Wando High School
11th Grade English III CP
Required Reading Assignment 2017-2018
Students will choose at least one book from these titles to read before school begins in August. Second semester English 3 CP students will need to read at least one book for class beginning in January. Students should be prepared for assessments on their reading which will include an essay about characters, themes, conflicts and/or other literary elements in the book.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, (fiction)
Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Native American is the school mascot.
Alice in Zombieland by Gina Showalter, (fiction)
Alice Bell must learn to fight the undead to avenge her family and learn to trust Cole Holland, who has secrets of his own.
Gal by Ruthie Bolton, (biography)
The author’s story of growing up in an abusive home in the Hungry Neck section of Charleston, SC, as related to Josephine Humphries.
Gym Candy by Carl Deuker, (fiction)
Groomed by his father to be a star player, football is the only thing that has ever really mattered to Mick Johnson, who works hard for a spot on the varsity team his freshman year, then tries to hold on to his edge by using steroids.
Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls, (fiction)
Lily Casey Smith grows up breaking horses with her father. Lily leaves home at fifteen to ride five hundred miles to teach in a frontier town. She marries a rancher and speaks out against prejudice.
Heist Societyby Ally Carter, (fiction)
Fifteen year old Kat schemes her way into boarding school, hoping to leave the thieving antics of her family behind her, but a former co-conspirator appears on campus to tell Kat that a mobster believes her father stole art from a priceless collection. To save him, Kat must recover the paintings.
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt, (fiction)
Seventeen year old Harper Evans hopes to escape the effects of her father’s divorce on her family and friendships by volunteering her summer to build a house in a small Tennessee town devastated by a tornado.
My Losing Season by Pat Conroy, (memoir)
The author reflects on his days at a South Carolina military college. He recalls his love of basketball and its value to him as a means of self-expression, and shares experiences that shed new light on his novel, “The Great Santini.”
The Martian by Alex Weir, (fiction)
Astronaut Mark Watney is stranded on Mars, with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive, but Mark isn’t ready to give up. Drawing on his engineering skills and determination, he faces each obstacle with humor and resourcefulness.
Sunrise of Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers, (fiction)
Robin Perry from Harlem is sent to Iraq in 2003 as a member of the Civilian Affairs Battalion, and his time there profoundly changes him.
Parents are advised to assist their child in choosing an appropriate book. For more information, please review the
"Characteristics of Young Adult Literature" located on the SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS webpage at under the "For Parents and Students” Tab.