Paly will offer new core English books next year, after the Palo Alto Board of Education approved the books at a meeting on Tuesday night.

The board approved Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, and Into Thin Air, also by Jon Krakauer, and allocated funds to buy each of the books.

Sophie’s World, a philosophy textbook presented in the form of a novel with a teenage protagonist, is currently used in the Humanities course at Paly.

While the Humanities classes currently use the book, the school does not supply enough copies for every student. Some students elect to buy their own copy of the book.

“We have so many students taking the class that we need to be able to access state funds,” English Instructional Supervisor and book selection committee chair Trinity Klein said.

The junior/senior elective course, “Reading Between the Lines,” will use Into the Wild to fulfill a nonfiction book requirement, according to Klein.

Freshman Critical Thinking I classes will pilot Into Thin Air as a core text next year. The selection committee chose the book because it is an example of accessible nonfiction, according to Klein.

Funds for the books will come from the state Instructional Materials Funding Realignment Program. The total cost for all three books is $3,390.91.

The next school board meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6, at the district office.