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SUMMER READING LIST 2008
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INSTRUCTIONS | MIDDLE SCHOOL | UPPER SCHOOL

The Stony Brook School is a community of men and women committed to daily stimulation of the mind through the reading of outstanding literature. Well-written books enable the escape from our own narrowly-bounded lives in order to share in the experiences of other peoples, cultures, and times. Some books have the power to raise us to heights of ecstasy, others to uncover deeper sorrows than we ever knew existed, and the best ones leave us as changed people.

Requirements
All students must read the required course books and one choice book in order to complete the summer reading assignment.

General Instructions
It is important to follow these general instructions in order to avoid some common mistakes. First, do not select a choice book that you have read before. Second, do not watch the movie until after you have read the book. Third, avoid using study aids such as Cliff's Notes, since they are pale shadows that cannot replicate the real thing. Lastly, read for your own enjoyment, looking forward to the discussion with your peers and faculty.

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Middle School :: Grades 7- 8

Every Middle School student must read the appropriate required books before the school year begins: two mandatory books and one choice book. The two mandatory books are integrated into the English curriculum. The choice book provides an opportunity for students to read about a subject of interest not covered in the regular curriculum.

Required Books:

Seventh Grade: English

  • Be prepared for a test on both required books the first day of school.
    The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
    AND The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Eighth Grade: Regular English

  • Be prepared for a test on both required books the first day of school.
    The Pearl by John Steinbeck AND Lost Horizon by James Hilton

Eighth Grade: Honors English

  • Be prepared for a test on both required books the first day of school.
  • The Pearl by John Steinbeck AND Lost Horizon by James Hilton
  • For the book The Pearl, a required paper is due on the first day of school. Write a two-page paper that explains how your favorite quote from the book relates to the main theme.

Choice Books
You must choose one book from the appropriate list below and be prepared to write an in-class essay during the first week of school.

Seventh Grade

  • The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
  • Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
  • In My Father's House by Ann Rinaldi
  • Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
  • Rifles for Waitie by Harold Keith

Eighth Grade

  • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • A Separate Peace by John Knowles
  • Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
  • Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
  • Holes by Louis Sachar

Upper School :: Grades 9 - 12

Every Upper School student is required to read the appropriate mandatory course books and one faculty choice book. The mandatory books are integrated into the curricula of the various classes. To compile the choice book list, faculty members selected books they have enjoyed and want to share with you.

Required Books
Be prepared to discuss and be tested on the books during the first week of school.

Humanities 9 Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin
English 9 Lord of the Flies by William Golding
     
Humanities 10 Tales from Ovid translator Ted Hughes
ISBN 0374525870
English 10 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translator Brian Stone
ISBN 0140440925
     
Regular European History A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt
AP European History A Man for All Seasons,
Reformation Debate, &
The Prince
by Robert Bolt
by John C Olin
by Nicolò Machiavelli
English 11 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
ISBN 0393976041
     
Regular US History Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
AP US History Birth of the Republic &
The Known World
by Edmund S. Morgan
by Edward P. Jones
Regular and AP Political Science Essential Federalist by David Wootton
0872206556
English 12 Hamlet by William Shakespeare
ISBN 0393956636
AP English 12 Hamlet
Lesson Before Dying
O Pioneers!
by William Shakespeare
by Ernest J. Gaines
by Willa Cather
     
AP Biology Ecology unit of the textbook  
AP Psychology The Family Crucible by Augustus Napie

Faculty Choice Books
Select a book from the following page and write a two-page paper that explains how your favorite quote from the book relates to the main theme. Be prepared to participate in a small group discussion and to take a brief quiz during the first week of school.

Mr. Altug The Monk in the Garden Robin Marentz Hernig
Mrs. Altug Accidents of Nature Harriet Johnson
  Across the Nightingale Floor Lian Hearn
Mr. Austin Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr.
Ms. Bague The Princess and The Goblin George MacDonald
  Till We have Faces C.S. Lewis
  Walk in the Light and 23 Tales Tolstoy
Mr. & Mrs. Belk The Republic Plato
  Eichmann in Jerusalem: a report on the banality of evil Hannah Arendt
  Culture and Carnage by Victor Davis Hanson (Intro, 1st chapter and two other chapters) Victor Davis Hanson
Mr. Brownworth The Parrot's Theorem Denis Guedj
translated by
Frank Wynne
  The Numbers Behind Numbers Keith Devlin &
Gary Lorden
Mrs. Church The Color of Water James McBride
Mr. Crandall Prince Caspian C.S. Lewis
  Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan
Mrs. Crandall The Last Lecture Randy Pausch
Mrs. Detwiler Isaac's Storm: The Drowning of Galveston Erik Larson
Mrs. Griffin The Reason for God Timothy Keller
Mrs. Gunzberg Art & Fear - Observations On The Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking David Bayles &
Ted Orland
Ms. Helm America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It Mark Steyn
Mr. Hickey The Case for a Creator Lee Strobel
Mr. Doug Hicks The Bread Builders Daniel Wing &
Alan Scott
Mrs. C. Hicks Mysteries of the Middle Ages Thomas Cahill
Mrs. Higgins Circling my Mother Mary Gordon
Mr. Johnson The Arsene Lupin: Gentleman-Theif ( Penguin Classics) Maurice Leblanc
  Everyday Apocalypse David Dark
Mr. Klann Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy Ian W. Toll
Mr. Kunst Quiet Strength: the Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Tony Dungy
Mrs. Kunst A Tiny Step Away from Deepest Faith Marjorie Corbman
  The Bridge of San Luis Rey Thornton Wilder
Mr. Linzee Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe
Mrs. Linzee The Evidential Power of Beauty Thomas Dubay
  Will in the World How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare Stephen Greenblatt
Mr. Maachia Maravich Wayne Federman, Marshall Terrill, and Jackie Maravich
Mr. Meserole Year of Wonders Geraldine Brooks
  Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal Randall Kennedy
Mr. Morley Timaeus by (tr. Kalkavage, ISBN 1585100072) Plato
  Ulysses  (Gabler edition, ISBN 0394743121) James Joyce
  The Knight  (ISBN 0765313480) Gene Wolfe
Mrs. Morley Pnin Vladimir Nabokov
  Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited Vladimir Nabokov
Mrs. Oak Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Lisa See
Mr. Onsager The Secret of Happiness Billy Graham
Ms. Oulund Jonathan Edwards George Marsden
  Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction Rodney Clapp
  America’s First Dynasty: The Adamses Richard Brookhiser
Mrs. Pavao Pontius Pilate Paul L. Maier
  Cicero Anthony Everitt
  Augustus Anthony Everitt
Mr. Pulliam Unknown Waters Alfred S. McLaren
Mr. Riley Confessions Augustine
Mrs. Sides Out of the Silent Planet C.S. Lewis
Mr. Singer The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney Randy Singer
Mrs. Singer Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase of Abraham Lincoln's Killer James L. Swanson
Mrs. Taylor Amazing Grace Eric Metaxas
Mr. Winston Heart-cry Arlita Winston
 

 

 

 

 
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