RLC Summer Reading Guide

Rosseau Reads SUMMER 2025

Why read?

“I read for pleasure and that is the moment I learn the most.”

—Margaret Atwood Think of any intelligent person with a breadth of knowledge, and you will also be thinking of someone who reads. And, more often than not, it’s also a person who reads books: longer works, printed on paper, that you hold in your hands.

The act of reading a book is one of focus. Reading requires sustained attention; it trains the brain to concentrate for longer periods. This skill is increasingly valuable in a world full of digital distractions, and one that will serve students when they move on into post-secondary studies, work, and life.

Reading expands vocabulary and enhances language processing abilities, which are crucial for

communication and learning. It can develop our understanding of complex concepts, be it anything from chemistry (see Napoleon's Buttons on Ms Choi’s list) or how the choices a person makes can change their lives (see East of Eden on Ms Knight’s list).

And it’s fun. At least it can be if you have the right book.

The lists below are of books that members of the RLC staff and faculty feel do all those things: engage and entertain; grow understanding and serve our curiosities. Not all might be fun in the typical sense.

John Hersey’s Hiroshima certainly isn’t fun (see Mr Herbert’s list) but you can appreciate the craft of telling a big story with small stories. At the end of the day, the craft of storytelling—there and in all of these books—gives us, as Ms Sheppard says below, “a chance to understand who we are.”

From Mr Krocker Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver) - social justice Lessons in Chemistry (Bonnie Garmus) - social justice / gender equity The Fault in our Stars (John Green) - just awesome!!

Trust (Hernan Diaz) - intellectual, Pulitzer winner American Dirt (Jeanine Cummins) - social justice / racial equity Yellowface (R.F. Kuang) - social justice / racial equity The Henna Artist (Alka Joshi) - social justice / racial equity / gender equity A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) The World According to Garp (John Irving) Through Black Spruce (Joseph Boyden) Three Day Road (Joseph Boyden) The Orenda (Joseph Boyden)

Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang,

by Mordecai Richler “This is the first book of my life where I was obsessed with finding time and space to read it over and over again. It was the catalyst of my reading journey teaching me how books can be a porthole to other worlds, adventures, time and people.”

Dave Krocker, Head of School

From Ms Knight East of Eden (John Steinbeck) Fifteen Dogs (Andre Alexis) Educated (Tara Westover) Indian Horse (Richard Wagamese) Born a Crime (Trevor Noah) Animal Farm (George Orwell) A Separate Peace (John Knowles) Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts) Ishmael (Daniel Quinn) The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera) What is the What (David Eggers) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night (Mark Haddon) Untamed (Glennon Doyle) Last Child in the Woods (Richard Louv) Through Black Spruce (Joseph Boyden) In the Skin of a Lion (Michael Ondaatje)

From Ms O’Marra-Armstrong The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill) Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel) The Marrow Thieves (Cherie Dimaline) When God was a Rabbit (Sarah Winnman) Greenwood (Michael Christie) Away (Jane Urquhart) Alias Grace (Margaret Atwood) Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood) Miss Wyoming (Douglas Coupland) The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) American War (Omar El Akkad) The Life of Pi (Yann Martel) A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) A Complicated Kindness (Miriam Toews) The Birth House (Amy McKay) Obasan (Joy Kogawa) Girlfriend in a Coma (Douglas Coupland) Never Let me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)

The Handmaid's Tale,

by Margaret Atwood “This was the selection for my Grade 10 English novel study. I was horrified by the dystopian nature of the plot and completely oblivious to the fact that its themes could be, and are, a daily reality for many women. I can only imagine what all of the other 15 year olds thought about it? While I was absorbed in Offred’s story, it wasn’t until many years later that I fully grasped the significance of June’s imposed new name and circumstances.

I think Margaret Atwood is brilliant, and possibly prophetic.”

Ali O’Marra-Armstrong Assistant Head of School, Academics

East of Eden,

by John Steinbeck “This book totally changed my outlook on choices. The novel's central concept of timshel— the notion that we have free will and both control our own decisions and are responsible for them—was eye-opening to 18-year-old me and emboldening as I set off on my own to university and to carve my own path as a young adult. It is still one of my favourite books all these years later.”

Kate Knight Assisstant Head of School, Student Life

From Mr Leavitt

From Ms Choi

Novels: Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) Science fiction, space exploration.

The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros) A coming of age story which deals with navigating life's challenges through a series of vignettes.

Fiction: Moon of the Crusted Snow (Waubgeshig Rice) Sci-fi, dystopia, Indigenous, recommended by Wyatt A. The Three-Body Problem (Cixin Liu) Sci-fi, astronomy. It is translated from Chinese, and a part of the plot is set in a dark chapter of Chinese history.

Non-Fiction: Tuesdays With Morrie (Mitch Albom) Reflective memoir, pursuit of meaning & purpose.

Homage to Catalonia (George Orwell) Memoir from the Spanish Civil War, provides insight into the life events that inspired Orwell’s more famous works.

Born to Run (Christopher McDougall) Inspirational, health / running focused.

The Wealthy Barber Returns (David Chilton) Approachable intro to personal finance.

Audiobooks / Podcasts: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert A. Heinlein) Science fiction, political satire.

Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari) An entertaining and informative history of major milestones for humanity and civilization.

Non-fiction: Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults (Monique Gray Smith) I'm still reading it, but both the book itself and the workshop I attended are highly engaging.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot) Ethical issues in cell research: unconsented use of cells of a person from a historically underrepresented group. Required reading for Grade 9 science at one of my previous schools.

Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History (Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson) chemical history The Hidden Life of Trees (Peter Wohlleben) Plant science, a lot of photos to accompany scientific content. Recommended by a biology teacher at one of my previous schools.

Girlfriend in A Coma,

by Douglas Coupland “I am a tried and true member of Generation X, so Douglas Coupland was/is one of my favourites. Dark, moody and oh so relatable to a girl who grew up in the suburbs (except for the apocalyptic themes and Karen waking up 17 years later out of a coma).

This is one I couldn't put down. I still have it and have taken it in my moves across the country with me twice.”

Ali O’Marra-Armstrong, Assistant Head of School, Academics

From Ms Fan Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) Into Thin Air (Jonathan Krakauer) Me Talk Pretty One Day (David Sedaris) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Cheryl Strayed) Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road (Kate Harris) Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks (Vicki Bennison) Podcast Ologies

The Boat Who Wouldn't Float' Farley Mowat This is the inspiring true story about Farley Mowat, his friend and future wife and their wild adventure in a schooner sailboat from Newfoundland to Montreal in 1967. This is a great story for RLC students because it embodies many of our values of adventure, community and taking risks.

The story is also full of anecdotes of Canadian regionalism and paints a broader picture of Canada. At the very least, you will get a chuckle and smile from Farley Mowat.

Courtland Kerr Faculty

From Ms Sheppard Perhaps it seems silly, but one of my favourite things about reading is how it helps us develop as writers.

It's so much fun to encounter new relationships between form and function, to be pulled in by different structures and styles, and then to transfer that experience to how we explore the bounds and expanses of our own voices. Yes, a great book is a great story ... and it's also so much more. It's a chance to develop as thinkers, communicators, and humans. It's a chance to understand who we are and to practice intentionality in how we consider—and I mean that in the sense of care, reflection, and expression—the world.

Winesburg, Ohio (Sherwood Anderson) The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood) Ducks (Kate Beaton) Mongo: Adventures in Trash (Ted Botha) The Jade Peony (Wayson Choy) The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) Whip It (Shauna Cross) Marrow Thieves (Cherie Dimaline) Sum (David Eagleman) And Then She Fell (Alicia Elliot) Scarborough (Catherine Hernandez) Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse) Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) The Buddha of Suburbia (Hanif Kureishi) The Topeka School (Ben Lerner) The Road (Cormac McCarthy) Under This Unbroken Sky (Shandi Mitchell) Beloved (Toni Morrison) Lullabies for Little Criminals (Heather O'Neill) Run Towards the Danger (Sarah Polley) Tenth of December (George Saunders) Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut Jr) The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls) The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)

Becoming

by Michelle Obama Becoming is the memoir of former first lady of the United States Michelle Obama, published in 2018. Described by the author as a deeply personal experience, the book talks about her roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in the White House, her public health campaign, and her role as a mother.

