Summer Reading Lists

Summer Reading club is for any age student. For more information on the Summer Reading Club, please click here. 

There are no requirements for summer reading in elementary. We encourage parents to participate in opportunities provided by the Greene County Public Library. Click here for more information. 

Greene County kids under age five can sign up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and receive the gift of a children's book delivered to their home every month. 

There is no cost to your family to take part in the program. Your child will get a new book in the mail every month until they turn five. If your child takes part in the Imagination Library from birth, they'll graduate from the program with a set of 60 books! Better yet, the time you spend reading those books together will build the early literacy skills your child needs to succeed. For more information or to register your child, pleae click here. 

We would just love for you to read a book (or ten!) this summer.

If you are looking for suggestions, check out the lists from the American Library Association, Junior Library Guild, and Scholastic, Inc.

The lists offer a wide variety of genres, reading levels, and contents.
Talk with your parents to find the “just right” books for you.

Because it is optional, activities that center around any summer read will not be planned.

Choose EITHER
Wonder by R. J. Palacio OR Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Students will work with the summer reading titles in the first month of school.
Activities may include discussion, extension activities, and/or projects.

Choose ONE

• Counting By Sevens by Holly Goldberg Sloan
• I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka 
• Peak by Roland Smith

Students will work with the summer reading titles in the first month of school.

Activities may include discussion, extension activities, and/or projects.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

This book will be used for a review of literary terms and associated assignments at the beginning of the year.

ALL incoming students (English 9, Scholarship English 9, Honors English 9) are **REQUIRED** to read The Giver by Lois Lowry.

This is the book that English teachers will be focusing on at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.                                                                                                                                 

** Students who will be taking Honors English 9 are also REQUIRED to read The Odyssey. A separate assignment will also be posted for Honors English 9 students.

The Giver, written by Lois Lowry, has been awarded many positive accolades and ranks high as a recommended young adult novel. The novel, published in 1993, won the Newbery Medal in 1994, is one of the ALA's top book picks for young adults, and was designated as the fourth-best children's novel of all time by a 2012 survey from School Library Journal.

“The Giver is a 1993 American young adult dystopian novel by Lois Lowry.

It is set in a society which at first appears to be utopian but is revealed to be dystopian as the story progresses. The novel follows a 12-year-old boy named Jonas. The society has taken away pain and strife by converting to "Sameness", a plan that has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of Receiver of Memory, the person who stores all the past memories of the time before Sameness, as there may be times where one must draw upon the wisdom gained from history to aid the community's decision making.

Jonas struggles with concepts of all the new emotions and things introduced to him: whether they are inherently good, evil, or in between, and whether it is even possible to have one without the other. The Community lacks any color, memory, climate, or terrain, all in an effort to preserve structure, order, and a true sense of equality beyond personal individuality.” (goodreads.com) 

The average advertised age level for this novel is 12 and up. It is most appropriate for grades 7-9 since the main character is a 12-year-old boy and the Lexile measure is 760L. This young adult novel is highly praised because of the absence of profanity and many other controversial topics. The Giver does include some mature themes including: infanticide and euthanasia, and sexuality in terms of puberty.  

Thank you for your understanding and your willingness to encourage your child to read this summer. We want to set our students up for success in the classroom!

English 9 Honors: Summer Reading Assignment 2026 

Please note the following information and assignments on your summer reading project: 

1. The Giver by Lois Lowery. You do not need to annotate this book. Please, read and enjoy it. We will spend a few days on the novel in class. 
2. The Odyssey by Homer Translated by Robert Fitzgerald- you will only read the specific books listed below. The Odyssey uses books rather than chapters. You will need to get your own copy of the epic and be able to annotate the texts as you read. The version we will be reading is written in verse, and it is very important that you get the correct version. Along with reading and annotating the text you have a written assignment. Your annotations and written assignments are due on the first day of school. Late work will be deducted by 10% each day it is late. 

You ONLY need to read books 5, 9-13, 16-17, 19-24. 

1. Annotate the book. – Be an active reader. Approach your reading with an analytical eye. This means not just reading the book for the story. Rather, look for the themes, big ideas, and the answers to these essential questions: 

A. What characteristics make an epic hero? Would Odysseus be considered a hero today?

B. Follow the themes of hospitality, loyalty, and vengeance. 

I am sure that you have annotated in the past and perhaps even have your own system to do so. Here are some general guidelines: Take notes and highlight. As you detect significant issues and/or themes, or as you have a reaction to something that you read, write it down in a notebook, jot notes in the margin and highlight passages that support your observations. You may want to imagine that you are engaged in a conversation with the author. Your notes, markings and margin notes reflect your response to what you have read. Active reading will not only help you with your summer assignment, but will also better prepare you to actively participate in class discussions during the first week of school. These few actions will assist you with both assignments: 

• Make connections to the plot, characters etc. 
• Consider keeping a list of important characters (the inside of the cover is a great place to do so). 
• Think about how you can relate to these characters and events. 
• Do some quick research when you come across unfamiliar places, events, or ideas.

