying secret. Seven years ago, his 19-year-old Ma was abducted and has since been held captive—in one small room. Scars Cheryl Rainfield Kendra is frightened. She knows the man that sexually abused her is now stalking her. She finds a note from him in her backpack, and then an MP3 player with a warning recorded on it turns up. As Kendra tries to keep herself together, the only thing in which she seems to find solace is cutting herself.

The Shack William P Young Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.

Shanghai Girls Lisa See May and Pearl, two sisters living in Shanghai in the mid-1930s, are beautiful, sophisticated, and well-educated, but their family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hoping to improve their social standing, May and Pearl’s parents arrange for their daughters to marry “Gold Mountain men” who have come from Los Angeles to find brides. But when the sisters leave China and arrive at Angel’s Island (the Ellis Island of the West)--where they are detained, interrogated, and humiliated for months--they feel the harsh reality of leaving.

Shift Jennifer Bradbury The summer before they begin college, Chris and Win bike from West Virginia to Seattle. After a fight, and fifty miles from their goal, Win rides off while Chris changes a flat tire and simply disap- pears. Win’s manipulative father enlists the FBI to question Chris. Ship Breaker Paolo Bacigalupi In America’s Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota—and hope- fully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it’s worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.

Some Girls Are Countney Summers Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend’s boyfriend start going around. Now Regina’s been “frozen out” and her ex-best friends are out for revenge.

Tangerine Edward Bloor So what if he’s legally blind? Even with his bottle-thick, bug-eyed glasses, Paul Fisher can see better than most people. He can see the lies his parents and brother live out, day after day. No one ever listens to Paul, though--until the family moves to Tangerine. In Tangerine, even a blind, geeky, alien freak can become cool. Teenage Love Affair Ni Ni Simone Check it: I’m Zsa-Zsa. Some call me arrogant, but I call it confidence. You decide when you find out what I’m working with. So this is my story and you need to come and chill with me as I try and see what boy is for me, what love is all about, and if my first teenage love affair will forever rule or ruin my life.

Tell No One: A Novel Harlan Coben After years of struggling with grief over his wife’s murder by a serial killer, Dr. David Beck receives a mysterious e-mail that includes a secret word only known to his wife and himself. Is she still alive?

Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.

This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn Aidan Chambers Cordelia Kenn is 19 and happily expecting a baby girl. She writes a series of pillow books–Japanese diaries of total disclosure–to her unborn daughter. True Colors Kristin Hannah In her 17th novel, bestseller Hannah portrays the delicate and en- during bonds of sisterhood. The story of the Grey sisters is set in a small Washington town and follows Winona, Aurora and Vivi Ann from the time of their mother’s death, when they are young teens in 1979, on through adulthood, cataloguing their trials and the men who typically come bearing them.

Twenty Boy Summer Sarah Ockler “What is the statute of limitations on feeling guilty for cheating on a ghost?” Anna writes in her journal, or rather, writes to Matt, her first true love and her best friend Frankie’s brother. More than a year has passed since Matt’s sudden death, and all that time Anna has kept her brief relationship with Matt a secret from Frankie.

What They Always Tell Us Martin Wilson James and Alex have barely anything in common anymore—least of all their experiences in high school, where James is a popular senior and Alex is suddenly an outcast. But at home, there is Henry, the precocious 10-year-old across the street, who eagerly befriends them both. And when Alex takes up running, there is James’s friend Nathen, who unites the brothers in moving and unexpected ways.

Wintergirls Laurie Halse Andersen Lia and Cassie are best friends and competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit. Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery. Winter War: A Novel William Durbin When the Soviet Union invades its tiny neighbor Finland in No- vember 1939, Marko volunteers to help the war effort. Even though his leg was weakened by polio, he can ski well, and he becomes a messenger on the front line, skiing in white camouflage through the forests at night. wtf* Peter Lerangis When a deer crashes through a windshield, it is only the first of many inexplicable moments experienced during a long night in New York City for six teens from a prep school involved in a drug sale destined for disaster. Nonfiction & Essay

How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization Frank Foer Soccer is much more than a game, or even a way of life. It is a perfect window into the cross–currents of today’s world, with all its joys and its sorrows. This remarkably insightful, wide–ranging work of reportage, takes the reader on a surprising tour through the world of soccer, shining a spotlight on the clash of civilizations, the international economy, and just about everything in between.

(I’m a Pole) and So Can You! Stephen Colbert Comedy/news star’s latest take on politics, children’s books and pop culture. Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent The true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven.

SEAL: Team Six—Memoirs of an Elite Navy Seal Sniper Howard Wasdin This dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle takes readers deep inside the world of Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)—the toughest and longest military training in the world.

This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike. Augusten Burroughs An unusual how-to, self-help book for dealing with life’s strangest situations.

Its Kind of a Funny Story Ned Vizzini This book offers an eloquent, memorable fictional description of teenage clinical depression. One of the most honest, and truly - on occasion - humorous accounts that is firmly rooted in reality.

Go Ask Alice Anonymous It started when she was served a soft drink laced with LSD in a dangerous party game. Within months, she was hooked, trapped in a downward spiral that took her from her comfortable home and loving family to the mean streets of an unforgiving city. It was a journey that would rob her of her innocence, her youth and more. Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography Bear Grylls Mud, Sweat, and Tears is required reading for fans of Man vs. Wild but also for anyone who revels in first-person stories of high adventure.

Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman Jon Krakuer Pat Tillman walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to join the Army and became an icon of post-9/11 patriotism. When he was killed in Afghanistan two years later, a legend was born. But the real Pat Tillman was much more remarkable, and consider- ably more complicated than the public knew.

The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War Michael Shaara This novel reveals more about the Battle of Gettysburg than any piece of learned nonfiction on the same subject. Michael Shaara’s account of the three most important days of the Civil War features deft characterizations of all of the main actors, including Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Buford, and Hancock. This book brings history alive for any reader!

The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World David Kirkpatrick There’s never been a Web site like Facebook: more than 350 million people have accounts, and if the growth rate continues, by 2013 every Internet user worldwide will have his or her own page. Written with the full cooperation of founder Mark Zuckerberg, the book follows the company from its genesis in a Harvard dorm room through its successes over Friendster and MySpace, the ex- pansion of the user base, and Zuckerberg’s refusal to sell. The Best American Sports Writing of the Century David Halberstam and Glen Stout From Joe DiMaggio to Muhammad Ali to the Yale / Harvard game….a walk through 100 years of sports.

The Rolling Stone Interviews * Jann S. Warnner The greatest interviews with the greatest rock stars, movie stars, and cultural icons--uncensored and unfiltered--are published together in one remarkable volume in celebration of “Rolling Stones” 40th anniversary. Interviews with legends from Bob Dylan to Jim Morrison to Eminem.

Working Musicians Bruce Pollock Bruce Pollock’s intimate conversations with such superstars as Bruce Springsteen, Harry Connick Jr., Gene Simmons, Jerry Gar- cia, Frank Zappa, Carole King, Keith Richards, Bruce Hornsby, Paul Simon, Donald Fagen, John Lee Hooker, Kool Mo Dee, Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews Band, and others are as eye-opening as they are fascinating reading, and offer rare insight into a musi- cian’s career, from starting out to making it big.

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose Eckhart Tolle According to Tolle, who assumes the role of narrator as well, humans are on the verge of creating a new world by a personal transformation that shifts our attention away from our ever-expanding egos. Autobiography of Malcolm X, The Alex Haley & Malcolm X Malcolm X’s searing memoir belongs on the small shelf of great autobiographies. The reasons are many: the blistering honesty with which he recounts his transformation from a bitter, self-destructive petty criminal into an articulate political activist, the continued relevance of his militant analysis of white racism, and his emphasis on self-respect and self-help for African Americans.

Blind Side: Evolution of a Game Michael Lewis It’s much more than a treatise on football; it’s an exploration of the limits of conventional thinking and how strategic changes affect the value of quick-footed behemoths.

Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard Liz Murray Breaking Night is the stunning memoir of a young woman who at age fifteen was living on the streets, and who eventually made it into Harvard. Liz squeezed four years of high school into two, while homeless; won a New York Times scholarship; and made it into the Ivy League. Breaking Night is an unforgettable and beau- tifully written story of one young woman s indomitable spirit to survive and prevail, against all odds.

Death from the Skies!: The Science Behind the End of the World Philip Plait A surprisingly upbeat look at all the ways the universe can destroy us . . . Eminently readable. Diving Bell and the Butterfly Jean-Dominique Bauby The 44-year-old former editor-in-chief of the French Elle magazine suffered a severe stroke that left his body paralyzed but his mind intact, a condition known as “locked-in syndrome.” Able to communicate only by blinking his left eyelid, he dictated this book letter by letter to an assistant who recited to him a special alphabet.

Food Rules Michael Pollan A pocket compendium of food wisdom-from the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food Michael Pollan, our nation’s most trusted resource for food-related issues, offers this indispensible guide for anyone concerned about health and food. Simple, sensible, and easy to use, Food Rules is a set of memorable rules for eating wisely, many drawn from a variety of ethnic or cultural traditions.

Freedom Writers Diary Erin Gruwell When Gruwell was a first-year high school teacher in Long Beach, CA, teaching the “unteachables” (kids that no other teacher wanted to deal with), she discovered that most of her students had not heard of the Holocaust. Shocked, she introduced them to books about tolerance & first-person accounts by the likes of Anne Frank and Zlata Filopvic, who chronicled her life in war-torn Sarajevo.

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets Sudhir Venkatesh The story of the young sociologist who studied a Chicago crack- dealing gang from the inside captured the world’s attention when it was first described in Freakonomics. Gang Leader for a Day is the fascinating full story of how Sudhir Venkatesh managed to gain entrée into the gang, what he learned, and how his method revolu- tionized the academic establishment. Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir Janice Erlbaum In 1983, at age fifteen, Janice Erlbaum walks away from her dangerous home life and into the streets of New York determined to make it on her own in this unflinching portrait of being underprivileged, underage, and underdressed.

The Grand Design Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow The authors present a new discussion of the laws of the universe and the nature of reality. The journey includes thoughts of the great philosophers and scientists over the centuries as well as questions such as “Are the laws of nature suspended when miracles occur?” The well-placed, clever cartoons provide balance to the weighty discussions.

Have a Little Faith Mitch Albom As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Albom and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times. Although the texts, prayers, and histories are different, Albom begins to recognize a striking unity between the two worlds--and indeed, between beliefs everywhere.

How to Be a Zombie: The Essential Guide for Anyone Who Craves Brains Serena Valentino So you’re a zombie. What now? Slow down — and flesh out the life of the mindless with this essential guide for the newly undead. The vacant stare, the shambling gait, the sense that you’re falling apart — adjusting to “life” as a zombie takes a little getting used to. And what’s with the sudden obsession with brains? Time to get your outstretched hands on this comprehensive handbook spelling out all things z-o-m-b-i-e. I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced Nujood Ali A powerful new autobiography...It’s hard to imagine that there have been many younger divorcées — or braver ones — than a pint-size third grader named Nujood Ali.

Med Head: My Knock-down, Drag-out, Drugged-up Battle with My Brain James Patterson This deeply personal account of Cory Friedman’s intense struggles with Tourette’s Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder--as well as depression, anxiety, and alcohol addiction--is available for teen readers.

Outliers: The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell Now that he’s gotten us talking about the viral life of ideas and the power of gut reactions, Malcolm Gladwell poses a more pro- vocative question in Outliers: why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the “self-made man,” he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don’t arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: “they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.”

Stitches: A Memoir David Small David Small grew up in the 1950s in a dysfunctional family with an angry mother and an emotionally distant father. This graphic novel by Small, a Caldecott winning illustrator, about the redemptive value of art, is filled with sadness and dark humor. The Tattoo Chronicles Kat Von D The Tattoo Chronicles is an illustrated diary that offers an intimate look at a crucial year in the personal and professional life of Kat Von D, the charismatic, no-holds-barred tattooer and star of LA Ink. When Kat does a tattoo, she writes an entry about it in her journal, reflecting not only on the significance of the tattoo for the person who is receiving it but also on how the experience of creating this tattoo affects her personally.

