Bear Necessities carries a full line of Ursuline logo items and casual clothing to show your school spirit.

In addition to in-store purchase, orders may be placed by phone 469-232-3581, or by email to Rachel Brewer. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

Shop Bear Online

Each class has two required books:

English I & I-H

• Belonging by Nora Krug
• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

English II

• Antigone by Sophocles trans. by Diane J. Rayor
• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevado

English II-H

• The Awakening by Kate Chopin
• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

English III

• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

AP Language & Composition

• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

English IV: Hope

• Enchantment by Katherine May
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

English IV: Telling Truth, Telling Fiction

• The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make us Human by Jonathan Gottschall
• Circe by Madeline Miller

English IV: Literary Engineering

• Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
• The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler

AP Literature & Composition

• Piranesi by Susannah Clarke
• The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Summer School Booklist

The summer school booklist is now available.

Please read carefully before ordering textbooks.

Ursuline handles all books in-house. All books will be available in Bear Necessities. Here are a few pointers for how/where to find books:

Please wait to purchase textbooks until you have received your daughter’s schedule.

• Some items will say “access will be given by instructors.” Those are online books/programs the school has bought, and your student’s charge account will be charged. You don’t have to do anything; she will get access when she goes to class. You should see the cost for most of these items on the list. These are all online licenses; there is no hardcover book – if you would also like an actual book, in most cases Rachel Brewer in Bear Necessities can order one for your student for an additional charge.
• For new families, your student has a charge account already set up in Bear Necessities. She can come into the store and buy supplies, books, snacks, spirit wear, etc. using her school ID number. You can see detailed statements in MyBackpack. Students can also use cash, credit/debit cards, Apply/Google pay.
• Bear Necessities will carry all books that are listed on the booklist, and there are a few used options. If you want to look at other sites for used options, please make sure you are ordering the correct edition of that particular book.
• Bear will be open for in-person shopping during the Texas Tax-Free Weekend, August 11-13, 2023. You are welcome to come shop, or you can send Rachel Brewer in Bear Necessities an email with what you need, and she can get it pulled and ring it on your student’s charge account so that she can pick it up during orientation. If you choose to have Bear Necessities pull your order, please include your daughter's name and ID number in your email. Bear Necessities will only be taking email orders through Saturday, August 12, 2023. After that, students can visit Bear Necessities to shop.
• Bear hours for Tax-Free Weekend (located next to Haggerty Library):
  • Friday, August 11, 2023 | 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, August 12, 2023 | 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, August 13, 2023 | 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.

2023-2024 Master Booklist

Textbooks will be available through the Ursuline book store beginning early August 2023.

Other notes:

• Please wait to purchase textbooks until you have received your daughter’s schedule and the booklist is posted. 
• Some items will say “access will be given by instructors.” Those are online books/programs the school has bought, and your student’s charge account will be charged. You don’t have to do anything; she will get access when she goes to class.

The bookstore compiles the Ursuline Academy booklist for each school year. Parents should purchase both first and second semester books at one time. Some of the required books and supplies are available exclusively at Bear Necessities. The English Department requires that all paperback novels be purchased new. Bear Necessities stocks all of the required paperback novels for English classes.

2023-2024 Master Booklist