Summer Reading for JK-12 Students

6/13/2023

Veritas School

Upper School Summer Reading Book List
Upper School students also have summer reading! Families are asked to purchase the required summer reading book(s) noted below, which students should read and annotate before the first day of class in August. The annotated book(s) should be brought to Humanities class when school resumes and will serve as a tool for discussion. 

Grade 7 | The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Grade 8 | D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths By Ingri d’Aulaire and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire and The Odyssey (this book provided, see below)
Grade 9 | The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien
Grade 10 | Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Grade 11 | Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass and The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko
Grade 12 | Out of the Silent Planet by CS Lewis and Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King

Click for more information about annotation, 7th grade reading, and 8th grade reading

What do we mean by annotation? As students read, they should mark (annotate) books for later reference. Reading itself is the main focus and many pages may pass without being marked, but reading with a pen in hand is a good habit to develop. Markings should include marginal notes or questions about character development, key themes and plot development, and passages worth quoting later should be underlined or flagged. As students notice rhetorical or literary devices, those should also be noted. Students should also come to class with one or two questions that the book raised.

Note to Grade 7 students: In order to engage deeply with the text and be ready for class discussions in the fall, students should annotate thoroughly according to the methods they learned in 6th grade and should write a 2-3 sentence summary for each chapter. Students should bring their annotated book and summaries to class at the start of the school year. Those who enjoy The Golden Goblet will also enjoy The Cat of Bubastes by G. A. Henty (optional reading; not required), which is also historical fiction set in ancient Egypt.

Note to Grade 8 students: Your summer reading selection is twofold: first, a collection of Greek and Roman myths, each of which is relatively short and purposely written for reading aloud. You will read the entire collection of myths, but instead of annotating per the instructions above, please read at least six of those stories aloud to another person or group of people (such as siblings, parents, or friends). This will be excellent practice for getting familiar with the names, places, and storylines that will be the content of your 8th grade Humanities course, as well as preparing for your first formal course in Rhetoric. Second, the school has provided each student with their own copy of The Odyssey. Your assignment for the summer is to read books 1-4 (pages 105-179). Please come prepared on the first week of school to discuss and continue reading the epic. If your student did not get the book before departing school, they are at the desk at North Hall.

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