CCPS released a Classics Reading List. The ninth-grade through 12th-grade selection includes, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “Cheaper by the Dozen,” “Frankenstein,” “Great Expectations,” “I Capture the Castle,” “Island of the Blue Dolphins,” “Jane Eyre,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Tale of Two Cities,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” “The Iliad,” “The Odyssey,” “The Old Man and the Sea,” “The Scarlet Letter” and “Wuthering Heights.”
“Classics don’t have to be intimidating to readers. Several options are quick reads,” Media Assistant Julie Holt-Hayford. “For those who prefer the longer novels, they won’t be disappointed, either.”
There are classics from different genres so readers have many choices to choose from.
“Typically, books are considered classics when they last the test of time and never get old,” Media Specialist Melissa Sexton said. “Even though they may be written in a different style that you may be used to, they deal with big ideas that still matter today.”
The oldest classic on the list, “The Iliad,” was written in the 8th century B.C., and the newest, “Island of the Blue Dolphins,” was published in 1960.
“They have a really good timeless message,” Collier County Public Library Headquarters Branch Librarian Jennifer Langan said. “They get to the heart of the matter―like “Frankenstein”, they get to the psyche, and that’s kind of relevant, actually, in this day and age with AI coming about.”
The books on the list are available in the media center.
“Except for “Frankenstein” and “The Iliad,” which we are still waiting for, all the books on the list can be found in the media center for regular checkout,” Sexton said. “They are all on display on the shelf in the back of the media center, in front of the lab.”
The books on the list can also be found at Collier County Public Libraries. They can be checked out with a Collier County Public Library card.
“If you come to your local library, you can ask your public librarian in the young adults area, and right now they’re mixed in with the collection,” Langan said. “We did have them separated, but we put them back in the general collection, so it will be under the author.”
If you prefer reading e-books, then you can access the books on Sora by going to the resources tab on the left side of Canvas.
“The 15 books have a wide range of topics, and everyone should be able to find a few they not only enjoy but haven’t yet read with their English courses,” Holt-Hayford said.
If you finish a book on the list, you can submit a reading log using the QR code.
“For every three logs a student submits, they will receive an entry for the grand prize drawing,” the CCPS announcement said. “This incentive will run through May 1, 2024.”
Reading the classics can help you understand the different eras of history.
“If you’ve avoided reading outside of your classroom materials this year, it’s a nice time to pick up your pleasure reading habits again,” Holt-Hayford said.
