Here is the promised hit on titles found in other lit. libraries. The
original post can be found at the bottom of this thread.
From Wisconsin:
A great spreadsheet came from this librarian and I will be happy to forward
to any one requesting it.
Also, my Follett rep came up with a great list and I will be happy to
forward her spreadsheet to anyone who requests it.
From California:
Our 8th graders started with Twilight by Stephanie Meyers (the kids freaked
when they saw how thick it is, but it is considered 4.8-5.0 reading. This is
the first book of the year and the kids are loving it. I wondered what the
boys would think, but they love it. The weirdest thing happened. We had the
book all planned out to take 3 weeks to read. The kids all finished it by
the middle of the second week. I was so glad. It had taken a lot for me to
get the teachers on board for this title. Now the gate kids are calling
fowl. I had to purchase more copies for the library. I had 9 copies and I
purchased 10 more!
Next up will be:
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
The planning for this year has been fun. I am trying to add James
Patterson's Angel Experiment, but the teachers all think it is too tough.
7th graders
I am a bit worried about our 7th graders. Some of the students in this class
are really tough to reach.
They started the year with Lightning Thief. Again, this was my suggestion
but it is not going over very well. The kids are complaining that it is too
hard. I'm not sure if it is too tough or if they are just not motivated. I
need to come up with something. I promised the teacher I will come in and
hype them up a bit tomorrow. I'm still at a loss for a motivator. Maybe
something will pop in my head in a dream. HA
We are also considering:
Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Myers
Touching Spirit Bear by Mikaelson
We are still looking for more titles. This is the first year we are using
popular titles. The kids reaction has been phenomenal. I am as excited as
they are.
Our 6th grade teachers would not come on board. The will be reading older
books. The will read Bridge to Terabithia, Westing Game, and Hatchet.
From Alaska:
Wild Man Island by Will Hobbs
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikelson
Shadows on the Sea by Joan Hiatt Harlow
From Arkansas:
Our middle school teachers use several of Gary Paulsen's books: the Hatchet
and Tucket series
From New York:
"Among the Hidden" by Haddix is always a hit, as is "The Outsiders". "Holes"
by Sachar is another good one.
From Indiana:
We have sets of several titles which are used for 7th and 8th grade reading
classes. Our titles are:
The Giver
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Silverwing
Far North
Numbering All the Bones
From Missouri the following comment:
I'm in complete sympathy. Our recommended summer reading lists were like
that until we librarians invited ourselves to be on the committee. Another
curriculum change here this year involved an old book "out of print". I went
to Amazon used books and ordered it but the used book store refused to take
my money (because we were a school) and sent the book anyway. Wow. That was
great.
My recommendation, keep on trying. Best of luck.
From Washington (?):
Have you tried using "A Core Collection for Young Adults" by Patrick Jones,
et al?
From Ohio a comment I think we can all appreciate:
Is that part of the literacy collaborative? Our school set up individual
classroom libraries and their lists from literacy collaborative were
outdated by five years. I suggested not using the list and was branded a
heretic. It is a matter of "what were they thinking".
----- Original Message -----
Our junior high school has added a reading/literacy class that the majority
of our 7th grade students must take. One of teachers is pushing for a
literacy library with 5 copies of each book. I have convinced the principal
to allow me to be in loop before ordering the books. I understand what the
teacher wants, but with my budget cannot supply the literacy library but I
do want to support the endeavor.
The titles she sent me include 15 fiction and 15 non fiction books with
reading levels from about 3.5 to 8.0. I thought the list was fair to
downright awful.
Some of the books were great in their day but I think we need current,
exciting stuff to hook these kids.
Thanks,
Sharon Harmon, LMS
Ozark Junior High School
Ozark, MO
slharm@classicnet.net
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