When I took a 12 month library position to replace a 10 month teaching position, lots of friends asked what I'd miss - I thought maybe it would be the guilty pleasure of watching an entire series of television (last year, I did Battlestar Gallactica - this summer I had Buffy the Vampire Slayer planned...before the new job).
It turns out what I really missed out on was reading! I never realized how much I get caught up on and get ahead on reading and book talks over the summer. These are the titles I did get to this summer (with quick reviews and classroom/curriculum connections) and luckily I really enjoyed most of what I read:
Pure by Julianna Baggott - a YA Alex award-wining novel of teens living in the post-intentional-apocalyptic world created by people who wanted to "reset" the world. Those creators of the detonations that lead to the current world live in a dome/bubble apart from the others who struggle to get by with strange mutations created by the explosions. CC - First book in a solid science fiction/dystopian adventure trilogy - could be useful in excerpted form in a class debating genetic modifications. Perhaps students in a biology class study the future of genetics, read excerpts dealing with the mutations (both positive and negative) and debate as characters from the novel. Also in ELA could merge fiction and informational text reading with excerpts from Pure and an article i.e. "Genetic Inequality" from Scitable by Nature Education
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - historical fiction - YA appropriate for middle grades - noted in/awards by a variety of groups. Lina is a 15 year old girl from a loving family who is uprooted from her home in Lithuania and taken to a Siberian prison camp with her brother and mother. We often read about the Holocaust and German atrocities when studying WWII but this look into the Baltic countries and their experiences with Russian brutality is a different perspective on the events of the war. CC - interestingly told with flashbacks and through the pictures drawn by the main character. Would be an excellent addition to a World History, Literature or Art class - would love to see students create the images used by the author to tell Lina's story. Students could also create their own life pictures with symbolic images. In a class with literature circles in a high school this book might work well for students reading below grade level.
Shift by Hugh Howey - totally fun summer read - post apocalyptic adventure under the ground in huge silos - Hugh Howey is an indie author who has become a raging success via Kindle. Could be a great example for creative writers hoping to make it some day.
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey - the next big book for teens? Exciting adventure - alien invasion and post-apocalyptic mystery. The aliens come to Earth in five waves (eliminating electricity, using biological warfare via birds and more) that leave very few survivors. The aliens inhabit humans and by the end of the book it seems like some of the aliens may have a choice in who they support. The book sets up a series. CC - this book is more of a stretch in connecting to curriculum but could provide good discussion topics around trust, relationships, defiance, and more in lit circles. Primarily appropriate for high school students rather than middle grades. In a class dealing with genocide, this novel would certainly provide the perspective of thinking about our own potential involvement in a genocide.
Drama by Raina Telgemeir - a fun graphic novel on lots of top book lists for middle school - the protagonist is a middle school girl who is all about doing technical theater for the plays at her school. The drama of the novel surrounds the stress of getting a play off the ground and the friendships and boy/girl, boy/boy relationships in the story. CC - due to the controversy over the addition of two gay characters, this book might fit better into a "choice" novel project or as a choice on the classroom library or school library shelves. A counselor could use the book as a good conversation starter in a girls group for students dealing with different "typical" but stressful teenage issues. It would also be a fun companion novel when studying a play in a language arts or theater course.
Up-Grade U by Ni Ni Simone - the drama in Up-Grade U is the drama standard to all urban fiction books - relationships and decisions. The main character has just started her college experience at a historically black college in New Orleans. The book has interesting connections to Hurricane Katrina and promoting good decisions for high school and college students. Would be a great "free reading" book for classroom or library shelves in a high school (not middle grades appropriate).
Our book club allowed for some fun re-reading this summer and interesting discussions around who we are and who teenagers are: - specifically with Divergent by Veronica Roth and The Fault in our Stars by John Green
It turns out what I really missed out on was reading! I never realized how much I get caught up on and get ahead on reading and book talks over the summer. These are the titles I did get to this summer (with quick reviews and classroom/curriculum connections) and luckily I really enjoyed most of what I read:
Pure by Julianna Baggott - a YA Alex award-wining novel of teens living in the post-intentional-apocalyptic world created by people who wanted to "reset" the world. Those creators of the detonations that lead to the current world live in a dome/bubble apart from the others who struggle to get by with strange mutations created by the explosions. CC - First book in a solid science fiction/dystopian adventure trilogy - could be useful in excerpted form in a class debating genetic modifications. Perhaps students in a biology class study the future of genetics, read excerpts dealing with the mutations (both positive and negative) and debate as characters from the novel. Also in ELA could merge fiction and informational text reading with excerpts from Pure and an article i.e. "Genetic Inequality" from Scitable by Nature Education
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - historical fiction - YA appropriate for middle grades - noted in/awards by a variety of groups. Lina is a 15 year old girl from a loving family who is uprooted from her home in Lithuania and taken to a Siberian prison camp with her brother and mother. We often read about the Holocaust and German atrocities when studying WWII but this look into the Baltic countries and their experiences with Russian brutality is a different perspective on the events of the war. CC - interestingly told with flashbacks and through the pictures drawn by the main character. Would be an excellent addition to a World History, Literature or Art class - would love to see students create the images used by the author to tell Lina's story. Students could also create their own life pictures with symbolic images. In a class with literature circles in a high school this book might work well for students reading below grade level.
Shift by Hugh Howey - totally fun summer read - post apocalyptic adventure under the ground in huge silos - Hugh Howey is an indie author who has become a raging success via Kindle. Could be a great example for creative writers hoping to make it some day.
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey - the next big book for teens? Exciting adventure - alien invasion and post-apocalyptic mystery. The aliens come to Earth in five waves (eliminating electricity, using biological warfare via birds and more) that leave very few survivors. The aliens inhabit humans and by the end of the book it seems like some of the aliens may have a choice in who they support. The book sets up a series. CC - this book is more of a stretch in connecting to curriculum but could provide good discussion topics around trust, relationships, defiance, and more in lit circles. Primarily appropriate for high school students rather than middle grades. In a class dealing with genocide, this novel would certainly provide the perspective of thinking about our own potential involvement in a genocide.
Drama by Raina Telgemeir - a fun graphic novel on lots of top book lists for middle school - the protagonist is a middle school girl who is all about doing technical theater for the plays at her school. The drama of the novel surrounds the stress of getting a play off the ground and the friendships and boy/girl, boy/boy relationships in the story. CC - due to the controversy over the addition of two gay characters, this book might fit better into a "choice" novel project or as a choice on the classroom library or school library shelves. A counselor could use the book as a good conversation starter in a girls group for students dealing with different "typical" but stressful teenage issues. It would also be a fun companion novel when studying a play in a language arts or theater course.
Up-Grade U by Ni Ni Simone - the drama in Up-Grade U is the drama standard to all urban fiction books - relationships and decisions. The main character has just started her college experience at a historically black college in New Orleans. The book has interesting connections to Hurricane Katrina and promoting good decisions for high school and college students. Would be a great "free reading" book for classroom or library shelves in a high school (not middle grades appropriate).
Our book club allowed for some fun re-reading this summer and interesting discussions around who we are and who teenagers are: - specifically with Divergent by Veronica Roth and The Fault in our Stars by John Green