Edith Hamilton Library News

Students Have the Power

Bryn Mawr School Summer Reading 2016

On May 17, 2016, the eighth grade joined the Upper School for its annual Summer Reading Convocation, during which students have the power! At the Bryn Mawr School, each student chooses a recommended book to read along with the required reading for the summer. All of the recommended books are nominated by the students’ peers, making summer reading for the students, from the students.

This year, there were twelve nominations by students from eighth to eleventh grade. They are as follows: The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde; The List, by Siobhan Vivian; Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen; Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury; An Invisible Thread,  by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski; Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissinger; In the Woods, Tana French; The Young Elites, Marie Lu; Zone One, Colson Whitehead; I'll Give You the Sun, Jandy Nelson; The Story of Seeds: From Mendel’s Garden to Your Plate and Why There’s More of Less to Eat in The World, by Nancy Castaldo; and All American Boys, by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.

Each student gave a short persuasive speech about why her peers should read the book she nominated. Topics ranged from gender identity and sibling relationships, to zombies, to seeds. While a student claimed one book opens up a conversation about police brutality in our society (All American Boys), another said, “you’ll be swept up in it like you’re watching a thriller on the big screen.” (Nyx Deane Polyak The Young Elites)  Ellie Citron 2018 (In the Woods) said, “For me, one of the saddest things about reading a book is its ephemeral nature. You read the book, fall in love, and then it’s over!” Summer is ephemeral; it comes, we fall in love, and then it’s over. But you have the chance to make your summer experience last by picking up one of these books. While reading the book may be transitory, the mark it may leave on you is not. You have the power to make summer memorable. Happy Reading!

Niara Robinson (‘16) is working on part of her senior project in the Edith Hamilton Library, and the other part at the Baltimore American Indian Center. After graduating, she will be attending New York University in the fall.