AP English Literature Summer Reading, 2025 PDF Free Download
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AP English Literature Summer Reading, 2025
(Rising Grade 12)
Dr. John Harkey / jharkey@brookstoneschool.org
Students enrolled in AP Lit must: read ALL THREE of the following books and WATCH / LISTEN TO the
TED Talk linked below. Students must also complete the assignments that accompany the books and the TED
talk (the assignments are listed and explained below, on the second and third pages):
REQUIRED BOOKS / MEDIA
1. Thoreau at Walden, John Porcellino
The common book that everyone reads will be our jumping off point as we begin in August.
Students should read and annotate the book and be prepared to discuss, share, and be assessed
the first week of school (see below for details). According to reviewers, “John Porcellino uses
only the words of Thoreau himself to tell the story of those two years off the beaten track. The
pared-down text focuses on Thoreau's most profound ideas, and Porcellino's fresh, simple
pictures bring the philosopher's sojourn at Walden to cinematic life. For readers who know
Walden intimately, this graphic treatment will provide a vivid new interpretation of Thoreau's
story.” Amazon link to the book.
2. 1984, George Orwell
Your main work of fiction for summer reading this year is 1984, George Orwell’s dynamic,
dystopian classic from 1949. This is one of the most famous novels of the past two centuries,
both because of its gripping plot and because of Orwell's wise understanding of human nature
and human culture.
About the Book: “A startling and haunting novel, 1984 creates an imaginary world that is
completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the novel’s hold on the
imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions—a power that seems to
grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.” Amazon link to the preferred class version of 1984.
3. Lady Susan, by Jane Austen
19th century English writer Jane Austen is most known for Pride & Prejudice and other novels,
but she also wrote one interesting novella, told in the form of letters. Because you will be
annotating this short book (86 pages), you need to purchase a physical, paperback copy.
About the text: “This high-spirited tale, told through an exchange of letters, is unique in Jane
Austen's small body of work. It is the story of Lady Susan, a brilliant, beautiful and morally
reprehensible coquette who delights in making men fall in love with her, deceiving their wives
into friendship and even tormenting her own daughter, cruelly bending her to her will. Austen
clearly delighted in her wicked heroine—tracing Lady Susan's maneuverings to remarry yet
continue on with her lover, and to marry off her young daughter, with great wit, zest and unfailing panache.”
Amazon link to the preferred class version of Lady Susan
4. “The Danger of a Single Story” (TED Talk), by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Watch this 18-minute TED Talk in one sitting and, while watching and after, complete the
assignment listed below. Adichie is an acclaimed Nigerian writer most known for her novels,
including the bestseller Homegoing. This talk, which has become a sort of “modern classic,”
considers the ways that hearing and/or believing only a single story about another person or
country or thing often leads to various mistaken views and misunderstandings.
ASSIGNMENTS
1) Thoreau at Walden, John Porcellino
For this common-read book, you will receive a grade for how well you annotate your book according to the
following assignment, which is twofold:
A. You will read and annotate the book’s Introduction and then later the Afterword and the Panel Discussion
sections in a conventional way. These sections must contain underlining, circled words, notes in the margins,
etc.
B. You will annotate the graphic novel itself with sticky notes that comment on the 5 dimensions listed below.
Compose 15 thoughtful sticky notes total—3 for each category—spread throughout the book. On each note,
write the category title and page number(s) at the top of your sticky note, and then write your 2-3 sentences of
commentary beneath the category title (which can be abbreviated, e.g., “Phil./Ethical” or “Lang./Rhetoric”).
NOTE: your sticky notes should be distributed throughout the text: approximately 3 to 5 in each of the
graphic novel’s 4 numbered sections.
1. Central Themes (3): Notice examples of Thoreau’s key values like simplicity, solitude, nature, independence,
time, consumerism. → Why do these ideas matter in today’s world of noise and entertainment?
2. Philosophical / Ethical Claims (3): Identify where Thoreau offers life lessons or challenges to societal
norms. → Respond to the implicit or explicit claim: Do you agree? Is it realistic? Why or why not?
