I am in a young adult literature class, and I am required to read 30 young adult novels this semester, 15 of which are required by the professor. I would like (naturally) to choose the sorts of books that will be most valuable to me as a teacher.
So, Jatraqueros, what would you recommend? I'd like to move away from sf/fantasy, since that's what I read most already. The requirements are that these books must be marketed toward and intended by the author for a teenage readership. Usually the main characters are a couple of years older than the intended audience. Lemony Snicket is too young; OSC intends an adult audience, even though most of his readership is younger, so he doesn't count either. These don't have to be amazing, I just need a lot of suggestions. I'll look other places too, but I thought this would be a good place to start.
*braces herself for 2–3 books a week*
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
What are the 15 you are already having to read? I can only think of the Paul Zindel classics. Pigman. My Darling my Hamburger. Italicization skipped on purpose.
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
Jennifer Armstrong, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World Bruce Brooks, The Moves Make the Man Chris Crowe, From the Outside Looking In (my instructor) Chris Crutcher, Running Loose Paul Fleischman, Whirligig Karen Hesse, Out of the Dust S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders Lois Lowry, The Giver Walter Dean Myers, The Monster Louis Sachar, Holes Graham Salisbury, Blue Skin of the Sea Gary Soto, Buried Onions Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Virginia Euwer Wolff, Make Lemonade Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
Are these supposed to be "literature" (from a young adult perspective, ie The Giver, Out of the Dust, etc.) literature, or books that are fun and people like to read?
My lists are going to be dramatically different demending on the answer.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
The guy who wrote I Want to Go Home and all the books about that boy's school in Canada. MacKenzie Hall or something like that. Now my mind's gone completely blank.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I've only heard of three of those ( The Outsiders , Holes and possibly the Giver but that title is rather amorphous. What about some classics? I guess at 2 or 3 a week you will probably shy away from really thick books.
Posted by Polly (Member # 6044) on :
Brian Jacques is always a favorite, although I suppose he writes mostly fantasy.
Scott O'Dell's books are historical fiction and very good. Island of the Blue Dolphin Streams to the River, River to the Sea
Lois Lowry is an obvious choice. The Giver Number the Stars
Ellen Emerson White writes more for older teens, with more "edgy" topics. Long Live the Queen is a novel about the daughter of the first female president of the US, and her abduction and rescue. The Road Home is a novel about a nurse who served in Vietnam and her (and her family's) struggles adjusting once she came home.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
It reminds me of those...um, what were they called? Sunshine. Sunshine State, I think it was.....where they picked a bunch of books for you to read. The old lists have to be around here somewhere.
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
The Hatchet, Gary Paulson
Just one that I remember really liking while in 4th or 5th grade.
Posted by MattB (Member # 1116) on :
William Sleator. Alas, he's mostly sci-fi. Read him anyway. Particularly House of Stairs, The Green Futures of Tycho, and Singularity.
Avi is good - Nothing But the Truth, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - but you probably already know that.
One of my friends absolutely loves The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Jerry Spinelli.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Wow -- I've read almost everything that my "young adult" kids brought home to read (back when they were reading young adult books) and I've not heard of MOST of those on your mandatory list. Except "The Giver" -- I liked that.
Polly -- I also read "Long Live the Queen" (my daughter was reading it) and although it is a good story, it is a little disturbing (depending on the age of the kid) and it uses the "f***" word in a couple of places. So I don't know if she will be using that as a teacher....
Farmgirl
Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
I would second Hatchet, but I've been forced to read that book so many times that I can barely stand the sight of it anymore. If you do like that, though, you could read the sequels The River and Brian's Winter.
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
I didn't exactly like The River, but I did like Brians Winter.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
Even though I hated Gary Paulson I think you have to have read at least one book by him in order to call yourself knowledgable in young adult literature. The fact that he's not on your required list bothers me somewhat.
Posted by Ryan Hart (Member # 5513) on :
NO SCOTT O'DELL
He is the WORST WRITER EVER I warn you, DON'T READ ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS or SING DOWN THE MOON.
