Books that Should Be Required Reading for Teens

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Books that Should Be Required Reading for Teens

On Overcoming Racism...

-To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee...even though this book has been on the required reading list for most high schools for the past fifty years, it deserves its spot on the list.
-The Help by Kathryn Stocket...set in the deep South during the Civil Rights era
-The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie...a Native American student leaves the reservation to attend school and doesn't really fit in either world.

On technology...
-Feed by M.T. Anderson...this book is all about consumerism and technology run amok. It is an important topic for teens to consider and discuss together.
-1984 by George Orwell paired with its modern retelling, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, for a look at current technology uses that are really "big brother-ish".
-The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams...just because it is hilarious!

On censorship and book banning...

-Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury...book banning to its extreme
-Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher...a modern look at censorship

Dystopian Societies...(Cautionary tales!)

-The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood
-Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Histories...

-The Book Thief by Markus Zusak...set during WWII
-The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver...the detriments of colonialism in Africa

Americana...
-The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain...the great American Novel!!!
-The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald...the beginning of the Jazz era
-Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer...poem about baseball... http://youtu.be/X-2lXQQcXb8

On Growing Up...

-Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson or 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher...books on dealing with tough topics.
-Lord of the Flies by William Golding...disturbing look at negative peer pressure.
-Staying Fat for Sarah Brynes by Chris Crutcher...accepting people who are different
-The Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Green...belonging and acceptance
-The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton...finding one self

Nonfiction...

-Night by Ellie Weisel...WWII holocaust
-The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave by Frederick Douglass

Classics...

-Shakespeare
-Odyssey and Iliad by Homer
-The Divine Comedy by Dante
-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen...not as a required read for school, "but just so that girls can see that romantic men existed before Edward Cullen." -quote from my daughter, Carly

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

It is raining today in Boulder, Colorado where I am vacationing while my husband attends a conference. Rain storms and new cities mean one thing...time to explore a new bookstore. That is what I did this morning, I snooped around the very impressive independent Boulder Bookstore. I was in awe of the place. It had a bit of Powell's Bookstore (Portland, Oregon) feel to it as it was covered with signs telling patrons where to go to find their particular favorites. I eventually found my way to the YA section and picked up a few books before finally settling into a chair in the corner with Exposed by Kimberly Marcus. Just then the rain really started to pour outside. I decided that I might as well read a bit since the weather was not inviting me to explore other parts of the Pearl Street Mall.

Exposed is the story of two girls, Liz and Kate, who will be best friends forever.  Kate loves dance and Liz loves photography. They are just starting their senior years with dreams of going to college when suddenly they find themselves and their friendship torn apart by accusations and circumstances related to Mike, Liz's brother.

The book, written in free-verse poetry, is very readable and can be read in one sitting.  I know.  I read it in one sitting right there in the corner of the Boulder Bookstore. The storyline is very compelling and not overly melodramatic, but it sure had that potential. The story is told from Liz's point-of-view so there were several references to photography terms which I found helpful and clever. I know that fans of Laurie Halse Anderson or Gayle Forman will really like this book for its subject matter, and Ellen Hopkins or Sonya Sones fans for the free-verse poetry style. I'm adding this book to my list of good books for teens that cover depressing subjects. See that list here.

Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway

Just a quickie review of a fabulous little book. Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway will make a perfect book club selection or a book to generate discussion among friends/classmates. This book is a nonfiction story about a Peace Corps worker assigned to work in Mali and her relationship with the midwife of the village, Monique. It is an endearing tale of friendship, family life, and health care in a rural African village.

Kris Holloway writes with candor and heart about her friendship with Monique and about the realities of life for most individuals living in rural villages in Africa.  Many of her stories demonstrate the horrors of  poverty and the "backwardness" of many of the health care choices people have to make in order to survive. At the time that this book was written 30-50% children died before reaching adulthood. Death from malnutrition and infection were common. Yet, among the many tragic tales there were funny stories of misuse of language, loving stories of family devotion, and community members that come together to play, work, and dance. I was very touched by this book.

I think this would make a great discussion book.  Possible topics: worldwide healthcare concerns; prenatal care and contraceptive availability; tribal traditions and communication; Peace Crops; death as part of life; female circumcision; arranged marriages; and political unrest in Mali and other African countries. Seriously, I think this book should be considered for book club selections, or ethnic studies.

Top Ten Authors I Would Love to Meet

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Top Ten Authors I Would Love to Meet (Dead or Alive)

1. Jane Austen---This seems like an obvious choice.  I love all of her books and would thoroughly enjoy a chance to meet my favorite author.