3. Visual Choices (3): Analyze how the art supports or enhances the message. Consider contrast, repetition,
symbolic images, and panel layout, → What mood, tone, and/or idea do the visual techniques create in each case?
4. Powerful Language or Rhetoric (3): Highlight metaphors, cool phrases, or rhetorical questions. Paraphrase
or respond to them in your own words. → How does Thoreau use language to persuade or provoke thought?
5. Critical Questions or Personal Reactions (3): Ask questions where you're confused, challenged, or curious.
Connect passages to your own experiences or to current events. → What might Thoreau say about social media?
2) 1984, George Orwell
DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL, YOU WILL TURN IN YOUR ANNOTATED COPY OF
1984 FOR A GRADE. Your annotation grade for the book will take into account how diligently you follow the
directions below as well as the quantity and quality of your annotations in general. See below for lots of helpful
general info regarding how to annotate well. STUDENTS SHOULD ALSO BE PREPARED FOR AN
OPEN-BOOK TEST OVER THE NOVEL (meaning the more you legitimately read and mark the text, the
better you’ll do on the assessment).
For each of the book’s 3 sections, you must:
● Circle any words you don’t know.
● Underline any and all descriptive details pertaining to characters and setting (i.e., info about how the world of
this novel looks, feels, and works).
● Use squiggly underlining for any sentences or passages that present significant political ideas or realities in the
book.
● Double underline any instances of figurative language (similes, metaphors, hyperbole, etc.) and any images or
objects that seem symbolic.
● **Finally, for each of the book’s 27 chapters, you must put a star in the upper left or right corner of at least
one page that contains a passage you find important, interesting, or complex. Then, at the bottom of that
page, you must write out 1 or 2 sentences of commentary or a thoughtful question about the passage.
● Any and all additional annotations are welcome and great!
3) Lady Susan, Jane Austen
ANNOTATE THE WHOLE BOOK FOR A GRADE, IN YOUR OWN STYLE! You must read and annotate
all of Austen’s very short novel, but the way you do that is up to you: choose your own style(s), methods, color
scheme, etc. (though you may not ONLY use a highlighter; there has to be a pen or pencil involved). Of course
keep in mind that regardless of how you mark this book, as with all annotation assignments your grade will still
be based on the quantity and quality of your annotations. See below for annotation ideas and help. And obviously
be prepared to take a quiz over the novella, write about it, and discuss it in class.
4) The Danger of a Single Story
● While watching Adiche’s TED Talk, pause the video at least 6 different times to write down something
she says that you find to be intriguing and/or powerful.
● Handwrite these direct quotations onto a humble sheet of notebook paper. Make sure to use quotation
marks, and you also need to cite each quotation with the approximate time-stamp from the video: e.g.,
(12:16).
● After you have listened to the whole talk, look back over the 6 quotes you chose, pick the one that is
most compelling to you (putting a star beside it), and then write a few sentences at the bottom of the
page responding to that particular quote.
…………..
APPENDIX: ANNOTATION INFO & EXAMPLES (continues on the page below)
Rubric
Key Aspects & Elements of Fiction That You Should Notice, Mark, & Comment On
● NARRATION / POINT-OF-VIEW (P.O.V.)
○ 1st or 3rd person; relative access to characters’ thoughts?; linked to style, tone, possible irony
● CHARACTERS / CHARACTERIZATION
○ speech, actions, interactions, conflict/s (internal as well as external)
● SETTING
○ time, place, details, situation/s; i.e., the environment within which characters must live and move
● PLOT
○ beginning, middle, and end; characters’ decisions; conflict/s; shifts; the passage of time
● STRUCTURE
○ the author’s use of chapters or sections; how time “works” in the fiction; overall design / form
● STYLE
○ diction (word choice); sentence structure; figurative language; linked to tone and narration / p.o.v.
● IMAGERY
○ any sensory details, literal or figurative; may be recurring (a motif); may be symbolic
● KEY IDEAS & THEMES
○ in essence, “themes” are the most important of the many ideas found in a work of fiction; themes are
often linked to characters’ experiences with struggle or conflict and are often enhanced by imagery
Examples of Thorough Annotation (but don’t feel like all of your pages should look like this!)
