Book Club

See what the staff and students are reading at Dr. Song Square!

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Book	Synopsis	Links
Animal Farm by George Orwell	Animal Farm is a novel by George Orwell, first published in England in 1945. Animal Farm serves as an allegory for the events of the 1917 Russian Revolution in which major characters represent historical figures. It tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Recommended for Grade 9 to 12 students	Amazon Goodreads
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee	To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1961 novel by Harper Lee. Set in a small town Alabama, the novel is a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story, and chronicles the childhood of Scout and Jem Finch. The novel is precisely what America needs as we reckon with our history f lavery and segregation. To kill a Mockingbird encourages the readers to confront their own hypocrisy, and to feel sympathy even for those who are seemingly irredeemable. Recommended for Grade 9 to 12 students	Amazon Goodreads
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley	Brave New World is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931, and published in 1932. The novel examines a fururistic society, called the World State, that revolves around science and efficiency. In this society, emotions and individuality are conditioned out of children at a young age, and there are no lasting relationships because "every one belongs to every one else." Recommended for Grade 9 to 12 students	Amazon Goodreads
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald	The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire by Jay Gatsby and Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. The story of unrequited love and the failure of the American Dream resonated with the young men fighting aborad. This allowed the novel to become popular with a mass audience. Recommended for Grade 8 to 12 students	Amazon Goodreads
1984 by George Orwell	1984 is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale by English writer George Orwell. It was published in 1948, as Orwell's ninth and final book completed in his lifetime. It tells the story of Winston Smith, a citizen of the miserable society of Oceania, who is trying to revel against the Party and its omnipresent symbol, Big Brother. Recommended for Grade 10 to 12 students	Amazon Goodreads
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck	Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers. These characters move from place to place in California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in the United States. Of Mice and Men is a story about integrity. It demonstrates how important it is to keep your promises, even when it hurts. George promised that he would look after Lennie. At the time, he probably did not realize how difficult this task would be. Recommended for Grade 9 to 12 students	Amazon Goodreads
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosselini	The Kite Runner is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2003, it tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul. The book tells the extraordinary story of an unlikely friendship between a wealthy Afghan boy, named Amir, and Hassan, the son of his father's servant. Framed as a story of fathers and sons, the novel explores the religion's turbulent history of ground wars following the fall of the monarchy through to Taliban control, illustrating the lives of Afghani people interrupted by war. Recommended for Grade 11 to university students	Amazon Goodreads
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte	Jane Eyre is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Bronte. The protagonist, Jane Eyre is orphaned as a child and treated cruelly - first by her Aunt Reed and then by the staff at the abusive Lowood School. Later, while working as a governess, Jane gains a degree of independence and strives to meet the world on her terms. Jane Eyre is critical of Victorian England's strict social hierarchy. Bronte's exploration of the complicated social position of governmnesses is the novel's most important treatment of this theme. Recommended for Grade 9 to 12 students	Amazon Goodreads
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley	Frankenstein is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of gifted scientist Victor Frankenstein who succeeds in giving life to a being of his own creation. However, this is not the perfect specimen he imagines that it will be, but rather a hideous creature who is rejected by Victor and mankind in general. The main message that Frankenstein conveys is the danger in the pursuit of knowledge and advancement in Science and Technology. Recommended for Grade 9 to 12 students	Amazon Goodreads
The Giver by Lois Lowry	The Giver, written by Lois Lowry, is a story about a society with citizens who have no memories of its past, except for the individual known as the Receiver of Memory. Citizens are not given freedom or choice. Without choice, the elders of society believe they can prevent negative elements, such as war and poverty. The main themes in The Giver are memories, pain and pleasure, and individuality. The self versus society presents the central conflict in the novel. The setting reinforces these ideas, as the events in the nvoel take place in an unspecifed time in the past. Recommended for Grade 6 to 10 students	Amazon Goodreads
Outsmart Your Brain by Daniel T. Willingham, PhD	In this revolutionary guide to learning, professor Dan Willingham uses fascinating brain science to help you study more efficiently and effectively, shrug away exam stress and make learning a skill you can master and enjoy. Outsmart Your Brain offers specific strategies for reading, listening and taking tests, covering the practical aspects like optimum note taking, how to read difficult books and good exam technique, coupled with the psychological challenges of dealing with anxiety, fighting procrastination and developing good focus. Recommended for all students	Amazon Goodreads