Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Young, High-Level Readers
Hey, all. I'm teaching 6th & 7th grade English at a charter school out near Tooele this year, & I've got a question for all of you: What books (/authors, /series, etc.) would you recommend to very young (mostly age 11), very high-level (12th grade +) readers? I've got about a dozen kids that fall into this category, and I'm having a very difficult time recommending texts that will challenge them reading-level wise (or at least not bore them) without having content that's inappropriate for kids that young. Every time I think I've got a good pick, I skim the book again and find that there's too much swearing, adult topics, intense violence, sexual innuendos, etc. It doesn't help that many of the parents of my kids are really sensitive to anything you could remotely call "inappropriate." My only fallback recommendation right now is Shakespeare, since I assume that the adult content will go way over the kids' heads and their parents won't remember it's there. :P Any ideas?
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I know this will only work for certain personalities, but I would recommend classics. Books like Jane Eyre or The Count of Monte Cristo are probably close to the right level and they're usually pretty mild when it comes to content. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAmen to the classics--I was one of those readers, and my sixth grade teacher wasn't afraid to give me really long classics too, both because they're difficult, and also to help me get used to reading long books. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking Swiss Family Robinson, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, easier Dickens (Great Expectations, Hard Times), Prince and the Pauper, Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and Jane Austen--probably Emma or Sense and Sensibility first. Etc. Good luck with your search!
ReplyDeleteLove the fact that you are thinking about this. A great 3 volume set of books to use YA with the classic is Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the Classics by Kaywell.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! I've got to beef up my in-class classics selections for sure. Thanks, guys! :)
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the fantasy genre-Tolkien.
ReplyDeleteI just finished the most lovely story of a twelve year old very smart girl: The Evolution of Calpernia Tate. I loved the new Newberry winner, When You Reach Me.
I would use some of the older Newberry award winners too. The View From Saturday comes to mind. I also loved The Mysterious Benedict Society-not a Newberry.