Meridian High School Summer Reading

What book grabs YOUR interest?

We want you to read! This summer, spend a few hours with a book. Each staff member has selected a title and will lead a group activity during Stable time early in the school year.  

We do this because reading is a fundamental skill for life and a wonderful way to experience new worlds, engage new ideas, encounter different (or even strange!) perspectives, and encourage empathy. At Meridian High School, we have a long tradition of asking students to give some of their summer time to reading, not only to help avoid learning gaps but also to maintain and develop the habit of finding the pleasure that comes from a good book. 

And reading for pleasure is the best form of reading! It can be an escape, but it is also a conversation with a text. As Daniel T. Willingham, a professor at UVA points out, "Only reading elicits your contribution to the experience by...demanding that you mentally create the world described. Only fiction demands that you live with the characters as long or as deeply. And with few exceptions, prose stylists show greater love of language than artists in other media."(1) Reading for pleasure is vitally important. According to a study from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, reading enjoyment is more important for children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status. There is also evidence that reading for pleasure not only impacts reading achievement but also increases general knowledge, a better understanding of other cultures, community participation, and insight into human nature and decision-making. (2) 

So pick up a book this summer! 

• Rising 9th graders should select from the list here. 

• Students entering grades 10-12 should select from this list. 

Whatever the title you select, the most important part of reading is engagement and enjoyment. We encourage parents, grandparents, family or friends to read a book together and talk about it. The joy of reading is enriched when shared.

Sources Referenced

1. For the Love of Reading: Engaging Students in a Lifelong Pursuit by Daniel T. Willingham, UVA, 2015.

2. Reading for Pleasure: A Research Overview by the National Literacy Trust, 2006.