Summer reading done?
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- August
- 27
That’s the question many parents will be asking their children this weekend.
And the answer better be ‘yes.’ Students have had months to pour over books from lists that were handed out when school ended in June — that seems a long time ago.
Librarians have reported that there has been a sudden increase of interest in books on the lists.
This got me to wondering what are some of the books on the lists. Many school districts have embraced the Internet and have posted their lists online. Perfect for watchful parents and forgetful students.
Here is a sampling of some lists:
•In Putnam Valley, seventh graders are required to read “Where the Red Fern Grows” by Wilson Rawls and eighth graders, “Ryan White: My Own Story” by Ryan White and Ann Marie Cunningham.
•Scarsdale doesn’t require reading over the summer, but teachers urge students to read at least three works from a list which includes books by Pat Conroy, “The Great Santini” by Dan Brown, “The DaVinci Code”, “Michael Crichton. “The Timeline” and Jonathan Safran Foer, “Everything Is Illuminated.”
•Dobbs Ferry public schools require students entering sixth grade to read three books, which must include at least one book from this list: “Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry, “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Haddix, “Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech, “The Thief Lord” by Cornelia Funke, “The Library Card” by Jerry Spinelli, “Inkheart” by Cornelia Funke, and “Eragon” by Christopher Paolini.
• Nyack High School students are asked to read two books from the appropriate grade level list and then be prepared because this book will be the topic of an assignment during the first week of school. The lists for each grade are long and varied with lots of choices for students. A ninth grader could choose “Emma” by Jane Austen or “Death Be Not Proud” by John Gunther. A tenth grader could choose “Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens while an 11th grader could have tried “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith.
All this brings back memories. There was a time when I read some of those reading list books with my sons, but they quickly got to an age when they didn’t want to talk about them — with me. And when my husband suggested they might want to take some notes so they would remember the important points they just rolled their eyes. But today, they are college graduates and they now share some favorite books with me.
Joy, Joy. Happy end of summer reading.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 at 3:23 pm by Barbara Nackman.
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