Summer Reading

Chesterton Academy students are required to read an assigned book(s) over the summer to prepare for the upcoming school year. Study guides are below. Please bring the book and completed study guide to class on the first day of school. There will be a quiz on the summer reading assignment within the first week of the school year in literature class. 

All Students

Imitation of Christ Thomas À Kempis

Copies provided by the school, but yours to keep. You do not need to complete the entire book this summer, but you need to read a reflection 4-5 times per week and write a short journal entry after each reading (so 4-5 journal entries per week.) Your mode of operation is read-reflect-write. This would be ideal to take about 10 minutes in the morning for private prayer.

The Imitation of Christ.jpeg

9th Grade

The Chronicles of Narnia C.s. Lewis

If you are able to read all seven, that’s great; but please focus on these four: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; Voyage of the Dawn Treader; Magician’s Nephew.  We will be discussing the text during the first week of class in literature. For the Narnia books, please keep the notebook as follows: 

  1. Characters. Please record new characters that showed up in the chapter with a short ID (for example, Mr. Tumnus--faun with an umbrella, invites Lucy over for tea). 

  2. Main Events. Also record the main events of the chapter (bullet points are fine).

  3. Vocabulary: Record any unknown words or interesting words (look up any words you don’t know).

  4. Great Quotes: Record a line or two that struck you. This could be because you think the line is stylistically good or because you think it shows wisdom or insight into reality. Either is fine.

  5. Titles. You can read a chapter a day and do a notebook entry a day. Or you can read several chapters at a go and then do one large entry to cover all the new characters and new events, etc. Either way is fine. However, clearly title each entry with the chapters it covers. Put the titles at the top of the notebook page.

  6. Email Miss Redner (redner.chesterton@gmail.com) with any questions.

10th Grade

The great divorce
c.s. Lewis

We will be discussing the text during the first week of class in literature. Please keep the notebook as follows: 

  1. Characters. Please record new characters that showed up in the chapter with a short ID (for example, “Achilles: chief hero of the Greek army; fights with Ag over prizes/honor”). 

  2. Main Events. Also record the main events of the chapter (bullet points are fine).

  3. Vocabulary: Record any unknown words or interesting words (look up any words you don’t know).

  4. Great Quotes: Record a line or two that struck you. This could be because you think the line is stylistically good or because you think it shows wisdom or insight into reality. Either is fine.

  5. Titles. You can read a chapter a day and do a notebook entry a day. Or you can read several chapters at a go and then do one large entry to cover all the new characters and new events, etc. Either way is fine. However, clearly title each entry with the chapters it covers. Put the titles at the top of the notebook page.

  6. Email Miss Redner (redner.chesterton@gmail.com) with any questions.

11th & 12th Grade

Til we have faces
C.S. Lewis

This is a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. You need to obtain and read the book in its entirety by the start of school. You will be discussing the text during the first week or two of classes in literature. Please keep the notebook as follows: 

  1. Characters. Please record new characters that showed up in the chapter with a short ID (for example, “Cupid: small chubby boy with bow and arrows; shoots Psyche in the eye”). 

  2. Main Events. Also record the main events of the chapter (bullet points are fine).

  3. Vocabulary: Record any unknown words or interesting words (look up any words you don’t know).

  4. Great Quotes: Record a line or two that struck you. This could be because you think the line is stylistically good or because you think it shows wisdom or insight into reality. Either is fine.

  5. Titles. You can read a chapter a day and do a notebook entry a day. Or you can read several chapters at a go and then do one large entry to cover all the new characters and new events, etc. Either way is fine. However, clearly title each entry with the chapters it covers. Put the titles at the top of the notebook page.

  6. Email Mr. Plato (plato.chesterton@gmail.com) with any questions.