*Please note: there is not a certain assigned number of annotations. The purpose of annotating is to ensure active reading and a greater understanding of the text. Your annotation grade will be based on evidence of consistent active reading. 

2. Complete the literary analysis (5 paragraph essay) 

Please, follow the instructions and use proper MLA format to write your 5 paragraph essay. You should choose ONE of the following prompts and your essay should be printed and ready to be turned in on the first day of school. You will also need to upload an electronic copy (we will do this together on the first day of school). Plagiarism and the use of AI will not be tolerated. If you do not have access to a computer over the summer, you may hand write your essay. It needs to be legible, and you still should include the MLA heading. Choosing to cheat will result in a 0 on the assignment and the office and National Honor Society will be notified of your choice. This would not be a good first impression. Your essay should contain a strong, clear thesis statement in the introduction, your body paragraphs should contain multiple pieces of evidence from the text and a thorough explanation, and your conclusion should consider the larger picture and extend upon the topic of the prompt. If you have any questions over the summer, you may email me at gary.barhorst@beavercreek.k12.oh.us, and I will do my best to answer your questions. 

Prompts (choose one): 

1. What is the role of females in The Odyssey? Taking into consideration such characters as the Sirens, Athena, Penelope, Circe, and Odysseus’s mother. 
2. The Odyssey contains some graphic violence, some of which is done in anger and some of which is not. Select examples of each and explain the purpose of both. 3. Hospitality, the concept of welcoming visitors and treating them well, was important to the Ancient Greeks. Find examples in The Odyssey of times when the “rules” of hospitality are followed and times when it wasn’t. What roles do these examples play in the epic?

For the summer reading project, you are reading a book and two short stories. You are also writing an essay. Expect a test on day two of school. Students who move into the district after August 1^st may ask for an extension with the understanding that the test will be made up before or after school on a date worked out between the student and Mrs. Russ. 

If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Russ at jami.russ@beavercreek.k12.oh.us

Required Reading

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• "The Late Benjamin Franklin" by Mark Twain
• "My First Lie, and How I Got Out of it" by Mark Twain

There will be a Google Classroom set up for your work. It will be active as of June 1st. Mrs. Russ will post links to the short stories, the dead word list, and more. Join now: n765dsld

Things to keep in mind: 

Point of view is the relationship of the narrator, or storyteller, to the events of the story. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is told by the character Huck, using words like I and we. Therefore, it is told from the first-person point of view. The reader sees everything through Huck's eyes and is given his perspective on events. When examining a narrative point of view, it is important to distinguish the narrator from the author. Huck is an uneducated fourteen-year-old boy living in a village in the 1840s. He has the knowledge, beliefs, and experiences of such a boy. Twain, on the other hand, was a well-traveled writer and experienced lecturer. He was well aware of how to use narrative techniques, adopt different points of view, and speak in the role of different characters, and he used that knowledge to create a narrator who is very different from himself. 

Huckleberry Finn is also an example of an unreliable narrator- one who does not understand the full significance of the events he describes and comments on.

Satire is a kind of literature that tries to open people’s eyes to the need for change by exposing the flaws of a person or society. Satirists’ main weapon is humor, which is created through techniques such as irony. Pay attention to what societal practices and beliefs Twain is satirizing, particularly in chapters 17-30.

Irony is the contrast between what appears to be true and is actually true, or between what we expect to happen and what actually happens. Twain created an ironic character in Pap. We expect a father to be proud of his son and provide for him, but Pap is angry that Huck is learning to read and “getting religion,” and Pap wants to spend Huck’s money on himself. Though we may laugh at Pap, we should also be aware of the messages behind the humor: the new judge is too easily tricked by Pap’s “reformation,” and there is something wrong with a system that would let Pap take Huck.

The Antihero Traditional heroes are often superhuman. We look up to them because they are braver, stronger, more clever, or more unwilling to sacrifice their principles. Antiheroes, on the other hand, are very human. Like us, they have faults, make mistakes, and puzzle over difficult decisions. In the end, however, antiheroes usually do the “right thing”—what we, ourselves, hope we would do in similar circumstances. As you read the final chapters of Huckleberry Finn, think about the heroes of the novel. Are they traditional heroes or antiheroes? What makes them so?

Flat characters remain the same from the beginning of a novel to the end. Round characters undergo psychological changes as a result of the conflicts they face and try to resolve. Static characters are characters who remain relatively unchanged in personality and behavior from beginning to end of the novel. Dynamic characters are those that undergo significant changes throughout the book. Are Jim and Huck flat or round? Static or dynamic?  I would keep track of some evidence from the book in case you are asked to prove your findings.

A symbol is a person, place, or thing that represents something beyond itself. Keep track of evidence of the Mississippi River as a symbol.

Your essay should be submitted in Google Classroom before 7:30 a.m. on the first day of school for students.

You are not being graded on annotations or anything besides the essay, the test, and any other assignments we complete once the fall semester begins.  Bring your notes with you to class in addition to your copy of the novel. We will use it for the first few weeks of class.  There will be questions about the stories on the test as well.

