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Tri-County Summer Reading 2014Grade 12
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All CP students must read:
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A long way gone : memoirs of a boy soldier
by Ishmael Beah
In a heart-wrenching, candid autobiography, a human rights activist offers a firsthand account of war from the perspective of a former child soldier, detailing the violent civil war that wracked his native Sierra Leone and the government forces that transformed a gentle young boy into a killer as a member of the army. 75,000 first printing.
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All Honors students must read:
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The razor's edge
by W. Somerset Maugham
Leaving wealth and loved ones behind, Larry Darrell journeys to the mountains of India in search of spiritual wisdom
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CP and Honors students must read one book from this list:
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A thousand splendid suns
by Khaled Hosseini
Two women born a generation apart witness the destruction of their home and family in war-torn Kabul, losses incurred over the course of thirty years that test the limits of their strength and courage. By the author of The Kite Runner. 600,000 first printing.
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Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress
by Sijie Dai
At the height of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, two young boys are sent to the country for "reeducation" at a remote mountain village, where their lives take an unexpected turn when they meet the beautiful daughter of a local tailor and stumble upon a forbidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translations. A first novel. Reader's Guide available. Reprint. 125,000 first printing.
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Black powder war
by Naomi Novik
In the wake of their adventure in China, Captain Will Laurence of His Majesty's Aerial Corps and his dragon, Temeraire, are sent on a mission to protect three valuable dragon eggs on a trip back to England from the Ottoman Empire, but the vengeful Chinese dragon Lien allies herself with Napoleon to stop them. Original.
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The caves of steel
by Isaac Asimov
Fearing a violent confrontation between Earthmen and Spacers, Detective Baley and his new partner, a robot, investigate the murder of a Spacetown scientist
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City of Glass
by Cassandra Clare
Knowing that their father, Valentine, will soon attack, Clary and Jace must venture to the city of glass to find the warlock that has the power to save their mother's life and then uncover the truth about their past in order to prepare for the greatest showdown they will ever face, in the final installment to The Mortal Instruments trilogy.
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Cutting for stone : a novel
by A. Verghese
The twin sons of a secret love affair between an Indian nun and a British surgeon in Addis Ababa, Marion and Shiva Stone are orphaned by their mother's death in childbirth and father's disappearance, coming of age in an Ethiopia on the brink of revolution, bound together by a shared interest in medicine and forever divided by their love for the same woman. Reprint. A best-selling book.
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Decision points
by George W. Bush
The author offers a strikingly candid journey through the defining decisions of his life and presidency, discussing the hotly contested 2000 election, 9/11, the Iraq war and his controversial decisions on the financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina, Afghanistan and Iran, as well as his decision to quit drinking, discovery of faith and relationship with his family.
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Ender's game
by Orson Scott Card
An expert at simulated war games, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin believes that he is engaged in one more computer war game when, in truth, he is commanding the last Earth fleet against an alien race seeking Earth's complete destruction. Nebula and Hugo Winner. Reissue.
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Feed
by M. T. Anderson
In a future where most people have computer implants in their heads to control their environment, Titus meets Violet, an unusual teenage girl who is in serious trouble. By the author of Burger Wuss. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Jr Lib Guild. Reprint.
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The Samurai's garden
by Gail Tsukiyama
In 1938, on the eve of World War II, a young Chinese man suffering from tuberculosis travels to his family's summer home in Japan, where his encounters with four local residents prove to be memorable. Reprint.
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Strength in what remains
by Tracy Kidder
The Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author of Mountains Beyond Mountains presents the story of Burundi civil war survivor Deo, who endures homelessness before pursuing an education at Columbia and eventually returning to his native land to help people in both countries.
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The zookeeper's wife : A War Story
by Diane Ackerman
Documents the heroic true story of Warsaw Zoo keepers and resistance activists Jan and Antonina Zabinski, who in the aftermath of Germany's invasion of Poland saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish citizens by smuggling them into empty cages and their home villa. 70,000 first printing.
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All Humanities students must read the 1st book and either of the next two.
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The king must die
by Mary Renault
An adaptation of the legend of Theseus who masters the art of bull leaping and slays the Minotaur in the process of fulfilling his destiny
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Cleopatra : a life
by Stacy Schiff
A Pulitzer Prize winner weaves together sex and celebrity, empire and politics in a story that is as contemporary as it is ancient, capturing fully for the first time the operatic power of Cleopatra's life and reign. By the author of Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov).
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The memoirs of Helen of Troy : a novel
by Amanda Elyot
The fictional memoirs of the one of the world's most beautiful and notorious women offers Helen's personal perspective on her turbulent childhood as the result of a rumored affair between her mother the queen and the god Zeus, the alienating impact of her stunning beauty, her kidnapping by Theseus, her marriage to the king of Sparta, and her role in the devastating war that would change the world. 30,000 first printing.
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AP Literature students must read these two:
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The story of Edgar Sawtelle : a novel
by David Wroblewski
A Hamlet-style tale that also celebrates the ancient alliance between humans and dogs follow the coming-of-age of speech-disabled Wisconsin youth Edgar, who bonds with three yearling canines and struggles to prove that his sinister uncle is responsible for his father's death. 75,000 first printing.
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