A few weeks before school ended, one of my students, a seventeen-year-old junior, asked me to create for her a summer reading list. Not only was I honored and proud she’d asked, but I rubbed my hands together in maniacal glee like a clichéd villain, eager to get started on this project.
But it’s been hard. Not to think of any books for her! —but to narrow the list down to reasonable for a final summer of high school. She’s an avid but slow-ish reader, yet she has more grit than any student I’ve ever had and loves to spend hours with her nose in a page-turner.
It’s been a bit of both art and science to concoct an ideal summer reading list for her, to walk that fine line between a leisurely read without falling into saccharine territory; a book that’d keep her engrossed on a chaise lounge by the pool but wouldn’t require a highlighter or dictionary to accompany it. Plus, she’s a devout reader who faithfully reads all I assign for classes, so I know she’s already read good stuff.
Here’s the list I’m giving her—and at the end, I’m sharing my own summer reading list! I’d love to hear what’s on yours.
A High Schooler Summer Reading List
There are a dozen books here; four non-fiction and eight fiction. I recommend choosing at least one non-fiction for every three works of fiction, simply for variety.
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