Pre-AP/IB English 10 Summer Reading Novel Synopses

Mrs. Robinson & Mr. Sinnott

The following synopses come directly from descriptions at www.barnesandnoble.com. Feel free to investigate the plots of the novels listed before making your selection. Make sure you choose a novel that will intrigue you!  

Classic Novels/Plays:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice—Austen ' s own ' darling child ' —tells the story of fiercely independent Elizabeth Bennet, one of five sisters who must marry rich, as she confounds the arrogant, wealthy Mr. Darcy. What ensues is one of the most delightful and engrossingly readable courtships known to literature, written by a precocious Austen when she was just twenty-one years old. 

 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

A monster assembled by a scientist from parts of dead bodies develops a mind of his own as he learns to loathe himself and hate his creator.  

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

A brilliant profile of the Lost Generation, Hemingway ' s first bestseller captures life among the expatriates on Paris ' s Left Bank during the 1920s, the brutality of bullfighting in Spain , and the moral and spiritual dissolution of a generation.  

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway ' s classic novel of the Spanish Civil War  

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

The best American novel to emerge from World War I, A Farewell to Arms is the unforgettable story of an American ambulance driver on the Italian front and his passion for a beautiful English nurse.

 East of Eden by John Steinbeck

This sprawling and often brutal novel, set in the rich farmlands of California ' s Salinas Valley , follows the intertwined destinies of two families--the Trasks and the Hamiltons--whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.

 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Chronicling American dreams destroyed by either injustice or the simple difficulty of the world, John Steinbeck left lasting testaments to the struggles of working people in The Grapes of Wrath.

 Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

A comedy from Shakespeare complete with romance, trickery, faeries, and lots of mischief. This is a fun read if you love Shakespeare!   

Psychoanalytical Novels:

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

This is the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the struggle through the eyes of Chief Bromden, the seemingly mute half-Indian patient who witnesses and understands McMurphy ' s heroic attempt to do battle with the powers that keep them all imprisoned.  

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Arguably the best novel to come out of World War II, in which Heller strips away the veneer of martial glory to expose its insanity, and gives our language a new paradoxical phrase to describe mankind at the mercy of its own institutions.  

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Step by careful step, Sylvia Plath takes us with Esther through a painful month in New York as a contest-winning junior editor on a magazine, her increasingly strained relationships with her mother and the boy she dated in college, and eventually, devastatingly, into the madness itself. The reader is drawn into her breakdown with such intensity that her insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies.

 War Novels:

Winds of War by Herman Wouk

This novel follows the various members of the Henry family as they become involved in the events preceeding America ' s involvement in World War II and captures all the drama, romance, heroism, and tragedy of the Second World War.  

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Considered one of the greatest war stories ever written -- and one of the classics of antiwar literature -- Remarque ' s 1929 masterpiece tells the story of young Paul Baumer, who enlists in the German Army in World War I and takes place with his comrades in the trenches.

 Fantasy/Science Fiction:

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Unstuck in time, Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut ' s shattered survivor of the Dresden bombing, relives his life over and over again under the gaze of aliens; he comes at last to some understanding of the human comedy.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini (now also a motion picture)

In Aagaesia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters.

 The Once and Future King by T. H. White (Arthurian legend)

The whole world knows and loves this book. It is the magical epic of King Arthur and his shining Camelot; of Merlin and Owl and Guinevere; of beasts who talk and men who fly, of wizardry and war. It is the book of all things lost and wonderful and sad. It is the fantasy masterpiece by which all others are judged.  

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

The Earth is under attack and the survival of the human species depends on a military genius who can defeat the alien “buggers.” Recruited for military training, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin ' s childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School .

 Dune by Frank Herbert

Dune is remarkable in its scope, powerful in its prose, riveting in its action and intrigue, and fascinating in its philosophy. Dune can be read as a contemplative tale of the fulfillment of mankind ' s ultimate destiny, or as an action-packed science fiction novel perfect for fans of Asimov, Clarke, or even Star Wars.

 Foundation by Isaac Asimov

For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Sheldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for a fututre generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.

 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Huxley´s vision of the future in his astonishing 1931 novel Brave New World -- a world of tomorrow in which capitalist civilization has been reconstituted through the most efficient scientific and psychological engineering.

 Earth Abides by George R. Stewart

A disease of unparalleled destructive force has sprung up almost simultaneously in every corner of the globe, all but destroying the human race. One survivor, strangely immune to the effects of the epidemic, ventures forward to experience a world without man. What he ultimately discovers will prove far more astonishing than anything he ' d either dreaded or hoped for.  

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

 The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

The action follows 11-year-old protagonist Lyra Belacqua, accompanied by her daemon, from her home at Oxford University to the frozen wastes of the North, on a quest to save kidnapped children from the evil ' Gobblers, ' who are using them as part of a sinister experiment. Lyra also must rescue her father from the Panserbjorne, a race of talking, armored, mercenary polar bears holding him captive. Joining Lyra are a vagabond troop of gyptians (gypsies), witches, an outcast bear, and a Texan in a hot air balloon.