This Is Why You’re Fat: Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks Richard Blakeley & Jessica Amason Nothing illustrates our nation’s bipolar attitude toward eating more hilariously than this visual coronary. A stomach-turning delight.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat Michael Pollan Tracing from source to table each of the food chains that sustain us-whether industrial or organic, alternative or processed-he devel- ops a portrait of the American way of eating. The result is a sweep- ing, surprising exploration of the hungers that have shaped our evolution, and of the profound implications our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet.

We All Fall Down: Living with Addiction Nic Scheff In his bestselling memoir Tweak, Nic Sheff took readers on an emotionally gripping roller-coaster ride through his days as a crystal meth and heroin addict. Now in this powerful follow-up about his continued efforts to stay clean, Nic writes candidly about eye-opening stays at rehab centers, devastating relapses, and hard- won realizations about what it means to be a young person living with addiction. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense Being Kevin Brooks It was just supposed to be a routine exam. But when the doctors snake the fiber-optic tube down Robert Smith’s throat, what they discover doesn’t make medical sense. Plastic casings. Silver fila- ments. Moving metal parts. In his naked, anesthetized state on the operating table, Robert hears the surgeons’ shocked comments: “What is that?” “It’s me,” Robert thinks, “and I’ve got to get out of here.”

The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To D. C. Pierson A wildly original and hilarious debut novel about the typical high school experience: the homework, the awkwardness, and the mutant creatures from another galaxy.

Empire Orson Scott Card Right-wing rhetoric trumps the logic of story and character in this near-future political thriller about a red-state vs. blue-state Ameri- can civil war. When the president and vice-president are killed by domestic terrorists (of unknown political identity), a radical left- ist army calling itself the Progressive Restoration takes over New York City and declares itself the rightful government of the United States.

Foundation Isaac Asimov “The Galactic Empire is crumbling and humanity is destined to collapse into centuries of barbarism and chaos. The only person willing to confront this imminent catastrophe is Hari Seldon, a psy- chohistorian and mathematician. Seldon can scientifically predict the future, and he sees a way to shorten the years of savagery.” Graceling Kristin Cashore Graceling takes readers inside the world of Katsa, a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunt- ing beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talents—swimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa’s Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven king- doms.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Doug Adams Join Douglas Adams’s hapless hero Arthur Dent as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid pal Ford Prefect, getting into horrible messes and generally wreaking hilarious havoc. Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a cosmic construction team obliterates the planet to build a freeway.

I Am Number Four Pittacus Lore Friendships and a beautiful girl are distracting to a teenager who is hiding on Earth while he waits to develop the powers he will need to rejoin the other six surviving Garde members and fight those who destroyed their planet.

The Looking Glass Wars Frank Beddor Alyss Heart, heir to the Wonderland throne, is forced to flee when her vicious aunt Redd murders her parents, the King and Queen of Hearts. She escapes through the Pool of Tears to Victorian London, but she finds she has no way home. The Magicians Lev Grossman Grossman’s novel is a postadolescent Harry Potter, following ap- prentices in the art of magic through their time as students at an upstate New York college to their postcollegiate Manhattan mis- deeds, with jaded ennui tempering the magical aura.

Night Runner Max Turner Night Runner is a fast-paced struggle against fate that had me cheering for Zack at every turn of the page. As an ordinary boy in extraordinary circumstances, Zack Thomson must decide whether or not to succumb to the temptations of a powerful thirst for blood that lives inside him, or fight his destiny to choose good over evil.

The Passage Justin Cronin In a dystopian future, a virus found in a South American jungle has been used to create a super soldier with great strength and healing abilities. The virus causes an epidemic, and infected people become bloodthirsty monsters. Normal humans are hiding in fortress- es trying to survive.