2. The Apostle Paul---The author of a good deal of the New Testament.  I'd just like to be around him and soak up some of his faith and enthusiasm for the gospel.

3. J.K. Rowling---I love the Harry Potter books. I'd love to sit and have tea with Ms. Rowlings and talk about where she came up with the storyline and all the fabulous characters in her books.

4.  Beatrix Potter---I adore her small children's books and drawings. I'd love to take a walk and chat with the creator of Peter Rabbit, Misses Tiggywinkle, Benjamin Bunny and the rest.

5. C.S. Lewis---I am not only a Narnia fan (before there was Harry Potter there was Narnia!) but I also admire his writings on faith and Christianity (Mere Christianity, The Screw-tape Letters, The Great Divorce, etc.)

6. Mark Twain---The Great American Author! I would love to visit with this funny and famous American.

7. Dr. Seuss (Theodor Giesel)---I cut my teeth on Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat.  I think I'd most like to be a fly on the wall of his studio when he was illustrating one of his books.

8. Madeline L'Engle---She wrote A Wrinkle in Time which was my favorite book for many years as a kid.

9. Barbara Kingsolver---One of the few living authors on my list, Ms. Kingsolver writes with so much conviction and heart about hard issues (Native American rights, Immigration, Environmental Issues, Colonialism of Africa, etc.)

10. Harper Lee---the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, Ms. Lee has granted very few interviews over the years. I'd love to just be in her presence for a time and soak up some of her wisdom.

11. Dietrich Bonhoeffer---a Lutheran pastor who was killed for opposing the Nazis. His writings are very inspirational.

12. Bill Bryson---I know he ends up on just about all my lists.  I think Bryson is so funny and so brilliant.  It seems like he'd be a kick to meet and spend time with.

13. E.B.White---Who doesn't love E.B. White's classic children's tale: Charlotte's Web? But this author also co-wrote a very important book for writers: The Elements of Style.

Miss Moppet, a family favorite character, by Beatrix Potter

An illustration from Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

The opening paragraphs of Charles and Emma: the Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman have Charles Darwin making a very scientific, comparative list with the words MARRY one one column and DON'T MARRY on the other side. As with everything else in his life, Darwin approached the question of marriage from a scientific one. He didn't even have a particular girl in mind when he made the list. So begins the excellent biographical book about the Darwins, their courtship, marriage, family-life and how mariage affected his research and writing on evolution.

Charles and Emma was a highly honored book in 2010 winning The YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction, It was also a Printz Honor book, and a National Book Award finalist. So much has been written about Darwin, author of The Origins of a Species which triggered the ongoing debate about evolution, but little has been recorded about his amazing relationship with his wife, Emma, a highly religious person.  That is what this book does in a very readable and interesting format. Emma, Charles's first cousin, becomes in wife, mother of his ten children, his editor, his nurse, and in a lot of ways his sparing partner.

Heiligman uses the Darwin family letters and papers to craft a full-bodied look at the personal influences that shaped Charles’ life as he worked mightily to shape his theories. This intersection between religion and science is where the book shines, but it is also an excellent portrait of what life was like during the Victorian era, a time when illness and death were ever present, and, in a way, a real-time example of the survival of the fittest. -Booklist

At times keeping all the characters straight was a real chore.  In addition to the ten children, there were brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and parents to keep track of .  Fortunately there was an excellent family tree in the back of the book which I used several times to remind myself to whom Heiligman was referring. There were also family photos of Darwin and Emma with their children to increase the interest.

I read this book as part of Printz Award Challenge, as a Printz honor book it is one of the books on that distinguished list which I hadn't read yet.  I don't always agree with the books selected by the award committees.  But I do think this book was worthy of its selection.  It is interesting without bogging down in details.  It is written for young adults but I think there is a lot to like for adult readers.  Prior to reading this book I knew little about Darwin except that he was the crafter of the theory of evolution.  I now know much more including more about his theories which are fascinating in themselves. I'm not sure how many young adults will be running to the library to check out this book but I do hope that students with an interest in science or world history will find their way to it. I'll help by pointing them in the right direction.

I'm going on a trip. How many books do I pack?

Several years ago I read the book So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson. At the beginning of the project the author set out to read a book a week and then reported her experiences as she read. In addition to reporting how she selected which book to read when, Ms. Nelson also talked about such things as how she organizes her bookshelves and how she decides how many books to take on a trip. That is where I am now.

I am leaving for a trip tomorrow and I have a huge dilemma: How many books should I take with me on the trip?

