Summer is just around the corner and with it comes summer reading. Students all over Chesterfield County are expected to read over the summer. With as much free time as students have once the school bell rings for the last time, it can be hard to choose just a few books to read and even harder to find books to read that will fit the school’s requirements. Below is a list of all of Midlothian High School’s required summer reading assignments for all grade levels and classes, followed by recommendations from the Midlothian High Library.

English 10 C

Anthem by Ayn Rand

English 10 Honors

Anthem by Ayn Rand  and one student-selected book (fiction or nonfiction)

English 11 IB

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster and Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

English 12 IB

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and Frankenstein by Mary W. Shelley

English 11 AP English Language & Composition

One student-selected book (fiction) and one student-selected (nonfiction)

English 12 AP English Literature & Composition

Read and annotate How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster,  A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, and Atonement by Ian McEwan

Dual Enrollment Composition/Dual Enrollment Literature

One student-selected book (fiction) and one student-selected book (nonfiction)

All Other English Courses (excluding English electives)

One student-selected book (fiction or nonfiction)

For students finding difficulty in choosing a book to capture their interests, Midlo’s librarians, Mrs. Murfee and Ms. Mazzanti, have compiled a list of fiction and nonfiction books to try: 

• March: An award-winning three volume graphic novel series written by Andrew Ayden and John Lewis, all about the Civil Rights Movement and the March to Selma. The novel follows John Lewis’ life long struggle for civil and human rights. 
• Warcross: A fun summer read, written by Marie Lou, about a video game hacker who gets caught up in political and intrigue fun. The protagonist, Emika Chen, works as a modern day bounty hunter, but when she hacks into Warcross, she is called upon by the game’s creator with an unrefusable offer to spy on the current  tournament in order to discover a problem with the game. 
• Replica: Another fun summer read by Lauren Oliver about clones that start thinking for themselves. From an outlook perspective, the Haven Institute, secluded on a private island, looks dreamworthy. In reality, the locked doors, military guards, and bio-hazard suits paint a different picture. It is actually a clone research facility, where thousands of human replicas are created, raised, and studied. 
• Cruel Prince: A heavier read by Holly Black that is the first book in the Folk of the Air trilogy and follows Jude, who lives in a world despised by faeries. This book is for a more serious reader. 
• Scythe: This book by Neal Shusterman is the first book in the Arch of a Scythe series. It’s about a perfect world that has defeated death, disease, and all other complications. The only problem is that this new utopia can’t sustain the large horde of people that call it home. The novel follows two teenagers who are recruited to be trained to become scythes. 
• The Hate U Give: An award-winning novel written by Angie Thomas that follows a protagonist drawn to activism after a tragedy. 
• Long Way Down: A realistic fiction book by Jason Reynolds about a main character named Will who slowly uncovers hidden pieces to a bigger story.
• Salt to the Sea: A historical fiction, written by Ruta Sepetys, told in four perspectives, about the end of WWII and the Russian army invading Germany. The only way for the remaining Germans to flee is to leave by boat, which proves to pose some difficulties. 

For more of Mrs. Murfee and Ms. Mazzanti’s suggestions, check out their Great Reads page here!

After completing their chosen summer reading assignments the students are encouraged to participate in the #midloshelfie event. Simply post a selfie with the chosen book’s cover with the hashtag ‘midloshelfie’ on Instagram or to the summer reading Google classroom page to earn one raffle ticket. To earn additional raffle tickets, students can fill out a Google form for each book they read, including a brief summary, without spoilers, and how many stars it should earn. Lastly, don’t forget to READ, POST, WIN!