Summer reading for a rising 9^th grader           

I am looking for some ideas for suggested reading for my rising 9^th grader over the summer.  She is an avid reader and mostly I will let her have her choice in what she wants to read this summer but I would like to guide her towards a few “classics”.  Any ideas?  This past year in school she has read, Red Badge of Courage, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Animal Farm, Night, 1984, The Time Machine.  What are some good classic for this age group?

May I suggest A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith; The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers; and True Grit, by Charles Portis?   A young girl is the principal character in each of these three novels.   If your ninth grader is a fast reader, and likes these American 'classics', I believe I could  recommend a few more titles.

Thank you, I do have A Tree... for her, I will look for the other two.  Thank you.

I am curfrently reading 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,' and loving it!

    As 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' itself suggests, do find something by Shakespeare. Does your town have Shakespeare in the Park? My kids used to love to read ahead of the play schedule, then go watch the preformance.

Check with the high school she will be attending in the fall.  Our school publishes a summer reading list for incoming ninth graders on our school website.  You can view ours at northwoodfalcons.com.

Great to have an eager reader!

I was going to suggest Shakespeare. If she liked To Kill A Mockingbird, Summer of the Redeemers by Carolyn Haines is another great, southern, coming-of-age story. It won't be on any school list but it is a great read. It is an older book so you can likely find a copy on here.

Thanks Summer, I will look for it.

I am a teacher and on several summer reading committees for your grade.  Willa Cather is always a winner among with the shorter works of Edith Wharton (Summer, Old New York). Fahrenheit 451 makes the list every year as does A Separate Piece by John Knowles. Watership Down by Richard Adams is a good choice for animal lovers and the old time classic, Cheaper By the Dozen was chosen by a few schools. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  John Steinbeck, some Hemingway (The Old Man and The Sea) and Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth are also popular with both sexes.  George Eliot's Silas Marner was one of my picks this year and Lost Horizon (James Hilton) has made a comeback. 

I'm sure your rising star has read The Hunger Games but you would best serve her reading interests by expanding beyond the Twilight books and the "hip" favorites.  Reading is so important.  It improves the way a student writes, speaks and understands concepts in all subjects.  I am a history prof who teaches Latin and for the summer, if you would like to start a conversation about any of the books I mentioned or any others, please feel free to contact me.  We can customize the list and I can dialog about the topics/issues in the books. I have read the other posts in this segment and did not duplicate other suggestions.

Good luck.  Dano

Dano – thanks for the thoughtful response!  People like you help me with my obsession to have good choices for both of my kids.  I recently ordered Fahrenheit 451 for myself and my daughter to read this summer.  I also have Watership Down for her because I know she hasn’t read that yet.  This is actually a post from last year, this year she will be going into 10^th and is taking three APs and we will be getting her summer reading list for those classes next week.  So between those and the occasional vampire/werewolf/teen love beach read, I may be able to get her to read a few classics.

Thanks again for your input.

She is reading some good books and others have recommended more of the same.

I suggest No Life for a Lady by Agnes Cleveland. Link to the book and my review.

I also suggest a most excellent historical mystery series that deals with 19th century American issues, woman's rights, slavery, etc.  The best is North Star Conspiracy, but it begins with Seneca Falls Inheritance. 

The Candy Bombers is also a great history book.