Read the Giver. I really liked that book.
Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
I thought both of the Hatchet sequels were super-forgettable. I just recommended 'em as fillers so you can finish your list with a progressive story, rather than having to fill, what I assume to be, your last week with three completely different, unrelated stories.
Anyway, wouldn't Tolkien be considered Young Adult? That's where they're found in my library, anyway.
[ January 06, 2004, 05:27 PM: Message edited by: Da_Goat ]
Posted by Javert Hugo (Member # 3980) on :
I LOVED Island of the Blue Dolphins.
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Ditto. Maybe Ryan wasn't able to read at that level until he was 28, at which age it may be less enjoyable.
Posted by amira tharani (Member # 182) on :
Tamora Pierce? Lois Duncan was a favourite of mine at that age - try "Daughters of Eve." Benjamin Zephaniah's novel "Face" is brilliant. I wonder if "The Scholar" by Courtitia Newland would be "young adult" fiction - it certainly has teenage central characters... but it's marketed as Black British fiction... anyways it's an amazing book and would be ideal if you're thinking of teaching. I didn't really read much specifically YA fiction when I was that age, so that's my lot, I'm afraid...
Posted by Possum (Member # 2549) on :
I agree, blacwolve, that it is curious Paulsen is not on the list.
I might suggest Animal Farm, George Orwell.
I almost read Inside Out, Terry Trueman. Anyone who has might comment on its acceptability.
Star Girl, Jerry Spinelli (sp?)
edited for clarity.
[ January 06, 2004, 05:40 PM: Message edited by: Possum ]
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
What about Caroline B. Cooney books? The Face on the Milk Carton was one I read when I was young.
Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett Harry Potter? by J.K. Rowling Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, Donna Diamond
Edit to Add: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'engle The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman Heidi by Johanna Spyri Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott Narnia by C. S. Lewis Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Edit to add: The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (perhaps too young? I don't remember) Missing May by Cynthia Rylant Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Peter Macnicol The Whipping Boy by John Byrne Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
I bolded the ones I remember really loving
Hmmm... Lord of the Flies?
[ January 06, 2004, 06:19 PM: Message edited by: Jaiden ]
Posted by kwsni (Member # 1831) on :
I LOVED My Side of the Mountain in fourth or fifth grade. Hatchet too, but didn't like that nearly as much. I was also flying through the Black Stallion books about that time, along with Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I read Chronicles of Narnia then, too. And all the Margurite(sp?) Henry books, Misty of Chincoteauge especially. The American Girl series were in there somewhere, too.
edit: YES, Jaids! The Little Princess was beautiful. I have a hardcover copy that I intend to read to my daughter someday.
Ni!
[ January 06, 2004, 05:51 PM: Message edited by: kwsni ]
Posted by Polly (Member # 6044) on :
My Daniel Pam Conrad Midwife's Apprentice Karen Cushman The Boggart Susan Cooper A Long Way From Chicago Richard Peck Because of Winn-Dixie Kate DiCamillo The Summer of My German Soldier and Morning is a Long Time Coming Bette Greene The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 Christopher Paul Curtis
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
More books that probably don't need the title italicized: Six months to live, So much to live for. I think the original one was I'm 16 and I don't want to die. I didn't read them. I'm just being a grinch.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: The guy who wrote I Want to Go Home and all the books about that boy's school in Canada. MacKenzie Hall or something like that. Now my mind's gone completely blank.
Afr means Gordon Korman. Some of his books are for children, others for young adults. All are hilarious.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
Lyddie, Katharine Paterson
I agree with Ryan, I hated Scott O'Dell, too. But I still think you should read him, since he's another one of those authors that are must-reads.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond, I don't remember who wrote it, but I read it for the first time this year, and was so mad I hadn't been introduced to it earlier.
In that vein, we read The Crucible in seventh grade, so I think it would fit in your range.
