dd got her summer reading list for 9th grade

[Jeannie in NJ]

my dd is going into public school for the first time into 9th grade. She is required to read and journal 2 books from the school's reading list. Well, there are 40 books on the list and except for 4 of them all the rest are very depressing (none that I have heard of but from the descriptions they are either about abusive or alcoholic parents or about teens facing dealth. There are even quite a few Stephen King books on there, for ex. Carrie (I have not read the book but I saw the movie and if the book is like the movie, just what I would want my dd going into high school to read, a book about a girl that kills most of the kids on Prom Night). Yikes.

 

The only books that I have even heard of are

All Creatures Great and Small

Christy

The Hobbit

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

 

DD is leaning towards Christy and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

 

Honestly the other 36 books either deal with death, abusive parents or horror?murder.

[Julieofsardis]

I'll bet she could substitute some Great Books for ones on the list. Most kiddos aren't willing to read those heavier duty books, but maybe they would consent to that.

 

Can't hurt to ask.

 

Julie

[Harrison_B]

"All Creatures Great and Small" and "The Hobbit" are great books to read. In my district, many parents were complaining of the "pornography" books that were on the list. I don't know titles, but a few of my friends complained to the school board to expand the reading list for more suitable selections. The good news is that you had at least forty books to choose from, so you had a wider selection to reject. :001_smile:

[Mary in MN]

Sorry to hear that, but I have to say that I loved all 4 of those books when I read them in high school. All Creatures is our family's current favorite car book--everyone from adults to 10yo love it, and it's easy to stop and start without losing track of where you were. My 13yo goes back to that series over and over.

[Jeannie in NJ]

the students have to journal their books, they have to write a summary paragraph for each 10 pages read. This school only has summer assignments for the English classes. Another high school is our area has tons of summer assisgments in all classes (English, math, history, science, foreign language). It is a good thing that my dd is not going to that school or I would hear compaining all summer (we have never done any school in the summer while homeschooling, we live in resort area and there is just too many fun things to do all summer long).

[Jeannie in NJ]

the students have to journal their books, they have to write a summary paragraph for each 10 pages read. This school only has summer assignments for the English classes. Another high school is our area has tons of summer assisgments in all classes (English, math, history, science, foreign language). It is a good thing that my dd is not going to that school or I would hear compaining all summer (we have never done any school in the summer while homeschooling, we live in resort area and there is just too many fun things to do all summer long).

[Perry]

My 8th grade dd just started back to ps after Christmas. Almost everything she had to read for Language Arts was in that dysfunctional/depressing/self absorption genre. She thought they were awful. I recently took a look at the 9th grade reading list and promptly went and bought this. We won't be able to do the whole curriculum, but I'm going to have her read from this list and do some of the writing assignments.

[Janice in NJ]

Jeannie,

 

I don't want to bum you out, but I would consider pre-reading even A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Sonlight uses it in their American Lit program (Sonlight 400) and they have extensive notes to alert the parents to the se*ual elements in the book. Dd is going into 9th grade next year; after pre-reading last month I decided that she will be reading a different book. Don't mean to spoil the book but .......... (don't scroll down if you don't want the spoiler......)

 

 

 

 

 

 

the scene where the exposed rap*st/child murderer is going after the young female teen narrator in the hallway of their apartment building and the mother shoots him as she is flying down the stairs to save her daughter was a bit too much for me. Up until that point the other se*ual elements were making it through my filter - although I'll admit that the scene with the aunt and the father left me scowling a bit. After the shooting scene I starting to think "thumbs down." I finished pre-reading the book. We might read it later but it slid off our list for our 8th/9th grade summer.

 

Just an FYI - you might love the book. I personally found it depressing.

 

Peace,

Janice

[Leanna Tomlinson]

Jeannie,

I don't want to bum you out either, but I agree with Janice about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

 

AND...I absolutely love Christy, but you should be aware that there is a part where Christy's mentor relates the circumstances in which she conceived her child out of wedlock. I'm not saying don't let her read it, but that part really upset me when I read it at her age. Just know it's in there and judge for yourself. The lesson the mentor is trying to teach is a good one and may spark some valuable conversations.

 

HTH,

Leanna

[Caraway]

If you are interested in this topic, this is a fairly interesting book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Lizard-Motel-Children-Stories/dp/0807071455/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243472464&sr=8-1

 

It is about how young adult books that are assigned in schools are filled with doom, abuse, sex etc...

[ChileMama]

the students have to journal their books

 

 

I'm curious, what exactly is meant by "journal" the book? Here, the summer reading begins entering eighth for students who take "Advanced Composition and Literature" then, which counts as a high school English credit. DS's summer reading is Huckleberry Finn, plus one book of his choosing from a list of 100 banned books, then come in with a project called a "book mosaic" about the banned book. They're then going to read The Day They Came to Arrest the Book, about the banning of Huck Finn in a high school and discuss. And the teacher is running an online discussion classroom over the summer for kids who want to discuss Huck Finn. I've got to say, I'm impressed so far.

 

-- Susannah (who loves reading and online discussion :001_smile: !)

[ChileMama]

My 8th grade dd just started back to ps after Christmas. Almost everything she had to read for Language Arts was in that dysfunctional/depressing/self absorption genre. She thought they were awful. I recently took a look at the 9th grade reading list and promptly went and bought this. We won't be able to do the whole curriculum, but I'm going to have her read from this list and do some of the writing assignments.

 

Perry,

 

You guys might also enjoy Michael Clay Thompson's Classics in the Classroom. It does not have specific exercises, but it does have an impassioned discussion of why and to some extent how to teach the classics along with a lengthy reading list.

 

That being said, just because a book is deemed classic does not in any way guarantee it being upbeat or tame (types the woman who recently read Red Badge of Courage and Heart of Darkness).

 

-- Susannah

[Deidre in GA]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of my all time favorite pieces of literature. I'd go with that and The Hobbit.

[LibrarianMom]

Hi Jeannie,

 

I was wondering if you could post the list if you have time. Maybe some there are some additional books on the list that we can find some redeeming qualities for or at least give our two cents about. Or we can better commiserate over the horrible selection of reading material.

[LadyAberlin]

I was just looking over the list for the grade 3/4 at our ps for a student I will be tutoring and I felt I was reading through a list of garbage. There was maybe one or two that I recognized. I expected to see Charlotte's web and Sign of the Beaver and other books along those lines. I could not believe it. It really is sad. I read somewhere where a girl in highschool requested that her school let her do sonlight instead of her highschool lit class and they let her and she got credit for it. I think maybe she had to write some papers on what she read, but I thought that was a great idea.

[Jeannie in NJ]

the school sent home a revised list. They took off all 4 books that I was considering for dd to read (The Hobbit. All Creatures Great and Small. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Christy). The removed all the Stephen King books but hey they added Twilight .

 

here is the new list:

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Acceleration by Graham McNamee

Alice Rose and Sam by Kathryn Lasky

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

BLuford High: the Bully by Paul Langan

Bruised by de Vries, Anka

Bumblebee Flies Away by Robert Cormier

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

Don't You Dare Read this, Mrs. Dumphrey by Margaret Haddix\

Driver's Ed by Caroline B. Cooney

Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

Far North by Will Hobbs

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan

Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin

Loch by Paul Zindel

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Secret life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori

Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake

Speak by Laurie Anderson

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper

Tunes for Bears to Dance to by Robert Cormier

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

 

The only one of these books that I have even heard of is Twilight.

 

Any opinions on any of these books? DD perfers not to read boy books unless there is also a leading character that is a girl.

[Melinda in VT]

I give two thumbs up to Ender's Game, The Secret Life of Bees, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. The middle one is the only one with a female POV character, but I would strongly encourage your daughter to read the others anyway.

 

The Face on the Milk Carton is fluffy/dramatic, but it is an interesting situation. I actually think the second book (there are three or four) offers more discussion.

 

I haven't read the Barbara Kingsolver they list, but her books are not twaddle and usually (always?) have female protagonists, so I'd check that one out as well.

[Caroline]

I haven't read Far North, but other Will Hobbs books I have read have been good. They are adventures in the Canadian and Alaskan wilderness.

 

My rising ninth grader just finished his summer reading for school. He will reread right before school starts because they will discuss and test over these books. He read Anthem, The Chosen, and A Separate Peace. For me he will read Last of the Mohicans and other things I have yet to chose. He might be reading The Alchemist because the AP Language class at my school is reading and discussing it this summer before school starts. I want him to discuss books with people outside his circle.

[LibrarianMom]

I'm familiar with several of these titles. None are jumping out at me as "Don't let your child read this!" She only has to read two of them and can then read whatever she wants. I've previously enjoyed titles by Karen Lasky, Robert Cormier, Paul Zindel, and Sharon Draper.

