Required Reading Lists 2018

Reading for enjoyment is a priceless pastime that people of all ages enjoy.  To cultivate this in our students, the TFS English Department will again require Summer Reading for all students.  Each student is responsible for reading one book over the summer.  The student may choose which book to read from the list below.  During the first two weeks of school, English teachers will be giving an in-class response prompt that assesses comprehension of the book.  Later in the first two weeks, students may also work on a project that stems from the book's content.   Honors and AP students have required reading that differs from those students not enrolled in Honors or AP classes.  Teachers have explained and distributed the specific assignments to all students.

All summer reading grades will be included in the first grading period.  Students transferring into the district after the end of the first quarter will not be required to take the summer reading assessment/assignment.  All transfer students who arrive during the first quarter will be required to complete the assessment and assignment. 

The English Department and Library Director came together to select the required books based on Illinois State Library's Read for a Lifetime booklist. We feel they are interesting, insightful, and engaging for teens.  Please take a moment to look over the book selections.  These books may be found in a variety of locations and students are NOT required to purchase them.  The Lansing and Glenwood/Lynwood Libraries both have multiple copies of each title.

Other classes and courses also require summer reading.  Please check the list at right to view other classes and courses. 

Students enrolled in English 9, 10, 11, or 12 (non-honors) must choose one book from the following list:
 

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women by Lisa Charleyboy
#NotYourPrincess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Memphis, 1939. 12-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's houseboat on Mississippi River. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge --until strangers arrive in force. Taken from their home and thrown into a Tennessee Children's orphanage, the children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents, but they quickly realize the dark truth. Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country.

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
Kept as forced labor on a chocolate plantation in the Ivory Coast, Amadou and his younger brother Seydou had given up hope and just try their best to stay alive, until a young girl arrives at the camp who rekindles the urge to escape.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Justyce, an Ivy League-bound African-American student, becomes a victim of racial profiling. His Dear Martin project, in which he tries to live like Martin Luther King Jr., is put in jeopardy from the moment he's put in police handcuffs. In the months that follow, Justyce confronts injustices and micro-aggressions he experiences at his mostly white prep school and the fallout from his brief detainment.

Endurance: A year in space, a lifetime of discovery by Scott Kelly
The veteran of four spaceflights and the American record holder for consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly has experienced things very few have. Now, he takes us inside a sphere utterly hostile to human life. He describes navigating the extreme challenge of long-term spaceflight, both life-threatening and mundane: the devastating effects on the body; the isolation from everyone he loves and the comforts of Earth; the catastrophic risks of colliding with space junk; and more.

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway
Being the middle child has its ups and downs, but for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family and discovers there’s more to her life than expected.

Gone by Michael Grant
In the blink of an eye, everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears, setting up a battle of survival between the remaining town residents and the students from a local private school. The teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. And time is running out: on your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. But then she witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community and endanger her life.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
In this prequel to Alice in Wonderland, Cath would rather open a bakery and marry for love than accept a proposal from the King of Hearts, especially after meeting the handsome and mysterious court jester. Fate and the King, however, have other plans in store for her.

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Before the end of detention one of them is dead, and according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. Simon was the creator of a notorious gossip app, where he had planned to post juicy reveals the very next day about all four of his high-profile classmates. All four of them are now suspects in his murder.

Tell me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
Sixteen-year old Jessie, still grieving over her mother's death, must move from Chicago to "The Valley," with a new stepfamily but no new friends until a person calling themselves “Somebody/Nobody,” or SN, emails and offers to help her navigate the school's treacherous social waters. In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
In a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they will die, teenagers Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.

Turtles all the Way Down by John Green
Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her best and most fearless friend, Daisy, is eager to help. Aza is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living with her own obsessive and anxious thoughts.

Warcross by Marie Lu
When teenage coder Emika Chen hacks her way into the opening tournament of the online game Warcross Championships, she glitches herself into the game as well as into a sinister plot with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.  Great for fans of the movie Ready Player One.

We are Okay by Nina Lacour
Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. But when her friend Mabel comes to visit her at her New York college, Marin must face the truth about the tragedy that happened in the final weeks of summer after her senior year of high school.