Students taking Pre-AP must read all of the books listed. (PreAP will be decided in December and students will read those books over the winter break.) Those taking Magnet English must read the works marked (M). Students should keep a log or notes or a journal in order to review before taking the tests. The journal should record information such as plot development main characters, setting, special dialogue and student's thoughts out the books. Double entry note-taking is one recommended method. The student identifies the author's main ideas in the first column and writes his or her responses in the second column. Double entry note-taking can take more time, but it is an effective way for a student to process the author's ideas and to decide his or her opinion about a nonfiction work.Graphical organizers and other techniques were discussed and distributed at orientation. Viewing a movie of the book or reading the Cliff's Notes will not provide adequate information for passing the test.

1. Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb (M and PreAP). Read "Much Ado About Nothing" and "The Merchant of Venice".

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (M and PreAP).

3. Animal Farm (M and PreAP)

4. The Chosen by Chaim Potok (PreAP).

5. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (PreAP).

These are the required reading books to be completed before entering English II class in the fall. Students taking Pre-AP must read all of the books listed. Those taking Magnet English must read the works marked (M). Students should keep a log or notes or a journal in order to review before taking the tests. The journal should record information such as plot development main characters, setting, and special dialogue. Viewing a movie of the book or reading the Cliff's Notes will not provide adequate information for passing the test.

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (M and PreAP).

2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (M and PreAP).

3. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya (M and PreAP).

When we are children, we often wonder about the world of adults. The mysteries of life reveal themselves slowly to us as we grow up, and we try to make sense of what we are experiencing. These same feelings haunt young Antonio in Rudolfo Anaya's book Bless Me, Ultima. Antonio is guided in his journey by the old woman Ultima who comes to stay with his family. She is a curandera, a woman who works wonders with her herbs and ancient rituals. Antonio seeks her wisdom as he struggles through the dreams that haunt him from the night and through the mysteries of his family and community. Anaya is often said to be the father of Chicano literature, but his stories transcend time and place.

4. Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb (M and PreAP). Read only "King Lear" and "The Taming of the Shrew"

"King Lear" - "Daughters three had aged Lear,/ Two were rotten, one sincere./ He misjudged the loving kid,/ Cursed and cut her off, he did./ But the others, flushed with gain,/ Tossed him out into the rain." A tragic tale of woe and greed - to know the end, you must read!
"Taming of the Shrew" - The Battle of the Sexes is eternally old! A daughter must marry and do as she is told! The husband bets he can tame this beautiful shrew, but her wit and strength land him in a hot stew!

5. Medea by Euripides (PreAP).

Medea falls in love with Jason, who steals the Golden Fleece from her father, and flees her homeland to follow her love. When Jason abandons her, she commits a horrid revenge. This is a classic tale of greed and murder.

6. The Misanthrope by Moliere (Richard Wilbur translation) (PreAP).

The misanthrope hates mankind. An honest man he cannot find. Flattery he thinks is rude, and he ends up getting sued. He has a love, but shall he marry? Or will he leave her and be solitary? (a French comedy).

The junior English teachers strongly suggest that students keep a reading journal for each book. The journal could include plot summaries, character identification lists, setting descriptions, and the student's thoughts about the books. For nonfiction books, double entry note-taking is recommended. The student identifies the author's main ideas in the first column and writes his or her responses in the second column. Double entry note-taking can take more time, but it is an effective way for a student to process the author's ideas and to decide his or her opinion about a nonfiction work. Students should pick textual quotes that stand out as important to the author's main idea. This process works with fiction novels as well. Students taking AP must read all of the books listed. Those taking Magnet English must read the works marked (M).

1. How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez (M and AP).

This novel is about three sisters who move from a somewhat idyllic island in the Hispanic Dominican Republic to the American Midwest. Alvarez traces their growth, their failures, and successes as they struggle to assimilate their old world values into their new American home, and reconcile their changing beliefs as their old and new ways collide on American soil.

2. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines (M and AP).

This novel is an examination of Southern justice during the 1940’s in Louisiana. A teacher,(Grant) struggling with his own problems, must transcend the difficulties of his life to help an innocent young man named Jefferson, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder, to live and die like a human being.

3. Tales of Shakespeare by Charles Lamb (M and AP). Read "Othello" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". 

"Othello" - An African soldier is deceived into believing his wife has been unfaithful. This is a story about war, treachery, murder, and regret.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" - She loves him, but he loves someone else in this fanciful comedy about the course of true love.

4. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (AP).

An American ambulance driver and a British murse fall in love in Italy during WWI. "War was futile, vile, absurd; 'glory just a dirty word; Pride and Strength Emerged worth-while' (Plus an Ernest writing style)."

5. Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez (AP).

A Mexican-American boy learns to speak English and go to college, but at what cost?

6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (AP).

A Southern boy and a run-away slave face adventures on the Mississippi River and forge a friendship that survives all barriers and stereotypes.

Students taking AP English Literature must read all of the books listed. Those taking Magnet English must read the works marked (M). Just as you did your junior year, senior English students, both magnet and AP, are expected to keep highly detailed, double-entry journals on all required readings, both during the summer and their senior year. This is especially critical for AP Literature students since they will need their reading logs for review before the AP test in May. However, every college-bound senior should take the double-entry journal requirement seriously as it will insure success in class throughout the school year.

1. Oedipus Rex (Oedipus, the King) by Sophocles (M and AP).

Blind to the truths of an ancient sphinx,/ a boy turned man finds many links./ His daughter was his sister; his son was his brother,/ and the woman he married turns out to be his mother.

2. Brave New World by Huxley (M and AP).

This terrifying vision of a controlled and emotion-less future illuminates an Utopian society that is truly startling in its prediction of modern scientific and cultural phenomena. From test-tube babies to rampant drug use, the novel dares one to fathom the destiny of technology.

3. Tales of Shakespeare by Charles Lamb (M and AP). Read "Macbeth", "Hamlet" and "The Tempest". 

MacBeth - A prediction creates deadly greed and insatiable lust for power which leads to murder, chaos, and ruination in this tale of a man who kills his king. Famous lines: "Out, damned spot!" "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow."
Hamlet - The ghost of a dead king haunts his young son, the Prince of Denmark .The sanity of the prince is unclear as he procrastinates in fulfilling his vow to avenge his father's death. Hamlet's thoughtful nature is an obstacle to decisive action in this tale of death, dishonor, and the triumph of truth. Famous lines: "The lady doth protest too much." "Neither a borrower or a lender be." "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." "To be or not to be, that is the question."
The Tempest - Prospero, a banished duke, becomes a sage and a magician on a tropical island. When Prospero's enemies sail past the island, he uses magical powers from books to create a tempest, storm, to wash them ashore and eventually regain his status in this tale of intrigue and enchantment. Famous line: "O Brave New World!"

4. Tartuffe by Moliere (AP).

In this French comedy, Tartuffe is often called "The Imposter" because he is a masterful scoundrel who can take on any personality. A family is conned by the hypocritical Tartuffe, but in the end, he gets what he deserves.

5. A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen (usually found in a collection of Ibsen plays) (AP).