Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Inspired by recent higher education posts by Rob and Claire, as well as by a long ago one by Peter regarding appropriate and entertaining books for teens, I wonder if Ricochet can come up with books that American middle and high school students must read in school? We can assume there would be a decent teacher, but not a great one. We should assume students of all backgrounds and of average intelligence.
For starters, I wonder if I’m the only dolt on here who had the following problem: I was asked to read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before I knew anything about slavery, Animal Farm without grasping the most basic forms of government, The Scarlet Letter without really “getting” adultery, and Romeo and Juliet with only a modicum of understanding of my own English, much less that from 400 years earlier.
I was supposed to have digested these, among too many others, before high school. I read them as an adult, so I can appreciate their “classic” status. But I have also had to teach these same works to 12- and 13-year-old students of all abilities, and I feel that these choices for this age quite simply – and quite quickly -- turn students away from reading.
How can we solve this puzzle? What are 5-10 books we should expect middle and high school students to 1) understand, 2) learn some useful history from, and 3) learn a life lesson from?
As Claire might say, please justify your choices.
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Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Okay, To Kill a Mockingbird fans, you win: You were vastly more sensitive teenagers than I was. One quick point: Shakespeare's plays should never, ever be taught as a books to be read. They're meant to be watched. Of course kids don't get them if they just read them. Find the most spectacular and visually compelling videos ever made and show them on the biggest screen you can find, with the volume turned up to eleven. In an ideal world you'd take them to watch a great performance, but few stand up, say, to Lawrence Olivier's Othello. I mean, check this out: The language? On its own, too difficult for any 12 year old to read and understand. But if they watch this, they'll grasp it perfectly, and seriously, if this weren't Shakespeare, we'd never let them watch something like this, would we? Also, if the kids aren't simply fascinated by the revelation that Olivier is actually a white guy, I'll be astounded.
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Judith Levy: A Separate Peace totally blew me away when I was in high school. I happened to finish reading it on a plane -- this must have been coming back from our school choir's trip to England -- and I remember sitting in the plane seat, clutching the book and just sobbing. And sorry Claire, I loved every word of To Kill A Mockingbird, and so did my friends who were also assigned it in high school. To this day, when I think of Scout looking up at Boo Radley and saying "Hey, Boo," I get goosebumps.
I'd definitely put some Agatha Christie on the list -- Murder on the Orient Express, or The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, or the ABC Murders, or any one of many others. Her stuff is brilliantly plotted, easy to read and very satisfying. It's so accessible that it's very commonly used in the teaching of ESL, so I'd imagine it would also be useful for young native readers of English. · Jul 27 at 11:46pm
The Agatha Christie idea is a great one! I'd never come across that on a middle school curriculum, but you're right -- it belongs there!
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Yes, yes, of course, books can be appreciated on many levels and I totally get how a first reading can provide a baseline that allows for a richer experience later. However, I also think there are some poor choices out there that can turn off readers. In fact, in teaching (mostly boys) for the past 7 years, I have seen it happen a number of times. It's truly sad to watch someone who loves to read become frustrated and dark about books. It happens. Certainly, parents' influence and encouragement is key. But also, choosing the right book at the right time can make a big difference.
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Claire Berlinski: Shakespeare's plays should never, ever be taught as a books to be read. They're meant to be watched. Of course kids don't get them if they just read them. Find the most spectacular and visually compelling videos ever made and show them on the biggest screen you can find, with the volume turned up to eleven. Jul 28 at 2:16am
I agree, but I would add that having the students performing it themselves -- even in a casual classroom setting -- can have the same result. The best moment in my teaching career was having my South Bronx 6th graders act out Romeo and Juliet. It was truly magical as they worked on the blocking and the gestures, I feel certain the experience turned a few onto Shakespeare forever. There are now Shakespeare plays for schools that have more accessible English on the left page and Shakespeare's on the right page. This allows teachers to "assign" a reading of an act, say, one night and then have the students perform it, with the "proper" English during class the next. I've seen this work quite nicely in high school, as well. Works especially well for struggling students.
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Ursula, re your having your 6th graders act out Romeo & Juliet: if you haven't yet, you might want to read Phillip Lopate's essay "Chekhov for Children", in which he describes his experience mounting a full-length production of Uncle Vanya with a dozen ten- to twelve-year-olds at P.S. 90 in New York in 1979. The essay is in Lopate's collection Against Joie de Vivre (and isn't that an awesome title?!).
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Judith, this is bringing back happy memories of hanging around in your room and acting out Henry V ... remember that?
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Was it Henry V? I thought we did Midsummer Night's Dream! I was Helena because she's the tall one. Am I totally misremembering this?
Whatever play it was, these are happy memories indeed.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Useful conversation. I think it is useful to point out that just because youngsters can read really well does not mean that 'hard books' are a good idea. Maintaining enthusiasm by choosing things that captivate them should be primary.
As far as enthusiasm is concerned, I found with my kids that nothing wrings the fun out of a novel more than the way they can be 'studied' in classes. Taking several weeks to get through it and writing journals, reaction papers and the like can make reading any novel a joyless task.
Final point: I'd advise any parent to read whatever the youngster is going to have a go at. I'm glad I checked out The Golden Compass first. I didn't forbid them to read it, but I told them I preferred they didn't. Glad they listened to me. I guess we all know that getting an award doesn't make it something everyone should read.