I second whoever said Tamora Pierce
We also read Dune and 1984 in seventh grade, both of I resent slightly because I wasn't nearly ready to read them. I reread Dune recently, and I got so much more out of it the second time.
The Hobbit
Narnia
A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears and The Man in the Ceiling Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
From the ones that have been mentioned so far, I second The Phantom Tollbooth above all others!
Also, you might want to consider All of A Kind Family, by Sidney Taylor... there are five of them, and they're fabulous!
Also, The Princess Diaries, by Meg Cabot, are fun... and The Cricket in Times Square, but I don't remember who wrote it.
There are a whole bunch more, but those are all I can name off the top of my head.
And, incidentally, I would like to second whoever's statement it was who said that Island of the Blue Dolphins is not an enjoyable read, I quite agree, I didn't like it at all.
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
The reason the list is so weird is because the professor was trying to pick books that are important to know about but that few people in the class would have already read. The other 15 books we're supposed to NOT have read in the past 10 years.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Mr. Was by Pete Hautmann. Still one of my favorite books.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (perhaps too young? I don't remember)
Definately not young adult. This is a children's series, with children characters.
Some of my favourites that haven't already been mentioned:
Skellig by David Almond is amazing, beautiful. Others by David Almond are also really good. Is fantasyish though- magic and mystery in the real world.
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George is (as it says on the cover) "the classic story of wilderness survival. However, it's self-inflicted solitude, rather than the Hatchet 'desperate survival' type.
Someone mentioned The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman. Personally, I like Catherine Called Birdy (by the same author) better, although they're both brilliant.
Posted by Tresopax (Member # 1063) on :
What counts as young adult fiction?
Does it have to be something young adults would like but wouldn't pass as an adult book? Or would Ender's Game count?
Posted by ae (Member # 3291) on :
Can I assume you've read Neil Gaiman's Coraline? Is that considered too young? How about The Wild Road?
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
I suggest anything that's over 150 pages by Gary Paulson.
Hobbes Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Dragons on the Waters, A Ring of Endless Light, and House Like A Lotus by Madeleine L’Engle.
My 14 year-old neighbors are reading Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and seem to like it. I haven’t read it yet. The cover blurb is funny, though.
Posted by ak (Member # 90) on :
Walk Two Moons (I forget the author) Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare Little Women or anything else by Louisa May Alcott Mrs. Mike (again I don't know the author)
Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
I remember Mrs. Mike I think, I didn't like it at all.
What about Z for Zachariah, The Scarlet Pimpernel and Hope was Here? I don't remember who any of them are by but the author of Hope was Here wrote a bunch of other good stuff...
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
A Wrinkle in Time.
All Harry Potter books.
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster
There are many excellent Lois Lowry books. Same for Madeleine L'Engle.
[ January 06, 2004, 08:46 PM: Message edited by: Ela ]
Posted by GZ (Member # 6077) on :
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls The Cay by Theodore Taylor The House Of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (I still love this one) Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
[ January 06, 2004, 08:48 PM: Message edited by: GZ ]
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
Let's see... The Cay, Bridge to Terabithia, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry have already been mentioned...
Homecoming, by Cynthia Voigt The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier The Chosen, by Chaim Potok The Incredible Journey, by Sheila Burnford The Red Pony, by John Steinbeck Shane, by Jack Schaefer The Light in the Forest, by Conrad Richter
I guess if you're trying to avoid speculative fiction then Lewis' Narnia series and Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain are probably out. Madeline L'Engle, too. Maybe too young anyway.
Posted by Maethoriell (Member # 3805) on :
How to Kill a Mockingbird The Chosen by Potok [I/] The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman[/I]
[/i]House Across the Cove[/i] [/i]Sabriel[/i] was really good.
Don't bother with the Harry Potter books. Most good literature classes don't really study it but have it for fun reading. Right now I'm reading Forgotten Fire by Bagdasarian. It's depressing but I still have to read it.
