Commack High School
Summer Reading
Program
All students will be required to read at least one book over the summer and will choose an assignment from the Summer Reading Assessment Options. This book must be selected from one of the readings listed as “Required” for the grade level a student will be entering in September. Blurbs of all Summer Reading texts are available on the school district website. Please review the blurbs carefully to ensure an appropriate text choice. The presentation assessment will be due the third block of English class.
Students are also encouraged to experience as much literature as possible in preparation for the new school year. For further enrichment, students may wish to refer to the list of “Suggested Readings” printed in the Parent-Student Handbook or confer with a librarian.
The “Required” texts will be supplied by the English Department on a first-come-first-served basis. These readings are also available in local libraries.
English 9 R
Required Reading
(select one)
Fiction
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Non-Fiction
This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff
The Last Shot: City Streets Basketball Dreams by James Frey
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
Hiroshima by John Hersey
English 10 R Required
Reading
(select one)
Fiction
Snow in August Pete Hamill
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Non-Fiction
Summer of 49’ Halberstraum
In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle by MadelineBlais
Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
The Gift of Valor: A War Story by Michael M. Phillips
English
11 R Required Reading
(select one)
Fiction
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
All My Sons by Arthur Miller
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Non-fiction
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
A Brief History: From the Big Bang to Black Holes by Stephen Hawking
The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece by Jonathan Harr
English 12 R Required Reading
(select one)
Fiction
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Life of Pi Yann Martel
Non-Fiction
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to
Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II. By Robert Kurson
The Color of Water by James McBride
Fly Boys: A True Story of Courage by James Bradley
The Blind Side by Michael Lewis