SUMMER READING 2023

May 2023

Aloha e Nā Haumāna,

Our school year is quickly coming to an end and, for many of you, summer can’t come fast enough! It is time to find and read a book or two or three. Your English teachers want your Summer Reading experience to:

      • Celebrate reading
      • Create a culture of reading
      • Offer you choice

Look for book(s) that pique your interest or feeds your passion, which means, if you don’t like a book, choose another. At least ONE book needs to be read by the end of summer. Here are a few thoughts and links to help you choose and to meet your grade level expectations:

      • Freshman, you may to choose any book from this list for your Summer Reading: English 9: Summer Reading list. If you would like to gain approval for a book outside of the list, please submit your selection for English 9 Kumu approval [see instructions and link to application at the bottom of the English 9: SR list].
      • Sophomores and Juniors, you may either choose a book from English 9: Summer Reading list or ANY book of interest, excluding:
        • Those books that engage in inappropriate topics;
          • Please don’t embarrass your kumu and our school
          • NO Fifty Shades Freed

Our HONORS English program requires specific books from a shorter list, since the Summer Reading is incorporated into the school year course. Please access the highlighted link for your Honors class assignment:

And for those of you, who are still struggling to find a book, pick one of the top five favorite books of your kumusee our lists under our faculty pictures.

Try getting your reading out of the way early! For readers grades 9-11, here are five possible ways to complete your requirement before moving on to your next book:

      1. Write a letter back to the author expressing your opinions (“Rocked it” and/or “Hated it”) about the book they wrote.
      2. Write a short story explaining where you think the main character would be in 10 years.
      3. Choose two people or characters from two different novels (read during the summer) that you think would be great friends and explain why.
      4. If you choose to read a book that is also a movie, compare and contrast say for instance, the New York bestseller novel, The Sun is Also A Star written by Nicola Yoon TO the movie version that is now streaming on Netflix.
      5. If you would prefer to wait until school starts, your kumu will provide an opportunity for you to share all about your chosen book.

Finally, as English kumu, we understand that accessing hard-copies of books in our current pandemic can be a challenge, so we encourage you to use apps available through Midkiff Learning Center [sign-in using username + pswd in SSO] and the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System

Have a fantastic summer!!!

Kumu Kaiwi

English Department Head
Kamehameha Schools—Kapalama
210 Konia Circle
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96817
(808) 842-8578

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