Hey folks.
I need help from those of you who read/know adolescent lit. Or just hang around the library and soak up opinions.
What can you tell me about any of the books listed at the end of this post?I'm thinking of developing a better reading list for my 8th graders, and I am intrigued by the "Reading Through the Decades" idea in
this article in the ALAN Review.
Coart teaches a 20th century history course to the 8th graders and I'd like to parallel their outside reading with the decades. Kinda. We won't do every decade individually; I think will combine some. Depends on what else we are reading in class and how much good, appropriate lit is available for a particular decade. Right now I'm thinking of doing the '00s/10s, the '20s, the 30s, the 40s and WWII, the 50s, and then maybe lump the 60s-70s together. (It's harder to find appropriate lit for the later decades, and I have other novels to teach late in the year.)
The article I cited gives a solid overview of these books and why they bare important.
I'd like know if you or your kids / siblings / students have read them .....and what you thought of the books. Boring? Engaging? Controversial? Thoughtful? Controversial? Inappropriate?
ALL FEEDBACK WELCOMELiterature for Young Readers Set in 1900-1909Dash, J.
We Shall Not Be Moved: The Women's Factory Strike of 1909. Scholastic Trade. 1996.
Fall, T. The Ordeal of Running Standing. University of Oklahoma Press. 1970.
Glaser, D.
The Diary of Trilby Frost. Holiday House. 1976.
Gregory, K.
Earthquake at Dawn. Gary Dean Gullickson. 1994.
Yep, L.
Dragon Wings. Harper Collins. 1977
Literature for Young Readers Set in 1910-1919Adolescent LiteratureArmstrong, W.
Sounder. Harper & Row. 1969.
Borland, H.
When the Legends Die. Lippincott. 1963.
Hesse, K.
Letters from Rifka. Puffin. 1993.
Sebestyen, Q.
Words by Heart. Little, Brown. 1979.
Thesman, J.
The Ornament Tree. Avon Books. 1998
Adult Novel Set in the DecadeAgee, J.
A Death in the Family. McDowell, Obolensky. 1957
Literature for Young Readers Set in 1920-1929Bradbury, R.
Dandelion Wine. Knopf, Random House. 1957.
Meyer, C.
White Lilacs. Gulliver Books. 1993.
Parks, G.
The Learning Tree. Fawcett. 1963.
Smith, B.
Joy in the Morning. Harper Collins Juvenile Books. 1976.
Voigt, C.
Tree by Leaf. Fawcett. 1995.
Yep, L.
Star Fisher. Puffin. 1992.
Pulitzer Prize Winners from the DecadeLewis, S.
Arrowsmith. P.F. Collier. 1925.
Wilder, T.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Harper & Row. 1927.
Be Sure Not to OverlookWright, R.
Black Boy. Harper & Row. 1966.
A Newbery Award Novel from 1920-1929James, W.
Smoky the Cowhorse. Simon & Schuster. 1981.
Out-of-Print but Worth LocatingBrown, I.
Morning Glory Afternoon. Blue Heron Publishing. 1991.
Corcoran, B.
The Sky is Falling. Atheneum. 1998.
Drama Set in the DecadeLawrence, J. and R. E. Lee.
Inherit the Wind. Bantam. 1982.
Literature for Young Readers Set in 1930-1939Angelou, M.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Bantam, 1983.
Carter, F.
The Education of Little Tree. University of New Mexico Press. 1979.
Hamner, E.
The Homecoming. Dramatic Publishing. 1976.
Hesse, K
. Out of the Dust. Scholastic Press. 1997.
Hunt, I.
No Promises in the Wind. Follett Publishing Company. 1970.
Kay, T.
The Year the Lights Came On. University of Georgia Press. 1989.
Peck, R.
A Long Way from Chicago. Dial Books for Young Readers. 1998.
Taylor, M.
Let the Circle Be Unbroken. Puffin Books, 1991.
Taylor, M.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Dial Press. 1976.
Voigt, C.
