I am very excited to be a part of your next chapter (#englishteacherjoke) at STEM School. One of my goals as an English teacher is to help students develop a love of reading and literature. With this in mind, I want to keep summer reading simple: 

Choose two books, fiction or literary nonfiction (basically, something that tells a story about a real person, place, thing, or event – as opposed to a technical manual), to read over the summer. We’ll share a bit about our summer reading in the fall. That’s it. No test, no questions to answer, no paper to write. Just get lost in your books.

I know this year has been challenging, and I know it is difficult to imagine what challenges we have yet to face. One positive, though, is the amount of free resources available to students, parents, and teachers. Among those is books. Now, I know the rabid readers out there likely have a list of books at the ready, and for them, this will be a breeze. And I know my reluctant readers may look at this with trepidation and have no idea where to start. Don’t worry! I have ideas and recommendations to get you started. My first recommendation is the Chattanooga Public Library’s 2021 Summer Reading List. It has a little something for just about any interest. If nothing gets you excited, there are many other lists out there. If you need some help, let me know.

Here are some places to get great books:

• The Chattanooga Public Library – All Hamilton County Schools students are eligible for a free library card, but if you don’t have one already. Get in touch, and we’ll help you get access. The library has a great selection of books and media that can be accessed online. 
• Amazon’s Best Seller lists include the Top 100 free kindle books: Top 100 free Teen & Young Adult eBooks. You can also change categories for additional titles.
• Audible has also released quite a few free audiobooks to everyone. Just visit stories.audible.com to listen for free. You can also access these stories from the Audible app for phones (which makes them easier to listen to on the go). 
• Amazon Prime members have access to an extensive library of books included with their Prime membership. All you need is the kindle app. 
• Project Gutenberg includes thousands of free ebooks, mostly classics, that are in the public domain. 
• Riveted by Simon Teen offers several free young adult titles each month, including new and recent releases. 
• SYNC is a free summer audiobook program for teens 13+.

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As a parent, I know it’s sometimes difficult to know what’s appropriate for my kids. One of the resources I use to make informed decisions is Common Sense Media. But I also encourage you to read along with your students. You might be surprised at the rich discussions that a good book can lead to. If you have no idea where to begin, or if you would like some personalized recommendations, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Mr. Kubisak ([email protected]).