6-Month Reading Curriculum
Samson & Apollo
13 books each · 5-rotation framework · Shared copies where possible · April–September 2026
Schedule Overview
Samson reads a book first, then passes his copy to Apollo two slots later. Both boys are always reading simultaneously — different books, different rotations. One purchase covers both readings for shared books.
| Slot | Weeks | Samson (12) | Apollo (10) | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Wks 1–2 | Holes — Sachar R1 · Character Tracking |
Hoot — Hiaasen R1 · Character Tracking |
Holes Hoot |
| 02 | Wks 3–4 | Hatchet — Paulsen R2 · Scene Rewrite |
Holes — Sachar R2 · Scene Rewrite |
Hatchet |
| 03 | Wks 5–6 | The Outsiders — Hinton R3 · Prediction & Review |
Hatchet — Paulsen R3 · Prediction & Review |
The Outsiders |
| 04 | Wks 7–8 | To Kill a Mockingbird — Lee R4 · Thematic Response |
The Outsiders — Hinton R4 · Thematic Response |
To Kill a Mockingbird |
| 05 | Wks 9–10 | Freak the Mighty — Philbrick R5 · Creative Extension |
Ender’s Game — Card R5 · Creative Extension |
Freak the Mighty Ender’s Game |
| 06 | Wks 11–12 | The Curious Incident… — Haddon R1 · Character Tracking |
Freak the Mighty — Philbrick R1 · Character Tracking |
The Curious Incident |
| 07 | Wks 13–14 | The Lost World — Conan Doyle R2 · Scene Rewrite |
The Curious Incident… — Haddon R2 · Scene Rewrite |
The Lost World |
| 08 | Wks 15–16 | Of Mice and Men — Steinbeck R3 · Prediction & Review |
The Lost World — Conan Doyle R3 · Prediction & Review |
Of Mice and Men |
| 09 | Wks 17–18 | The Old Man and the Sea — Hemingway R4 · Thematic Response |
Twenty Thousand Leagues — Verne R4 · Thematic Response |
The Old Man and the Sea 20K Leagues |
| 10 | Wks 19–20 | Lord of the Flies — Golding R5 · Creative Extension |
CHERUB: The Recruit — Muchamore R5 · Creative Extension |
Lord of the Flies CHERUB |
| 11 | Wks 21–22 | Treasure Island — Stevenson R1 · Character Tracking |
Lord of the Flies — Golding R1 · Character Tracking |
Treasure Island |
| 12 | Wks 23–24 | The Call of the Wild — London R2 · Scene Rewrite |
Treasure Island — Stevenson R2 · Scene Rewrite |
The Call of the Wild |
| 13 | Wks 25–26 | My Side of the Mountain — George R3 · Prediction & Review |
The Maze Runner — Dashner R3 · Prediction & Review |
My Side of the Mountain The Maze Runner |
Books to Buy — By Month
18 books total instead of 26. Classic titles (Verne, London, Stevenson, Hemingway, Steinbeck) are available free as e-books via Project Gutenberg, or very cheaply secondhand.
- Holes — Louis Sachar
- Hoot — Carl Hiaasen
- Hatchet — Gary Paulsen
- The Outsiders — S.E. Hinton
- To Kill a Mockingbird — Harper Lee
- Freak the Mighty — Rodman Philbrick
- Ender’s Game — Orson Scott Card
- The Curious Incident… — Mark Haddon
- The Lost World — Arthur Conan Doyle
- Of Mice and Men — John Steinbeck
- The Old Man and the Sea — Hemingway
- Twenty Thousand Leagues — Jules Verne …
- Lord of the Flies — William Golding
- CHERUB: The Recruit — Muchamore
- Treasure Island — R.L. Stevenson …
- The Call of the Wild — Jack London …
- My Side of the Mountain — Jean George
- The Maze Runner — James Dashner
… Available free on Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org)
The 5 Rotations
Each book uses one rotation type. Across 13 books, every rotation appears 2–3 times. The Week 1 task (mid-book) always feeds directly into the Week 2 task — if Week 1 is rushed, Week 2 becomes significantly harder.
Character Tracking
Build an evidence log mid-book (three specific moments with quotes). Week 2: write a character essay using that log as your foundation.
Scene Rewrite
Identify the most important scene mid-book and justify why. Week 2: rewrite it entirely from a different character’s point of view.
Prediction & Review
Write three live prediction entries while reading the first half (dated, written as you go). Week 2: formal review structured around how your predictions played out.
Thematic Response
Find a moment involving a difficult moral choice mid-book. Week 2: thematic essay — what does the book say about a big idea, and has it changed how you think?
Creative Extension
Take World Notes mid-book: voice, tone, style, unanswered questions. Week 2: write a new scene that could genuinely belong inside the book.
