The Aquinas Classical Academy
Summer Read
2021-2022
Rosemary Sutcliff (1920-1992) was a beloved and award-winning British novelist of children’s literature, young adult literature, and compelling historical fiction. Disabled from childhood by Still’s disease, Sutcliff’s physical handicap led her to an incredible devotion to the pursuits of the mind. Inspired by the legends and fairytales her mother would read to her as a child, Sutcliff went on to publish both original fiction and retellings of such great tales as Beowulf, the King Arthur Cycle, The Iliad, and The Odyssey. In total, she has written over fifty books that are perfect for, as she put it, “all children aged eight to eighty-eight”. For more information, there is a great summary of her life and work on Rosemarysutcliff.com.
Sutcliff’s novels are included in the Educational Plan of the St. Jerome Academy, which is endorsed by the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education. They are also recommended by Christine Vincent, the founder of BooksforCatholicKids.org. Two of Rosemary Sutcliff’s novels have been chosen for ACA’s summer reading requirements:
For the freshmen: Black Ships Before Troy, a prose re-telling of The Iliad.
For the sophomores: The Eagle of the Ninth, the first book of her famous Roman Britain Trilogy set in the second century AD.
While these novels are generally recommended for middle school, I am confident that they will be a perfect stepping-stone into our classical high school curriculum. For the freshmen, a prose retelling of The Iliad will give students exposure to Homer’s story before we tackle the lofty ancient verse as one of our first texts in Literature class. For the sophomores, The Eagle of the Ninth will place us in Britain near the beginning of our historical timeline in the early Christian world. It follows the legend of the Roman Ninth Legion, who mysteriously marched into the mists of Northern Britain and never returned.
I am so excited to begin this journey with the first students of Aquinas Classical Academy. In the meantime, enjoy your summer and happy reading!
Sarah Jarosik
Teacher of Literature
Aquinas Classical Academy
Summer Read
2021-2022
Rosemary Sutcliff (1920-1992) was a beloved and award-winning British novelist of children’s literature, young adult literature, and compelling historical fiction. Disabled from childhood by Still’s disease, Sutcliff’s physical handicap led her to an incredible devotion to the pursuits of the mind. Inspired by the legends and fairytales her mother would read to her as a child, Sutcliff went on to publish both original fiction and retellings of such great tales as Beowulf, the King Arthur Cycle, The Iliad, and The Odyssey. In total, she has written over fifty books that are perfect for, as she put it, “all children aged eight to eighty-eight”. For more information, there is a great summary of her life and work on Rosemarysutcliff.com.
Sutcliff’s novels are included in the Educational Plan of the St. Jerome Academy, which is endorsed by the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education. They are also recommended by Christine Vincent, the founder of BooksforCatholicKids.org. Two of Rosemary Sutcliff’s novels have been chosen for ACA’s summer reading requirements:
For the freshmen: Black Ships Before Troy, a prose re-telling of The Iliad.
For the sophomores: The Eagle of the Ninth, the first book of her famous Roman Britain Trilogy set in the second century AD.
While these novels are generally recommended for middle school, I am confident that they will be a perfect stepping-stone into our classical high school curriculum. For the freshmen, a prose retelling of The Iliad will give students exposure to Homer’s story before we tackle the lofty ancient verse as one of our first texts in Literature class. For the sophomores, The Eagle of the Ninth will place us in Britain near the beginning of our historical timeline in the early Christian world. It follows the legend of the Roman Ninth Legion, who mysteriously marched into the mists of Northern Britain and never returned.
I am so excited to begin this journey with the first students of Aquinas Classical Academy. In the meantime, enjoy your summer and happy reading!
Sarah Jarosik
Teacher of Literature
Aquinas Classical Academy