2025 Summer Reading

A summer reading program in all divisions has long been a Fort Worth Country Day tradition. Keeping students reading over the summer and fostering a love of literacy are important goals. The School works toward these goals by choosing books with literary value that are also popular with the readers. View the Summer Reading LibGuide, and learn more about each division's program.

Lower School
K-4 students enjoy Blackout Bingo, which is designed to encourage students to read a variety of books over the summer break. The grade-level specific bingo cards include categories of books to encourage all students – even the newest of readers – to use the library catalog or browse the shelves to find books of interest and to promote reading in different genres. Summer reading commences for Lower School students on Thursday, May 22. All cards must be submitted to classroom teachers by Thursday, August 28. Students who complete the card are granted a highly coveted Out-of-Uniform Day on Friday, August 29.

Questions about Lower School summer reading? Email Tammy Wolford, Lower School Librarian.

Middle School 
Grades 5-8 students continue reading with varying levels of autonomy, depending on the grade. Please consult the individual grade-level LibGuides (linked below) for the different requirements. All four Middle School levels have a required book and choice books. The required books are:

Fifth Grade: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Sixth Grade: One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Seventh Grade: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Eighth Grade: Unbroken: An Olympian’s Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive (Adapted for Young Adults) by Laura Hillenbrand

Accelerated Reader (AR) tests can be taken on books read over the summer in the Moncrief Library on Wednesdays. All AR quizzes are due Wednesday, August 27. Please read the information on each grade-level page to understand the number of AR points required.

Questions about Middle School summer reading? Email Kim Gardner, Middle School Librarian.

Upper School 
Grades 9-12 students have three summer reading requirements: a universal book (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), a student choice book, and a grade-level required reading for English class. For the universal book, students will read the required short stories, complete an assigned journal, and participate in the Universal Book Program in the fall. Students will also participate in discussions related to the universal and student choice books during the school year. All summer work is due on the first day of school, Tuesday, August 19. 

Read each grade level’s LibGuide (Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12) for details on summer reading. 

Questions about Upper School summer reading? Email Sarah Blan, Upper School Librarian.

Faculty/Staff
Summer reading isn’t just for the students. FWCD faculty and staff will enjoy a good book as well! They are choosing from 11 books that cover a variety of genres. Middle School faculty and staff will read One Trusted Adult by Brooklyn Raney as a team. Faculty and staff connect to discuss their selected books during in-service time in August. For a complete listing of books for all grades and the Lower School Blackout Bingo cards, visit the 2025 Summer Reading LibGuide.

Library Hours
The William A. and Elizabeth B. Moncrief Library and Carolyn W. Fierer Library (Lower School) will be open this summer on Wednesdays beginning May 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both libraries will be closed on Wednesday, July 2. Please note that the Carolyn W. Fierer Library will only be accessible from the patio doors. There will not be someone sitting at the front desk to let families into the building.