Students Entering Grade 9: Recommended/Required Summer Reading List

Required Reading:
Incoming Ninth Grade Honors Students

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
An incredible young adult novel about how a young girl’s love of books helps a community survive World War II and the Holocaust.

Ninth Grade Honors students: Please click here for the Reading Comprehension Notes worksheet that you should use when reading The Book Thief to prepare for class discussions in the fall. Please click here for The Book Thief test study guide.

Heroes by Robert Cormeir
Unwillingly, an 18-year-old WWII hero who was disfigured in the war comes home. He immediately plots his revenge. This novel is filled with psychological suspense and leaves readers guessing each of the protagonist's next moves.
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
As their worlds change around them, two girls must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy--or as difficult--as it seems.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
What is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this hell and survived.
Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy's Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom
The story of the remarkable journey of Selamawi Haileab Asgemdo, or Mawi. He was a refugee who came to America when he was young. Through hard work and his father's influence, he became a Harvard graduate.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
A story about what it’s like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school.

If you are having difficulty finding and acquiring a text for summer reading, please click here to email Lori Jolley in the Curriculum Department.