The Importance of Reading

The ability to read widely, intelligently, and swiftly is an enormous asset of a high school and college student. His chance of acceptance at a university and his success there are considerably enhanced if he does more than the minimum amount of reading. His vocabulary, spelling, comprehension, general knowledge, and overall sensitivity are likely to improve; in short, he will probably become a more mature and more interesting human being.

Instructions To Students
Read three books from the following reading lists. To broaden the subject areas of a student's reading, each book should be from a different category. Please note that all titles in bold print are also available as a movie. If you choose one of these works, your assignment will be to compare the film and print versions. Upon returning to school, students will produce an oral report and written report according to the guidelines provided by their teachers.

List A - Science Fiction

Orson Scott Card Ender's Game.
Arthur C. Clarke The Hammer of God.
Michael Crichton A Case of Need; Sphere.
Peter Dickinson Eva.
Robert A. Heinlein Have Spacesuit Will Travel.
H. G. Wells The Time Machine.
John Wyndham Chocky.

List B - Fantasy

Ray Bradbury The Illustrated Man; Dandelion Wine
John Gardner Grendel
Mary Hoffman Stravaganza (time travel)
Stephen King It
Anne McCaffrey Black Horses for the King
or any one of the Pern series;
Dan Millman Way Of The Peaceful Warrior
Terry Pratchett Mort
Philip Pullman The Golden Compass

List C - Biography/Autobiography

Lance Armstrong It’s Not About the Bike
Roald Dahl Boy; Going Solo
Anne Frank The Diary of A Young Girl
Michael Jordan Rare Air!
Tim Rosafort Tiger Woods

List D - Mystery and Suspense

Avi Wolf Ride
Agatha Christie Murder On The Orient Express.
Patricia Cornwell Cruel and Unusual.
Arthur Conan Doyle Hound Of The Baskervilles; Valley of Fear; The Lost World.
Frederick Forsyth The Day Of The Jackal.
Rudyard Kipling Kim.
Gerald Seymour Archangel.

List E - Social Issues

Elizabeth Alder The King’s Shadow
William Bell Forbidden City
Chris Crutcher Ironman
Alan Gibbons Edge
John H. Griffin Black Like Me
James Heneghan Wish Me Luck
Christa Laird Beyond the Wall
Richard Peck Something For Joey

List F - Humour

Douglas Adams A Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy; The Long, Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul; So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish.
Gerald Durrell Rosie Is My Relative
James Herriot All Creatures Great And Small; (or any other of his Vet books)
Gordon Korman A Semester In The Life Of A Garbage Bag (or any other Korman).
Stephen Leacock Literary Lapses.
Sue Townsend The Growing Pains Of Adrian Mole; Adrian Mole, Age 13½.
P. G. Wodehouse Carry On Jeeves

List G - Young Adult Fiction

David Almond Kit’s Wilderness
Forrest Carter Education of Little Tree
Robert Cormier I am the Cheese; The Chocolate War; Fade
Brian Doyle Up To Low
Alan Gibbons Shadow of the Minotaur (mythology and
computers)
Roderick Haig-Brown Saltwater Summer
James Heneghan Grave
Monica Hughes Invitation to the Game; Hunter In The Dark
Welwyn Katz The Third Magic
John Lekich Losers’ Club
Iain Lawrence Lord of the Nutcracker Men
Kevin Major Hold Fast; Far From Shore
Ben Michaelson Touching Spirit Bear
Kit Pearson Awake and Dreaming (or any other
Pearson novel)
Hans Peter Richter Friedrich;. I Was There
Louis Sachar Holes

List H - Miscellaneous

Gostein Gardner Sophie's World