Dear Students and Parents/Guardians,

Williamstown High School’s summer reading initiative is designed to provide a positive reading experience for students and promote life-long reading interests and literacy skills. Our students are typically immersed in many activities throughout the summer, and it is our goal to establish an experience where reading is enjoyable and attractive to all types of learners. We recognize that students need an opportunity to “reset” in the summertime. Therefore, we have decided to present a list of titles highly recommended by the English department as optional reads, but there will be no formal assessment upon returning to school in September. This year, summer reading is highly encouraged.

The ELA department has worked to compile a diverse list of titles that should appeal to a variety of interests and reading levels. Please take the time to explore the choices and opt for a title that suits you best, or pick up that book you’ve been waiting to read, but simply haven’t had the time to do. Each book on the list is linked to a goodreads© summary to help inform your choice. Upon returning to school in September, we hope that you will engage in a conversation with your English teacher about a book (or two) you chose to read over the summer.

AP classes will continue to have required readings. These titles are listed below the choice lists. These classes have a more accelerated reading schedule, and students are expected to be able to read multiple texts independently. These required readings will also be directly integrated into instruction to begin the school year.

Our summer reading initiative is one of many to encourage students to become more involved in reading. We can’t wait to talk to you about the books you have chosen from our list or of your choosing when we all return to school in September!

See you in September and keep reading!

Williamstown High School English Language Arts Department

WHS Required Reads for AP English Courses Summer 2025

AP Language & Composition 

• The Autobiography of Malcolm X
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
   

AP Literature & Composition 

• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Atonement by Ian McEwan

WHS Recommended Reads for Honors English Courses Summer 2025

• Honors ELA 9 - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Honors ELA 10 - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Honors ELA 11 - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• Honors ELA 12 - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
   

WHS Recommended Reads (Choice List) for Summer 2025

Freshmen

• The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
• Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat
• Refugee by Alan Gratz
• Monster by Walter Dean Myers
• Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
• The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
• One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
• The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Sophomores

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Educated by Tara Westover
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
• How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
   

Juniors

• Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
• A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
• Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
• We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
   

Seniors

• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
• Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
• Watchmen by Alan Moore
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood