The Principia Upper School
2015 Summer Reading List
Required Class/Honors/AP Books
Members of the class must read the assigned
book for their class.
ISBN numbers are given to identify the correct
version.
All Freshman English- Regular and Honors (Class
of 2019)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
(9780375756818)
All Sophomore English- Regular and Honors
(Class of 2018)
West with the Night by Beryl Markham (9781578989539)
Junior English- Regular and Honors (Class of 2017)
Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglas (9780486284996)
AP Junior English (Class of 2017)
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
(9780618706419)
Honors U.S. Junior History
and
AP U.S. History
(Class of (2017)
To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian by
Stephen Ambrose (9780743252126)
Senior English- Regular and Honors (Class of 2016)
Interpreter of Maladies , by Jhumpa Lahirl
(9780395927205)
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AP Senior Literature (Class of 2016)
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
(97801560273
Students must read their required book (books)
from the previous required list. If you have only
one required book, you must choose another
book from the general list.
General List
Fiction:
*Anything by Agatha Christie
The Queen of Mystery authored over eighty novels, short stories, and plays. They still are
as puzzling, clever, and exciting as they were when they were first published.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Death narrates this gripping tale of a girl of the holocaust who with her father hides a
Jewish man from the Nazis and steals books to keep them from being burned.
Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
While recuperating with a broken leg, a Scotland Yard detective begins to study the
famous murders for which Shakespeare blamed Richard III. His deductions led him to
some startling conclusions. What if Richard was innocent? Classic mystery.
Divergent (#1), Insurgent (#2), Allegiant (#3) by Veronica Roth
Fascinating dystopian series. This world is divided into factions each designed to support
one major virtue. At age sixteen, citizens must choose the path their lives will take.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Ender is a brilliant child raised and trained to be the general in a battle against aliens. He
and his two siblings must try to save the world. Award winning science fiction.
Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
Sequel to Chains. If you have not read it you may want to start there. Forge begins with
Curzon, a former slave who continues to fight for his freedom, recalling his escape and
his time at Valley Forge fighting for the Continental Army against the British.
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
A 10 year old slave known as “handful” is given to her wealthy owners’ 11 year old
daughter, Sarah. Sarah wants to be free to use her intellect, but that is not really possible
for a woman. Handful wants her freedom. Fascinating historical fiction.
Life as We Knew It by Beth Pfeiffer
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The moon is knocked closer to the earth and the earth is changed forever. Melinda, a
sophomore, is used to her ordinary life when suddenly it is gone. They must fight to
survive. The sun is blocked by the results of earthquakes and tsunamis. August in
Pennsylvania is ice cold. All the systems one depends upon are overturned. In a year of
journal writings, Miranda tells us of her terrifying, but somehow still hopeful new life.
Recommended by student reviewers.
One More for the Road by Ray Bradbury
This work contains several of Ray Bradbury’s best Science Fiction stories. This is sure to interest
Science Fiction and just good story fans.
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
The older brother in a family is accused of murder and the entire family devote
themselves to saving him. Adventure, mystery, family story.
Peak by Roland Smith
Peak’s long-lost father shows up asking him to climb Mt. Everest with him. He can’t turn
that down, but he is a bit suspicious of the offer. If he makes it to the top, he will be the
youngest person ever to succeed. Magnificent adventure.
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
or any Flavia de Luce mysteries
Flavia is a 12 year old chemist who lives with her father and two sisters in a deteriorating
home in 1950’s England. She lives in her own world trying to create new poisons in her
uncle’s old laboratory. No one realizes how smart she is and this really makes her mad.
Then a murder occurs and she must save her father. Sequels are The Weed That
Strings the Hangman’s Bag (#2), A Red Herring Without Mustard
(#3), I Am Half Sick of Shadows (#4) and Speaking from Among
the Bones (#5), The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (#6), and As
Chimmney Sweepers Come to Dust. Flavia continues her detecting and
chemistry studies at home and later in boarding school in these sequels.
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
This is a novel about the Armenian genocide and WWI. It is not non-fiction but it deals
with a real life tragedy (a forerunner of the holocaust).
Non Fiction: Factual writings may contain violence and are sometimes intense.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys ISBN number is for the
right book-(9780399254123).
We are well aware of the holocaust, but what do we know of the horrors the Russians
hurled at the countries it annexed into the Soviet Union? This is the story of a Lithuanian
teen and her family who are shipped off in 1939 to the terror of imprisonment in Siberia.
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe , Super Athletes, and the Greatest
Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
3
Unbelievable story of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyon who can run
hundreds of miles without stress or rest. Christopher McDougall sets out to find out what
makes them run. Fun, fascinating, informative.
Code Name Pauline: Memoirs of a World War II Special Agent by
Pearl Witherington Cornioley
A British woman raised in France returns as a special agent to help the resistance to the
Nazis and then becomes the head of the team.
Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadchata
Follow the life of Cracker once a beloved show dog who became an ace bomb-sniffing
dog during the Vietnam War.
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
In May of 1915, the Lusitania, an elegant cruise ship, set sail from New York to
Liverpool. It was the time of World War I. The Germans had declared the waters around
Great Britain as a war zone, but gentlemen had never attacked passenger ships filled with
women and children so there was nothing to fear. Right?
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, & the Fall of Imperial
Russia by Candace Fleming
This is the mesmerizing tale of the changing world of Imperial Russia. It is both a
historical report of the vanishing royal world and the personal story of a family’s tragic
destruction.
