Summer Reading is meant to be only the start of something great for each student. Your reading shouldn’t end with the books you finish for September or assessments. The books you reach for throughout the year should stimulate and provide reasons for perspective, solace, discourse, wonder, inquiry, growth… I asked Senior School Faculty what they were looking forward to reading this July and August. Check out their responses! Like you, we also need to carve out time and bring ourselves to stillness. We may reach for different material, but we read alongside our students. When we come across something good, we want to share it — hence the titles here. They are merely beginnings. The two student lists (Junior for Grades 8 and 9, Senior for Grades 10 through 12) include a wide range of voices, genres, and themes, reflecting the diversity of human interests and lived experiences. Many books touch on real-world issues such as grief, identity, racism, mental health, and resilience. Some authors put characters both like and unlike us in difficult situations, use provocative language, and show, at times, the complexity of life in raw, unflinching ways. Knowing that no two readers are exactly alike, we’re giving students options. These vary in accessibility of language and maturity of subject matter. There isn’t a single text that will appeal to or suit absolutely everyone. Among these titles, find the book that’s right for you. Even with choice, you might encounter challenging moments in the course of your reading. Pause. Reflect. Talk it through with someone you trust. Reading independently means learning how to respond thoughtfully to new or difficult ideas. The goal is to foster a meaningful engagement with books that builds confidence, curiosity, and critical thinking over time. So this summer, no matter what grade you’re going into, or what kind of a reader you’ve been: start here, with 1) something on the list you’ve not read before — and then, 2) branch out. Read something else of substance that’s not a textbook or manual. That other title should have some literary merit, whether it be a novel, a short story collection, a memoir or other life writing, or a serious work of non-fiction from any discipline. (Seniors, please note: If you are enrolled in Honours 11 or AP 12, you are expected to do additional reading, in keeping with the more rigorous expectations associated with those English courses.) Come September, be ready to share: where you started and what you read next — and the connection between the two; what you noticed, enjoyed, or found challenging; how the experience shaped your thinking: about some aspect of the universe, about being human and alive, about yourself… with concrete details and original commentary, of course!
Read widely, read thoughtfully, and let your choices tell a story about who you are and what matters to you. We look forward to everything you’ll discover and bring back. Take on the Learning Commons’ annual Blackout Challenge; join Book Club (we meet once a term!); write for Opus. So much is open to you... Ms. Chan Head of English
What are
YOU
READING
this summer?