Pathfinder Orson Scott Card Thirteen-year-old Rigg has a secret ability to see the paths of others’ pasts, but revelations after his father’s death set him on a dangerous quest that brings new threats from those who would either control his destiny or kill him. Pride of Baghdad Brian K. Vaughan In the spring of 2003, a pride of lions escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during an American bombing raid. Lost and confused, hun- gry but finally free, the four lions roamed the decimated streets of Baghdad in a desperate struggle for their lives. In documenting the plight of the lions, Pride of Baghdad raises questions about the true meaning of liberation - can it be given, or is it earned only through self-determination and sacrifice? And in the end, is it truly better to die free than to live life in captivity?

The Radleys Matt Haig Just about everyone knows a family like the Radleys. Peter is an overworked doctor whose wife, Helen, has become increasingly remote and uncommunicative. Rowan, their teenage son, is being bullied at school, and their anemic daughter, Clara, has recently become a vegan. They are typical, that is, save for one devastating exception: Peter and Helen are vampires and have—for seventeen years—been abstaining by choice from a life of chasing blood in the hope that their children could live normal lives.

The Stand Stephen King This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual con- tacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a hand- ful of panicky survivors choose sides -- or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail -- and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man. Witch and Wizard James Patterson Fifteen-year-old Wisty and her 18-year-old brother Whit are awoken one night by troops from the newly elected N.O. (New Order) regime. The siblings are chained, tossed into a prison, and accused of being a witch and wizard—a charge that seems pre- posterous until Wisty envelops her body in flames and is no worse for wear. With the help of Whit’s dead girlfriend (who exists in a limbo known as the Shadowland), the teens escape to a bombed- out department store where a teen resistance movement fights the dastardly N.O.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Max Brooks The story of the world’s desperate battle against the zombie threat with a series of first-person accounts “as told to the author” by various characters around the world.

Vampire Hunter D Hideyuki Kikuchi 12,090 A.D. It is a dark time for the world. Humanity is just crawl- ing out from under three hundred years of domination by the race of vampires known as the Nobility. The war against the vampires has taken its toll; cities lie in ruin, the countryside is fragmented into small villages and fiefdoms that still struggle against nightly raids by the fallen vampires - and the remnants of their geneti- cally manufactured demons and werewolves. Every village wants a Hunter - one of the warriors who have pledged their laser guns and their swords to the eradication of the Nobility. But some Hunters are better than others, and some bring their own kind of danger with them. From creator Hideyuki Kikuchi, one of Japan’s leading horror authors with illustrations by renowned Japanese artist, Yosh- itaka Amano, best known for his illustrations in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman: The Dream Hunters and the Final Fantasy games. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Theif Rick Riordan Imagine finding out the Greek myths are actually history and you are the son of Zeus. Follow Percy Jackson and his friends on the adventures that follow the son of a god.

Soul Keepers G.P. Ching This book is about a boy named Jacob who lives in Hawaii. His father is dead, and with his mother’s disappearance, he’s forced to live with his uncle in Illinois. Here, he finds himself changing, and realizes he is a key part in a divine war of good versus evil.

Recommended Reading for AP Students Atonement Ian McEwan

Young Briony Tallis, a hyperimaginative 13-year-old who sees her older sister, Cecilia, mysteriously involved with their neighbor Robbie Turner, points a finger at Robbie when her young cousin is assaulted in the grounds that night; on her testimony alone, Rob- bie is jailed. The second part of the book moves forward five years to focus on Robbie, now freed and part of the British Army that was cornered and eventually evacuated by a fleet of small boats at Dunkirk during the early days of WWII. In the third part, Briony becomes a nurse amid wonderfully observed scenes of London as the nation mobilizes. In an ironic epilogue that is yet another coup de the tre, McEwan offers Briony as an elderly novelist today, revisiting her past in fact and fancy and contributing a moving windup to the sustained flight of a deeply novelistic imagination. With each book McEwan ranges wider, and his powers have never been more fully in evidence than here. Murder in the Cathedral T. S. Eliot A dramatization in verse of the murder of Thomas Becket at Canterbury. “The theatre as well as the church is enriched by this poetic play of grave beauty and momentous decision.

