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Summer Reading
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What do I do?
Read as many books as you like, but be sure to follow the instructions for the English class you are enrolled in for the 2025-2026 school year. All courses except E108, E208, E319, and E419 will have free choice. Check below to see the Summer Reading assignment for your course. When school starts, your English teacher will assess your knowledge of the book.
What is a course level?
Check your class schedule to identify which class you will take next year. Books are identified by these course levels.
Click here for great links to amazing book lists.
Where can I find these books?
Local Libraries
- Arlington Heights
- Barrington
- Palatine
- Rolling Meadows
- Schaumburg
Online Retailers
- Amazon.com
- BN.com
- …and more!
Local Bookstores
Barnes & Noble
- Deer Park
- Schaumburg
Active Reading Strategies
Ask questions
Active readers question anything they wonder about or don’t understand. Then they are on the lookout for clues to answer those questions.
Make predictions
Active readers predict what might happen based on the information in the story.
Clarify
Active readers look for answers to their questions to clarify and gain a better understanding of the text.
Make connections
Active readers relate what they are reading to their own knowledge and experience, as well as to other texts.
Evaluate
Active readers draw conclusions about what they have read. By evaluating a selection, active readers are able to form their own opinions about characters, actions and the selection as a whole.
Determine the meanings of new words
Active readers try to figure out what new words mean. They may look in a dictionary, examine the different parts of the word or read surrounding text for clues.
React personally
Active readers comment on different aspects of the text according to their own beliefs and attitudes.
Summer Reading by Course
English 101
Freshman Year, we’ll be talking about identity. Please choose a book that you ENJOY for your summer reading. As you read, consider how it helps you define yourself and the world around you; we’ll talk about this when you enter your English Class this fall!
We have two caveats: First, you must choose a novel appropriate to your reading level; second, your parent(s)/guardian(s) must approve the novel choice.
English 102
Freshman Year, we’ll be talking about identity. Please choose a book that you ENJOY for your summer reading. As you read, consider how it helps you define yourself and the world around you; we’ll talk about this when you enter your English Class this fall!
We have two caveats: First, you must choose a novel appropriate to your reading level; second, your parent(s)/guardian(s) must approve the novel choice.
English 108
At the start of the year in E108, Honors Freshman English, we will look at how our various summer reading texts connect and how authors use literary elements to convey purpose.
Please see the online folder for a collection of short stories, nonfiction pieces and poetry, and read each piece before the first day of school. Though no assignment will be due on the first day of school, feel free to annotate and take notes as you read.
English 201
You may pick a fiction or nonfiction book that meets your own tastes. We have two caveats: First, you must choose a novel appropriate to your reading level. Second, your parent(s)/guardian(s) must approve the novel choice. Enjoy your summer reading selection. You must have your novel completed by the first day of school. We will be working on a summer reading project during the first week of class.
English 202
You may pick a fiction or nonfiction book that meets your own tastes. We have two caveats: First, you must choose a novel appropriate to your reading level. Second, your parent(s)/guardian(s) must approve the novel choice. Enjoy your summer reading selection. You must have your novel completed by the first day of school. We will be working on a summer reading project during the first week of class.
English 208
Read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls over the summer and bring a copy of the book to English class on the first day of school.
In the fall, be prepared to analyze the rhetorical choices the author makes to achieve her purpose. We will use the author's life experiences to explore the world around us and better understand the human experience. Lastly, this memoir is an introduction to the memoir unit that we will focus on in the first semester to analyze the effect of rhetorical choices as well as a way to develop our own narrative voice.
Although this is the only required summer reading book for E208, to prepare for the stamina and rigor expected at the pre-AP level, it is strongly recommended that you read additional fiction or nonfiction texts.
English 301
You may pick a fiction or nonfiction book that meets your own tastes. We have two caveats: First, you must choose a novel appropriate to your reading level. Second, your parent(s)/guardian(s) must approve the novel choice. Enjoy your summer reading selection. You must have your novel completed by the first day of school. We will be working on a summer reading project during the first week of class.
English 302/336
You may pick a fiction or nonfiction book that meets your own tastes. We have two caveats: First, you must choose a novel appropriate to your reading level. Second, your parent(s)/guardian(s) must approve the novel choice. Enjoy your summer reading selection. You must have your novel completed by the first day of school. We will be working on a summer reading project during the first week of class.
English 319 (Juniors and Seniors)
AP Language & Composition
We are looking forward to getting to know you and that will start with our summer reading! E319 AP Language and Composition students should read The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. Of course, you are welcome to buy the book or borrow a copy from a friend or your local library--paper or digital books are both fine. Please bring a copy of the book to English class on the first day of school.
English 419
AP Literature & Composition
Read Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro over the summer and bring a copy of the book to English class on the first day of school.
Senior English Elective Courses
You may pick a fiction or nonfiction book that meets your own tastes. We have two caveats: First, you must choose a novel appropriate to your reading level. Second, your parent(s)/guardian(s) must approve the novel choice. Enjoy your summer reading selection. You must have your novel completed by the first day of school. We will be working on a summer reading project during the first week of class.
Senior Elective Summer Reading
Reading Lists: Click here for great links to amazing book lists.