Your 5-paragraph essay assignment:

Mark Twain said of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: “It is a novel where a sound heart and a deformed conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat. The conscience – that unerring monitor—can be trained to any wild thing you want it to approve.” In light of these comments, trace Huck’s moral development throughout the novel. Your essay could examine Huck’s lies, Huck’s decisions regarding Jim, Huck’s refusal to be “sivilized,” Huck’s relationship with Jim, and/or the differences between the individual and society.  Choose three specific main ideas (one for each body) and find evidence from the novel to illustrate that idea.  You may use the ideas noted in the prompt or find your own.

The rules: 

• Use MLA format.For help, click here.
• No contractions (can’t, don’t, isn’t, etc.)
• No first or second pronouns. For more information, click here. 
• N2SSWTSWITSP (No 2 Sentences Start With The Same Word In The Same Paragraph)
• Embed your quotes: See Google Classroom (GC) for PowerPoint to help
• You should have a 3.8 paragraph for each body. Your evidence in each body paragraph should include one embedded direct quote and two paraphrases, all with citations. Notes on GC to help.
• Create a Works Cited page for the book. You are not allowed to use any external sources, just the book. Example can be found here.
• Limit your dead words- see GC for the list of dead words

If you submit your completed essay before July 31^st at 11:59 p.m., you will earn ten extra credit points. 

AP English Language and Composition Summer Reading Assignments 2026

Mrs. Chantelle Nartker

Welcome to Advanced Placement English Language and Composition. AP Language focuses on understanding, analyzing, and writing non-fiction prose, connecting fiction prose (drama and novels) to rhetoric and argumentation, and using multiple sources to develop and support your arguments. I will be checking my email periodically this summer. Please email me (chantelle.nartker@beavercreek.k12.oh.us) with any questions or further information needed before the start of the school year.  You may also add comments and questions to our summer Google Classroom.

Purpose for Reading

What is your purpose for reading in AP Language and Composition? As AP students studying language and composition, your purpose is not to study the novel as a work of fiction or the nonfiction work as a source of information, but as a masterpiece of language. Your purpose for reading is to discover which elements of language these authors use and to what effect. You are ultimately studying STYLE and the components that comprise it.
Style involves the author’s choice and arrangement of words in sentences (diction and syntax), the use of sensory and/or figurative language, the tone, and the mood. Look for such things as the arrangement, length, and complexity of the sentences; the use of words that are unusual, sophisticated, or colloquial; and the use of elements, such as repetition, allusion, and irony. As you read, think of adjectives that you could use to describe the author’s style.

Assignments due: Annotations will be due on the first day of school. Bring your book with annotations to class. You will drop your essay into Google Classroom on Friday, 14 August. 

1. Read The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. Annotate throughout, noting specific rhetoric that the author uses to appeal to his audience. Focus on the ideas mentioned in the Purpose for Reading above. Bring your annotated copy (if it is a library copy, you may use Post-its to annotate) on the first day of class, as we will use it to frame our early discussions. 

2. Write your own review of a unique facet of our world that interests you (approx. 2-4 pages).  Do not choose something from the book - find your own and don’t forget the rating… Follow MLA formatting guidelines. Submit to Google Classroom before 8:30 am on 20 August 2026.
 

3. Join Google Classroom. There is a summer section set up for AP Language and Composition. Here is the code: hqgvs2ro. This will be used to ask questions or post information.

AP Literature and Composition  Summer Reading Assignments 2026

Mrs. Chantelle Nartker 

Welcome to Advanced Placement Literature and Composition. AP Literature focuses on interpreting literature from various periods through close reading and analysis. I will be checking my email periodically this summer. Please email me (chantelle.nartker@beavercreek.k12.oh.us) with any questions or further information needed before the start of the school year.  You may also add comments and questions to our summer Google Classroom.

Purpose for Reading

What is your purpose for reading in AP Literature and Composition? In AP English Literature and Composition, you’ll examine how authors and poets create meaning through their rich, purposeful use of language. As you write and refine essays about literature, you’ll develop the skills of analysis and composition that will allow you to communicate your interpretation effectively. Literary analysis involves examining diverse genres and time periods, close reading, analysis that moves beyond the plot and superficial findings, developing arguments using textual evidence, and honing writing skills through essays that focus on deep observations of the essay, novel, or poem.

Assignments due: Annotations will be due on the first day of school. Bring your book with annotations to class. You will be completing an in-class writing assignment related to the text in the first week of school.

1. Read 1984 by George Orwell. Annotate throughout, noting how the author develops characterization, point of view, setting as well as the structure of the novel. Don’t forget to look for symbols, themes or other figurative language usage. Bring your annotated copy (if it is a library or school copy, you may use Post-its to annotate) on the first day of class, as we will use it to frame our early discussions.  If you would like to check out a copy from the school, see me (Mrs. Nartker room 2040). 

2. There will be discussions as well as an in-class writing assignment during the first weeks of school. Be prepared. 

3. Join Google Classroom. There is a summer section set up for AP Literature and Composition. Here is the code: lnvl3f7r. This will be used to ask questions or post information.