The Bonesetter’s Daughter Amy Tan At the beginning of Amy Tan’s fourth novel, two packets of papers written in Chinese calligraphy fall into the hands of Ruth Young. One bundle is titled Things I Know Are True and the other, Things I Must Not Forget. The author is the protagonist’s mother, LuLing, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In these docu- ments the elderly matriarch, born in China in 1916, has set down a record of her birth and family history, determined to keep the facts from vanishing as her mind deteriorates. A San Francisco career woman who makes her living by ghostwrit- ing self-help books, Ruth has little idea of her mother’s past or true identity. Framed at either end by Ruth’s chapters, the central portion of The Bonesetter’s Daughter takes place in China in the remote, moun- tainous region where anthropologists discovered Peking Man in the 1920s. Here superstition and tradition rule over a succession of tiny villages. And here LuLing grows up under the watchful eye of her hideously scarred nursemaid, Precious Auntie. As she did in her earlier The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan uses familial conflicts to explore the intricate dynamic that exists between first- generation Americans and their immigrant elders. The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy In her first novel, award-winning Indian screenwriter Arundhati Roy conjures a whoosh of wordplay that rises from the pages like a brilliant jazz improvisation. The God of Small Things is nomi- nally the story of young twins Rahel and Estha and the rest of their family, but the book feels like a million stories spinning out indefi- nitely; it is the product of a genius child-mind that takes everything in and transforms it in an alchemy of poetry. The God of Small Things is at once exotic and familiar to the Western reader, written in an English that’s completely new and invigorated by the Asian Indian influences of culture and language

No Country for Old Men Cormac McCarthy Seven years after Cities of the Plain brought his acclaimed Border Trilogy to a close, McCarthy returns with a mesmerizing modern- day western. In 1980 southwest Texas, Llewelyn Moss, hunting antelope near the Rio Grande, stumbles across several dead men, a bunch of heroin and $2.4 million in cash. The bulk of the novel is a gripping man-on-the-run sequence relayed in terse, masterful prose as Moss, who’s taken the money, tries to evade Wells, an ex– Special Forces agent employed by a powerful cartel, and Chigurh, an icy psychopathic murderer armed with a cattle gun and a dangerous philosophy of justice. Also concerned about Moss’s where- abouts is Sheriff Bell, an aging lawman struggling with his sense that there’s a new breed of man (embodied in Chigurh) whose destructive power he simply cannot match. In a series of thoughtful first-person passages interspersed throughout, Sheriff Bell laments the changing world, wrestles with an uncomfortable memory from his service in WWII and—a soft ray of light in a book so steeped in bloodshed—rejoices in the great good fortune of his marriage. While the action of the novel thrills, it’s the sensitivity and wisdom of Sheriff Bell that makes the book a profound meditation on the battle between good and evil and the roles choice and chance play in the shaping of a life. A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini It’s difficult to imagine a harder first act to follow thanThe Kite Runner: a debut novel by an unknown writer about a country many readers knew little about that has gone on to have over four million copies in print worldwide. But when preview copies of Khaled Hosseini’s second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, started circulating at Amazon.com, readers reacted with a unanimous enthusiasm that few of us could remember seeing before. As special as The Kite Runner was, A Thousand Splendid Suns is more so, bringing Hosseini’s compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope.

