Here's my hit for the message I posted last week. I got a lot of good suggestions
and I've gotten him started, so thanks to all who replied.
I am including all the responses so you can see how many books were recommended
multiple times.
"Hi everyone,
I am having trouble finding recommendations for one of my students. I
have found a few, but if anyone could think of more I would appreciate
it.
This student is a sophomore from Spain, and he hasn't found anything he
likes here yet, so I really want to impress him.
The last few books he liked in Spain were narrative non-fiction. One was
about a reporter who went undercover as a neo-Nazi, one was about a man
who was in some work accident and it was about his injuries and
recovery, and one was about a former drug addict.
His English is pretty good although he struggles sometimes, so it can't
be anything with too high of a reading level. However, as you can see,
he likes the more mature themes.
I have tried the usual RA sources but those are better for fiction.
If anyone has any great ideas I will be very grateful!"
Do you have the Pelzer books? Child Called It, etc? We have multiple copies
and can't keep them on the shelves.
How about some of Gary Paulsen's nonfiction about
dogsledding and hunting, or maybe even Ann Rule's book
about Ted Bundy, The stranger beside me?
How about The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I bet he would love Left for Dead! Great double story-line about the USS
Indianapolis. Also, though not non-fiction, he might like the "factual"
format of Pox Party, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing.
A Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid
Epileptic (Graphic Novel) by David B. (no joke, that's how the author is
recognized!)
Have you tried Frank McCourt ('Tis, Angela's Ashes)? The language can
get a little rough, but they are pretty rugged.
Do you have Jack Gantos' autobiography "A Hole in My Life"? Recounts his
struggle with money and drug running, then his prison sentence. It's very
redeeming at the end... And of course, well-written! Hope this helps!
How about Black Like Me?
How about "A Child Called It"? My students love it, although the subject matter is
very serious. If he likes it, there's the sequels "The Lost Boy" and "A Man Named
Dave".
How about The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon? I personally was a little
disappointed in it as it only focused on his physical recovery but it might be
something your student would like and it's not difficult to read. The others that
came to mind are A Child Called It, Lost Boy, and A Man Named Dave by David Pelzer.
These are extremely popular at my school and, again, easy to read.
I've been thinking about this a bit since our kids really like non-fiction. They
have loved The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon and A Child Called It. We were just
talking about the John Berendt books as a possible purchase for older students,
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and also City of Falling Angels. I
recently purchased Lost in the Amazon by Stephen Kirkpatrick.
How about Jon Krakauer--Into the Wild, Into Thin Air?
The Burn Journals by Runyan-- a boy tries to kill himself by self-immolation. He
survives and chronicles his recovery, both physical and psychological. It is an
incredible story and very easy to read.
Into Thin Air by Krakouer-- a reporter joins a group climbing Mt. Everest in
1996(?). A surprise storm results in one of the worst disasters in climbing
history. It is one of the most exciting books I have every read.
Winterdance by Paulsen-- The author decides to run the Iditarod. It is
laugh-out-loud funny and ultimately very touching. A book that is very
underappreciated.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Alive by Piers Paul Read
Shipwreck at the bottom of the world: the extraordinary true story of Shackelton
and Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong
One of the most popular books in our library is 4,000 Days: My Life and Times in a
Bangkok Prison by Warren Fellows. Warren is an Australian drug courier who gets
caught in a Thai airport, and he tells the story of what this prison sentence was
like--very interesting and graphic and brutal.
These are more along the lines of memoirs but what about Jack Gantos' Hole
in My Life or Brent Runyon's The Burn Journal?
How about some of the Robert F. Sibert winners, non-fiction, well-researched
but very readable. You can find them at
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/sibertmedal/Sibert_Medal.htm
Black Potatoes, Hitler Youth, American Plague, Pedro and Me, etc. Perhaps he
would like Phineas Gage too.
I would recommend books by Harold L. Klawans and Atul Gawande (medical
mysteries), and Frank Abagnale (Catch me if you can).
The Kite Runner, Maisie Dobbs, or Curious Incident of the Dog
in the Nighttime
How about Phineas Gage: a gruesome but true story about brain science.
Broaddus, Cindi and Kimberly Lohman Suiters. A Random Act
Dolgun, Alexander with Patrick Watson. Alexander Dolgun's Story
Heyerdahl, Thor. The Tigris Expedition
Kon-Tiki
Hillenbrand, Laura. Seabiscuit
Krakauer, Jon. Into Thin Air
Kuklin, susan. Iqbal Masih and the Crusaders Against Child Slavery
Malcolm X. The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
McBride, James. The Color of Water
Runyan, Brent. The Burn Journals
Stingley, Darryl. Happy to be Alive
Suskind, Ron. A Hope in the Unseen
Wright, Richard. Black Boy
Zoya with John Follain and Rita Cristofari. Zoya's Story
Jessica Langlois
Librarian
Mount St. Joseph Academy
Rutland, VT 05701
(802) 775-0151
librarian@msjvermont.org
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