First, let's get this out of the way up front, I don't have an e-reader. I know this would be a perfect time for one. Put a ton of books on the e-reader and bada-bing, I'm ready to go. But this in not an option right now. As a stop gap measure, I have downloaded a reader app on my Droid. So I will download some classic as a last resort.

Secondly, I am flying. This makes things complicated. Usually when we vacation via car I just pile eight to ten books in a box so I won't run out of reading material. Weight is an issue. I'm thinking I may have to limit my selection to three books, but which three?

Next, as a high school librarian I like to spend my summer reading YA lit so that I have lots of new books to recommend my students in the Fall. No problem. Just take three YA books with me, right? The problem here is that YA books tend to have more white space on each page than adult books, so they are approximately the same size/weight but take less time to read. It is unlikely that three YA novels will be enough for the ten days I'm gone.

Five of the days I will have a lot of leisure time while my husband attends a conference. I hope this means some good poolside reading time. Better make sure that the books are paperback and not library books. Wouldn't want one of those books to get splashed.

Hmmm...Here's what I've decided to do. Take my book club selection with me on the plane. It needs to be completed by the time I get back and it is light weight. For my other books, search the house for paperback books on my TBR pile. Pick one YA and one adult book. Go to the book store at the airport or in the town I'm visiting if I read through these before the end of the week. (I'm still not convinced that this will be enough!)

What do you do when you travel? How do you make sure you have enough books to read?

Follow Friday

Follow Friday: Take a minute to check out other blogs and follow those that you find fun, exciting, interesting. The featured blog this week is: Read. Breathe. Relax. Congratulations!

The question of the day is:  What is the worst book that you actually finished?

The Human Stain by Philip Roth

The book won all kinds of awards and Philip Roth is a celebrated author.  But I hated this book and so did everyone in my book club.  It was unanimous, a first.  Even though the plot was intriguing the book was so hard to read.  Ugh.







Weekly update:
Why are so many YA novels depressing?---join in the discussion
Between Shades of Gray Book Review--- a wonderful historical novel
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: a Graphic Novel--- fun and funny.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is the best YA book I've read in long time. I am completely entranced by both the writing and the story. This novel was inspired by the author's own family history. It is evident that she did extensive research on a historical event barely mentioned in US history books. Told by 15-year-old Lina, it is a gruesome tale of the deportation of Lithuanians to Siberia.

In 1941, during WWII and Joseph Stalin's reign, Soviet officers arrest a gifted artist, 15-year-old Lina and her family. While her father faces the death camp, Lina, her mother and younger brother...are deported to a Siberian work camp. Lina and her fellow prisoners must endure many difficulties -- the harsh climate, unsanitary conditions, disease and hunger. At great risk, Lina documents her experiences through her meticulous drawings... Through flashbacks of Lina's former, happy life in Lithuania, readers gain an understanding of the political events. "Sepety's flowing prose gently carries readers through the crushing tragedy of this tale that needs telling" (KIRK).

Sepetys believes that one-third of all citizens of the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) were deported from their homeland and forced into work camps in Siberia for decades. These camps which were just as bad as Nazi concentration camps.  Apparently the Russian government still denies that they did this. For more info visit Ruta Sepetys webpage here.

Between Shades of Gray is a riveting story, told with so much heart and compassion, that I was sad when I turned the final page.  I wanted more!

*First line:

They took me in my nightgown.

The opening line refers to the night when the NKVD (KGB) came to arrest Lina and her family.

*From page 56:

I woke with a start next to Jonas and Andrius. The door to our [box]car had been closed and locked. People began to panic. The engines let out a hiss of steam. 'Please don't move unless you absolutely have to,' ordered Miss Grybas... 'Miss Book Lady? Will you tell us a story?' asked the girl with the dolly.

So begins the nightmare train ride to Siberia.

Why do so many teen novels cover depressing topics?

I just finished reading Hold Still by Nina LaCour. In this book a teenager named Caitlin is left to deal with her feelings of guilt and sorrow after the suicide of her best friend, Ingrid. Caitlin seems to isolate herself and cocoons herself in her sorrow, pushing away any kind of help or support from others.  Then she finds Ingrid's journal and, taking baby-steps, Caitlin begins to reconstruct a life worth living with new friends and interests. The whole process takes almost a year.

I liked the book a lot.  It is well-written, short, and thoughtful.  Many of the teen characters are wise beyond their years. I ached for Caitlin and for Ingrid's family, for what they were going through.  But I also asked myself, why did the healing process take so long, and where were the adults that should have stepped in to help?