The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver When Barbara Kingsolver sends missionary Nathan Price along with his wife and four daughters off to Africa, you can be sure that salvation is the one thing they’re not likely to find. The year is 1959 and the place is the Belgian Congo. Nathan, a Baptist preach- er, has come to spread the Word in a remote village reachable only by airplane. But of course it isn’t long before they discover that they’ve arrived in the middle of political upheaval as the Congo- lese seek to wrest independence from Belgium. The first part of The Poisonwood Bible revolves around Nathan’s intransigent, bullying personality and his effect on both his family and the village they have come to. As political instability grows in the Congo, so does the local witch doctor’s animus toward the Prices, and both seem to converge with tragic consequences about halfway through the novel. From that point on, the family is dis- persed and the novel follows each member’s fortune across a span of more than 30 years. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle David Wroblewski It’s gutsy for a debut novelist to offer a modern take on Hamlet set in rural Wisconsin--particularly one in which the young hero, born mute, communicates with people, dogs, and the occasional ghost through his own mix of sign and body language. But David Wro- blewski’s extraordinary way with language in The Story of Edgar Sawtelle immerses readers in a living, breathing world that is both fantastic and utterly believable. In selecting for temperament and a special intelligence, Edgar’s grandfather started a line of unusual dogs--the Sawtelles--and his sons carried on his work. But among human families, undesirable traits aren’t so easily predicted, and clashes can erupt with tragic force. Edgar’s tale takes you to the extremes of what humans must endure, and when you’re finally released, you will come back to yourself feeling wiser, and flush with gratitude. And you will have remembered what magnificent alchemy a finely wrought novel can work.

“Parents Should Teach A Love of Books” By Clayton Curtiss, as printed in the New York Times

What is wrong with today’s children? They just don’t seem to be reading anything, and what is worse, they don’t seem to have any desire to. Let us begin with the premise that there is a world of enjoyment, knowledge and promise waiting between the covers of all those terrific books out there. We must also begin with that sad fact that, for most of our children, the world is terra incognita. Rather than ask the questions of how, and why this sorry situation has come to pass (television, part-time jobs, cars, MTV), I would like to look at the ways that we as parents and teachers can correct the situation. The first thing we probably have to admit is that much of the fault lies within ourselves. If our children do not read, we may be as much to blame as any of those villains mentioned above. Somehow, we have failed to connect our youngsters with the pleasure and wonder that lies waiting out there. As teachers, we have done this by our emphasis on reading as a skill; it is something that must be mastered so that one can become a better student, get better grades, do well on the S.A.T.’s and get into a “good” college in order to get a good job. We have neither frequently nor loudly said that reading need have no other end than the pleasure of itself. It need not be mastered to gain some other objective. Put in its simplest terms, reading is fun. Is it too late to change this attitude that reading is purely utilitarian, that it is simply a pragmatic skill? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, high school may be the best age to correct this condition and make the connection between reading and pleasure. The question we have to ask ourselves is why we enjoy reading as much as we do. And the answer gives us the solution to the problem. Most of us read what we read and as much as we read because it gives us pleasure. Surely there can be ideas, information and the acquisition of knowledge, but down deep, there is the reality that we enjoy what we read. Let us share that pleasure with our children. If you enjoy a book, whether it is the latest Tom Clancy or Stephen King or Tom Wolfe or (I hesitate to men- tion) Danielle Steel, there is a good chance that the high school-age person you share your home with will also enjoy it. If you read Robert Ludlum, why not share that pleasure? If you buy the new Robert B. Parker in hard cover because you crave the reading experience, why wouldn’t your child get the same pleasure? I have been teaching English for 28 years and I never tire of the complex- ity and variety of student life. They are beginning to discover the adult world. We should think of them as emerging people. They are becoming. And one of the things they could become is readers. Look around the house, look in the bookstores. Look at what you are reading for pleasure right now. Why wouldn’t your child enjoy what you are reading? Understand, too, that as a parent you are in a wonderful position to make some suggestions. You may have loved “Presumed Innocent,” but you may decide that your child is not quite ready for that level of violence and sex. You loved “Bonfire of the Vanities,” but you think that it just might be too long. Yet, there are all those other books you absolutely loved reading. The list may be endless and personal. It need not be only recent bestsellers. What about “The Caine Mutiny,” “Marjorie Morningstar,” “The Fountainhead,” The World According to Garp” or “The Thorn Birds”? You have your own list. Use it. If all our reading consisted of technical manuals or textbooks, we probably would not be enthusiastic readers, either. Remember, most of what children are reading are books that they are required to read, and most of that is pretty dry and not very entertaining. Adults at home and at school should always remember why you read as much as you do. Let your children in on the pleasure of simply sitting down with a good book, allowing it to catch them in its spell.

By David Riehl ‘09