Tasha Forster Faculty & Guidance Counsellor

From Mr Kerr

From Ms Ennis

The Backyard Adventure (Beau Miles) You don't have to travel to the ends of the Earth for adventure, it can be in your own backyard.

To Speak for the Trees (Diana Beresford-Kroeger) Blending traditional Irish knowledge with modern science.

The Hobbit (J.R.R Tolkien) A quiet hobbit from the shire joins a group of dwarves to reclaim a throne on an unexpected journey.

The Boat Who Wouldn't Float (Farley Mowat) Farley Mowat buys a boat in Newfoundland and sails it to Montreal....It nearly sinks at every opportunity Lost in Mongolia (Colin Angus) From the Yenisey's headwaters in the wild heart of central Asia to its mouth on the Arctic Ocean, Colin Angus and his fellow adventurers travel 5,500 kilometres.

Braiding Sweetgrass

by Robin Wall Kimmer This book has inspired me to think differently about our natural world. R.W.K beautifully intertwines ecology, Indigenous ways of knowing, and poetry to inspire you to think about the connections in our world. R.W.K challenges you to open your mind and to open your heart in living by sustainable life.

This book is for everyone who is grateful to call our beautiful planet home.

The Help (Kathryn Stockett) Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt) The Catcher in the Rye (JD Salinger) Animal Farm (George Orwell) Lord of the Flies (William Golding) Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austin) The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger) Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) 1984 (George Orwell) Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe) The Birth House (Amy McKay) The Alice Network (Kate Quinn) - everything by Kate Quinn!

The Rose Code (Kate Quinn) Child 44 (Leo Demidov) To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) Where the Sidewalk Ends (Shel Silverstein) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carol Lewis) Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures (Vincent Lam) A Discovery of Witches (Deborah Harkness) Harry Potter (JK Rowling) The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan) Charlotte's Web (EB White) The Giver (Lois Lowry) Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)

Jacqueline Priolo Athletic Director & Co-Curricular Coordinator

The Chrysalids,

by John Wyndham The book is about the strength that comes from realizing that you’re not alone. David finds that there are lots and lots of people who share his way of thinking in a world that can be hard to navigate. It’s the first book that I recall literally not being able to put down. It’s just about people being good to other people, against all odds, and finding their tribe.

Glen Herbert Director, Marketing and Communications

From Mr Herbert Foundation Years Owls in the Family (Farley Mowat) The Thing About Georgie (Lisa Graff) Harriet the Spy (Louise Fitzhugh) The Great Brain (John Dennis Fitzgerald) Wonder (R.J. Palacio) Grades 9-10 The Chrysalids (John Wyndham) Never Cry Wolf (Farley Mowat) Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) Grade 10-11 Little by Little (Jean Little) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Mark Haddon) Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton)

The Crank Trilogy

by Ellen Hopkins This series is about a high school girl who gets addicted to meth. The books look like they would be super long but they are only written with a few words on each page. Me and my friends read these books when we were in high school and loved them. We were obsessed!

These books were jarring, powerful and heart wrenching. These books show how quickly addiction can ruin someone's life.

Grade 11-12 Them: Adventures with Extremists (Jon Ronson) Lab Girl (Hope Jahren) Bonfire of the Vanities (Tom Wolfe) Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer) Elements of Style (William Strunk and EB White) The Martian (Andy Weir) North Woods (Daniel Mason) Hiroshima (John Hersey)

Emily Windrem Faculty

Orbiting Jupiter

by Gary D. Schmidt This is a story of loss and love, but also of identities and reputations - the ones we earn and the ones given to us by others. Joseph has had a difficult and interesting start to life and we meet him as he joins a foster home in a small, rural town in the North Eastern United States. As the story progresses we learn of the circumstances that have brought him to where he is, the choices he's made, and the many that were made for him. It is both heart-breaking and up-lifting.

Students will love this story as they identify with the feelings of frustration in dealing with a society that claims to have their best interests in mind but just doesn't seem willing to, or capable of, understanding or listening to what is really going on. They will identify with the struggle of making a life in a new school and what it means to grow in love with another person.

John Dinner Coordinator, Foundation Years & Student Success & Student Leadership

Extraordinary learning is in our nature.