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 may be involved in many school and sports programs and that some students simply need an opportunity to “reset”. Therefore, we have presented 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, except for our Honors and AP classes. 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.

Honors and 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 books you have chosen from our list or of your own choosing when we all return to school in September!

See you in September and keep reading!

Williamstown High School English Language Arts Department