A Gift of Wings by Richard Bach
The musings of a biplane pilot who loves his freedom in the sky.
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
The story of a young woman’s neglected childhood and how she overcame it. Her
brilliant but alcoholic father and her totally irresponsible mother gave their children
almost no care. She made her own success. This is her remarkable story.
God’s Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible by Adam
Nicolson
The story of the fascinating process of the making of the King James Bible. Intriguing.
The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David
McCullough
Captivating story of the Americans of the 1830s + who traveled to Paris not as diplomats
or politicians, but as artists, writers, lawyers, doctors. They struggled to learn French,
endured a rough trip over, yearned to know more and go farther, and came home to do
great things.
The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian,
The Making of a Navy Seal by Eric Greitens
Eric was a humanitarian who helped people after they had been harmed. He realized that
he wanted to protect people from harm. After he became a Navy Seal, he led his men in
protecting the helpless. It was not possible to stop all evil, but it was possible to try.
Student says is “life changing.”
4
The Horse Lover by H. Alan Day
Day is a successful rancher and businessman. His love for the land and horses led him to
accept the charge of running the first government wild mustang ranch. Sandra Day
O’Conner wrote the introduction of this book about her brother’s love and care for these
beautiful horses.
I Am Malala by Malala Yousufzait
Malala is the fifteen year old girl from Pakistan who fought for the right to education and
was shot in the head by the Taliban while riding a bus home from school. She survived.
At sixteen she is the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize. She and her
family are amazing.
Left for Dead : A Young Man’s Search for the USS Indianapolis
by Pete Nelson
June 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese sub. 1,000 men struggled to
stay alive in shark infested waters. The Navy knew nothing of what happened. After the
fact, the captain of the ship was court-martialed. For 50 years, the men tried to clear his
name. Then an 11 year old boy began a research project. What he found in vetted sources
would change history.
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland
Misty grew up an underprivileged girl, but grew up to be the only African American
soloist in the renowned American Ballet Theatre. This is the story of her triumph.
Pre: the Story of America’s Greatest Running Legend;
Steve
Prefontaine by Tom Jordan
This is the inspiring story of Steve Prefontaine, Olympic runner and warm human being. It is a
great story for runners and those who never move beyond a stroll.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
A young delinquent found a love of running and later survived a Japanese prisoner of war
camp in WWII.A story of “survival, resilience, and redemption.” Intense.
Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
Written in 1776, this is the first economics book that celebrates the individual and his/her
right to create wealth in a free society.
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
(9781476728742)
Spellbinding story of how two bicycle mechanics came build the first airplane.
McCullough introduces these brilliant men who grew up with no idea that man could fly.
They were, however, avid readers and practical thinkers armed with courage and
persistence who were able to envision and produce the piloted flying machine.
Classic List
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Read for generations. Try one you have heard of, but
have not read. Some of these are challenging and most
are on college bound lists.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Author’s Court by Mark
Twain
(9780140430646)
A startled 19th century American finds himself transported to the ancient court of King
Arthur. His “modern” technology transforms this other time. In true Twain tradition, a
funny, strange adventure results.
Emma by Jane Austen (9781593080891)
Emma is a privileged 19th century girl who is not cruel, but self-centered and thoughtless.
She acts on her whims and affects other people. Amusing yet deep study of the social
systems of the time.
The Four Feathers by A.E.W. Mason (9781593083137)
A solider quits the service just before his regiment went to the Sudan. He is given four
feathers to signify cowardice. He goes to Africa to reclaim his honor. This is not just a
war or adventure novel. It is a character novel with an element of romance.
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (9781593082468)
A classic love story in which Wilfred, a noble knight, puts honor above all else. The epic
battle between the Saxons and the Normans comes to vibrant life. It is, also, the story of
discrimination against Jews in medieval times and how men of valor resisted this evil.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (9780062015624)
Famous Gothic romance with a movie version that is excellent. Jane is a plain,
independent orphan who goes to work as a nanny in a dark, isolated estate owned by a
handsome, but foreboding employer.
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (9780143039402)
David Balfour is to meet his uncle to claim his inheritance. Instead, he finds himself
betrayed, kidnapped, and enslaved on a ship. A classic, adventure tale.
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Kim is a street beggar in India. He is the orphaned son of an Irish solider. Smart and
courageous, he first allies himself with a Tibetan monk and later with The British Foreign
Service. Classic story of survival.
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (9780743272933)
Pearl Buck grew up in China and knew it well. This novel of Chinese peasant life is
fascinating and realistic. It is also an unusual love story.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (9780451525260)
Jean Vlajean escapes the torture of a French prison in the 19th century. While he builds a
new meaningful life, a relentless policeman continues to pursue him.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (9780486284736)
6
A family of four daughters deals with the constrictions and mores of 19th century English
society. Social class and gender discrimination play havoc with lives.
The Sea-Wolf by Jack London
One of the greatest of all sea stories. A gentleman finds himself thrust aboard a ship run
by an amoral captain. Adventure and character study.
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin (9780486290492)
Two sisters have a very different view of love and life. One is practical and realistic and
the other is a naïve romantic. Which one has the best ideals?
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Immortal characters that forever stay with the reader are a staple of this novel. It is the story of
the great capacity for honor, dignity and sacrifice displayed by those caught in one of the most
brutal of times, The French Revolution.
May 22, 2015
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