YMS Liberal Arts The Saunterers Level
The Intermediate Readers

Join the YMS Liberal Arts Master Reading Program at the Saunterers’ Level and transform the way you read, think, and write. Master timeless literary works, sharpen your analytical skills, and build a strong foundation comparable to English literature education at elite colleges. A strong, disciplined habit of close reading is essential to all great thinking and writing.

Recommended for: Grades 7–12

What does “Saunterers” mean?

In our context, it refers to those who take pleasure in reading slowly and attentively. Reading stories and novels well requires patience, curiosity, and the habit of asking thoughtful, journalistic questions—why, when, how, and what. This kind of careful reading enables students to uncover nuance and depth, not just follow the plot or identify characters.

Read deeply
Explore Widely

Readers who rush through a novel of 300–350 pages in a day or two may grasp the storyline, but they’re likely to miss the layers of meaning that great literature offers. In our the Saunterers' Level, we don’t rush. We read deeply. We explore widely. We aim to capture as much nuance as possible—every detail, every turn of phrase, every implication.

How slowly do we read?

It depends on the text. We might spend five hours—or a month and a half—on a short story, fifteen hours on a novella, or thirty hours on a novel. We don’t set fixed deadlines for finishing a piece of literary work. Instead, we commit to reading closely
and thoughtfully, giving each story the time it deserves.

What about writing?

Students typically write one short literary response each month (150–250 words). The focus is on process over product: instructors guide students through multiple drafts, helping them revise thoughtfully from the initial draft to a polished final piece.

How long does the program last?

Great question! Some students have been reading with us for over ten years. But for a more practical answer—it depends on your learning goals. For
students in Grades 7–9, especially those who wish to study in English speaking countries for college, we typically recommend completing at least ten short stories (which usually takes about a year and a half) or two novels to build a strong foundation.

The Saunterers Reading List

This is a tentative list. We'll work on adding more stories, novellas, and novels to our list as we grow! There are thousands of great, great writings!

American literature

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Contemporary works

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (A graphic novel)

Short Stories

“The Pearl” by John Steinbeck

Stories by Ray Bradbury

“Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed.”
“All Summer in a Day.”
“A Sound of Thunder.”

Stories by Edgar Allan Poe

“The Fall of the House of Usher"
“The Masque of the Red Death”
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
“The Cask of Amontillado”
“Berenice”
“Ligeia”
“The Black Cat”

British literature

Animal Farm by George Orwell
1984 by Orwell
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

European Continental literature

The Stranger by Albert Camus
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
“Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka

Stories by the Brothers Grimm

“Hansel and Grethel”
“Rapunzel”
“Snow White”

Charles Perrault’s Fairy Tales

(17th century original fairy tales, NOT Disney adaptations!!)

“Blue Beard”
“Cinderilla”
“The Little Red Riding Hood”
“The Master Cat; or, Puss in Boots”
“The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”
“Beauty and the Beast” by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (1756)

YMS Liberal Arts The Saunterers Level The Intermediate Readers