Summer Reading 2024

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 build community, prepare students for fall classes, and encourage the pursuit of knowledge for favorite subjects.

Students in U.S. History and CL U.S. History will also have a summer experience assignment. Details about each of these requirements can be found below.

1. All-School

The All-School gives students the opportunity to explore Loomis Chaffee’s 2024–25 theme, The Power of Storytelling, in a meaningful way, through a variety of mediums.

We encourage students to consider the importance of storytelling as they engage with their selection and to flex their own storytelling skills, whether oral, written, visual, etc., throughout the summer months. There will be convocations and programs in the fall as the Loomis community continues our exploration of storytelling, the bridges that stories can create, and their value in our lives.

All-School

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

All-School
Non-Fiction

How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth

by Meg Bowles

Stories are essential. From The Moth, a leader in the modern storytelling movement, learn how to uncover and craft your own unique stories. Filled with empowering, easy-to-follow tips for crafting stories, this book will help you connect authentically with the world around you and unleash the power of story in your life. Learn how to mine your memories for your best stories, explore structures that will boost the impact of your story, deliver your stories with confidence, and tailor your stories for any occasion!

All-School
Fiction

No Two Persons

by Erica Bauermeister

One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives.

That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go…

Alice has always wanted to be a writer, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers. Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives. Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways — and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.

All-School
Podcast

The Moth Podcast: Stories For The Classroom playlist

by The Moth

In its nearly 30 years, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating.

Students should listen to the Stories in the Classroom playlist, which features teens telling their stories.

All-School
Documentary

Chef's Table: Volume 1 Episode 1 (Massimo Bottura) + 1 Episode of Student's Choice

by David Gelb

Chef's Table takes viewers inside the lives and kitchens of some of the most celebrated and successful chefs around the world! Each episode shares the story of a different chef, exploring the unique lives, inspirations, and passions that have influenced their style of cooking, and how their cooking in turn reveals the stories of their home countries.

Students should watch Volume 1 Episode 1: Massimo Bottura and one additional episode of their choice. Chef's Table is available on Netflix.

2. Grade-Level and Class Requirements

Students will discuss their grade-level book during the first two weeks of English class, so they should bring their own annotated copy to campus in the fall.

U.S. History and CL U.S. History students also have a required assignment, detailed below.

Grade-Level Reads

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

Freshmen

Exit West

by Mohsin Hamid

Sophomores

Dracula

by Bram Stoker

Juniors

In Our Time

by Ernest Hemingway

Juniors CL

Demon Copperhead

by Barbara Kingsolver

Seniors & PGs

The Tortilla Curtain

by TC Boyle

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.

Tips on annotating your book

Class Requirements

U.S. History / CL U.S. History

Students in U.S. History and CL U.S. History will analyze three films, and write a 500-word response for their summer experience assignment.

View assignment

3. Book Chat Selection

Students have the opportunity to read a book of their choosing from a list of 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 (login required), which will be used to organize the Book Chats.

Register for your Book Chat