Comments on: Missing YA Literature

By: Natalie

Natalie — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:45:20 +0000

Hey Bud, I’ve got to recommend Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, which several of my students turned me on to. And Ben, thanks for the link to http://www.dedicatedteacher.com. It’s been very helpful to me lately while I’ve been developing a couple more novel units.

By: J.D. Williams

J.D. Williams — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:47:59 +0000

I’d suggest House of the Scorpion or Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer.

By: Bill Ferriter

Bill Ferriter — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:34:01 +0000

Hey Bud,

Some guys in a Guys Read club I know have been wrestling over their favorite books in an NCAA Bracket Style competition.

Maybe you’d like their titles:
http://guysread.typepad.com/

It’s been fun to watch them work through their brackets each week.

Bill

By: Ben A.

Ben A. — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:36:30 +0000

Newer YA books that I recommend are “The Book Thief” and “Tweak”, but I have to admit I am a sucker for the classics, such as “Holes” and “The Outsiders”. One benefit to teaching the classics is that there are plenty of teaching aids and resources on them to be found on the internet. I’ve had good experiences with http://www.dedicatedteacher.com , which has a very large selection of ebooks and is easy to use. Also, you can preview the books before you download them.

By: Rachel B.

Rachel B. — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:10:21 +0000

I just taught Shaun Tan’s The Arrival to my eighth grade students, and they were really moved. It is a graphic novel in the truest sense; there are no words. It gives a real sense of the feelings associated with immigration, and the students were mesmerized. I have created four differentiated instructional assignments to go with the text using Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences if anyone wants them. I can’t say enough about how powerful this book is.

By: Clix

Clix — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:56:38 +0000

Epic, by Conor Kostick
Peeps is my favorite Scott Westerfeld book
Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, is spot-on creepalicious.
The Last Apprentice (series), by Joseph Delaney

By: Terry

Terry — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:00:39 +0000

My favorite YA is “Looking for Alaska” by John Green. Not new, but worthy of a read. Mature subject matter, but intense.

Also, “Aurora County All Stars” which is a wonderful book about a small town and a big baseball game. Loved it!

By: vegas art guy

vegas art guy — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:30:52 +0000

I have a few.
Buried Onions by Gary Soto
The Land of Elyon series by Patrick Carmen
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

By: Sara Kajder

Sara Kajder — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:59:39 +0000

Just polled an eighth grade class – they are “tied” between The Book Thief and Nailed. I’d add Three Witches to the list – but they argue that is too much of a “literature” read…

By: Benjamin Jackson

Benjamin Jackson — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:52:22 +0000

Unfortunatly I share a very similar predicament in regards to recent (in the last year) YA reading.
However, I can recommend a few titles very popular among my students.

The Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow series I have found really provokes thought among my students, and the later books (Speaker for the Dead, Children of the Mind Xenocide) though higher level reads raise some very intriguing moral issues.

In the fantasy arena, I would recommend the authors Garth Nix, Philip Pullman, and Terry Goodkind, the principal books among them being the Sabriel series, The Seventh Tower, Shades Children and The Sword of Truth all of which were very popular with many of the seniors in my class.

also, many of my students enjoy Dan Brown, from his ever popular The Da Vinci Code to Deception Point and Angels and Demons.

Finally, the one book that seems to have universal appeal is the Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy. the entire series by Douglas Adams is one of the most creative, unique and thought provoking stories I can recommend to students… the main reason is the sheer difference between Adams style and those of most authors teenagers encounter in high school. its a refreshing break for many of them from the more serious, heavy novels (such as Night and to Kill a MockingBird) that are a part of the curriculum. I also must admit that I personally get a kick out of his sense of humor, and often retire to his works in times of stress.

hopefully, though not recent, some of these titles will be new, interesting and thought provoking titles your students will enjoy.