Building Blocks. Atheneum. 1984.
Pulitzer Prize Winners from the DecadeBuck, P.
The Good Earth. Grosset & Dunlap. 1931.
Mitchell, M.
Gone with the Wind. Macmillan. 1936.
Rawlings, M.K.
The Yearling. C. Scribner & Sons. 1938.
Steinbeck, J.
The Grapes of Wrath. Viking. 1939.
Adult Novels Set in the DecadeWright, R.
Native Son. Harper & Row. 1940.
Nonfiction Set in the DecadeParks, Gordon,
A Choice of Weapons. Harper and Row. 1966.
Drama Set in the Decade (Pulitzer Prize Honoree in 1990)Wilson, August.
The Piano Lesson. Plume Books, 1990
1940-49Blume, J.
Starring Sally J. Friedman as Herself. Yearling Books. 1986.
Daly,
Seventeenth Summer. Archway. 1986.
Greene, B.
Summer of My German Soldier. Dial Books for Young Readers. 1973.
Knowles, J.
A Separate Peace. Macmillan. 1959.
McCullers, C.
The Member of the Wedding. Houghton Mifflin. 1946.
Paterson, K.
Jacob Have I Loved. Crowell. 1980.
Paulsen, G.
The Cook Camp. Orchard Books. 1991.
Potok, Chiam.
The Chosen. Simon & Schuster. 1967.
Salisbury, G.
Under the Blood-Red Sun. Yearling Books. 1995.
Savin, M.
The Moon Bridge. Demco Media. 1995.
Houston, J. W. and James Houston.
Farewell to Manzanar. Bantam Starfire. 1983.
Pulitzer Prize Winners from the DecadeWarren, R.P.
All the Kings Men. Harcourt, Brace, & Company. 1946.
Michener, R.
Tales of the South Pacific. Macmillan. 1947.
Guthrie, A.B.
The Way West. Houghton Mifflin. 1949.
Nonfiction About in the DecadeBrokaw, T.
The Greatest Generation. Random House. 1998.
1950-59Cormier, R.
Tunes for Bears to Dance To. Delacorte. 1992.
Griffin, J.H.
Black Like Me. Penguin. 1976.
Hansberry, L.
A Raisin in the Sun. New American Library. 1966.
Kata, E.
A Patch of Blue. Warner Books. 1989.
Levine, E.
Freedom's Children. Avon Books. 1993.
Pulitzer Prize Winners from the DecadeHemingway, E.
The Old Man and the Sea. Scribner. 1952.
Kantor, M.
Andersonville. World Publishing Co. 1955.
Agee, J.
A Death in the Family. McDowell, Obolensky. 1957.
Late Nineties Bestseller Set in the DecadeGuterson, D.
Snow Falling on Cedar. Harcourt Brace. 1994.
NonfictionHickam, H.
Rocket Boys. Delacorte. 1998.
1960-69Bonham, F.
Durango Street. Dutton. 1965.
Curtis, C.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham~1963. Bantam. 1997.
Davis, O.
Just Like Martin. Puffin Books. 1992.
Hamilton, V.
The House of Dies Drear. Macmillan. 1968.
Hinton, S.E.
The Outsiders. Viking Press. 1967.
Lipsyte, R.
The Contender. Harper & Row. 1967.
Moore, Y.
Freedom Songs. Puffin Books. 1992.
Zindel, P.
My Darling My Hamburger. Harper Crest. 1969.
Pulitzer Prize Winners from the DecadeLee, H. To Kill a Mockingbird. Lippincott. 1960. They read it in 7th gradeStyron, W.
The Confessions of Nat Turner. Random House. 1967.
Nineties Bestseller Set in the DecadeWaller, R.J.
The Bridges of Madison County. Warner Books. 1997.
Be Sure Not to OverlookSteinbeck, J.
Travels with Charlie: In Search of America. Penguin USA. 1981.
1970-79Cormier, R.
After the First Death. Pantheon Books. 1979.
Guest, J.