Samson — Task Sheets
Age 12 · Strong comprehension · Push below the surface, require evidence, no vague impressions · Word targets reflect the challenge level of each book
Holes
Character Log: Stanley Yelnats
Find three specific moments from the first half. For each, write:
- What happened (2–3 sentences)
- What Stanley said or did in response
- One sentence on what this reveals about his character
- A short quote from the text to support your point
Is Stanley the same person he was at the start? What is changing inside him even when he doesn’t say so directly? He rarely complains — does that tell us something?
Character Essay: How does Stanley change, and why?
Using your three Week 1 moments as your opening evidence, write an essay answering: “How does Stanley change over the course of Holes, and what causes that change?”
- Open with a clear argument — not “In this essay I will…”
- Use all three Week 1 moments as evidence in the first half of your essay
- Add at least two more pieces of evidence from the second half
- End with your verdict: is Stanley’s transformation believable, and why?
Hatchet
Scene Identification
Choose the scene you believe is the most important in the first half. Write at least 150 words explaining:
- What happens in this scene
- Why it is the most important scene so far
- What would be different about Brian’s story if this scene had gone differently?
Every chapter in this book is essentially a survival decision. Which one changes Brian most fundamentally — not just what he does, but how he thinks?
Scene Rewrite: A Parent’s Point of View
Rewrite your chosen scene from the perspective of Brian’s mother or father. Remember: they have no idea what is happening to Brian. You are writing about what they are doing at roughly the same moment — a completely different scene, a different world.
- Capture their emotional state — worry, guilt, ordinary life carrying on
- Echo the tension from Brian’s version, even though their world looks entirely normal from the outside
- Make the gap between what Brian is experiencing and what his family can even imagine feel real
The Outsiders
Live Prediction Log
At three different points while reading the first half, stop and write a dated paragraph entry. Each entry must include:
- What has just happened
- Your prediction: what happens next, and why do you think so?
- One question you want the book to answer
Structured Book Review
Write a formal review of The Outsiders built around your predictions:
- Which predictions were right? Which were wrong?
- Where did Hinton surprise you most, and how?
- Make your argument: is this book worth reading, and who would it suit?
- Comment specifically on how convincingly Hinton writes about class and loyalty
S.E. Hinton wrote this at 16. Does knowing that change how you read it? Does it show in the writing, or not?
To Kill a Mockingbird
Moral Choice Analysis
Find a moment where Atticus faces a genuinely difficult confrontation or choice. Describe the situation fully, then answer each of these directly:
- What choice does Atticus make?
- Why do you think he makes it — what does it cost him?
- What would most people in his situation have done differently?
- What would you have done, honestly?
Thematic Essay: Moral Courage
Write an essay answering: “What does To Kill a Mockingbird argue about what it costs to do the right thing?”
- Use at least three specific moments from the text as evidence — do not summarise the plot, analyse it
- Address the question of what moral courage looks like when the people around you have different values
- End personally: has reading this book changed how you think about justice or courage in any way?
Freak the Mighty
World Notes
Write a detailed set of notes on how Philbrick has built this world and these characters. Cover:
- How do Max and Kevin speak differently from each other? Find examples.
- What details and images does the author keep returning to?
- What questions has he raised that haven’t been answered yet?
- How would you describe the tone — what does it feel like to read this book?
New Scene
Write a new scene that could slot into the book — between two real chapters, or alongside an event already in the story. Same characters, same world, same feel.
Could someone who has read the book believe this scene genuinely belongs there? Max and Kevin must sound like themselves — not like you.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Character Log: Christopher Boone
Find three moments that show something specific about how Christopher’s mind works. For each:
- Describe what happens
- Include a short quote of something Christopher says or thinks
- One specific sentence on what this reveals — not “he’s different” but something precise about how he sees the world
Christopher doesn’t describe emotions the way most narrators do. How does Haddon show us what Christopher feels even when Christopher doesn’t know he’s feeling it?
Essay: Reliable or Unreliable?
Write an essay answering: “Is Christopher Boone a reliable narrator? What does he notice that other characters would miss — and what does he miss that the reader can see?”
- Use at least four specific examples from the text
- Think about what the word “reliable” actually means for a narrator
- This essay requires you to think about the structure of the book itself, not just the story
The Lost World
Scene Identification
Choose a scene that matters — a discovery, a confrontation, or a pivotal decision. Write at least 150 words:
- What happens
- Why it matters for the expedition as a whole
- What would have changed if it had gone differently?
Scene Rewrite: Professor Challenger’s Point of View
Rewrite your chosen scene from Challenger’s perspective — arrogant, brilliant, convinced he is always right, and privately thrilled.
