Teachers, or anybody who went to high school
Forums:
What are some books that you read in high school that would be appropriate for kids of today?
Or if any current / recent teachers or related professionals are available to chime in - what do/ would you recommend?
Here's my TMI of why I'm asking: My teenager is homeschooling this year. He attended a private, alternative school 7th thru 9th grade,
a school which doesn't use assigned reading lists. (Do we have a "roll the eyes" emoticon? I know, I know. Believe me lol)
So anyways! a few months ago at the start of the school year I made a list of books for him to read. Books that are or will become part of
mainstream culture - that most people he meets (if they went to public school in the US) will have read.
In particular, I'm talking about fiction - the books that the typical English teacher would have the kids read.
Anyway to start with, I made a list of books I remembered me & my cohorts were assigned to read
when we were his age (back in the early 70s) - and were on the reading lists when my older kids (both of whom graduated from HS in the last 10 years) were his age....
So yeah, back when I was making our lesson plan, I ordered a bunch of books from this list - to dole out to him one-by-one as assignments (in our teacher & student relationship). I've got him reading Catcher in the Rye at this point and he's not getting into it, thinks it's boring, a chore. The Outsiders wasn't really of interest to him, either.
He'd rather read stuff by Ray Bradbury, who I also read when I was a kid, but I don't think it was as assignments from school? He's already reading
The Electric Koolaid Acid Test but that's part of our social studies curriculum, .
Initially I was planning to have him read 1984 once he's done slogging thru CITR but this morning it occurred to me:
I don't have the heart to do it. It's too late to assign that, and Animal Farm - and I'm glad he already read Anne Frank .... because I feel that
assigning books of that nature to kids, is inappropriate in these times ---- would be like rubbing salt in a wound.
Any suggestions of upbeat, yet scholarly fiction for young readers? If you have children in 7th thru 10th grade, what are they bringing home to read
for school? (Or, if you are a child in 7th thru 10th grade haha)
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
Is "Tom Sawyer", or related
Is "Tom Sawyer", or related Mark Twain, for kids younger than yours? "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court".
Or maybe "The Once and Future King"
Tom Steinbeck can be a bit heavy (I read just about all of them, growing up in Steinbeck Country). I like "Travels with Charlie" - a great road trip book - but that may not be considered "classic enough."
I liked "The Great Gatsby".
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Jackstraw
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
A Tale of Two Cities
Macbeth
Fahrenheit 451
As I Lay Dying
Wise Blood
Tickets Please and The Rocking Horse Winner
Moby Dick
The Foundation Trilogy - by Asimov
A Day in the Life of Ivan Denison itch
In Cold Blood
The Ox Bow Incident
The Lottery
To Kill a Mockingbird
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
Great list, Fafa.
Great list, Fafa.
I LOVED the Ox Bow Incident when I was young.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: RIK
Fear and Loathing on the
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail.
Might be an interesting comparison to this last campaign.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
Is "The Maltese Falcon" age
Is "The Maltese Falcon" age-appropriate?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
The Handmaid's Tale should be
The Handmaid's Tale should be required reading these days.
Any Carl Hiaasen (Florida only)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: cb
Catcher in the Rye
Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
Sometimes a Great Notion
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
A People's History of the
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html
1984 by George Orwell (Sales have increased since Trump's inauguration.)
http://fortune.com/2017/01/24/1984-george-orwell-best-seller-list/
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
(My dad introduced me to Vonnegut with this book when I was in 8th grade.)
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
(The protagonist is a 13 year old boy.)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
It's not a book, but "The Emperor's New Clothes" should be required reading for everyone in 2017.
http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: justdance
Thank you zonerz you're so
Thank you zonerz you're so coool
Keep 'em coming!
Fafa: Fahrenheit 451 was the first (grown-up) book he read of his own volition.
I didn't like it so much as I did the first time reading it many years ago. (Obviously I have to read, or re-read, everything I assign for him to read.)
It's weird - my son & I are like opposites in this way; I've always been a compulsive reader since teaching myself to read at the age of 2 (literally haha - nowadays they'd call me hyperlexic - which is not a compliment, but in those days I was a cool parlor trick)....
Because I'm constantly obsessed with reading, and virtually always reading something unless I'm dancing, driving, cooking or something that prevents reading safely --- it's hard for me to relate to the part of him that sees reading as a boring, endless chore that he would rather be doing almost anything else but that.
Seems most of us here at ze viva can read, and do so voluntarily. Did anyone here start out like that -- not enjoying it, thinking of reading as work that has to be gotten out of the way (instead of being the end goal of down time)? Or have we all always liked to read, recreationally?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jon
fahrenheit 451
fahrenheit 451
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Tim
Fear and Loathing in Las
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
I just re-read Uncle Tom's
I just re-read Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Could be one of the most important books ever written in North America.
