Recommended Summer Reading List (K-12)

K-12 Recommended Summer Reading – 2025

It is expected that all students at Harvest Preparatory School will stay active during the summer months by immersing themselves in reading in preparation for the next school year.  In order to find success and be prepared for the curriculum and course of study that our English Language Arts Department will be providing beginning in the fall it is highly advised that students read as many of the recommended books for their assigned grade level for 2025-2026.

MIDDLE SCHOOL (6TH-8TH) & UPPER SCHOOL (9TH-12TH)

Students who submit a completed book report on up to two books in their grade level will receive extra credit points for the first quarter of the 2025-2026 in their English Language Arts class.  Students are responsible to purchase books from a retailer or borrow them from a local public library.  Book reports should be a minimum of 500 words and should include an introduction, plot summary, analysis, and conclusion.  Submitted reports should be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, and include fully developed paragraphs.  Students are expected to complete their own work with no assistance provided from ChatGPT or AI websites/apps.  Completed book reports should be emailed to info@harvestprep.org and they will be forwarded to your English Language Arts teacher once student course schedules are completed in July. 

LOWER SCHOOL (K-5TH)

Students are encouraged to put their tablets and cellphones down and embark on a reading journey this summer!  In addition to our reading incentives, students are encouraged to visit their local libraries to learn more about summer reading programs in preparation for their next school year.  For the Harvest Prep program, students who complete 750 minutes of Summer Reading will be treated to an Ice Cream Party in the fall and will have the opportunity to “Silly String” our very own Principal, Mrs. Hughes!  Please use the tracker at the end of the K-12 Recommended Summer Reading Packet and email to Mrs. Hughes at hughesm@harvestprep.org before the first day of school to be eligible for the incentives!   

Advanced Placement (AP) Grade 12

·       Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

·       The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

·       Native Son by Richard Wright

·       Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien

Grade 12 (Non-AP/Honors)

·       The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

·       King Lear by William Shakespeare

 Advanced Placement (AP) Grade 11

·       Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

·       A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

·       The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

·       The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Grade 11 (Non-AP/Honors)

·       And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

·       Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

·       The Call – Os Guinness

Grade 10 Honors       

·       The Wounded Spirit by Frank Peretti

·       War of the Worlds by Frank Peretti

·       Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winner by Tony Dungy

 Grade 10 (Non-AP/Honors)

·       Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

·       I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

·       Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

 Grade 9 Honors

·       The Wounded Spirit by Frank Peretti

·       Tuesday's with Morrie by Mitch Albom

·       Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliott

·       Animal Farm by George Orwell

 Grade 9 (Non-AP/Honors)

·       I Am Malaa by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafazi

·       Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

·       The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

·       Animal Farm by George Orwell

Grade 8

·       To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

·       Cinder by Marissa Meyer

·       The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sallinger

·       Just Mercy: Young Reader's Edition by Bryan Stevenson

·       Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soul: Stories of Faith, Love, Inspiration, and Hope by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger, Patty Aubrey, and Nancy Mitchelle-Autio

Grade 7

·       The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

·       The Crossing by Gary Paulsen

·       Crash by Jerry Spinelli

·       Jack Zulu and the Waylander's Key by S.D. Smith and J.C. Smith

·       Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soul: Stories of Faith, Love, Inspiration, and Hope by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger, Patty Aubrey, and Nancy Mitchelle-Autio

Grade 6

·       Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

·       Holes by Louis Sachar

·       A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

·       The Giver by Lois Lowry

Grade 5

·       The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

·       Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

·       Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

·       Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Grade 4

·       Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Tupper Atwater

·       The Borrowers by Mary Norton

·       Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald Sobol

·       Stuart Little by E.B. White

Grade 3

·       Sarah, Plain, and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

·       The Boxcar Children Series by Gertrude Chandler Warner

·       Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

·       Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne

Grade 2

·       The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble

·       Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

·       Arthur Series by Marc Brown

·       Little Bear Series by Else Holmelsund Minarik

Grade 1

·       Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

·       Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parrish

·       Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel

·       Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber

Kindergarten

·       The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

·       The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

·       Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

·       Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak