St. Anthony High School
Required Summer Reading
English 10, American Lit (Grade 11), British Lit (Grade 12)
**Does not apply for students in AP English Language or AP English Literature
Choose two books from the following list to read over the summer. Please take
notes on characters, plot, setting, theme, and your reactions/thoughts/opinions of
the book. You should be prepared to take a test, complete a writing assignment,
and/or participate in a thoughtful discussion the first week of school, which will
reflect your understanding and analysis of what you read. Feel free to read more
than two! Read and enjoy!
Thirsty: by Anderson, M.T.
All Chris really wants is to be a normal kid, to hang out with his friends, avoid his parents, and get a date
with Rebecca Schwartz. Unfortunately, Chris appears to be turning into a vampire. In this tale of terror and
teen angst, author M. T. Anderson creates a startling world of suspense and dark humor that will haunt the
reader long after the book is closed.
Redeeming Love: by Francine Rivers
A retelling of the biblical story of Hosea and Gomer, set in California's gold country in the year 1850. Sold
into prostitution as a child, Angel must make peace with God and accept the love of her husband, Michael.
This is a powerfully moving encounter with feelings of love and hate.
The Turn of The Skrew: by Henry James
A short novel originally published in 1898, it is ostensibly a ghost story. The story begins with the narrator
listening to the reading of a manuscript written by a former governess whom the friend claims to have known
and who is now dead. This creepy adventure into the supernatural is sure to provide you with a few chills
down your spine.
The Chocolate War: by Robert Cormier
Some have argued it is one of the best young adult novels of all time. Set at the fictional Trinity High School,
the story follows protagonist Jerry Renault as he challenges the school's cruel, brutal, and ugly mob rule.
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven: by Sherman Alexie
This is a hilariously funny, devastatingly sad but heartfelt collection of interconnected short stories by
Sherman Alexie. The short stories are interconnected, but each is unique. All of the stories center around
the life of the Native Americans, or Indians, on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Thomas Builds-the-fire is
one of the central protagonists whose voice is heard throughout most of the stories. The narrative also
centers on Victor Joseph and his friends and family. He tells some of the stories from his first-person
perspective while some of the stories are told about him from the third-person omniscient perspective.
Brave New World: by Aldus Huxley
Set in London of AD 2540 (632 A.F. in the book), the novel anticipates developments in reproductive
technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. The future society is an embodiment of the
ideals that form the basis of futurism. The novel opens in London in the "year of our Ford 632" (AD 2540 in
the Gregorian Calendar). The vast majority of the population is unified under The World State, an eternally
peaceful, stable global society in which goods and resources are plentiful (because the population is
permanently limited to no more than two billion people) and everyone is happy.
Memoirs of a Geisha: by Arthur Golden
Is a novel by Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the fictional
story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: by Bettie Smith
Is a novel by Betty Smith first published in 1943. It relates the coming-of-age story of its main character,
Francie Nolan, and her Austrian/Irish-American family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City. The novel
is set in the first and second decades of the 20th century. The novel is a total masterpiece. At almost 500
hundred pages there is not a thing I’d cut- not a chapter, paragraph, sentence, nor word. It is a work of
fiction the equal of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, and some other great
works like John Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath.
Demon's Lexicon: by Brennan, Sarah Rees.
Sixteen-year-old Nick and his older brother Alan are always on the run. Now, Alan has been marked by a
demon and to save him, the boys must become the hunters.
Highway to Hell : by Clement-Moore, Rosemary.
Maggie and Lisa find their spring break road trip interrupted by a cow’s carcass which launches them into a
hunt for an evil demon terrorizing a remote desert.
The Stolen One: by Crowley, Suzanne Carlisle
In searching for her identity, Spirit finds that she is the daughter of a former queen and realizes who she
truly loves, at the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
After: by Efaw, Amy
Soccer star Devon never admitted to herself that she was pregnant. Now she’s in detention, facing charges
of attempted murder after delivering a baby and dumping it in the trash.