Dreamland is a good teenage book because it's about teenagers/relationships. I just finished it and couldn't stop relating myself to some feelings from the girl in the book.
Island of the Blue Dolphins *yawn*..
The Giver Sarah, Plain and Tall Bridge to Terabithia Aren't those more for elementary?
hehe teen power!
Posted by Jill (Member # 3376) on :
Salt in the Snow by Rukshana Smith Beauty by Robin McKinley (I absolutely love this book) Anything by Roald Dahl. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech Granny the Pag by Nina Gordon Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli Mick Harte was Here by Barbara Park
Posted by Human (Member # 2985) on :
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley Ender's Game by OSC Welcome to the Ark by Stephanie Tolan The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling Dune by Frank Herbert The View From Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg Foundation by Isaac Asimov Catherine Called Birdy Catherine Cushman
Those are just a few.
Posted by Toretha (Member # 2233) on :
Witch of Blackbird Pond by I Elizabeth George Speare
Laura Ingalls Wilder books, though those may be too young-I know the first one is, but they get less simplistic as the series goes on.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
I second everything written down wholeheartly with one exception. I loved The Chosen, after I finished it I wasn't sure I would ever be able to read anything again, because I didn't think anything could come after Potok. However, judging from the age level that the books on your list are aimed toward, I think The Chosen is much too advanced. Certainly read it but I think a 12-15 year-old (the ages I presume your list is geared towards, though we read those books in school when we were 10-13) would be bored by it, rather than fall in love with it. I'm sure that would have been my reaction if I had read it at that age, and then I would have been deprived of Potok forever, because I never would have read anything by him again. /rant
Sorry for the rant, I've just noticed this with a lot of books I read in elementary and middle school. I just wasn't ready to read them, and I wish my teachers had held off and let me discover them when I was capable of understanding them.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Everyone already took mine! And I was so excited to reccommend them
Anne Kate - Calico Captive was my absolute favorite. I actually read it in 3rd grade. Good, good stuff.
And whoever mentioned Z for Zacariah - that was freaky. It was one of my favorites too.
And Lois Lowry is good, she also has a great one called A Summer to Die.
On the fluffier side, my favorite series in 5th and 6th grade was Lois Lowry's Anastasia series. I forget the name of the first book, but the first one I read was All About Sam. good, good stuff.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Oh, and the other good one by Elizabeth George Speare is The Sign of the Beaver.
Posted by Rappin' Ronnie Reagan (Member # 5626) on :
The Kin by Peter Dickinson The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw Park's Quest by Katherine Paterson The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw (I don't think it's the same Eloise McGraw) The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
I loved A Summer to Die. *sniffle*
I think Jaiden's list pretty much sums up my young adult favorites, as well as some of GZs. I think To Kill a Mockingbird is a must, though that might seem a little advanced for junior high?
Where the Red Fern Grows and Tuck Everlasting are also great books for younger readers, or even to read aloud to an older classroom. (my 6th grade teacher read us Where the Red fern Grows out loud and though I had read it in 3rd grade, I just loved her reading it to us...silly.)
Yeah, but Jaiden's list is all up on my bookshelves. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Anything by Daniel Pinkwater would probably be good. His Young Adult Novel springs to mind. I loved Alan Mendelsohn: The Boy from Mars as well.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
Anything by Louis Sachar. I do hope I spelled that right. There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom! and the Wayside School series; Holes has already been mentioned, and there are some others, I think.
I adore Lois Lowry--I especially like Number the Stars and The Giver.
I think Paulsen's pretty good--there's this one series about a boy in a wagon trail that gets lost and kidnapped by Indians. I can't remember what it's called--Mr. Something. My little brother really liked them.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is excellent, and Mildred Taylor has several sequels, prequels, and short stories about Cassie and her family. The Road to Memphis, I think one is called, but it's set much later (Cassie is seventeen or so). There are others between the two.
[ January 07, 2004, 09:58 AM: Message edited by: sarcasticmuppet ]
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
Thanks for all the suggestions, though maybe I wasn't clear enough.