Ordinary People. Penguin. 1993.
Mathis, S.B. A
Teacup Full of Roses. Viking Press. 1972.
Myers, W.D.
Fallen Angels. Scholastic Paperbacks. 1991.
Soto, G.
Jesse. Harcourt Brace. 1994.
Pulitzer Prize Winners from the DecadeWelty, E.
The Optimist's Daughter. Random House. 1972.
Shaara, M.
The Killer Angels. Ballantine Books. 1974.
I know plenty of these won't make the final cut ...they'd be completely over the heads of 8th graders, or they contain considerable objectionable content.
Also, I know of many good YA books that unpack the German and Japanese viewpoints in WWII; I plan to add some to the 1940s list, or possibly take time to read 2 books during that period.
That said....YOUR THOUGHTS?
Comments (2)
I used to be an English teacher an unofficial assistant to the librarian at our school. I haven't read all of these books, but I will give you what feedback I know. Also, you are welcome to check out the reviews on my blog: http://frenchizal.blogspot.com
Yep: Dragon Wings. I like Lawrence Yep's books - they give a good perspective on Chinese immigration. :)
Armstrong: Sounder. This is what I call a "sad book where the dog dies" kind of story. Well-written, but sad.
Bradbury: Dandelion Wine. He might be a bit over the heads of 8th graders. I used to teach Bradbury to my honors eleventh graders.
Voigt: Tree by Leaf. Cynthia Voigt's work is good - it's on a decent level for upper middle school / lower high school students, and the characters are quite believable.
Angelou: Caged Bird. I'd be careful with this one - Angelou is a sexual abuse survivor, and this particular book details her first rape and some other instances of molestation. Abuse survivors appreciate the book because it's comforting to know they are not alone, but other students may find it disturbing, and parents might also object to children reading things that are this graphic.
Hesse: Out of the Dust. This is a good story, and a great way to understand the time period as well.
Taylor: I highly recommend Roll of Thunder and the rest of that series. I taught Roll of Thunder to my 7th graders, and other than needing a bit of a history lesson to understand sharecropping, reconstruction, racial segregation, etc., they ended up enjoying the story immensely. There are a couple of instances where the "n" word is used in this book - it is important to the story and makes sense in the cultural and historical context, but again you might have parents who object. I always made a point to discuss it with my class, and we actually got into a good discussion about racial slurs as a result of this book.
All of the Pulitzer Prize winners from the 30's are good, but they might be a bit above the heads of the 8th graders. I'd recommend those for the advanced kids in the class, or offered as an extra credit opportunity
Blume: Sally J Friedman. This is one of the few Blume books I will recommend, because it's a coming-of-age story without all the gory details about puberty that she seems to enjoy putting in her other works.
Knowles: Separate Peace. This is a really good story, and leads to some excellent discussions, but it is set at an all-boys school and the main characters are all students, so their language can be a bit crass at times. Again, I'd use this book for older students perhaps, but probably not 8th graders.
Salisbury: Blood-Red Sun. This is an EXCELLENT book retelling the Pearl Harbor attacks from the perspective of a Japanese-American boy. I taught this one in 8th grade myself until another teacher objected to the Japanese cuss words in the book. It's really neat to see WWII through the eyes of someone who suddenly became America's enemy, and the teen protagonist's struggle between his American identity and his Japanese heritage is really neat.
Hinton: Outsiders. This is a very popular book, and often becomes a student's favorite school read. It's easy to lead class discussions with this book as everyone has felt like an outsider at some point or other.
That's about all I can do with this list. I'm sad that I haven't read more of these books - perhaps I'll add them to my next library wish list. :) As for what I'd personally recommend, I suggest checking out my blog for answers to that question. :) Hope this helps!
Wow! That is excellent feedback and justbwhat in was looking for! Thank you so much!!
I figured many if these books would be too mature for my readers, but i figured it was a good place to start. Now for all the tweaking. :) I think I'm going to hand out just the first reading assignment's list of books so I can evaluate and adjust as necessary.