Once Was Lost: by Zarr, Sara
Samara’s faith is tested as struggles to uphold their perfect family image her father. a pastor, must portray
while her mother drinks herself into rehab and a friend goes missing.
Leviathan: by Westerfeld, Scott
Steampunk novel that is a strange mixture of Victorian times with mechanical inventions. Bio-society
countries are at war with mechanical countries in this extremely fresh novel.
The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe: by Gray, Theodore.
The 118 elements of the periodic table are photographed and described with humor, style and authority.
(recommended for upcoming Chemistry students)
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream: by Stone, Tanya Lee.
The story of the “Mercury 13” women who paved the way for females in space and aeronautics by
challenging the political and social culture behind NASA’s unwritten rule that astronauts must be male.
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer: by Swanson, James L.
Much more than just Lincoln’s killing went on that night of the Ford Theater assassination, this book will
inform and entertain you with the gory details.
Shiver: by Stiefvater, Maggie.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. She has been particularly
drawn to one – a yellow-eyed wolf who, in turn has been watching her intensely.
The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, And (HIV) Positive (Paperback) by Marvelyn Brown
The surprisingly hopeful story of how a straight, non-promiscuous, everyday girl contracted HIV and how she
manages to stay upbeat, inspired, and more positive about life than ever before. It is an inspirational memoir
that shares how an everyday teen refused to give up on herself, even as others would forsake her. More, it's
a cautionary tale that every parent, guidance counselor, and young adult should read. (Memoir)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close : by Foer, Jonathan Safran.
Oskar Schell, a gifted 9-year old, explores the mystery of his father’s death during the 9/11 attack.
Loosing My Espanish by H.G. Carrillo
Oscar Delossantos is about to lose his job as a teacher at a Jesuit high school in Chicago. Rather than go
quietly, he embarks on a valiant last history lesson that chronicles the flight from Cuba of his makeshift
extended family.Evoking the struggle between nostalgia and the realities of the Cuban Revolution with both
grit and lyricism, he inspires his students with an altogether dazzling reinterpretation of the Cuban-American
experience.
Looking for Alaska : by Green, John.
Join Miles Halter, who is intrigued by famous last words, as he heads off to boarding school in search of the
“Great Perhaps.” What he finds is a beautiful but troubled girl named Alaska.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time : by Haddon, Mark.
Christopher has two mysteries to solve: who killed Wellington the dog and what happened to his mother. But
Christopher, who has Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism, approaches these mysteries and the world
itself in a unique and special way.
Little Brother : by Doctorow, Cory.
In near future San Franciso, 17-year-old Marcus, also known as w1n5t0n (or Winston), is running from the
Department of Homeland Security after he is detained under suspicion of participating in a terrorist attack.
Marcus and his friends are using technology to further their cause.
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America: by Firoozeh Dumas
This lighthearted memoir chronicles the author's move from Iran to America in 1971 at age seven, the antics
of her extended family and her eventual marriage to a Frenchman. The best parts will make readers laugh
out loud, as when she arrives in Newport Beach, Calif., "a place where one's tan is a legitimate topic of
conversation."
Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series : by Asinof, Eliot.
It's all here: the players, the scandal, the shame, and the damage the 1919 World Series caused America's
national pastime.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West : by Maguire, Gregory.
The Wizard of Oz retold from the point of view of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. You’ll never think
of Oz the same way again.
The Road : by McCarthy, Cormac.
After an apocalyptic catastrophe, a father and his young son embark on a grim and perilous quest following
the road to the sea.
Lucky: A Memoir : by Sebold, Alice.
“You save yourself or you remain unsaved.” With these words, Sebold recounts the brutal rape that she was
“lucky” to survive. Tragedy and hope combine as she makes her way through a survivor’s maze of emotions.
The Book Thief : by Zusak, Marcus.
Living in Nazi Germany, young Liesel and her family choose to lie and steal to protect a Jewish refugee
hiding in their basement. Narrated by Death, this is not your typical World War II story.