Slavery wasn't all that long ago; there are still MAJOR undercurrents of our society which have been shaped by such ... my 85 year old uncle has recently held an infant in his arms. An 82 year old who may have held my uncle as an infant in their arms would've been old enough to fight in the Civil War.
Getting back to UTC: I recall it having an impact when I read it in high school, but at 47 it was much more illuminating. Likewise, I was able to much better stick through the parts where the dialects were transcribed into words. Regardless, I believe it ought to be required reading for everyone in U.S. before they graduate hs.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
As to "scholary fiction":
As to "scholary fiction": Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett) ... might be considered 'historical fiction'
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: aiq
Port Huron Statement
Port Huron Statement
http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/huron.html
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: charmskooldropout
"The Jungle" by Upton
"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ
Great lists, everyone!
Great lists, everyone!
Adding....
Anything by Hemingway, because it's an example of good writing structure. I enjoyed A Moveable Feast the most, I think.
Grapes of Wrath
Shakespeare's play Henry V (then you can have him watch Kenneth Branaugh's film after completing the play)
For fun, anything by Roald Dahl -- he wrote quite of few humorous novels meant for adults.
Has he already read all of Tolkein?
The Little Prince
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn -- here's a website that helps people teach the book, too. https://zinnedproject.org/
The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Poetry by WB Yeats, Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda,
Any of these titles by James Joyce: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/ireland/articles/the-7-best-books-by-james-joyce/
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - 100 years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera
The Iliad and The Odyssey... here's why.. http://www.necessaryprose.com/homerbasics.htm
The Prince, by Machiavelli
The Elements of Style, by Strunk & White
This has been fun to think about books... but because I actually need to get some work done today, I'll leave you w/ this awesome resource, The Open Syllabus Project, which collects and aggregates reading lists from major universities from around the world. http://explorer.opensyllabusproject.org/
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
Brightday,
Brightday,
I've never been terribly motivated to read books. It continues to be low on my "to do" list to this date. However, once I start a book, I often get quite caught up in the story (or information, when it comes to non-fiction).
I'm not sure why that is, but I'd much rather listen to music, go for hikes, or just lie down and relax.
Strange, I know.
BTW: When I was young, I also loved reading just about all of the Studs Terkel books and "The White Album" by Joan Didion. Not to mention "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: roland
Brave New World
Brave New World
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
>>>The Little Prince
>>>The Little Prince
That reminds me: I enjoyed "Night Flight" as well.
How about "A Wrinkle in Time"?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
> have we all always liked to
> have we all always liked to read, recreationally?
I got turned onto reading before I got introduced to dope and I consider deep reading to be my favorite non-chemical psychedelic experience, and it's surpassed only by writing.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: always
>>>Any suggestions of upbeat,
>>>Any suggestions of upbeat, yet scholarly fiction for young readers?
i hated the majority of fiction then, and i still do, oddly.
The Long Walk
To Kill a Mockingbird
Looking for Alaska
Sold
The Peregrine
Illiad - should be read often
----------
read first, to detetmine if okay for YOUR 9th grader.
Lincoln in Bardo
How to Get Filthy RIch in Rising Asia
Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemmingway
THe Conquest of New Spain
Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Jackstraw
I've been reading for fun
I've been reading for fun since 2nd grade. I read part of a book every day as I enjoy it so much. I've struggled to get my kids to read as well. They do the required stuff for school but reading doesn't seem to bring them the same joy as it does to me. Could be the age we live in with all the technology. It's funny because technology has increased my reading as I have a new book on my kindle in ten minutes as opposed to going to the library or book store.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: always
my 8 year never stops reading
my 8 year never stops reading, and has started recording 5 minutes video book reviews he wants me to post on you tube.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
My 14 y.o. son is a voracious
My 14 y.o. son is a voracious reader. Loves nonfiction much more than fiction, but has no trouble reading fiction as well.
9 y.o. daughter gets engrossed in books as well.
They both get that from my wife's family.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: fish
"No one here gets out alive"
"No one here gets out alive" and "up and down with the rolling stones" got passed around a lot in the late 70s
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: fish
I very briefly googled the
I very briefly googled the Jim Morrison book I mentioned above, before i posted, just to make sure I remembered the title correctly
Less than 15 minutes later, it's showing up for sale on my facebook feed
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alias
First, if he likes Ray
First, if he likes Ray Bradbury he will probably like 1984 and I can't think of a better time to read it. Not sure what reading level he is on, I read some of these before high school, others not til college, but all are age appropriate.