It seems most of you are targeting a 6th to 8th grade audience. This class targets teenagers, which means "more adult topics" are fine. A nineteen-year-old is still a teenager. A twelve-year-old is not. Louis Sachar just barely makes it (most of his stuff aims lower than the target). OSC, like I said in my first post, does not.
And I'm trying to steer away from sf/fantasy. I think there are probably enough good suggestions that I can get going strong on this, but I'm not really sure which of your suggestions fit the bill. I know (just because I've read the books) that some of them don't, which makes me nervous. I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't want to waste my time starting a whole bunch of books that won't work. Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Of the ones I reccommended, House Like a Lotus best fits what you're looking for. It's not SF/F and it's got a teenage main character and themes.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I think you're partly looking for books that are not so well-known? That they would likely not have read?
How about Lissa Hall Johnson's Just Like Ice Cream? (It seems to be out of print, though.) Or, to continue the food theme, Paul Zindel's My Darling, My Hamburger. Actually, most of Zindel's books are pretty good -- another one I'd particularly recommend is Pardon Me, You're Stepping on My Eyeball!
I read Johnny Tremain in high school, and loved it. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden is good too.
Posted by eslaine (Member # 5433) on :
Orphans of the Sky Robert A. Heinlein.
Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.
Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke.
What a horrible chore, to have to read novels!
Posted by jehovoid (Member # 2014) on :
I hear Pete Rose has come out with a book.
Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :
this is tough. i didn't read a lot that was marketed for my age group. and i didn't read a lot that wasn't scifi or fantasy either.
I did read some horror novels:
Killing Mr. Griffin - Lois Duncan Scavenger Hunt Christopher Pike
I think Duncan, Pike, and R.L. Stine are the three I remember seeing a lot of in high school. At least as far as horror novelists.
I'm assuming Judy Blume is already on the list somewhere.
I think I saw that Tom Clancy had a series aimed at "young adult" readers.
Anything that Nicolas Sparks writes seems to be popular with that age group, but I don't know if that's who it's marketed to.
And I know you don't want sf&f, but I noticed that Gene Wolfe has a new book out called The Night that's part of a young adult series he's writing. (Darn, I just couldn't not list one!)
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, Mary Mapes Dodge
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
Thank you! Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
quote:I second everything written down wholeheartly with one exception. I loved The Chosen, after I finished it I wasn't sure I would ever be able to read anything again, because I didn't think anything could come after Potok. However, judging from the age level that the books on your list are aimed toward, I think The Chosen is much too advanced. Certainly read it but I think a 12-15 year-old (the ages I presume your list is geared towards, though we read those books in school when we were 10-13) would be bored by it, rather than fall in love with it. I'm sure that would have been my reaction if I had read it at that age, and then I would have been deprived of Potok forever, because I never would have read anything by him again. /rant
Actually, I read The Chosen when I was 15, and I loved it. It was one of the books we read in my sophomore English class in high school.
It's interesting, everyone seems to complain that being forced to read something in school makes you hate it. I must be some kind of oddball, because I really enjoyed many of the books I read for English class.
-------------------
What else did we read in high school? Let's see...
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens A Separate Peace, by John Knowles Lord of the Flies, by William Golden Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens The Stranger, by Albert Camus A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathon Swift
These are likely too SF/F: Watership Down, by Richard Adams Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Leguin Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
No no, I think 15, for an advanced student, would be fine, and I loved/ still love most of the stuff I read in school. But if Brinestone's list of required reading is aimed towards teenagers, then, as I said before, those are some of the youngest teenagers I know. Of the books on her list that I've heard of, they were all books that I or my friends read in fifth grade, while we were ten or eleven. And teenagers who are reading at that reading level are simply not capable of appreciated writing on the level of Potok's, IMHO.
