LibGuides: Summer Reading for NCCS Upper School Students 2025: Home

Upper School Summer Reading Requirements

UPPER SCHOOL SUMMER READING, 2025

This summer, your US English teachers ask each student to read

at least three books … and encourage you to read more!

1. Upper School Community Read: The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner. Ms. Messner will be visiting campus in the fall to talk about her work.

2. Grade Level Read: Every student in the Upper School will read a book from their respective grade. Please obtain a copy from SORA, your local library or bookstore.

Rising Grade 7: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Rising Grade 8: The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Rising Grade 9: The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday and selected essays from This I Believe, which are in the Rising Grade 9 Box below.

3. Free Choice Read: Please read at least one book of your choosing. We recommend using the Blue Tabs for new releases and book suggestions, particularly the "Top Picks from Your Teachers" and "Top 100 Picks for Young Adults". You can also take advantage of SORA and your Public Library, where books, audiobooks and e-books are available for free. Make a note of the titles you read so you can share them with peers and teachers in September.

All Upper School Read

UPPER SCHOOL COMMUNITY READ

We encourage students to read this book closer to the start of school.

The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner
ISBN: 9781547616398

Publication Date: 2025-04-29

One summer.
46 mountain peaks.
A second chance to make things right.

Finn Connelly is nothing like his dad, a star athlete and firefighter hero who always ran toward danger until he died two years ago. Finn is about to fail seventh grade and has never made headlines . . . until now.

Caught on camera vandalizing a cemetery, he's in big trouble for knocking down some dead old lady's headstone. Turns out that grave belongs to a legendary local mountain climber, and her daughter makes Finn an unusual offer: she'll drop all the charges if he agrees to climb all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks in a single summer. And there's just one more thing--he has to bring along the dead woman's dog. In a wild three months of misadventures, mountain mud, and unexpected mentors, Finn begins to find his way on the trails. At the top of each peak, he can see for miles and slowly begins to understand more about himself and his dad. But the mountains don't care about any of that, and as the clock ticks down to September, they have more surprises in store. Finn's final summit challenge may be more than even a hero can face. (Grades 4-8)

A note from your 7th Grade English Teachers

Dear Rising Seventh Grader,

From start to finish, this is an exhilarating read. Enjoy the thrill ride, and brace yourself for an action-packed journey. Even if you haven't read this book before, the structure of the story may feel VERY familiar to you... An ordinary person thrust into extraordinary circumstances and challenged by dangerous foes as they must become a hero to save the day...When you return to school in September, we will use this book to study The Hero's Journey, a story structure that so many of your favorite books and films follow! Why do so many stories follow this structure? Why do we love to tell stories about heroic journeys? We can't wait to discuss this with you!

Mr. Hogenkamp and Ms. Service

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
ISBN: 0439023521

Publication Date: 2010-07-01

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place. Grades 6-9.

A note from your 8th Grade English Teachers

Dear Rising Eighth Grader,

Our first novel of the school year will be Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a short but haunting story about friendship, loss, and the American Dream. Because we want you to understand Steinbeck’s simple yet poignant style, your 8th-grade English teachers chose one of his other novellas, The Pearl, as your summer read.

The story follows a husband and wife, Kino and Juana, and their baby, Coyotito; they live in the Mexican city of La Paz in Baja California. Kino finds a large pearl one day, and, as a result, their lives change completely. Major themes include family, greed, good versus evil, colonialism, paradox, and perseverance. It is a very simple and profound story that lingers long after its devastating conclusion. Here’s one of Ms. Service’s favorite quotes from the book that encapsulates its theme: “It is not good to want a thing too much. It sometimes drives the luck away. You must want it just enough, and you must be very tactful with Gods or the gods.” We hope you enjoy this novella!

Mrs. Carroll, Mr. Fredo and Ms. Service

The Pearl by John Steinbeck; Linda Wagner-Martin (Introduction by); Jose Clemente Orozco (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780140187380

Publication Date: 1994-10-01

The Pearl is a novella by the American author John Steinbeck. The story, first published in 1947, follows a pearl diver, Kino, and explores man's purpose as well as greed, defiance of societal norms, and evil. Steinbeck's inspiration was a Mexican folk tale from La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, which he had heard on a visit to the formerly pearl-rich region in 1940.

A note from your 9th Grade English Teacher

Dear Rising Ninth Grader,

This book will set us up for the storytelling you will be doing in ninth grade. It celebrates the oral tradition and reminds us that stories are valuable and effective ways to preserve history and culture. Please begin with the Preface, Prologue, and Introduction. Then flip through and read at your leisure, as you might a collection of poetry. Make note of any stories or images you enjoy, and we will talk when we return to school!

See you in the fall!

Mrs. Gault

The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday
ISBN: 9780826361219

Publication Date: 2019-08-30

Recalls the journey of Tai-me, the sacred Sun Dance doll, and of Tai-me's people in three unique voices: the legendary, the historical, and the contemporary. It is also the personal journey of N. Scott Momaday, who on a pilgrimage to the grave of his Kiowa grandmother traversed the same route taken by his forebears and in so doing confronted his Kiowa heritage. It is an evocation of three things in particular: a landscape that is incomparable, a time that is gone forever, and the human spirit, which endures. Celebrating fifty years since its 1969 release, this new edition offers a moving new preface and invites a new generation of readers to explore the Kiowa myths, legends, and history with Pulitzer Prize-winning author N. Scott Momaday.

This I Believe

To provide inspiration for your This I Believe essays, here are a few sample selections to read this summer. These come from the This I Believe website and touch on a range of different human experiences and the lessons taken from them.

The Power of Hello
Howard White, Vice President of Jordan Brand, Nike
A Drive to Achieve the Extraordinary
Juliet Frerking, Fulbright Scholar
The Grilled Cheese Principle
Emily Schmitt Lavin, Biology Professor
This I Believe Essay Collection
Use this feature to search through the tens of thousands of essays that have been submitted to This I Believe. In addition, you can search through the essays from Edward R. Murrow’s original 1950s radio series. For privacy purposes, when an essay is viewed, the essayist will only be identified by first name, city, and state. The only exceptions to this rule are essayists who have granted permission for use of their last name or essayists from the original 1950s series.