Academics
Summer Reading List
Middle School Summer Reading 2024
List of 4 items.
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Students Entering Sixth Grade
Out of My Mind by Sharon DraperISBN: 978-1416971719Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her because she cannot communicate with them. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it - somehow. For students, this engrossing novel explores the power of language and communication. -
Students Entering Seventh Grade
The Outsiders by S.E. HintonISBN-10: 014240733XSet in Oklahoma in the 1960s, this classic coming-of-age novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis, a young member of a gang called the Greasers. The Greasers have a longstanding rivalry with the Socs, a gang of rich kids. Ponyboy loves his fellow Greasers, but sometimes he struggles to fit in with their tough reputation. When a run-in with the Socs goes awry, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny have to make some quick decisions to survive. This text will introduce students to the year’s theme, the “Individual and Society,” and will ask students to explore a range of topics, including the development of identity, what it means to be an “outsider,” and how individual characters both shape and are shaped by their societies. -
Students Entering Eighth Grade - English 8
Select one of the novel choices below as your main summer read. Please also read the short story and poem that are linked at the bottom.Students are expected to carefully annotate and look for similarities between the texts. When school starts, we will write a piece about the summer readings.A: Soldier’s Secret by Sheila Solomon KlassISBN: 978-0805097399When the colonies went to war with the British in 1775, Deborah was intent on being part of the action. Seeing no other option, she disguised herself in a man's uniform and served in the Continental army for more than a year, her identity hidden from her fellow soldiers. Based on the real-life heroine, Deborah Sampson, this engrossing novel brings the reader into a woman’s journey in a man’s war. For students, this suspenseful text pairs well with conversations about identity, self-determination, non-linear plot structure, and thematic writing.B: Dread Nation by Justina IrelandISBN: 978-0062570604Jane McKeene was born two days before the undead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - derailing the War Between the States and changing the nation forever. Will Jane be able to help salvage what’s left of the United States? Thrilling and terrifying, this novel is a stunning vision of America on the brink; at the explosive crossroads where race, humanity, and survival meet. For students, this engaging text pairs well with conversations about systemic racial oppression, classism, feminism, and how authors use setting to create mood in a story.Short Story“My First Free Summer” by Julia Alvarez (questions and activities are optional)Even under the best of circumstances, leaving someone or something behind can be difficult. In this memoir, Julia Alvarez faces the pain of leaving her homeland, even as she realizes the dangers of staying. For students, this harrowing and historical story teaches cause-and-effect relationships in a text as well as characterization.Poetry -
Students Entering Eighth Grade - History 8
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 978-0316453691
Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds with research from renowned author Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas—and on ways you can identify and stamp out racist thoughts, leading to a better future.
Upper School Summer Reading
List of 7 items.
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Students Entering Ninth Grade - English I: Literature of Identity
Please select one of the novel choices below as your summer read.Students are expected to read carefully and look for elements in the text that align with the course theme of “Literature of Identity.” When school starts, we will write a piece about the summer reading.A. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-1442408937This coming-of-age novel takes place in 1987 in El Paso Texas. The publisher’s synopsis: “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a lyrical novel about family and friendship from critically acclaimed author Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship — the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.” Since its publication in 2012, the novel has earned the Pura Belpre Award, the Printz Honor, the Stonewall Award, and the Lambda Literary Award, and is on Time’s list of 100 Best YA Books of All Time.
Content Warning: This coming-of-age novel contains a few scenes with alcohol and drug use, references to violence, and a transphobic character.
B. Gather by Kenneth Cadow
Candlewick
ISBN: 9781536234183
From Commonsensemedia.org: Rural Vermont 10th grader Ian is dealing with a lot as the big hairy dog he names GATHER wanders into his life on what's left of the farm that's been in his family for generations. Ian's father, irresponsible in the best of times, has deserted the family. His beloved grandfather, who shares his love of the land with Ian, has recently died; his grandmother has moved out of state for her health. This leaves Ian and his now-single mom devastated, and following a work injury she falls into drug use. They have no money, the roof leaks, the phone's cut off, the tires are bald, and they're living on soup from the food bank. Ian dreams of getting the ruined farm back to its former glory, but he's barely keeping it together day to day. The teen's determination to keep them together serves as a moral compass as forces beyond his control threaten to take away the land and heritage he loves -- and also brings people together to protect them both. Which is good, because they need it.
