Summer Reading for AP Literature and Composition
Choose one of the following award-winning, modern works below. You should plan enough time to do a
very close reading of your chosen text. Be sure to choose a title you have not read or studied before.
We encourage you to obtain a personal copy of the work, so you may more readily annotate (highlight
and make notes in the margins). The books can be purchased at most bookstores, or you may also
check out available copies from the public or school library; however, you will need to annotate and
record page numbers on paper rather than in the book. Assignments will be completed on your own
without the assistance of anyone or anything else. Each of the works is of literary merit and will benefit
your AP experience. The reading provides you with literary background and the foundation necessary to
deepen your understanding of literature and other works we will read, analyze, discuss and write about
during the year in preparation for the AP exam in May.
Bless Me Ultima—Rudolfo Anaya
The Namesake—Jhumpa Lahiri
The Kite Runner—Khaled Hasseini
Life of Pi—Yann Martel
A Thousand Splendid Suns—Khaled Hasseini
Atonement—Ian McEwan
The Poisonwood Bible—Barbara Kingsolver
Ceremony—Leslie Marmon Silka
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle—David Wroblewski
Guide to Annotation
As you read closely, make personal explanatory notes in your book or on your paper using the following
ideas:
Pay attention to your first impressions.
Ask questions and make predictions.
Make personal connections with the work.
Identify any allusions you encounter.
Watch for symbols and the use of irony.
Analyze themes that are present in the work.
Highlight lines that are memorable.
Consider the characters and their motivations.
Identify the point of view.
Discern the tone of the work.
Ask yourself the following questions:
To what effect and purpose does the author employ literary devices?
What do you know? How do you know it?
Where is it shown (textual support, evidence, examples)?
***Please complete at least five entries per chapter, or every 20 pages.