Pennsauken Campus ICC/Library: Summer Reading

Welcome to our 2024 Summer Reading Page!

Summer Reading Assignment Distribution Dates:

You can download a PDF version of the summer reading assignment in the Assignment Documents box at the bottom of this page. Assignments that include project or paper options are available for pick up at either the Pennsauken or Gloucester Township campus regardless of which one you will be attending in the fall. In addition, we will have teachers of each subject area available for support if needed during the times and dates listed above.

Welcome to Camden County Technical Schools!  

We are so excited to have you as part of our learning community!

Unwind  by Neal Shusterman:

(Dystopia/Science Fiction)

"Challenges readers' ideas about life -- not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive."

In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs--and, perhaps, save their own lives.

Activities based on the books have been planned for September when you start school.

Teachers will expect all assignments to be completed prior to the start of school. Assignments, related quizzes, and projects from the summer assignments will count toward your 1st marking period class grade. 

The Black Kids

Hidden Pictures

Instructions for Dancing

Legend

Unwind

(Historical/Realistic Fiction)

"Brilliantly woven into this deeply personal narrative arc are explorations of police brutality, racial inequality, and upheavals within the Black community as a whole. Intra-family struggles and relationships are also a central theme of the book, and it doesn’t shy away from discussions of colorism and generational trauma. This story may be a work of historical fiction, but its relevance to today’s social and political events adds to its eye-opening power, making it a novel that demands to be read."

Los Angeles, 1992. Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It's the end of senior year and they're spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer. Everything changes one afternoon in April, when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley's not just one of the girls. She's one of the black kids. As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns, Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal. Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots. Even as the model black family facade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble. Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid, LaShawn Johnson. With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the us? And who is the them?

(Supernatural Thriller)

 "Whip-smart, creepy as hell, and masterfully plotted...The best new thriller I've read in years."

Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy. Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman's lifeless body. Then, Teddy's artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force. Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it's too late.

(Romance)

"At times joyous and heartwarming, this emotional roller coaster of a story also has moments of melancholy and sorrow, and it ends with a bittersweet conclusion, much as readers may root for happily-ever-after. But as Evie sees stories of love and eventual heartbreak and weighs the cost of falling in love, she eventually learns just to enjoy the dance."

Evie has the power to see other people's romantic fates--what will happen when she finally sees her own? Evie Thomas doesn't believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually. As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything--including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he's only just met. Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it's that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk?

(Dystopia/Science Fiction)

"Written in alternating first-person present-tense narratives with lightning-fast pacing and nonstop action. The canvas of Lu's dystopian world is well suited for themes of power, corruption, inequality, and rebellion, while the personal dynamics are complicated by issues of trust, loyalty, betrayal, and romance."

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.