 Historical Fiction:

Troy by Adele Geras

Told from the point of view of the women of Troy , portrays the last weeks of the Trojan War, when women are sick of tending the wounded, men are tired of fighting, and bored gods and goddesses find ways to stir things up.

Southern Novels:

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

A monumental classic considered by many to be not only the greatest love story ever written, but also the greatest Civil War saga.

 Hispanic Novels:

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Esperanza Cordero, a girl coming of age in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago , uses poems and stories to express thoughts and emotions about her oppressive environment.

 African American Novels:

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Superbly told, with the poet ' s gift for language and observation, Angelou ' s autobiography of her childhood in Arkansas is a fabulous read!

 A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest J. Gaines

A young man who returns to 1940s Cajun country to teach visits a black youth on death row for a crime he didn't commit. Together they come to understand the heroism of resisting.

 Native American Novels:

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown

Battles, massacres, and broken treaties from 1860-1890 are documented in this record of the Indian struggle against the white man ' s greed.  

Asian Novels:

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

This is a riveting memoir of a girl ' s painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s.

 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

In nineteenth-century China , in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park

With national pride and occasional fear, a brother and sister face the increasingly oppressive occupation of Korea by Japan during World War II, which threatens to suppress Korean culture entirely.  

Eastern Novels:

The Life of Pi: A Novel by Yann Martel

Yann Martel ' s imaginative and unforgettable Life of Pi is a magical reading experience, an endless blue expanse of storytelling about adventure, survival, and ultimately, faith (www.amazon.com).

The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseini

Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable and beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul . The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship and betrayal, and about the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of fathers over sons -- their love, their sacrifices, and their lies. Written against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before, The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed.

 The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer

In the aftermath of the Iranian revolution, rare-gem dealer Isaac Amin is arrested, wrongly accused of being a spy. Terrified by his disappear-ance, his family must reconcile a new world of cruelty and chaos with the collapse of everything they have known. A page-turning literary debut, The Septembers of Shiraz simmers with questions of identity, alienation, and love, not simply for a spouse or a child, but for all the intangible sights and smells of the place we call home.  

Asian American Novels:

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

In 1949, four Chinese women begin meeting in San Francisco for fun. Nearly 40 years later, their daughters continue to meet as the Joy Luck Club. Their stories ultimately display the double happiness that can be found in being both Chinese and American.

 Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson (an upcoming motion picture with Universal Pictures)

In 1954 a fisherman from San Piedro Island in Puget Sound is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese-American is charged with his murder. The trial is haunted by memories of what happened to the Japanese residents during World War II when the entire community was sent into exile.

 Dominican Novels:

How the García Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

It ' s a long way from Santo Domingo to the Bronx , but if anyone can go the distance, it ' s the Garcia girls. Four lively latinas plunged from a pampered life of privilege on an island compound into the big-city chaos of New York , they rebel against Mami and Papi ' s old-world discipline and embrace all that America has to offer.

 Jewish Novels:

The Chosen by Chaim Potok (Mrs. Robinson read this one in high school and loved it)!

This is the odyssey from boyhood to manhood for two Jewish boys amidst the conflict between generations and religious traditions.

 Mystery Novels:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. This was before milk carton photos and public service announcements, she tells us; back in 1973, when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed these things didn ' t happen. This story of seemingly unbearable tragedy is transformed into a suspenseful and touching story about family, memory, love, heaven, and living.

 Contemporary Fiction:

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (the first in the three-part series)

When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret. Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight will have readers riveted right until the very last page is turned.

 New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (the second in the three-part series)

In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. The "star-crossed" lovers theme continues as Bella and Edward find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrifying threat of revenge from a female vampire and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy ' s reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

 Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer (the third in the three-part series)

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob–knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh, unyielding father, Lily Owens has shaped her entire life around one devastating, blurred memory - the afternoon her mother was killed, when Lily was four. Since then, her only real companion has been the fierce-hearted, and sometimes just fierce, black woman Rosaleen, who acts as her "stand-in mother."

 My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My Sister ' s Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child ' s life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister ' s Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.

  Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Sorely wounded and fatally disillusioned in the fighting at Petersburg , a Confederate soldier named Inman decides to walk back to his home in the Blue Ridge mountains to Ada , the woman he loves. His trek across the disintegrating South brings him into intimate and sometimes lethal converse with slaves and marauders, bounty hunters and witches, both helpful and malign. At the same time, the intrepid Ada is trying to revive her father’s derelict farm and learning to survive in a world where the old certainties have been swept away. As it interweaves their stories, Cold Mountain asserts itself as an authentic odyssey, hugely powerful, majestically lovely, and keenly moving.

 Non-Fiction Novels:

The Devil in the White City : Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America ’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington , D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City , while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.

 The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

The Right Stuff is Tom Wolfe ' s deft account of a cast of heroes, introduced to America with the explosion of space exploration in the romantic heyday of the 20th century and encapsulated in Neal Armstong ' s "one giant step for mankind." Beginning with the first experiments with manned space flight in the 1940s, remembering the feats of Chuck Yeager and the breaking of the sound barrier, and focusing in on the brave pilots of the Mercury Project, Wolfe ' s ability to marry historical fact with dramatic intensity is nowhere more evident than in The Right Stuff.