TEEN SUMMER READING LIST 2021
Find everything you need for your summer reading assignments here!
Keep in mind that any reading you do during the summer (including required reading) can earn you some prizes from the Ames Free Library Summer Reading Program for Teens! Visit the Summer Reading Program page to learn how it works.
For each book in this list, you will see all the formats available to choose from. Click on the format links to read a summary of the item, order a physical item, or download eBooks and audiobooks on Overdrive or Hoopla Digital! For more information and instructions on how to use these download services, please visit our Downloads page.
Some important notes
- If ordering physical items, please keep in mind that other SAILS libraries may be the first to fill your order and you will receive them as transit items (typically within 1 week for books that do not have a holds list). If you would like to see what the Ames Free Library has available right now, please visit our Selecting On-Shelf Materials instructions.
- We highly recommend placing your holds early in the summer, so that you will be more likely to get the books you want.
- After you are done reading, please return these items to the Ames Free Library as quickly as possible so that the next person can get their book!
If you need any assistance, please contact the Library by email.
AP & PRE-AP REQUIREMENTS
All AP & Pre-AP students will take an assessment the first week of school.
Entering Grade 12 AP Literature
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The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver |
Entering Grade 11 AP Language
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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng Book | Book on CD | Large Print | Overdrive |
Pre-AP Literature
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Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann |
THE READING LISTS
Here are the books that the OA English department members have chosen for you this summer! Choose one or more books from these lists, and plan to discuss your reading in class during the first few weeks of school. (The books are listed by recommended age appropriateness, but students may choose from either list.)
| Grades 9-10 Recommendations | |||
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Saenz
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The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
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The Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein
|
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Me Before You
by Jojo Moyes
|
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The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui |
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Moxie
by Jennifer Mathieu
|
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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Book | Book on CD | Large Print | Overdrive |
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On the Come Up by Angie Thomas Book | Book on CD | Large Print | Overdrive | Hoopla Digital |
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Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
by Susannah Cahalan
|
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One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus
|
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A Child Called It
by Dave Pelzer
|
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Overturned
by Lamar Giles
|
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Circe
by Madeline Miller
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Persepolis
by Marjane Satrapi and Mattias Ripa
|
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Color Me In by Natasha Diaz |
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A Pho Love Story by Loan Le |
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
by Mark Haddon
|
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The Poet X
by Elizabeth Acevedo
|
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Darius the Great Is Not Okay
by Adib Khorran
|
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The Radium Girls
by Kate Moore
|
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Dear Martin
by Nic Stone
|
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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
|
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Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by Jennifer De Leon |
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Solo
by Kwame Alexander
|
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Dumplin'
by Julie Murphy
|
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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller |
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Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card
|
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This Lullaby
by Sarah Dessen
|
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Finding Audrey
by Sophie Kinsella
|
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Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
|
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The Glass Castle: A Memoir
by Jeannette Wells
|
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Uglies
by Scott Westerfeld
|
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Heft: A Novel by Liz Moore Book | Book on CD | Large Print | Overdrive |
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Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers
by Deborah Heiligman
|
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I Am Malala
by Malala Yousafzai
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Warcross
by Marie Lu
|
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Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
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We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart
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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
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| Grades 11-12 Recommendations | |||
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The 57 Bus
by Dashka Slater
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou
|
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American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins Book | Book on CD | Large Print | Overdrive |
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I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver |
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American Street
by Ibi Zoboi
|
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
|
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Americanah
by Chimanada Ngozi Adichi
|
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Internment by Samira Ahmed Book | Book on CD | Overdrive |
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Autobiography of Malcolm X
by Malcolm X
|
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The Joy Luck Club
by Amy Tan
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The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Book | Book on CD | Large Print | Overdrive |
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Lebron James: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Players by Clayton Geoffreys |
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Born a Crime by Trevor Noah Book | Book on CD | Overdrive |
|
Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng
|
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Bossypants
by Tina Fey
|
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Looking for Alaska by John Green |
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The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
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March: Book Three
by John Lewis
|
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Deadline
by Chris Crutcher
|
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Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
|
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Devil in the White City
by Erik Larson
|
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The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
by Wes Moore
|
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Educated: A Memoir
by Tara Westover
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
|
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Every Day
by David Levithan
|
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Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made by David Halberstam |
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Everything I Never Told You
by Celeste Ng
|
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The Right Stuff
by Tom Wolfe
|
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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
by Jonathan Safran Foer
|
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The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr |
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The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes Book | Book on CD | Large Print | Overdrive |
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A Stolen Life: A Memoir
by Jaycee Lee Dugard
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Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie |
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Sway
by Kat Spears
Book | Overdrive
|
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The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Book | Book on CD | Large Print | Overdrive | Hoopla Digital |
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
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High Fidelity by Nick Hornby |
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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
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Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
by J.D. Vance
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The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett Book | Book on CD | Large Print | Overdrive |
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A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival
by Melissa Fleming
|
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We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
Book | Hoopla Digital
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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
by Erika L. Sanchez
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