Summer Reading Challenge
Welcome to the Fairfax Christian School Summer Reading Challenge! At Fairfax Christian School, we believe that reading is the cornerstone of lifelong learning, character formation, and academic flourishing. Our annual challenge is designed to keep students' minds active, engaged, and growing over the break.
Challenge Overview & Rewards
Target Audience: All students entering 3rd through 12th grades are expected to participate.
Earn Extra Credit: Students receive five (5) extra credit points in English per quarter for each book read and completed report submitted.
Maximum Credit: Extra credit can be earned for up to four (4) books per student (yielding up to 20 extra credit points per quarter!).
How to Choose Your Books
Select up to four (4) books listed at or above your entering grade level or the high school class you are enrolled in.
Book Availability: Most titles are widely available online, or physical copies may be borrowed directly from the school library.
3rd through 12th Grade Reading Lists
3rd Grade
The Cricket In Times Square – Selden
Homer Price – McCloskey
Pippi Longstocking – Lindgren
A Bear Called Paddington – Bond
The Wind in the Willows – Grahame
NEW: Caps for Sale – Slobodkina
NEW: Corduroy – Freeman
NEW: Blueberries for Sal – McCloskey
4th Grade
Charlotte’s Web – White
Harriet The Spy – Fitzhugh
Mr. Popper’s Penguins – Atwater
Onion John – Krumgold
Caddie Woodlawn — Brink
Alice In Wonderland – Carroll
NEW: The Boxcar Children – Warner
NEW: Misty of Chincoteague – Henry
NEW: The Velveteen Rabbit – Williams
5th Grade
Black Beauty – Sewell
The Wind In The Willows – Grahame
Just So Stories – Kipling
The Secret Garden – Burnett
Little Women – Alcott
NEW: The Hundred Dresses – Estes
NEW: The Door in the Wall — de Angeli
NEW: Strawberry Girl – Lenski
6th Grade
Where the Red Fern Grows – Rawls
From the Mixed Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – Konigburg
The Black Stallion – Farley
Swiss Family Robinson – Wyss
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Stevenson
NEW: Old Yeller – Gipson
NEW: The Incredible Journey – Burnford
NEW: Heidi – Spyri
7th Grade
The Call Of The Wild – London
Sounder – Armstrong
A Wrinkle In Time – L’Engle
The Westing Game – Raskin
A Tale of Two Cities – Dickens
NEW: Johnny Tremain – Forbes
NEW: Rifles for Watie – Keith
NEW: The Bronze Bow – Speare
8th Grade
Tom Sawyer – Twain
The Phantom Tollbooth – Feiffer
Little Lord Fauntleroy – Burnett
Misty of Chincoteague – Henry
Treasure Island – Stevenson
NEW: Number the Stars – Lowry
NEW: The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Speare
NEW: The Chosen – Potok
High School Literature Tracks
American Literature
The Pearl – Steinbeck
Pioneers – Cooper
Up From Slavery – Washington
Jacob Have I Loved – Paterson
Moby Dick – Melville
NEW: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Smith
NEW: The Red Badge of Courage – Crane
NEW: Giants in the Earth – Rølvaag
British Literature
The Hobbit – Tolkien
Pride and Prejudice – Austen
David Copperfield – Dickens
Out Of The Silent Planet – Lewis
The Once and Future King – White
Gulliver’s Travels – Swift
Enter Jeeves – Wodehouse
NEW: Jane Eyre – Bronte
NEW: Till We Have Faces – Lewis
NEW: Beowulf – Anonymous
World Literature & AP English Language and Composition
Silas Marner – George Eliot
Moby Dick – Melville
One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich – Solzhenitsyn
The Count Of Monte Cristo – Dumas
The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories – O. Henry
NEW: Crime and Punishment – Dostoevsky
NEW: The Betrothed – Manzoni
NEW: Les Misérables – Hugo
Styles in Literature & AP English Literature and Composition
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court — Twain
Murder On The Orient Express – Christie
To Kill A Mockingbird – Lee
Chesapeake – Michener
NEW: The Screwtape Letters – Lewis
NEW: Anthem – Rand
NEW: The Pilgrim's Progress – Bunyan
Extra Credit Report Guidelines
To receive extra credit, students must complete a summary book report for each book read, following the specific length and structure guidelines below:
Word Count Requirements
Grades 3–6: 200-word summary book report per book.
Grades 7–12: 500-word summary book report per book.
Required Elements
Every report must explicitly address all five of the following elements:
The Setting: Describe the story's location—whether real or imaginary.
The Time Period: Detail when the story occurs (past, present, or future).
The Characters: Identify the main character and key supporting characters. Explain their importance and how they interact with one another.
The Plot: Outline the significant events in the story and explain why they are pivotal to the narrative.
Your Opinion: Share your personal critique—did you enjoy the book? Why or why not?
