SAT Critical Reading What to Read For the SAT

What to Read For the SAT

• Why Read?
• Reading is the single best way to build your vocabulary, period.
• Reading gives you practice at understanding both the literal meaning of text and what authors are saying “between the lines”
• Reading gives you a ready supply of examples for the essay.
• Reading older books helps you familiarize yourself with the styles and language of previous centuries.
• Reading is a great way to relax and reduce stress–and preparing for the SAT is stressful enough.
• How to Choose Books
• Choose books in areas that interest you. If you hate kissing, don’t read romance novels. If you love spaceships, don’t waste your time on Westerns.
• Choose books that challenge you. A good book should regularly introduce characters or ideas that make you think, and you should encounter a good vocabulary word at least every couple of pages.
• Don’t choose books that are too hard or ridiculously boring. You won’t read them.
• Use Amazon.com, or ask a librarian, bookseller, or friend to recommend books based on your interests and what you’ve liked before.
• The Rule of Three
• If you’re reading something on your own time, you must manage your time wisely. Don’t give up on reading too quickly, and don’t waste all your time trying to read something unhelpful.
• If a work is short (like a short story or an article), give it three pages to pique your interest.
• If a work is long (like a novel), give it three chapters or 20 to 30 pagesto pique your interest.
• If whatever you’re reading hasn’t got your attention by then, you have my permission to try something else.
• Great Books for Every Interest
• If you’ve never been a big reader, you might not know what you like to read. You might not have found it yet!
• So ask yourself–what do you like to watch on television? What are your favorite movies? What are your interests? What are your favorite things to do in your free time? Find a book about something you love, and you will never be bored.
• If all else fails, pick up one of these titles, read 3 pages, and see what happens.
• If thatfails, ask a librarian. Seriously. They’re awesome. And they don’t really shush people anymore.
• Mystery
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Murder on the Orient Expressor And Then There Were None– Agatha Christie
• The Maltese Falcon– Dashiell Hammett
• Anything by Raymond Chandler with Phillip Marlowe in it.
• The Beekeeper’s Apprenticeand the Mary Russell series – Laurie R. King
• The Final Solution –Michael Chabon
• The Crispin Guest mysteries – Jeri Westerson
• Anything that’s won an Edgar Award
• Adventure
• Captain Bloodor Scaramouche– Rafael Sabatini
• The Princess Bride– William Goldman
• Tarzan of the Apes– Edgar Rice Burroughs
• Sharpe’s Rifles –Bernard Cornwell
• The Three Musketeers –Alexandre Dumas
• Gentlemen of the Road –Michael Chabon
• The Prisoner of Zenda– Anthony Hope
• The Jungle Book –Rudyard Kipling
• Fantasy
• The Hobbitand The Lord of the Rings– J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Last Unicorn– Peter S. Beagle
• Conan the Cimmerian– Robert E. Howard
• American Godsand Anansi Boys –Neil Gaiman
• The Discworld series – Terry Pratchett
• The Golden Compass– Philip Pullman
• The Dragon and the George(Dragon Knight series) – Gordon R. Dickson
• Dragonsong– Anne McCaffrey
• The Chronicles of Narnia –C.S. Lewis
• Anything that’s won a Mythopoeic Award, a World Fantasy Award, or a Hugo Award
• Science Fiction
• Stranger in a Strange Land –Robert A. Heinlein
• Fahrenheit 451 –Ray Bradbury
• The Blackcollar –Timothy Zahn
• Foundation and I, Robot –Isaac Asimov
• Dune –Frank Herbert
• The Beast Master– Andre Norton
• Soldier, Ask Not –Gordon R. Dickson
• Ender’s Game –Orson Scott Card
• Anything that’s won a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, or a John W. Campbell Award, plus any author who’s been named a Grandmaster.
• Humor
• The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (I particularly recommend Going Postaland Thud!)
• The Callahan series by Spider Robinson (I particularly recommend The Callahan Chronicalsand Callahan’s Key)
• Sir Apropos of Nothing– Peter David
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy –Douglas Adams
• Code of the Woostersor Thank You, Jeeves – P. G. Wodehouse
• Romance
• Ivanhoe –Sir Walter Scott
• Jane Eyre –Charlotte Bronte
• Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, or just about anything else by Jane Austen
• The Princess Bride –William Goldman
• Realistic Fiction
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian – Sherman Alexie
• Dodger – Terry Pratchett
• Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
• Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes – Chris Crutcher
• The Wednesday Wars – Gary D. Schmidt
• Anything that’s won a Newbery Medal or Printz Medal
• Anything that’s been named an American Library Association Notable Book
• Anything that’s won a Pulitzer Prize or National Book Awardandlooks interesting
• A Great Place to Start
• Nation –Terry Pratchett
• If You Can’t/Won’t Read
• Listen to audiobooks and podcasts
• Watch live performances
• Have someone read to you
• Shakespeare performed by people who love Shakespeare
• Gilbert and Sullivan performed by people who love Gilbert and Sullivan
• Turn on the captions!
• The Dirty Secret of Reading
• Comic books!Yes, really! (But call them graphic novels.)
• Watchmen– Alan Moore
• Sandman –Neil Gaiman
• Superman: Earth One –J. Michael Straczynski
• Astro City –Kurt Busiek
• Maus –Art Spiegelman
• Persepolis –MarjaneSatrapi
• We3 –Grant Morrison
• The Unwritten –Mike Carey
• Mouse Guard –David Petersen
• Morning Glories –Nick Spencer
• PS238 –Aaron Williams
• Starman –James Robinson
• Anything that’s won a Harvey Award or an Eisner Award.
• Recommended supplementary material to view SAT questions featured in lesson answer guides: The Official SAT Study Guide by the College Board.