" Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
A monster assembled by a scientist from parts of dead bodies develops a mind of his own as he learns to loathe himself and hate his creator.

" Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
The story of the orphan forced to practice thievery and live a life of crime in nineteenth-century London.

" Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
In early nineteenth-century England, an orphaned young woman accepts employment as a governess at Thornfield Hall, a country estate owned by the mysteriously remote Mr. Rochester.

" Lord of the Rings, J.R. R. Tolkein
Published in three parts including Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King, this trilogy tells the story of the hobbit Frodo Baggins on a quest to destroy the One Ring

" To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge and his kids against prejudice.

" Grendel, John Gardner
This 1971 classic takes the Anglo Saxon Beowulf epic and uses varying translations of the poem and other writings from the period to tell the story from the monster's viewpoint.

Here are some other favorites to enjoy over your summer vacation:

" The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
In this novel, written as a collection of vignettes told in the first person, four mothers and their four daughters share memories of the joys and conflicts of their lives.

" Monster Walter Dean Myers
Word is that Steve Harmon, 16, was the lookout for a group that shot and killed a Harlem drugstore owner. An amateur filmmaker, Steve transcribes his trial into a movie script, showing scene by scene how his life was turned around in an instant.

" Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, Bartoletti, Susan Campbell.
The story of the trials and tribulations of men, women and children in Ireland as a result of the Great Irish Famine -- a time when one million people died from starvation and disease and two million others fled the homeland after a mysterious blight struck the potato crop.

" The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College. Steinberg, Jacques
From fall 1999 to spring 2000, Steinberg shadowed Wesleyan University admissions officer Ralph Figueroa as he traversed the country recruiting students.

List provided courtesy of Dawn Bronstein, Media Specialist & Bardetta Haygood, Reading Coach, Western High School. For additional titles visit: