Girl reading in the park

It is summer reading time! That's when we get to catch up on what’s new and exciting in publishing. Our Summer Reading List is recreational. Its purpose is to connect our learners with resources they may enjoy.

We try to keep the list relatively short – under one hundred books, so as not to overwhelm. We are mindful of genre and diverse interests. We focus on contemporary publications - the last two years or so, but we also include a few classics. We aim for a balance between young adult and adult literature.

Keeping in mind that our library users include young teens and adults, our list is thematically comprehensive. Seventy-nine percent of our graduating seniors have taken at least one college-level course at NCHS. As a result, our collection is designed to meet the needs of college students as well as high schoolers. Not every summer reading book is appropriate for every library user. Selection is part of the reading process and we encourage young readers to be reflective about their choices - to contextualize them with their personal and family values. Readers are encouraged to consult reviews and publisher notes to make predictions about whether a book will suit their interests and to switch to a different book when one falls short of their expectations. There are so many books to enjoy. Summer is not the time to slog through a book that holds little appeal. All members of our learning community are invited to read from the 2023 summer reading list. This year, we are collecting one-minute video reviews on Flipgrid (click on the Google login option, and sign in with your @ncps-k12.org Google account).

As in previous years, New Canaan (town) Library runs dynamic Summer Reading Program. We send copies of our summer reading books to the town library so that students may borrow them during the summer months. We carry as many titles as are available in both eBook and audiobook formats. Students can access ebooks and audiobooks through MackinVia (tutorial). They can text the library at (615) 669 6670 if they need help. 

We aggregate our summer reading list in GoodReads, which is a social book recommendation site (see grid below). The entire NCHS learning community is invited to connect, share what they are reading, rate books, and write reviews. Again, the list is here. Tabs (at the bottom) allow viewers to switch between Sheets organized by title, author, genre, awards, young adult, adult, etc.