Commack High School
Summer Honors
Reading Program
Summer Reading List for English 9 Pre-IB Program
As a student entering the English 9 Pre-IB program, you are encouraged to read as much as possible in preparation for the new school year. This reading must include a total of two books (one “Required” and one “Supplementary”), as indicated below. Students should complete the reading of both texts by the beginning of school in September. For your “Supplementary Reading,” you will choose an assignment from the Summer Reading Assessment Options. The assessment will be presented during the second week of English class. For Of Mice and Men, there will be an in-class discussion activity.
Summaries and reviews of all Summer Reading texts are available on the school district website. Please review the summaries carefully to ensure an appropriate text choice. If you need additional information on any of these texts, you should bring your questions to your English teacher or you may access the Destiny system via the Commack High School Library website.
Texts will be supplied by the English Department on a first-come-first-served basis. While all the “Supplementary” readings are available in local libraries, these texts will also be available on loan from the department in limited quantities.
Required Readings
This book must be read by all English 9 Pre-IB students:
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Supplementary
Readings
Students are required to read at least one book from the list below:
Fiction
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
April Morning by Howard Fast
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson
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
Summer Reading List for English Pre-IB 10 Program
As a student entering the English 10 Pre-IB program, you are encouraged to read as much as possible in preparation for the new school year. This reading must include a total of two books (one “Required” and one “Supplementary”), as indicated below. Students should complete the reading of both texts by the beginning of school in September. For your “Supplementary Reading”, you will choose an assignment from the Summer Reading Assessment Options. The assessment will be presented during the second week of English class. For 1984, there will be an in-class discussion activity.
Summaries and reviews of all Summer Reading texts are available on the school district website. Please review the summaries carefully to ensure an appropriate text choice. If you need additional information on any of these texts, you should bring your questions to your English teacher or you may access the Destiny system via the Commack High School Library website.
Texts will be supplied by the English Department on a first-come-first-served basis. While all the “Supplementary” readings are available in local libraries, these texts will also be available on loan from the department in limited quantities.
Required Reading
This book must be read by all grade 10 Pre-IB students:
1984 by George Orwell
Supplementary Readings
Students are required to read at least one book from the list:
Fiction
Snow in August Pete Hamill
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Non-Fiction
Summer of 49’ Halberstraum
In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle by Madeline Blais
Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
The Gift of Valor: A War Story by Michael M. Phillips
Summer Reading List for English 11 IB Program
As a student entering the English 11 IB program, you are encouraged to read as much as possible in preparation for the new school year. This reading must include two books, as indicated below. These books are an integral part of the IB curriculum and students will be held accountable for their reading through discussion, writing, tests, etc. Take careful notes on all summer readings, including character and plot details, literary techniques, and prevalent themes. Students should complete the reading of all texts by the beginning of school in September. For one of the two texts, you will choose an assignment from the Summer Reading Assessment Options. The assessment will be presented during the second week of English class. The assessment for the remaining texts will be an in-class discussion activity.
Summaries and reviews of all Summer Reading texts are available on the school district website. If you need additional information on any of these texts, you should bring your questions to your English teacher or you may access the Destiny system via the Commack High School Library website.
Texts will be supplied by the English Department on a first-come-first-served basis. These texts may also be available on loan from local libraries.
Required Readings for all 11 IB students:
Choose two texts from the following:
That Night by Alice McDermott
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Summer Reading List
English 12 IB
As a student entering the English 12 IB, you are encouraged to read as much as possible in preparation for the new school year. This reading must include two books, as indicated below. These books are an integral part of the IB curriculum and students will be held accountable for their reading through discussion, writing, tests, etc. Take careful notes on all summer readings, including character and plot details, literary techniques, and prevalent themes. Students should complete the reading of both texts by the beginning of school in September. For one of the two texts, you will choose an assignment from the Summer Reading Assessment Options. The assessment will be presented during the second week of English class. The assessment for the remaining text will be an in-class discussion activity.
Summaries and reviews of all Summer Reading texts are available on the school district website. If you need additional information on any of these texts, you should bring your questions to your English teacher or you may access the Destiny system via the Commack High School Library website.
Texts will be supplied by the English Department on a first-come-first-served basis. These texts may also be available on loan from local libraries.
Required Readings for 12 IB English students
Choose two texts from the following:
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Native Son by Richard Wright
Summer Reading List
C. W. Post English
As a student entering the C.W. Post English program, you are encouraged to read as much as possible in preparation for the new school year. This reading must include two books selected from the list below that you have not previously read. Blurbs of all Summer Reading texts are available on the school district website. For one of the two texts, you will choose an assignment from the Summer Reading Assessment Options. The assessment will be presented during the second week of English class. The assessment for the remaining text will be an in class discussion activity.
Summaries and reviews of all Summer Reading texts are available on the school district website. Please review the summaries carefully to ensure an appropriate text choice. If you need additional information on any of these texts, you should bring your questions to your English teacher or you may access the Destiny system via the Commack High School Library website.
Texts will be supplied by the English Department on a first-come-first-served basis. These texts may also be available on loan from local libraries.
Required Readings
Choose two from the following list:
Fiction
Native Son by Richard Wright
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Patton
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
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
The Blindside by Michael Lewis