Summer Reading Options

My Sister's Keeper (Lexile - 840)
 

**************************Bonus video created by LHS students:



The Lovely Bones (Lexile - 890)
 (Video by Luis Nieves - Class of 2010)


**************************Bonus video created by LHS students:





The Secret Life of Bees (Lexile - 840)


Of Mice and Men (Honors) - (Lexile - 630)
(Video by Andre McKoy - Class of 2011)



That Was Then, This is Now (Lexile - 780)
(Created by Marrisa Robertson- Class of 2011)



Hunger Games (Lexile - 810)


Incarceron (Lexile - 600)


The Boy Who Dared (Lexile - 760)


Mexican White Boy - (Lexile - 680)
(Video by Taylor Randall - Class of 2011)

Summer Reading Options

Dreams From My Father (Lexile - Unknown)




Having Our Say (Honors) - (Lexile - 860)
(Created by Corey Robinson)



Friday Night Lights - (Lexile - 1260)



Getting Away With Murder (Lexile - 1210)/ Mississippi Trial (Lexile - 870) (*2 Book Requirement!)

"The Emmett Till case was not the sole cause of the civil rights movement, but it was the final indignity that caused the flood of outrage to overflow the dam of racial injustice." Mainstream history has all but forgotten about this 14-year-old African American from Chicago who was murdered by two white men in Mississippi for making "ugly remarks" to one of their wives. The men were acquitted, and several months later, they were interviewed by Look magazine and publicly confessed to the crime. The event galvanized black Americans, and even many of the whites who had supported the defendants were appalled at their national confession. Four months after Till was killed, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, and the wheels of the civil rights movement were set in motion. Crowe's research is extensive and his writing is well suited to his audience." (Barnes & Noble)

 

  "Basing his promising debut novel on historical events, Crowe adopts the point of view of a white teenager confronting racism in the 1950s South. Hiram Hillburn has resented his civil-rights-minded father ever since the age of nine, when his parents moved him from his adored grandfather's home in Greenwood, Miss., to the more liberal climate of an Arizona college town. Now that he is 16, Hiram has finally been permitted to visit Grampa Hillburn again.. Events force Hiram to question his willingness to stand up for his beliefs and to reevaluate his understanding of the animosity between his grandfather and father." (Barnes & Noble)

A Lesson Before Dying (Lexile - 990)

Wintergirls (Lexile - 730)


Outcasts United (Lexile - 780)

St. John builds on his 2007 New York Times article about the Fugees, a soccer program for boys from families of refugees from war-torn nations who have been resettled in the town of Clarkston, Ga., 13 miles east of Atlanta. Led by the founder and coach Luma Mufleh, a strong-willed, Jordanian woman who turned her back on a privileged past to stay in America after attending Smith College, the three youth teams are a conglomeration of players from Africa, the Balkans and the Middle East. The challenges they face are many, including an ongoing fight against city hall for a field on which to play, and getting by with subpar equipment. Their biggest challenge, however, is the difficulty immigrants face in learning the ways of a strange land and living with the memories of tragedy (some players had lost a parent to violence or imprisonment). In spite of it all, the Fugees compete admirably with mostly white, better-funded suburban teams. St. John begins with an inspiring description of a beautifully played game and then delves into the team's formation.. (Barnes & Noble)

Bless The Beasts and Children - (Lexile - 970)
(Created by Taylor Randall- Class of 2011)


Catching Fire - (Lexile - 820)
 (Book 2 of The Hunger Games Trilogy)

Summer Reading Options

Devil in a Blue Dress - (Lexile - Unknown)

**WARNING: MATURE CONTENT**

Los Angeles, 1948: Ezekiel "Easy Rawlins" is a black war veteran just fired from his job. Now he's drinking in a friend's bar, wondering how he'll meet his mortgage.

That's when De Witt Albright , a quietly vicious white man in a white linen suit, walks in and offers Easy good money if he'll just do a little job for him: find Miss Daphne Monet, a blonde beauty known to frequent black jazz clubs.
It seems simple enough, but Easy soon discovers that Albright isn't the only one looking for the lovely Miss Monet - isn't the only one who's ready to kill anyone, including Easy, who might get in the way.


Jefferson's Children - (Lexile - 910)
"On October 31, 1998, the Associated Press broke the news that there was finally scientific proof for what many people already knew was true, but others would not believe: Thomas Jefferson had a relationship with his slave Sally Hemings after the death of his wife. This DNA link was proven through the Eston Hemings line. Jefferson’s Children is the story of the Jefferson and Hemings families, and their efforts to be recognized and united as proud descendants of this great American genius. Some discovered their heritage through written family records, and others have based their beliefs on oral histories. Regardless of their sources, many descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings want the world to know that skin color isn’t what makes a family. Thomas Jefferson wrote about equality. He believed in freedom. Yet, he owned slaves. This contradiction in character raises many questions among historians and descendants as they unravel the “truth” about this complex man. Did he indeed father children with his slave, Sally Hemings? How would he view the issues of racism among his ancestors today?" (Random House)

Looking for Alaska (Lexile - 930)
**Warning: Mature Content**

Maus I and Maus II (Lexile - Graphic Novel, Unknown)

The Uglies (Lexile - 760)



Brave New World (Honors) (Lexile - 1090)



The Road (Lexile - 670)





Twisted (Lexile - 680)

Papertowns (Lexile - 850)



Blue Rage, Black Redemption (Lexile - 730)
(*Mature Content)

A gripping tale of personal revolution by a man who went from Crips co-founder to Nobel Peace Prize nominee, author, and antigang activist.


When his L.A. neighborhood was threatened by gangbangers, Stanley Tookie Williams and a friend formed the Crips, but what began as protection became worse than the original gangs. From deadly street fights with their rivals to drive-by shootings and stealing cars, the Crips' influence — and Tookie's reputation — began to spread across L.A. Soon he was regularly under police surveillance, and, as a result, was arrested often, though always released because the charges did not stick. But in 1981, Tookie was convicted of murdering four people and was sent to death row at San Quentin in Marin County, California.Tookie maintained his innocence and began to work in earnest to prevent others from following his path. Whether he was creating nationwide peace protocols, discouraging adolescents from joining gangs, or writing books, Tookie worked tirelessly for the rest of his life to end gang violence. Even after his death, his legacy continues, supported by such individuals as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Snoop Dogg, Jesse Jackson, and many more.By turns frightening and enlightening, Blue Rage, Black Redemption is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and an invaluable lesson in how rage can be turned into redemption. 


Mockingjay (Lexile - 800)

(Book 3 of The Hunger Games Trilogy)

Summer Reading Options

Blood and Chocolate (Lexile - 720)