Summer Reading 2026

At Loomis Chaffee, we believe Summer Reading is an essential and enriching part of each student’s experience. All students are required to complete three Summer Reading components, which are assigned to prepare students for fall classes, build community, and encourage the pursuit of knowledge in favorite subjects.

1. All-School

2026–27 School Theme

What matters?

The All-School gives students the opportunity to explore Loomis Chaffee’s 2026–27 theme in a meaningful way, through a variety of mediums.

We encourage students to consider this question as they engage with their All-School selection during the summer months. There will be relevant convocations and programs throughout the year as the Loomis community continues our exploration of the people, experiences, and ideals that matter most.

All-School

Read, listen to, or watch one of the All-School choices below.

All-School
Fiction

The Poet X

by Elizabeth Acevedo

Written in free verse, The Poet X follows Xiomara Batista, an Afro-Latina teen in Harlem who feels smothered by her mother's beliefs and trapped by her neighborhood's expectations and the assumptions they make about her.

Xiomara feels unheard and unable to hide, but finds her voice through slam poetry as she joins the school club and starts to write her own poetry. She is finally able to express her true feelings, especially as she falls for Aman, a boy in her bio class, as she tries to sort out what is really important to her, from her identity to her faith to her complicated relationship with her family and community.

The Poet X is available as an audiobook via the library.

All-School
Non-Fiction

Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose

by Jennifer Wallace

Mattering confronts the loneliness and lack of purpose so many face today. As mental and social health crises surge, we often blame social media and the pace of modern life, but beneath these issues lies a deeper crisis - an erosion of mattering, of the feeling that we are valued and have the chance to add value.

Wallace explores the essential elements to building our mattering core: recognizing your impact, being relied on (but not too much), feeling prioritized, and being truly known and invested in, in the hopes of reconnecting to our sense of purpose, deepening our relationships, and navigating life’s uncertainties and challenges with greater resilience.

Mattering is available as an audiobook via the library.

All-School
Film

The Boy and the Heron

by Hayao Miyazaki

Titled How Do You Live? in its original Japanese, this animated fantasy adventure about finding your place and creating meaning in a chaotic world encourages viewers to reflect upon what matters most - family, human connection, resilience amidst life's uncertainties, and self-discovery.

After losing his mother during the war, Mahito moves to the countryside, where he follows a mischievous gray heron into a world shared by the living and the dead. Mahito must confront his grief and decide who he wants to be, in both this realm and the real world above.

All-School
Podcast

This Teenage Life

This Teenage Life is a podcast made by teens about their ideas, stories, and unique perspectives. Offering advice about topics from relationships to mental health to everyday life, listeners will surely find an episode that connects to their own experiences, struggles, and triumphs.

Students choosing This Teenage Life as their All-School selection should listen to the episode "Cultivating a Sense of Purpose" plus three episodes of their choice.

2. English Class Requirements

All students are assigned a summer reading book, specific to their grade level, for their English class. Students will discuss their book and complete graded assignments on the text during the first weeks of class.

Students are asked to annotate as they read and should bring their annotated copy to campus in the fall. If students choose to listen to the audiobook version of their English class required reading, they must still annotate a physical copy of the text as well.

Please note that incoming U.S. History and CL U.S. History students no longer have a required assignment.

English Class Required Reading

Click the book covers below for additional information, including edition requirements and audiobook access.

Freshmen

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

by Marjane Satrapi

Sophomores

Lord of the Flies

by William Golding

Juniors

In Our Time

by Ernest Hemingway

Juniors CL

Demon Copperhead

by Barbara Kingsolver

Seniors & PGs

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

by Stephen King

Annotations Guidelines

Students are strongly recommended to annotate their own copy of the required grade-level book. You will need to bring your book to campus in the fall, as you will be working with this title in your English class. Please purchase the above editions, if possible, so that page numbers are consistent for your annotations.

If students choose to listen to the audiobook version of their English class required reading, they must still annotate a physical copy of the text as well.

Tips on annotating your book

3. Book Chats

Students have the opportunity to read a book of their choosing from a list of twenty-five exceptional titles selected by Loomis Chaffee departments and centers. We hope that you will find a book that connects with the interests, hobbies, and passions that you will foster throughout your LC experience.

In early September, students will participate in Book Chats led by faculty members in the department affiliated with their chosen title. To allow for an immersive discussion, each Book Chat will be no larger than approximately twenty students.

Once you have chosen a book, please fill out the Book Chat submission form which will be used to organize the Book Chats.

Register for your Book Chat