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Hackensack High School Summer Reading List for Incoming Freshmen
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (what my mother doesn't know by sonya sones instead?) A freshman returns to school after a traumatic incident at a summer party causes her to lose all of her friends.
Feed by M. T. Anderson It's the future, and everyone has a feed an implanted object which sends information directly into your brain. It makes shopping easier but does it make everyone stupid?
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray After her mother's death, Gemma learns to control her visions and enter magical realms. This book is part historical fiction, part fantasy, part romance, and part horror.
The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly David discovers a portal into a fantasy world and undertakes a magical quest.
Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper Andy was driving the car when the accident killed his best friend, the school basketball star.
What Happened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles A teen girl is kidnapped and buried alive, with a breathing tube to keep her alive for now. A police officer desperately tries to find her as her captor tells his side of the story.
Geography Club by Brent Hartinger Starting a gay-straight alliance in school isn't easy especially when your crush is the most popular guy in school who shows up to the first meeting.
Invisible by Pete Hautman The story of two unlikely best friends, a football hero and a train obsessed loner, who have had something unbelievable happen to them.
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson Bobby is sixteen and raising a daughter on his own.
Carrie by Stephen King In this horrific novel, a girl who gets bullied by everyone gets her revenge at the school prom.
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver The story of a woman who changes her name, adopts an abandoned baby, and runs away to Arizona where she meets another woman with a child and history of abuse.
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman His dad is a major mob boss; her dad is the FBI agent assigned to his dad's case. In this humorous novel, Vince will try to do anything to keep his family business out of his personal life.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer What happens to a girl that falls in love with a vampire?
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell The epic love story set during the Civil War.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk The first rule of fight club is...You do not talk about fight club.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini Eragon finds a stone which hatches into a dragon and from there things really get interesting.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli Leo knew Stargirl was special from the moment she stepped into the cafeteria, carrying a pet mouse and ukulele.
Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud The thrilling story of a magician's apprentice who summons a djinni to steal a powerful amulet.
When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune by Lori Aurelia Williams A friend tells many imaginative stories but won't tell what she's really hiding.
American Born Chinese by Gene Yang (Graphic Novel) A comic of three interrelated stories about growing up Chinese-American.
Non-Fiction
With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman's Right to Vote by Ann Bausum The story of how women fought for the right to vote.
Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX: The Law That Changed the Future of Girls in America by Karen Blumenthal Are you a girl who plays sports? Find out how your life would be different without Title IX.
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens: The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide by Stephen Covey Covey will help you become the person you want to be.
Getting Away with Murder: the True Story of the Emmett Till Case by Chris Crowe Fourteen year old Emmett Till was murdered in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman.
We Beat the Streets: how a friendship pact led to success by Sampson Davis, et al. Three friends get off the streets of their Newark neighborhood and make it as doctors.
Hackensack High School Summer Reading List for Incoming Sophomores
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom After his death saving a young girl at a theme park, Eddie meets five surprising people in heaven who give him some perspective on his own life.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card A child hero must save the world from invading aliens.
The Alchemist by Paul Coelho After a dream, Santiago journeys to find a hidden treasure and meets a series of surprising characters.
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen Alienated from her friends and dealing with her sometimes difficult sisters, Annabelle meets Owen, a music fan who just might be the right guy for her.
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga A loner comic book artist deals with his stepfather and a mysterious new girl.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg The story of the south, two friends, and a lot of memories.
Life is Funny by E. R. Frank Written in realistic street slang, this is the story of eleven teens going through difficult situations including pregnancy and abuse.
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd On the run with her outspoken servant Rosaleen, Lily wants to learn more about her mother's accidental death which she caused.
The Shining by Stephen King Telepathic Danny discovers a world of horror inside the Overlook Hotel as the ghosts and visions from the past try to possess him and his family.
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin In this horror novel, a woman discovers her husband has sold her soul to the devil and now she's having Satan's baby.
Wicked by Gregory Maguire This is the true story of the wicked witch of the west, who is neither wicked nor a formal witch.
Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers Jesse and Rise are blood brothers who grow apart in the face of street violence and crime.
The Godfather by Mario Puzo This is the epic story of a gang war between the Corleone family and their rival gangs.
The Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer Andre was great on the court, but after a provocative article he wrote for a national magazine, he's the victim of a racial attack.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks Two teenagers fall in love one summer and reunite fourteen years later when she is planning to marry another man.
Black and White by Paul Volponi Two best friends one black and one white commit a crime and only one gets caught.
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld When you're in Tally's world, you get surgery on your sixteenth birthday to make you pretty.
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger John writes a zine and finds himself falling for his new best friend - a girl who will never love him back.
Non-Fiction
Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America by Steve Almond Steve Almond is obsessed with candy and by the end of this book you will be too.
The 9/11 Report: a Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón (Graphic Non-Fiction) The 9/11 report is one of the most important documents of this century. Here it is in comic book form.
What Smart Students Know: Maximum Grades. Optimum Learning. Minimum Time. by Adam Robinson Robinson presents tips that will help you get better grades in no time.
The Burn Journals by Brett Runyon In this memoir, Runyon tells the story of his suicide attempt where he set himself on fire as a teenager and his subsequent years of recovery.
Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls by Rachel Simmons Are girls really sugar, spice and everything nice? Rachel Simmons interviews girls across the country to figure out why there are so many mean girls.
Hackensack High School Summer Reading List for Incoming Juniors
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez A fictionalized account of the true story of the Mirabal sisters, who plotted against a dictator in the Dominican Republic and were killed for their participation in the revolution.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky A loner teenager makes his way through high school, meets new friends and learns how to participate in life.
Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides This book is about gender identity. As a teenager, narrator Calliope Stephanides discovers she's not really a girl.
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn After hitting his girlfriend, Nick takes anger management classes to deal with his violent streak and abusive father.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman After the death of his wife and his release from prison, Shadow meets Wednesday a god who is trying to start a war against the new gods of the internet, credit cards and other technology.
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby Four strangers become unlikely friends after they talk each other out of committing suicide on New Years Eve in London.
The World According to Garp by John Irving This is the story of T. S. Garp, the son of a feminist nurse, who marries, has two children and has a series of strange occurrences in his life.
The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan This novel is poems is written from the point of view of different classmates at the same school on love, friendship, and being a teenager.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers This is the story of intersecting lives in a small southern town, including two friends who are deaf mute, a teenage girl and a man who loses his wife.
The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry In this coming of age novel, Duane wants to marry his girlfriend Jacy but she just wants to leave their small town and his best friend Sonny just wants to be more like him.
Beloved by Toni Morrison Sethe, an escaped slave, deals with the appearance of an apparition named Beloved.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger This is a love story about a librarian who at times is transported to other critical points in his life and his relationship with his adoring wife.
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve Set in the future, this is the story of wheeled cities that annex other cities by eating them and the few people who try to stop the bloodshed.
A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt Simone always knew she was adopted but was never really interested in finding her birth mother until the mother makes contact with her.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold A teen who has been murdered narrates the aftermath of her death from the afterlife.
Hip Hop High School by Alan Sitomer Theresa is smart but wants to fit in at school with her peers. When she meets Devon, a fellow hip hop addict who has aspirations to Harvard, she is inspired by him.
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman While Shawn's cerebral palsy prevents him from communicating, his brain works perfectly unbeknownst to his father whom Shawn suspects may try to kill him.
Emako Blue by Brenda Woods After the Emako's death by drive by shooting, her friends and family reflect on what she means to them.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak A Holocaust story narrated by Death about a young girl who steals books to learn how to read and protect them from the Nazis.
Non-Fiction
Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger Do you watch the movie or the TV show? Find out what the original Panthers were like.
Freedom Writer's Diary by the Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell This is the true story of a teacher who helps her students learn about the past and the world around them by encouraging them to write in diaries. The book includes excerpts from the students' writing.
Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach This is a surprisingly humorous look at what happens to bodies when humans die and some of the strange uses science has found for cadavers.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Graphic Non-Fiction) In this memoir in comic format, Marjane tells of her youth in Iran during the revolution.
Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures by Carl Zimmer Zimmer presents a fascinating and gross look at creatures that life inside or on humans and other animals and plants.
Hackensack High School Summer Reading List for Incoming Seniors
How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez In reverse chronological order, this is the story of four sisters who adapt to life in the United States.
Tyrell by Coe Booth After his family ends up in a homeless shelter, Tyrell tries to keep his family together without getting himself into trouble.
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote The narrator recounts his yearlong friendship with the enigmatic Holly Golightly.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon Set during World War II, two Jewish cousins create a comic book that criticizes Hitler.
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison After being expelled from college for telling the truth about racial issues in the south, the narrator moves to New York City.
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman Fat Charlie Nancy was a normal guy until his brother an African spider god showed up and caused him to lose his job, stole his girlfriend and made his life miserable.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby Rob runs a record store and makes a list of the women in his life and everything that has gone wrong with them.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Two boys from different classes who grew up together in Afghanistan end up having very different lives.
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr Although Aislinn has been able to see faeries her whole life, she was able to ignore them until two powerful faeries begin to stalk her.
The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard After her mother is killed on September 11, Wendy moves across country to live with her father and tries to start life over.
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk This is the story of a fashion model who is disfigured after an accident with a surprise ending.
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult An account of a school shooting from multiple perspectives, including a judge assigned to the case whose daughter was present for the nightmare.
Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz This is a coming of age story about Sammy who grows up in the barrio in Las Cruces during the Vietnam War and experiences heartbreak and tragedy.
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini A depressed teen calls a suicide hotline and finds himself in the middle of an adult psychiatric ward.
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Dwayne Hoover who is losing his sanity becomes obsessed with the writing of science fiction author Kilgore Trout.
Non-Fiction Can't Stop Won't Stop : A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by Jeff Chang A long (546 pages) account of the history of hip hop from its roots in the Bronx to the present. Rap music, break dancing and graffiti are all described in detail.
How to Read Literature Like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster If you think you never get what your English teacher is telling you, don't miss this guide which will not only make reading easier, but entertain you in the process.
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud (Graphic Non-Fiction) This comic book will teach you everything you need to know about how comics work. This is an essential read for any artist or comic book fan.
Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama Barack Obama's life story written before he entered politics.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris A series of humorous essays on over-involved parents, learning French, and life in general.
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad After the fall of the Taliban, Seierstad spends a year in Afghanistan chronicling the lives of bookseller Sultan Khan and his family.
The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College by Jacques Steinberg This book will give you the information to help you get into the college of your dreams.
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