Grapes of Wrath
The Old Man and the Sea
Lord of the Flies
To Kill a Mockingbird
Siddartha
Slaughterhouse Five
The Hobbit
Kon-Tiki
Short stories in general can be good because they don't require quite as much attention or commitment, and you can cover a lot of different ideas and styles. On the other hand, there is value in being engaged over a longer story.
For short stories, I highly recommend Flannery O'Conner "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" and you can't go wrong with O. Henry. Or a book like this, which is not just an intro to literature but also a history lesson and a lot of ripping good tales. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3827965-great-american-short-stories
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: I rang a silent bell
Some great books and
Some great books and suggestions listed here, I remember reading many of those in high school. A+
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ
Lord of the Flies and
Lord of the Flies and Siddartha, YES!!! Forgot about those.
I have one of the Great American Short Stories anthologies and yes, agree that short stories are a great way to engage young and old readers w/ short attention spans. :)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: steve.m
i had The Outsiders to read
i had The Outsiders to read in 9th grade , got through the first tree pages and thought it was garbage, could not continue ..... stole a Brothers Karamazov and read that in class instead and got the big fat F.... then i revolted , went to my classes and barely passed HS as I just would read what I wanted ....mainly russian novels in high school whole ton of history books too , big thick 800 page books ......they pissed me off and thus shitty education and no college ......screw it , im old now , doesnt matter .... I can read and teach myself ... FOR FREE ...any time ... on my terms
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: My Name is
Animal Farm
Animal Farm
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Did someone already mention
Did someone already mention One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest? A great book and accessible for teens.
I also love The Sea Wolf by Jack London. Another excellent psychological story that's also an adventure story and an easy read that holds a teens attention.
I second One Day In the Life Of Ivan Denisovich. For teens I like books that aren't too dense or wordy, have lots of action and still tell a thoughtful tale with interesting and varying characters. One Day is just a brilliant story IMO.
Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut were favorites of mine as a teen.
Kite Runner is a more recent book that's great IMO for teens.
I liked On The Beach and Alas, Babylon for post-apocalypse stories.
I think Catch-22 is one of the greatest books ever written, but it can be a bit far out for teens. Still I think the language and humor in that book are just amazing, so for me there's never anything wrong with digging into Yossarian and his story.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: schwarzer peter
moonchild - a. crowley
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
Stranger in a Strange Land,
Stranger in a Strange Land, Heinlein
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: August West
I would think for the age
I would think for the age/grades your speaking of some of the above would be perfect.
Catcher in the Rye
Lord of the Flies
On the Road
The Jungle
And when they are older definitely Great Expectations. One of the only books I actually read in High School! Lol
Dickens wrote it for a weekly publication for a year. That's why it's so damn long at 52 chapters.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: My Name is
Some free audible books with
Some free audible books with a 30 day trial, lots of the books mentioned are on here
http://www.audible.com/t2/title?asin=B002V5H6F4&source_code=MSNDG9006WS1...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Probable Cosby
Johnny Got His Gun
Johnny Got His Gun
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Patch of Blue
Black Like Me
The Great Gatsby
The Sun Also Rises
Old man and the Sea
Tortilla Flat
Of Mice and Men
Harrison Bergeron
The Good Earth
Catcher in the Rye
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Source
Mila 18
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: My Name is
I was into the Whole Earth
I was into the Whole Earth Catalog and Steal this Book back in the day
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Here's what I'd first ask:
Here's what I'd first ask: What is important to him? Relationships, social justice, sex, the environment, war, peace, whatever.
Once I knew that, I'd put together a book list that follows a certain theme. It gives the books connections and context.
I get that he didn't like "The Outsiders." In fact, many of my students didn't - at first. When put into a greater context of "stereotypes," and with appropriate questions, the book comes alive. It also leads to great learning on racism and prejudice, as well as stereotype threat. From there, To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men become natural progressions.
Dystopian novels are always great: The Hunger Games trilogy, The Giver, etc.
A two book series that everyone loves is Alabama Moon and Dirt Road Home, by Watt Key.
And don't forget short stories!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: |-|/-\|_|_
>>>He'd rather read stuff by
>>>He'd rather read stuff by Ray Bradbury
smart lad
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Don't forget to let him read
Don't forget to let him read a book, watch the movie and then do a critical analysis of the film interpretation: plot, characters, what was left out and added, why?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: always
i feel like i am the only one
i feel like i am the only one who incorporated any books from this century.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
No, I also did.
No, I also did.
What do you expect? Most everyone is giving their HS reading lists, and that was back in the last century.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: good at drinking water
Stranger in a Strange Land -
Stranger in a Strange Land - Heinlein
Dune - Herbert
1984 - Orwell
Rise & Fall of the 3rd reich - Shirer
Europe (a history) - Norman Davies
A Fire in the Deep - Vinge
A Deepness in the Sky - Vinge
1632 - Eric Flint