AP English Reading Lists

Why do independent reading?
One of the 3 essays you will write on the AP English Literature and Composition Exam prompts you to
discuss a novel or play you have read in light of a particular thematic focus. Not all novels fit every
prompt; thus, it is vitally important to read several literary novels to provide you with a wide range of
choices. This assignment was designed to help you begin adding depth to your major literary works
repertoire in preparation for that exam and, of course, for your refined literary enjoyment. Moreover, this
assignment will allow you to read a merited work of fiction of your own choosing that you will likely be
able to write about on the AP exam. And if you need yet another reason, research shows that reading
fiction increases empathy and makes us better humans!
Instructions
You will select a book from the given list and read it. As you read your book, you will complete a reading
journal (see Part B: Reading Journal below). You may have already read one or more of these. If so, I
advise you to read something new. Yes, it is possible to simply look up summaries of these books or copy
answers from the internet, but doing so will preclude any benefits you may have had. Conversely, taking
the time to actually read one or more of these books and write thoughtful answers will be of great benefit
to you, and it will help put you in the best possible position for not only the school year, but the AP exam
itself. The reading journal will be collected during the first week of school. You will also be asked to
write about your book during the first 1-2 weeks of school.

Books to choose from
This list contains merited works of literature from a variety of authors and backgrounds. All of these
books have either appeared on, been recommended for, or contain themes, characters, plots, settings, and
symbols that can be applied to a number of AP Literature essay prompts, making them all good choices to
read in preparation for AP Literature. Choose and read one or more:

Beloved or The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison
A Farewell to Arms or The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway
A Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
1984 - George Orwell
Bless Me, Ultima - Rudolfo Anaya
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
All The Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy
East of Eden - John Steinbeck
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Part B: Reading Journal
● As you read, and at dif erent points in the novel, respond to TWELVE (12) of the twenty
prompts below; record the page number(s) you are using for each response
● Answer the prompt in a thoughtful paragraph or two
● You should only answer a prompt once and not repeat any
● Answers must be handwritten
● Ensure that the writing is your own; there are no wrong answers

Reading Journal Questions (choose 12 to respond to)

1. Comment on your reaction to the story itself. How do you respond to the action? If you are not
enjoying it, why not? If you are, why?
2. Comment on a character. What traits does he/she have that are getting in the way or contributing to
his/her success? Does this character remind you of someone you know? Yourself, perhaps? Talk
about more than physical appearance.
3. Write about how you fit into the story. Can you relate to any of the struggles? Do you see yourself
in the story or in the reactions or behaviors of characters in the story?
4. Describe a connection between this and another novel or film.
5. Select a quote that either seems important, or just strikes you as interesting. Comment on your
selection.
6. Describe a character’s tone (attitude of the speaker toward a subject or another character) in a
section of the novel. What words or language reveals the tone?
7. Describe the mood or atmosphere of a particular section of the novel. What words or descriptions
really make the mood vivid?
8. Comment on the role of identity in the novel.
9. Talk to a character. Ask the character a question, scold them, advise them, yell at them, beg them to
change...whatever. Pretend like the character is someone who will listen to you.
10. Evaluate the quality of parenting in the novel.
11. Comment on how a character handles conflict. Do you agree or disagree?
12. Choose a symbol for a character and explain why you chose it.
13. Defend or prosecute a character’s behavior.
14. Thus far, what values does this novel seem to support and how do you know?
15. If you could solve a problem for a character what problem would that be and how would you do it?
16. Describe something about the style of the writer which you find adds quality to the novel (figurative
language, choice of words, descriptive details, characterizations). What makes this element of style
effective?
17. Who is a villain in the story? Is the character solely evil or only partially so? What purpose does
this character serve?
18. Who in your novel do you find interesting or admirable? Name the character and explain why.
19. Setting often reveals a lot about a character. Find an example of a description of setting that also
mirrors or reveals something about the character. Explain the connection.
20. The way one character reacts to another sometimes tells us something we did not know or expect
about a character. Find and explain an example of this

Instructions: This summer, you will pick at least one of the works from this list and complete your reading.  You will be on an honor code to choose a book and then actually read it.  Of course, you could read a summary and complete this chart rather easily.  However, this will take away all the benefits.  Conversely, it would increase your benefits if you chose to read more than one of these books and fill out a chart for each text you read.  I will collect this paper from you at the beginning of school in August.  This assignment is worth 100 points.  All these works are from American writers since English 3 is American Lit. But these texts often appear on the AP Literature exam in 12^th grade.

Here is the graphic organizer to record your data: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u1ePw2X1lwLpf874SYU2DJmtjZlQc83V/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102269040337536481418&rtpof=true&sd=true