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
blacwolve, I appreciate your comment. I haven't read a single one of these books, and I've only heard of a handful, and know very little about them. I feel like I'm groping in the dark for books that my professor sees as "young adult," when I see the lines as much more . . . fuzzy than that. Or maybe just overlapping. I read kids books in college, adult books in elementary school. What makes a book "young adult?" His definition was "marketed towards and intended by the author for teenagers." I guess that works, but does it really tell us about what teenagers are reading and are enjoying reading? Hmmm . . .
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
There's a series I haven't read, but heard was good... Books by Louise Rennison, starting with Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. There's a whole series about the adventures of this girl, but that's the first one.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Saxon
You read Alas, Babylon in high school? Do you mean as required reading for school, or by your choice? I loved that book. I've purchased copies three different times (I keep giving mine away to friend I think should read it, and then have to buy new).
But I can't see a school ever requiring reading of that....
FG
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
It was one of the books we read for my freshman English class. Through all four years of high school we read books that weren't really traditional. For example, at one point we read Congo, by Michael Crichton. Anyway, I liked Alas, Babylon, but I was one of the only ones.
Oh, remembered a couple more good YA novels from high school:
Cheaper By The Dozen and Belles On Their Toes, by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The Human Comedy, by William Saroyan.
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
The Ghost of Ernie P. by Betty Ren Wright
Probably a little younger than you were looking for, but im 22 years old now and this is still one of my favorites. Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
Ooh and somebody said SOmething Wicked this way comes. INCREDIBLE book. absolutely breathtaking. Same with The Illustrated Man.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
the scholastic series books suddenly come to mind. Goosebumps might work. I read a lot of Animorphs when I was 12-14; the characters are definetely teenagers, but it's a bit on the sci-fi side. KA Applegate also wrote a series called Everworld that has high-school aged characters. I only read a few of those; they were pretty good, but they're fantasy.
You can also try John Peel (again, this is sf/f, so I might not be very helpful). He had this series called...umm...something. And a book about dragons, called...Dragon Something.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Alas Babylon was required reading in seventh grade at my school.
Posted by GZ (Member # 6077) on :
My recommendations from the first post are probably too young – more that on the cusp of teenagerness. More at the 10 to 13-ish age at best (It’s been a really long time since I’ve read most of those, so my memory is pretty fuzzy.). Sorry.
The thing is, by the time you hit the teenage reader, and when I think about the things we read in school in high school and middle school – they were adult books. I remember reading some books with teenage characters -- Lord of the Flies, The Chosen, The Diary of Anne Frank, and A Separate Peace, but I don’t know that those were necessarily written with the teenage reader as the target audience. Of course, all those seem similar to The Outsiders to me (which is the only one on the professor’s list I’ve read), which I read in 7th grade. Seems like some of the definition is in the marketing, which is a hazy thing to nail down, especially on older works. And where would Robin McKinley fit, whose books often end up in the young adult section (and would be all over my recommendation list if you wanted SF/F), but who has been pretty clear she wasn’t targeting the younger audience particularly, its just where her publisher decided to put them.
Didn’t mean to go on and on like that, but your Prof is confusing. This assignment would have drove me crazy when I was in school.
I second the recommendations for Cheaper by the Dozen,Bells on Their Toes, and Johnny Tremain. Good reads, and more that older YA age group.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*idly wonders* How strict is the no sf&f guideline?
Because Diane Duane's Young Wizards books handle some RL issues remarkably well. The first volume is So You Want to Be a Wizard, but if I were suggesting just one book, I'd actually recommend book 5, The Wizard's Dilemma. Reading it without the first 4 is no problem (sufficient context is given without spoiling the earlier books), and it is an amazing read. Have tissues ready.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
I recommend against reading the Animorphs series. It's pretty derivative, like a sci-fi soap opera in book form. So many wasted hours, so much wasted money...
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
Ryuko, you wouldn't happen to be my cousin, would you?