C. You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 9780374304904
From NationalBook.org: This elegant young adult novel captures the immigrant experience for one Indian-American family with humor and heart. Told in alternating teen voices across three generations, You Bring the Distant Near explores sisterhood, first loves, friendship, and the inheritance of culture–for better or worse. From a grandmother worried that her children are losing their Indian identity to a daughter wrapped up in a forbidden biracial love affair to a granddaughter social-activist fighting to preserve Bengali tigers, award-winning author Mitali Perkins weaves together the threads of a family growing into an American identity. Here is a sweeping story of five women at once intimately relatable and yet entirely new. -
Students Entering Tenth Grade English II: World Literature
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
DC Comics
ISBN: 978-1779511195Through his graphic novel, V for Vendetta, Alan Moore provokes his readers to analyze both fascism and anarchism in order to determine their ideal society. Through specific attention to detail, Moore shares a narrative that focuses on his main character, V, prompting the reader to question V’s morality. Combined with the social narrative, intricate attention to graphic detail, and symbolic character and plot choices, V for Vendetta serves as a social commentary on England in the late 20th century.Students will be expected to carefully annotate for the following elements as they read:- AHA moments
- Conflict
- Person vs. Themselves
- Person Vs. Society
- Hope
- Powerful Symbol
Students will be assigned a reflection essay when they return to Buckley. -
Students taking AP English Language and Composition, American Literature & Advanced Studies in American Literature
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan DidionISBN: 978-0374531386Joan Didion is considered to be the quintessential chronicler of California, documenting the beauty and chaos of the state—and often focusing on Southern California. Slouching Towards Bethlehem is a collection of some of her best essays about the state in the 1960s. She was also in the forefront of the “New Journalism” literary movement. The New Journalists infused reportage with their personal experiences in order to reach a greater truth. As Didion said, “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see, and what it means.”You can also watch the Netflix documentary about Didion, The Center Will Not Hold. -
Students Entering Women in Dramatic Literature
I Only Speak Catharsis by Abi NosratiISBN: 979-8-88504-918-4In I Only Speak Catharsis, author Abi Nosrati (a Buckley alum) explores the intersection of inner and outer human identity. She looks inside the struggles of love, friendship, and pain; how we humans live in this wonderful way that is tragically beautiful. In this book of poetry lovingly crafted, she shares the story of the relationships she has experienced or observed in the world around her. Abi’s poetry deals with current issues faced by young people: self-confidence, peer pressure, societal expectations, body image, sexual identity, etc. These issues are eloquently and creatively expressed through the written word, where Abi embeds equity and inclusion within the framework of her creative verse.Students will be expected to carefully annotate for the following elements as they read:- AHA moments
- Conflict
- Person vs. Themselves
- Hope/hopelessness
- Powerful Symbols and metaphors
- Assimilation
- Gender
Students will be assigned a reflection essay when they return to Buckley. -
Students taking Latin American Literature
Pedro Páramo by Juan RulfoISBN: 978-0802160935To fulfill his mother’s dying wish, Juan Preciado travels to Comala to find Pedro Páramo, the father he never knew. What he finds is a ghost town—literally and figuratively. Rulfo tells Juan’s and Pedro’s stories in a non-linear fashion, jumping between the past and present. Pedro Páramo is considered one of the greatest works in Latin-American literature, a seminal piece of magical realism, and a source of inspiration for the most acclaimed Latin-American authors of the 20th and 21st centuries. A filmed adaptation will premiere on Netflix later this year. -
Students taking Science Fiction Literature
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsISBN: 978-0345418913Arthur Dent finds his house being demolished so a new road can be built. Before that can happen, the Vogons demolish Earth to make way for a hyperspace freeway. Arthur is saved by a friendly space alien—and so begins Arthur’s adventures in the galaxy. Considered one of the best and funniest science fiction books since its publication in 1979, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is also a biting satire of our world.Just remember, when reading the novel, know where your towel is and “Don’t Panic”! -
Students Taking Advanced Studies: The Rhetoric of Climate Change
Students must read one of the following.Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
ISBN: 978-0307476074At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone.Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
ISBN: 978-0385486804Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and, unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw the maps away. Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.Krakauer brings McCandless's uncompromising pilgrimage out of the shadows, and the peril, adversity, and renunciation sought by this enigmatic young man are illuminated with a rare understanding—and not an ounce of sentimentality. Into the Wild is a tour de force. The power and luminosity of Jon Krakauer's storytelling blaze through every page.
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