Secondary Summer Reading
Get ready for the 2021-2022 school year by diving into one or more of the summer reading recommendations below!
These texts were selected based upon teacher recommendations, rigor and thematic relevance to The Atlas texts that students will experience in their next English course. In keeping with the diversity of The Atlas, authors were selected based upon their representation of BIPOC authorship and/or the relatable and rigorous content of their texts.
These texts will help students prepare for the upcoming school year in English!
Select one or more texts for your upcoming grade level in either print or digital form.
Sixth Grade - EXPLORE IDENTITY AND HOME
- Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
- Save Me A Seat by Sarah Weeks
- When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson
- Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
These texts consider the themes of identity or home and will set students up to approach these themes in The Tequila Worm during Unit 1.
Seventh Grade - EXPLORE CULTURE AND TIME PERIODS
- One Crazy Summer by Riya Williams
- Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
- Dear Martin by Nic Stone
These texts will expose students to different cultures and time periods, helping them build background knowledge for areas of study in seventh grade.
Eighth Grade - BUILD BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
- March (books 1, 2, or 3 - graphic novels) by John Lewis
- Enders Game by Orson Scott Card
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
These texts will expose students to different genres, writing styles and time periods, helping them build background knowledge for areas of study in eight grade.
Ninth Grade - CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL ISSUES
- Emma by Jane Austen
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx by Sonia Manzano
Rigorous yet engaging literature that will provide students exposure to relevant themes they will see in their rising grade level, while also connecting to contemporary social issues.
Tenth Grade - TELLING OUR STORIES
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Rigorous yet engaging literature that will provide students exposure to relevant themes they will see in their rising grade level, while also connecting to contemporary social issues.
Intro to Rhetoric & Composition - INTERSECTIONALITY
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
- Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena
- The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah
These texts all address issues of intersectionality in an engaging style.
AP Literature - MODERN NOVELS, MODERN TOPICS
- How to Read Literature Like a Professor for Kids (Suggested: Young Readers' Edition) by Thomas C. Foster
- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
- The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
If you go with HTRLLAP, we highly recommend the young reader's edition because it changes the examples to texts students have actually read (like A Raisin in the Sun and Harry Potter). The novel option features highly engaging, modern novels that address thematic topics that will supplement student learning in the course.
AP Language Arts - IDENTITY, CULTURE AND HISTORY
- Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
- An Indigenous People's History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
- Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman **
Clap When you Land is a novel-in-verse and addresses themes of identity. The other two options are highly recommended for building cultural and historical literacy as a foundation for AP Language.
** This is a more challenging read...go for it!