Those questions got me thinking about YA lit in general and about why so many of the books cover very depressing themes. Is it that teens won't read the books unless the characters have worse problems than they do? Why are the adults in this book always so inept in helping? In Caitlin's case, her parents were very loving and present.  They cared tremendously but their love didn't translate into tangible help, at least not in the beginning. Is there some important message that teens get out of books where teens work their way out of their troubles alone?

When asked why he thinks his book is so popular, Jay Asher, the author of Thirteen Reasons Why, another story about teen suicide, had this to say in an interview with Jay Brunner of Shelf Life:

“The most common thing I’d hear [from fans] was just ‘This book makes me more aware that even the small things I do can have an effect on people.’ But I’ve also heard from teens who say, ‘I was suicidal when I picked up your book, and I identified with Hannah, and I wanted her to live.’ When I started getting emails like that…I can’t even describe the feeling...When somebody’s face-to-face with you saying, ‘I may not have been here had I not read your book,’ how do you respond to that?"---Shelf Life

 I would concur that Thirteen Reasons Why seems to speak to kids in such a way that they "get it." They get that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. They get that there are small things that they can do to help their friends who are feeling depressed, even suicidal. Students that read the book, tell their friends to read the book.  They want more books just like it.

Books are often very nice advice-givers.  They aren't judgmental and they don't push or prod.  So perhaps, this explains why there are so many YA book about depressing topics.  Teens are emerging adults.  They are learning about their world and themselves.  They have conflicting feelings, many of them seem overwhelming. Where better to find some neutral advice than a good book?

Please let me know why you think that so many YA books cover depressing topics.  Perhaps you have thought of some reasons that I haven't.

In the meantime, here are some other YA titles that cover very sensitive and upsetting topics.  All of these books I've read and can recommend.

-The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Racism, alcoholism, death)
-Exposed by Kimberly Marcus (Rape, peer relationships)
-Deadline by Chris Crutcher (Death) 
-Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going (Weight Issues, depression, peer relationships)
-If I Stay by Gayle Forman (Death)
-Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (Abandonment, death, peer relationships)
-Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork (Death)
-Looking for Alaska by John Green (Death, peer relationships)
-The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Peer Relationships)
-Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King (Death, depression)
-The Perks of Becoming a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Sexual Identity, peer relationships)
-The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin (Parental Abuse, mental illness)
-The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (Death)
-Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick (Death of a parent, poverty)
-Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Rape, depression)
-Split by Swati Avasthi (Domestic Abuse)
-Staying Fat for Sarah Brynes by Chris Crutcher (Depression, parental abuse, peer relationships)
-Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes (Alcoholism, death, domestic abuse)
-Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson (Depression, Peer Relationships)
-Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (Eating disorders)

Top Ten Rebels in Literature

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Rebels in literature:

1. Katniss- Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins---She stands up to the Capitol and to others who try to use her for their purposes.

2. Jo March- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott---She doesn't follow the prescribed behavior for women of her time.

3. Reepicheep- Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis--- The brave, swash-buckling mouse in several of the Narnia books.  He will take on anyone or anything even twice his size.

4. Frankie Landau-Banks- The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart--- Can't get into the all-boys club at school?  No problem for Frankie who is so clever and plucky, she finds a way.

5. Margo Roth-Spiegelman- Paper Towns by John Green--- Margo refuses to act the part of the typical teenager, she is best known for her practical jokes and her dramatic disappearances.

6. Alaska Young- Looking for Alaska by John Green--- The misunderstood and tragic character in Green's first novel.  She loved a good prank and helped find ingenious ways to defy authority.

7. Lisbeth Salander- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson--- the anti-social hacker and researcher who helps crack an important mystery.

8. Harry Potter- The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling--- though not a rebel in the strictest sense of the definition, Harry always ended up standing up to those in authority in the wizarding world, especially those at the Ministry of Magic. (Honorary mention: Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Ron, and Hermione)

9. Atticus Finch-To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee--- Atticus wasn't a James Dean type of rebel but he certainly stood up to racism when he defended the black man wrongly-accused of raping a white woman, which in some people's eyes was a rebellious act.

10. Skeeter- The Help by Kathryn Stockett---Skeeter doesn't start out to be a rebel, she just wants to write for a newspaper.  In the process she reveals the depth of racism in her pre-civil rights community in Mississippi and in the process uncovers truths she can no longer ignore.

11. Todd and Viola- The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness--- These two stand up to The Ask AND to the Answer!

12. Oskar Schindler-Schindler's List by Thomas Kennelly---This is a fictionalized account of the actual hero and rebel who saved over 2000 Jews during WWII.