- How does he see the other characters — Malone, Roxton, Summerlee?
- What does he think they fail to understand?
- Try to capture his voice: self-important, theatrical, genuinely excited
Of Mice and Men
Live Prediction Log
Stop at three points in the first half and write a dated entry each time.
Review + Central Question
Write a review, then answer: “Is the ending of Of Mice and Men inevitable, or could it have gone differently?”
The Old Man and the Sea
The Key Decision
Find the moment where Santiago decides to keep fighting when it would be far easier and safer to let go.
Thematic Essay: Defeat and Dignity
Write an essay answering: “What does The Old Man and the Sea argue about what it means to lose?”
Lord of the Flies
World Notes
- What rules has the group established, and which ones are already breaking down?
- What two or three questions has the novel raised that you most want answered?
- What do you think “the beast” actually is?
New Scene
Write a scene that could slot into the novel from a different character’s perspective.
Treasure Island
Character Log: Long John Silver
Find three moments that reveal something specific about Silver’s real character.
Long John Silver is simultaneously charming and dangerous. How does Stevenson make the reader like someone they absolutely should not trust?
Essay: Villain, Survivor, or Something More Complicated?
Write an essay answering: “Is Long John Silver a villain? What does Treasure Island seem to say about the line between loyalty and self-interest?”
The Call of the Wild
Scene Identification
Find the scene that best represents what it has cost Buck to survive and adapt.
Scene Rewrite: The Human Observer
Rewrite your chosen scene from the perspective of one of the human characters. They can observe Buck, but cannot access what is inside his mind.
My Side of the Mountain
Live Prediction Log
Stop at three points in the first half and write a dated entry each time.
Review + Personal Response
Write a review, then address: “Sam Gribley chooses to live completely alone. Is this brave, foolish, or something else?”
Apollo — Task Sheets
Age 10 · Strong reader when engaged · Word targets are shorter but expectations for detail and specificity are high · Credit for genuine thinking, not length
Hoot
Character Log: Roy Eberhardt
Find three moments from the first half where Roy makes a choice. For each write:
- What happens (2–3 sentences)
- What Roy says or does
- One sentence: what this tells you about who Roy is
Character Essay
Write an essay answering: “How does Roy change in Hoot, and what makes him change?”
Holes
Scene Identification
Find the scene you think is most important in the first half.
Scene Rewrite: The Warden’s Point of View
Rewrite your chosen scene from the Warden’s perspective. She knows things the boys don’t.
Hatchet
Live Prediction Log
Stop at three points and write a dated paragraph each time.
Review Built on Your Predictions
Write a review of Hatchet structured around your three predictions.
The Outsiders
A Difficult Choice
Find a moment where a character faces a genuinely hard choice.
Thematic Essay: Loyalty
Write an essay answering: “What does The Outsiders say about what loyalty costs?”
Ender’s Game
World Notes
Write down everything Card has established about this world so far.
New Scene in Battle School
Write a new scene set in Battle School. Try to capture the pressure, isolation, and constant strategic thinking.
Freak the Mighty
Character Log: Kevin (Freak)
Find three moments from the first half. For each: what happens, what Kevin says or does, one sentence on what this reveals.
Character Essay
Write an essay answering: “How does Kevin change the way Max sees himself and the world?”
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Gap Between What Christopher Sees and What Is Really Happening
Find a scene where something is going on that Christopher doesn’t fully understand.
Scene Rewrite: Christopher’s Father
Rewrite your chosen scene from the father’s point of view.
The Lost World
Live Prediction Log
Stop at three points and write a dated entry each time.
Review + Jurassic Park Connection
Write a review, then answer: “How did Arthur Conan Doyle influence Jurassic Park?”
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
A Choice That Surprises You
Find a moment where Captain Nemo does something that surprises you.
Thematic Essay: Freedom
Write an essay answering: “What does Captain Nemo believe about freedom — and is he actually free?”
CHERUB: The Recruit
World Notes
What are the rules of CHERUB — both official and unofficial?
New Mission
Write a new CHERUB mission briefing and opening scene.
Lord of the Flies
Character Log: Ralph
Find three moments from the first half showing Ralph under pressure.
Character Essay
Write an essay answering: “How does Ralph change as the boys’ society falls apart?”
Treasure Island
Scene Identification
Find the scene that you think is the most exciting or most important so far.
Scene Rewrite: Long John Silver’s Mind
Rewrite your chosen scene from Long John Silver’s point of view.
The Maze Runner
Live Prediction Log
Stop at three points and write a dated entry each time.
Review + Technique Question
Write a review, then address: “The Maze Runner keeps the reader in the dark almost as much as Thomas himself. Is this a good technique, or does it become frustrating?”