One of my all-time favorite books. This short (!!) novel is about a boarding school student from New York who runs away from school and spends one night out in the city. The whole plot covers less than a day but reveals the complexity and inner struggle of the narrator. I bet most students could find some common sentiments. —Mr. Viser
There’s a reason about one-third of YA novels get labelled something like “a modern-day Catcher in the Rye.” This is definitely a book everybody should read at some point, and while it does feel a bit dated (written in the 1950s) there’s so much about it that still feels fresh and vital. (Can you also not stand the phonies surrounding you?) This is a book that many, many people felt was inappropriate for kids to read when it first came out, and now it’s inarguably a classic, not only of Young Adult lit but of American literature as well. —Mr. Kempe
My favorite book ever: I read it for the first time the summer before 9th grade, then in college, then twice more. Read it now, read it in five years, then read it in ten years. And in another ten years. Each time, it will speak to you — and your life experiences will bring out different themes that you had not noticed in it the same way before. —Ms. Kiland
CCS SUMMER READING 