Summer Reading for AP English IV

This information is ONLY for the AP sections. If you are enrolled in any other English class to earn your
English IV credit, nothing here is applicable to you.

Summer reading is big, big deal for AP English IV.

No matter what your experience has been with summer reading in the past, I can assure you that you will be
doing enough with these books to make it worth your while to do the reading. The reason for this is simple: you
could actually be writing about these books on the AP exam in May, since the books that you prepare over the
course of your senior year will be the topic of one of the essays on the test itself. If you don’t do this reading,
you severely handicap your ability to pass the exam and earn college credit.

If you do not read, you will wish that you had.

Most who do not finish the summer reading fail the course. This tanks your GPA just before the final class
ranking, and it leads to a lot unnecessary stress and grief. In short, signing up for a literature course if you’re
not willing to read literature just wastes everyone’s time.

More than this, if you blow off summer reading, you’re unlikely to be the sort of student who keeps up with the
rest of the reading over the course of the school year. AP English IV is a literature course, and the test requires
that you prepare multiple books in order to be able to write about any potential essay prompt. The summer
reading books are only the first two of several novels and plays read over the course of the year, and just
having a general idea about what happens in them isn’t close to being good enough. Thus, if you’re not willing
to do the reading -- either over the summer or during the year -- my advice is to see the counselor before the
end of school about changing your schedule to one that is more accommodating to your planned lack of effort.

Here’s what to read.

Students are required to read TWO novels: one required reading AND one from a choice of three options.
Students are encouraged to annotate and otherwise make notes as they read, but there is no written
requirement to go along with the reading.

Required Reading for Everyone:

● Memoirs of a Polar Bear​ by Yoko Tawada

Students Must Also Read ONE of the Following Additional Works:

● Sputnik Sweetheart​ by Haruki Murakami (adult situations and themes)
● The Cat’s Table​ by Michael Ondaatje
● Enemies, A Love Story​ by Isaac Bashevis Singer

Here’s where to find resources. These resources are both specific and helpful.

Go to this web-site:

https://www.davidson-eng.net/ap-summer-reading.html
You can learn more about summer reading, find more information about the novel choices, and download
supplemental resources to help you in your reading (explanatory notes for the novels that will improve your
understanding of the cultural, historical, and thematic contexts).