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Judith Levy: Was it Henry V? I thought we did Midsummer Night's Dream! I was Helena because she's the tall one. Am I totally misremembering this?
Whatever play it was, these are happy memories indeed. · Jul 28 at 5:28am
I think it was both. I think we started with Henry V and ditched it on the grounds that it was boring.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Wow, dial it back a notch folks, especially if we're talking about middle school for cryin' out loud. Kid's interest in reading can be killed for life by being forced through what adults consider classics (my interest in history was similarly deadened for about 15 years by the crappy history courses I was dragged through in middle & high school). Having them read a lot is more important than what they read, and the way to get them to read a lot is to get them reading things they're interested in, not what adults think would be good for them (read your broccoli, it's good for you).
Treasure Island, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Enders' Game, Hound of the Baskervilles, Dracula. Yes, these would tend to be more interest to boys. Perhaps the ladies of the list can suggest some similar titles for girls. The Wind in the Willows might be fairly generic.
For more advanced readers in high school it can be time to add Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World.
I was forced to read Great Expectations in 8th grade. 50 years later it's still dull.
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Huh. I thought Hound of the Baskervilles and Dracula were fabulous, and I'm a girl.
I'm not sure how young we're talking anymore, but I remember loving The Cricket in Times Square. Also The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. And the whole Encyclopedia Brown series. Man, this is taking me back...
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Judith, I think we had similar tastes. For me, going from Cricket, Mixed-Up, and Encyclopedia Brown to The Scarlet Letter, which, I think I had in 6th or 7th, was a major downer. I did sour on books for a while after that, honestly. I thought it was just me, but now, after teaching that age for so long, it seems to be a time when literature gets "blah" -- at least the stuff found in current curricula. I floundered trying to find something like a Tom Sawyer for the adolescent girl. Hester Prynne wasn't it. If the transition had been a bit more thoughtful by the educators in my public NYC middle school, I think I might never have soured. But, then again, one never knows.. I really like the Agatha Christie idea!! As a side note, I don't see any biographies/nonfiction in these comments. Hmm.
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Thanks, Nick. Kinda what I was getting at ...
Richard T. Taylor? All awesome points.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
I've been mulling over what will hook your young readers and not discourage them.
Ray Bradbury was a favorite of mine in middle school. He may not offer your student much in the way of history, but I always liked his boundless, American-flavored optimism. I once heard him say he could never finish Moby Dick.
O. Henry's short stories have an American flair and furnish some moral fiber to chew on in discussion.
What about David McCullough's 1776? or Cokie Robert's (I know, groan...) Founding Mothers or Ladies of Liberty? The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan? These are all fairly recent and approachable, with a dose of American history.
The John Jakes books always had too much mention of bodily fluids for my taste, but the history was there. It was fun and mildly scandalous in 1976 to be seen in the hallways carrying a copy of The Bastard...
Jul '10
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
I really connected with Turgenev's Fathers and Sons as a teenager. My students love the short stories "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, and we have great conversations about "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. The Merchant of Venice and Othello also seem to be good Shakespeare plays for teens.
Jun '10
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
After reviewing the suggestions above, I'd like to add a second supporting voice for 1984, "The Lottery," and The Day of Triffids (and also Chrysalids by John Wyndham, the author of both).
Also, the earlier kids can enjoy Shakespeare the better. They're tough, but worth it.
Like Claire, I somehow got a copy of Valley of the Dolls when I was 14-15. It certainly accelerated my education.
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
txmasjoy: I've been mulling over what will hook your young readers and not discourage them.
Ray Bradbury was a favorite of mine in middle school. He may not offer your student much in the way of history, but I always liked his boundless, American-flavored optimism. I once heard him say he could never finish Moby Dick.
O. Henry's short stories have an American flair and furnish some moral fiber to chew on in discussion.
What about David McCullough's 1776? or Cokie Robert's (I know, groan...) Founding Mothers or Ladies of Liberty? The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan? These are all fairly recent and approachable, with a dose of American history.
The John Jakes books always had too much mention of bodily fluids for my taste, but the history was there. It was fun and mildly scandalous in 1976 to be seen in the hallways carrying a copy of The Bastard... · Jul 28 at 9:40am
Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions, txmasjoy. I *loved* O. Henry. I forgot about that. Your non-fiction choices could be great, actually. Thanks.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
I loved the concept of Founding Mothers and Ladies of Liberty, but be forewarned that Cokie's train of thought was all over the place! I found them to be a bit disorganized to say the least.
Jun '10
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
Ursula: Someone suggested David McCullough's 1776. No one is ahead of me in admiring David McCullough (his Truman is magnificent).
But let me suggest another book that covers much the same ground as 1776: David Hackett Fischer's Washington's Crossing. His prose is accessible, but I found his book to have a bit more depth and nuance than 1776.
Fischer just published a biography of Champlain (I'm not suggesting it for teenagers)--it was terrific and brought to life one of the greatest explorers and greatest men in the history of our continent.
Re: Ricochet Book List, Teen Edition
@ cindy and @ tabula rasa: thanks for the suggestions and clarifications. When I have an entire day free -- in, say, 2020 -- I'll try to compile a list of books + everyone's magnificent comments. Honestly, I need to read a lot of the books here, too.