Oakland Catholic High School AP English Literature and Composition - Summer Reading 2026

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Fez

Summer Reading 2026 instructions for Oakland Catholic High School AP English Literature and Composition students. Students are asked to read for pleasure every day, complete thoughtful reading and note-taking on AP-level texts, and use a dedicated paper notebook with handwritten notes totaling at least 3 pages per novel. They must choose one teacher-selected novel and one student-choice novel, annotate paper copies, and prepare for fall in-class essay writing through exposure to exam-style expectations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Summer reading expectations

Daily pleasure reading and note-taking

AP Lit notebook requirements

In-class essays and annotation

Assigned novels and recommended reading list

Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë)

Choice novels (chronological list)

Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen)

Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)

Middlemarch (George Eliot)

Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Sula (Toni Morrison)

Content note and course goals

Mature themes and review guidance

Oakland Catholic High School AP English Literature and Composition Summer Reading 2026 Dear AP Literature students, This summer, I hope that you will do lots of reading for pleasure, experimenting with different genres, authors, and topics. Mostly, I want you to read every single day. To prepare for my class, you should do some thoughtful reading of and note-taking on AP-level texts, including two novels—one that I choose, and one that you choose. First, some notes about notes: I want you to keep a paper notebook for my class, that you will add to during class discussions. Please choose a notebook that will be your dedicated AP Lit notebook for the year. You can choose a simple composition-style notebook, or something fancier—but make sure that it is something with plenty of space that you will enjoy using every day. On our first day of classes in August, I will ask you to show me at least 3 pages of handwritten notes about each of your novels (that’s 6 pages total) . This is a very open-ended assignment, so I hope you will feel empowered to create something that will represent your ideas and insights about your reading. Of course, your notes should be more sophisticated than just summaries of the novels—they should show your interaction with the ideas, events, and characters of the book. Think in terms of • Quotes Questions Characters and Big ideas Second, please read the following books: 1. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë. Any unabridged edition is fine. Please read thoughtfully and take notes. When we return to school, we will discuss the big ideas. 2. At least one of the ten novels listed on the next pages. All of these titles have appeared on recent AP Lit exams (2019-2026) . I have curated the list to highlight a range of writers, from the nineteenth century through the modern day. Any of them will give you some strong background as you prepare for AP Literature. You are even invited to read several! Content note: Please be advised that, as readings for a college-level literature course, several of these novels deal with mature themes. The College Board has indicated they are applicable to the goals and reading level ofthe AP Literature course. Before committing to your choice, however, I suggest you browse a couple of reviews or summaries to make sure you will feel comfortable with and prepared for your novel. When you return in the fall, I hope we can have meaningful discussions about how literature helps us make sense of both the beauty and the pain of human experience. For both novels, please note that you should read a paper copy (not an e-book!), that you should annotate as you read, and that you should take notes. Within the first week of school, you will write inclass essays on these novels to begin to get familiar with the kind of writing that is expected of you on the exam. AP Lit Choice Novels-Listed chronologically. Summaries are [from ](from barnesandnoble.com)[barnesandnoble.com](from barnesandnoble.com). Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (1817) The novel’s unlikely heroine is Catherine Morland, a remarkably innocent seventeen-year-old woman from a country parsonage. While spending a few weeks in Bath with a family friend, Catherine meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney, who invites her to visit his family estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Catherine, a great reader of Gothic thrillers, lets the shadowy atmosphere of the old mansion fill her mind with terrible suspicions. Catherine finds dreadful portents in the most prosaic events, until Henry persuades her to see the peril in confusing life with art. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë (1847) From the moment of his adoption by the Earnshaws, the foundling boy Heathcliff devotes himself to their young daughter Catherine. Growing up together, the two share a love that blossoms into romance, until Catherine's hurtful betrayal. But Heathcliff's emotions know no bounds and acknowledge no limits—not even death. Determined t

FAQs

What are students expected to do every day during summer for AP Lit?

Students should read for pleasure every single day and experiment with different genres, authors, and topics.

What are the notebook and note-taking requirements for the summer novels?

Students must keep a dedicated paper AP Lit notebook, add notes during class discussions, and show at least 3 pages of handwritten notes for each novel when school starts.

How should students read and prepare for the fall in-class essays?

Students should read paper copies (not e-books), annotate as they read, take notes, and be ready to write in-class essays within the first week of school.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Fez