Posted by suntranafs (Member # 3318) on :
IMHO, There are not that many non scifi/fantasy books out there that target young adults that are much good. Notable exceptions that I know of:
"The Dark Frigate" like was said, Caddie Woolawn and if you like it you might try Laura Ingals' books: "little house on the prarie" and whatnot. "out of the dust" is a really good one Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped" is not bad. "Sign of the Beaver" is pretty good. "Call it courage" is a really great one if they don't have to be to long. "Freckles" is really friggin good and I think it qualifies as a 'young adult book' Somewhat like Freckles is "Sir Gibbie" "Warrior Scarlet" I think its called or warrior's scarlet or the warrior scarlet or somesuch, IS A REALLY GOOD BOOK. Another thing you might try are Y.A. books on, say, Davy Crockett or Thomas Jefferson and other frontier and early Americans. You shouls also be able to find decent YA books on Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus. Also a great book(I think) that I haven't yet read is called "Maiden Voyage"
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Oh. Older! Well then, here are a few.
The Scarlett Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Most of the comedies by Shakespeare, namely The Merchant of Venice, As you Like it, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and even Twelfth Night. Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen To Kill a Mockingbird The Princess Bride William Goldman (my 15 year old brother is reading this right now for a class and just loves it.) The Good Earth Pearl Buck The Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis Awakenings Kate Chopin or O Pioneers! by Willa Cather. (These are both nice and short.) The Sea Wolf Jack London Gone With the Wind Margaret Mitchell
There are a gazillion more. There should be some Dickens in there too, maybe The Pickwick Papers to keep it light.
I think an older teenager can be expected to read a lot of good literature and understand it. WE were all expected to, right? Posted by Tresopax (Member # 1063) on :
I would think any adult book would count as something 18 or 19 year olds would read.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Oh, ugh. I hated Dickens. I should try him again, I might make it through the many many words he used (he got paid by the word, you know. ugh.) and actually enjoy him. Happily, I got a bunch of e-versions of Dickens for free (yay fictionwise!), so I won't be spending money for my experiment.
Okay: new recommendations now that I know the target audience is LATE teens...
Go Ask Alice by anonymous Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Farmer Absolutely American by David Lipsky Any short story collection by Mark Twain (the novels are over-used) Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Red Badge of Courage by Erich vonRemarque (sp?) Where the Red Fern Grows by somebody famous The Yearling by that lady who wrote the yearling
Okay, I'm out of ideas for now Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
I’m working on establishing a library of sorts for my classroom…these are some recommendations given by my students – DISCLAIMER- I have only read those starred and I enjoyed them, but the rest come highly recommended by my high school students… Life of Pi by Yann Martel White Oleander- Janet Fitch *Catcher in the Rye- Salinger *House on Mango Street-Sandra Cisneros Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants- Ann Brashares *Are you there God? It’s me Margaret.- Judy Blume *Go Ask Alice- Anonymous Flowers in the Attic- VC Andrews The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky Tears of a Tiger-Sharon Mills Draper *Siddhartha – Hermann Hesse
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
quote: I recommend against reading the Animorphs series. It's pretty derivative, like a sci-fi soap opera in book form. So many wasted hours, so much wasted money...
I was absolutely addicted to Animorphs. Every month I'd pay five bucks for a book that I'd read in an hour and a half. Then all I had to look forward to was next month's book. *sigh*
Posted by Jill (Member # 3376) on :
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee A Separate Peace by John Knowles All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque The Bread Givers The Sparrow (I haven't read this but a friend did, and liked it) The Color Purple by Alice Walker The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver The Firebrand and Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley Lord of the Rings by Tolkein Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (anything by him, really) Beauty by Robin McKinley (I think it's written for teens, but marketed towards younger readers) The Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth Peters Downriver by William Hobbs The Princess Bride by William Goldman
A lot of these books are written for adults. Unfortunately, most stuff written specifically for teenagers is junk. The problem is, stuff marketed towards teens will be about as intellectually stimulating as Seventeen Magazine. Most of my friends read stuff written for adults.
Posted by screechowl (Member # 2651) on :
I thought of another one that I don't see on the previous list. The Pigman by Paul Zindel. This is a good one for the around the 8th or 9th grade especially.
