SCHOOL FOR ADVANCED STUDIES- KENDALL
MANDATORY SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT
FOR AP ENGLISH LITERATURE
Your summer reading assignment is simple.
FOR ALL STUDENTS- Enjoy reading literary works of merit. For your required reading, be prepared to complete a
lengthy, in-class, timed essay. For each book, also be prepared to earn a passing score on a lengthy, comprehensive
exam comprised of quotes. Please note that it is certainly appropriate to read supplemental material of explanation or
analysis. However, you will be held accountable for the close reading of each book. The exam(s) and essay(s) will NOT
cover Cliffs, Spark Notes, Pink Monkey or any film version. You are responsible for the exact written words.
The essays will be assigned at any time during the first week of school, quite possibly the first day of class. The exam
questions will be given at any time during the first week of school, quite possibly the first day of class.
ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE FOLLOWING TWO BOOKS:
Brideshead Revisited
By Evelyn Waugh
The Secret Life of Bees
By Sue Monk Kidd
OPTIONAL SUMMER READING SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT!!
Nonfiction
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver
The Color of Water, James McBride
Fiction
Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
The House of Spirits, Isabel Allende
Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
The Round House, Louise Erdrich
FOR SENIORS ONLY
In addition to the reading, you must write an essay in response to one of the common app topics below or in
response to a topic provided by a school that you wish to attend. The essay must be typed in Times New
Roman 14 and must be double-spaced. It is due on the first day of school.
COMMON APPLICATION
2015-2016 Essay Prompts
We are pleased to share the 2015-2016 Essay Prompts with you. New language appears
in italics:
1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful
they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you,
then please share your story.
2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an
incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you
learn from the experience?
3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act?
Would you make the same decision again?
4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an
intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal
importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took
or could be taken to identify a solution.
5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition
from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
HAVE A FABULOUS SUMMER! 