Academics

Summer Reading

The CBA Summer Reading Program allows students to explore compelling and topical works associated with the various subject disciplines they will encounter during the school year.

All students will be tested on their Summer Reading books in the opening weeks of the new school year. This test grade will equal 10% of the first academic quarter grade in each of these classes. It is recommended that your son begins reading by July 1 so he can thoroughly read and prepare for his tests and classroom discussions.

There will not be a test for the Freshmen Religious Studies/ Academy Oath book, which is Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx.

Summer Reading tests include multiple-choice and short answer questions.

ISBN numbers have been provided below to help you locate the correct title. You may purchase whatever format (paperback, hardcover, e-reader, audiobook, etc.) that you prefer to use.

HOW TO PREPARE

We are confident each student can do well on his tests if he prepares accordingly:

  1. Review the book list carefully and only read those books that pertain to courses you will take.
  2. Get your books early!
  3. Ask your son regularly about his reading progress.
  4. Encourage your son to take notes for later reference. This is especially important for the first books he reads.
  5. Remember that all fiction and most non-fiction can be reduced to these elements:
    1. PLOT (what is happening?)
    2. CHARACTER (who is making it happen?)
    3. SETTING (where and when is it happening?)
    4. THEME (what is the point of it all?)

Note: Students who change courses over the summer are still responsible for the summer reading for that new course.

SUMMER READING BOOK LISTS

For Freshmen

All freshmen read this book; there will not be a test on it:

THEOLOGY I (ACADEMY OATH): Season of Life, Jeffrey Marx ISBN: 978-0743269742

All freshmen read one of these books, depending on their English placement:

ENGLISH I STANDARD: A Separate Peace, John Knowles, ISBN: 978-0743253970

ENGLISH I HONORS: The Secret Adversary, Agatha Christie ISBN: 978-1495950810

All freshmen read one of these books, depending on their History placement:

WORLD HISTORY STANDARD: A History of the World in 6 Glasses, Tom Standage, ISBN:  978-0802715524

WORLD HISTORY HONORS: A History of the World in 6 Glasses, Tom Standage, ISBN:  978-0802715524

AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser, ISBN:   978-0547750330

All freshmen read one of these books, depending on their Science placement:

BIOLOGY STANDARD: The Serengeti Rules, Sean B. Carroll, ISBN: 978-0691175683

BIOLOGY HONORS: Prey, Michael Crichton, ISBN: 978-0061703089

For Sophomores

ENGLISH II STANDARD: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,  Laura Hillenbrand, ISBN: 978-0812974492

ENGLISH II HONORS: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,  Laura Hillenbrand, ISBN: 978-0812974492

US HISTORY I STANDARD: Founding Brothers, Joseph J. Ellis, ISBN: 978-0375705243

US HISTORY I HONORS: 1776, David McCulloch, ISBN: 978-0743226721

AP WORLD HISTORY: The Vietnam Wars: 1945-1990, Marilyn B. Young, ISBN: 978-0060921071

CHEMISTRY STANDARD: This Borrowed Earth, Robert Emmet Hernan, et al, ISBN: 978-0230619838

CHEMISTRY HONORS: Rare: The High-Stakes Race to Satisfy Our Need for the Scarcest Metals on Earth, Keith Veronese, ISBN: 978-1616149727

AP CHEMISTRY: The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements, Sam Kean, ISBN: 978-0316051637

THEOLOGY II STANDARD: This Is Our Exile, James Martin , ISBN: 978-1570759239

THEOLOGY II HONORS: The Day Christ Died, Jim Bishop, ISBN:  978-0060608163

For Juniors

ENGLISH III STANDARD: The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro, ISBN: 978-0307271037

ENGLISH III HONORS: The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro, ISBN: 978-0307271037

US HISTORY II STANDARD: The Devil in the White City, Erik Larsen, ISBN: 978-0553813531

US HISTORY II HONORS: The Devil in the White City, Erik Larsen, ISBN: 978-0553813531

AP AMERICAN HISTORY: A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn, ISBN: 978-0062397348

FRENCH (all levels): The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Expury (only Juniors read this book), ISBN: 978-0156012195

LATIN (all levels): Rubicon, Steven Saylor, (only Juniors read this book) ISBN: 978-0312582425

SPANISH (all levels): Reaching Out, Francisco Jimenez (English edition, only Juniors read this book) ISBN: 978-0-547-25030-4

THEOLOGY III STANDARD: On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis, ISBN: 978-0809149803

THEOLOGY III HONORS: Walking the Bible: A Journey By Land Through the Five Books of Moses, Bruce Feiler, ISBN: 978-0062336507

For Seniors

ENGLISH IV STANDARD: Born a Crime, Trevor Noah, ISBN: 978-0399588174

AP ENGLISH LIT: White Noise, Don Delillo, ISBN: 978-0143105985

THEOLOGY IV STANDARD/ DIMENSIONS OF CATHOLIC LIFE (ACADEMY OATH): Just Mercy, Bryan Stephenson, ISBN: 978-0812984965

THEOLOGY IV HONORS/ THEOLOGICAL INQUIRY (ACADEMY OATH): Just Mercy, Bryan Stephenson, ISBN: 978-0812984965

GURU: Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl, ISBN: 978-0807014295

CHRISTIAN SERVICE: Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, Sebastian Junger, ISBN: 978-1455566389

AP EUROPEAN HISTORY: The Communist Manifesto,  Karl Marx and Friederich Engels (any edition) and The Prince, Nicolo Machiavelli (any edition)

AP ART HISTORY: Instant Art History; From Cave Art to Pop Art, Walter Robinson, ISBN: 978-0449906989

AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser, ISBN:   978-0547750330

AP CHEMISTRY: The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements, Sam Kean, ISBN: 978-0316051637

AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: The World Without Us, Alan Weisman, ISBN: 978-0312427900