Why not one of the easier translations of The Odyssey ?
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
Coccinelle,
I recently read Life of Pi. It is, indeed, an excellent book, and I think it would be highly appropriate for a high school aged audience.
Posted by Javert Hugo (Member # 3980) on :
Really? I've been looking for some new books.
*scoots off to library*
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
You know, I do book reviews in addition to movie reviews, albeit at a slightly slower rate. [/shameless plug]
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
quote:The guy who wrote I Want to Go Home and all the books about that boy's school in Canada. MacKenzie Hall or something like that. Now my mind's gone completely blank.
Gordon Korman.
The Twinkie Squad, Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag, Son of Interflux, and No Coins Please are my favourites. Although any of the MacDonald Hall books are good as well.
Anything else I would have contributed has already been mentioned.
Posted by Javert Hugo (Member # 3980) on :
saxy, I know. I have this need for two or more trusted witnesses to vouch for something before I get it, though. Heck, I just barely broke down and got a Terry Prachett book this fall, and Tom's been touting him as an author for years.
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone! I have half a mind to write out a master list and share it with my class. I think everyone else is just as bewildered as I was. Hatrack is awesome.
Posted by Tonatiuh (Member # 6052) on :
its tough because some 13 year olds are still reading relitivly low level books wile some are reading adult fiction so 13 14 15 is makes diverse classroom for teachers.
Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
Saxon- thanks for the endorsement- I just bought the book tonight, along with some others for my class. Maybe I'll read it this weekend before it hits the bookshelf in my classroom.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Didn't that guy write the zucchini warriors?
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
[ January 09, 2004, 09:40 PM: Message edited by: dkw ]
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
I don't know if anyone mentioned it, but I would suggest Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. I think it's for the same level readers that would read Holes and I think it's just as good.
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
dkw, I just did a search on Amazon and that looks really good. I've seen the movie of Freak the Mighty and loved it, but it looks like the audience is a little young.
My current list:
Courttia Newland, The Scholar Bette Green, Morning is a Long Time Coming Gordon Korman, Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag and Son of Interflux Madeleine L'Engle, House like a Lotus Ann Brashares, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Chaim Potok, The Chosen Sarah Dessen, Dreamland Garth Nix, Sabriel Lois Lowry, A Summer to Die Paul Zindell, The Pigman and maybe My Darling, My Hamburger Libba Bray, A Great and Terrible Beauty and maybe Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
I'm really excited about reading a lot of these! Thanks for all the help. Library trip tomorrow. I have to write little summaries about each of the books I read for this class, so if anyone's curious about which books I loved and which were only so-so, I can pass along a copy.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
Can I have a copy? And Dreamland is really good.
Posted by amira tharani (Member # 182) on :
Forgot one other - Mark Haddon, "The curious incident of the dog in the night-time." I've recommended this on another thread, and can't recommend it too highly. Definitely "teenage fiction" in the sense that it's marketed for teenagers and has a teenage central character. But the level of psychological insight takes it well beyond your usual "teen fiction" - it's about, and from the point of view of, an autistic teenager. Beautifully written, and very good fun as well as being insightful... anyways, I'm rambling on now, but think about it...
Posted by policyvote (Member # 3044) on :
I usually took my teacher's advice on good books to read and threw it out the window.
Teacher: "Hey, you should read Watership Down!"
Me: "Right. Jurassic Park it is!"
Uh, anyway, read Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli. It's the good stuff.
EDIT: Okay, my initial confusion on the age group has been straightened out. Maniac McGee is still good stuff, but it's like defintely too kidsy and short to be a Real Novel.
Actually, that kind of taps me out. I was a geeky kid, so I read all the game geeky stuff everyone here read . . . just not, apparently, all the relevant and enlightening mainstream stuff everyone else here ALSO read.
Peace policy
[ January 11, 2004, 04:25 PM: Message edited by: policyvote ]
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