[Cindyg]

There are even quite a few Stephen King books on there, for ex. Carrie (I have not read the book but I saw the movie and if the book is like the movie, just what I would want my dd going into high school to read, a book about a girl that kills most of the kids on Prom Night).

 

I see Carrie didn't make it to your updated list, but, no, that is not an edifying book for young readers (IMO). It wasn't even the killing that weirded me out the most. By the time you get to the very gory killings, the story no longer seems real. And that made them more bearable.

 

What I hated about the book was -- early in the book when the characters still seemed real, there is a very ugly scene about menstruation. I'd hate for a young girl to have those impressions stamped on her mind.

 

And, secondly, in the book, Carrie is driven to her craziness by a Christian mother. A very crazy Christian mother. As a non-crazy Christian mother, I found the portrayal offensive.

 

I did like the introspection that the main character (not Carrie) did at the end of the book. At the end of the book, she's an adult, reflecting on her teenage years. Ironically, almost everyone she knew in school is dead -- killed by Carrie -- and she wonders whether she could have been kinder to Carrie, whether she could have helped her.

 

Stephen King is an awesome writer. This was his first book and not one of his better ones, in my opinion. I know I'm sheltered and inclined to shelter, but I don't consider most of his books appropriate for children.

 

Being able to choose one's own reading materials is a good reason for homeschooling. It would drive me BATTY if someone required my son to read garbage. (Not saying every book on your list is garbage. Just saying it would drive me batty!)

Edited June 9, 2009 by Cindyg

[Laura Corin]

Curious Incident is fascinating. There are a few rude words, but it's brilliantly written. Hoot is innocuous, as far as I remember. I enjoyed Secret Life of Bees, but I can't remember if there's anything inappropriate. Barbara Kingsolver is good but I haven't read that particular book.

 

Laura

[momsquared]

I have been teaching English instead of Spanish the last few years and was suprised myself. I thought some of the classroom content was pretty advanced, but what disturbed me more was the young adult fiction being pushed out of the library. Most of the selections are not even well written, they all involve sex, they mostly involved drugs/drinking and many involved questionable parents or parenting. These books were flying off the shelves which made the librarian extremely popular because "the kids were reading". But at what price? I doubt they are better readers for the time spent, and instead just exposed to more material they do not need. I commend you for taking the time to review the book list and preread some selections. I plan to do the same when my time comes. :)

[LunaLee]

Well at least your dd has a reading list. My dd will be start back to ps in the fall for 10th grade at a Fundamental (i.e. supposedly academically challenging), state honor winning school and the staff looked at me like I was looney when I asked about a summer reading list. Obviously she's reading at home anyways, but still, I expected more. I'm nervous, and a little saddended by what I'm sure will be required reading- Oh, I can see it now, the conversations I will be having with the English teachers.

 

Are there any public school teachers here who can weigh in on why these books are pushed. Is there some reasoning behind it?

[momsquared]

At least you get a choice..... My Summer reading for High School was specific books and they were terrible! The Stranger, Native Son, The Handmaiden's Tale. I still get the creeps when I think about some of those books. There are so many great books out there but the teachers seem to pick the most depressing, explicit stuff avalible. Yuck.

 

I have to laugh, as an English teacher I have taught The Stranger, The Handmaid's Tale and Native Son. Personally I think The Stranger and Native Son are fantastic. Handmaid's Tale is okay, but a little rough for high school.

[OrganicAnn]

Barbara Kingsolver is a good writer. I've not read that Bean Tree.

 

I wonder why they took All Creatures and The Hobbit off the list? Too British?

[Veronica in VA]

The Secret Life of Bees is a wonderful book. My dd and I read it together and she has read it at least once separately. The movie that was made recently stays fairly true to the book. There is an incident of suicide in the book, but though sad it was not really descriptive. Far North is a good book, but I don't recall a female lead character. Some of these books I have never heard of.

 

Veronica

[momsquared]

I guess I would agree Native Son would be a stretch for high school. I guess I am considering it as a book from an adult perspective since I have never had to teach it. I suppose it is a book in the context of a time in society and history. Do you enjoy Toni Morrison? Some would say "Song of Solomon" or "Beloved" are equally as difficult reads.

 

You might enjoy The Stranger and existentialism more as an adult. I am unsure how much I would have enjoyed it as a teenager (I was in Brit Lit). However, I find it fascinating to teach as an adult, because it really requires the students to consider the purpose of their lives. For a lot of them it is the first time they look at themselves and consider "What am I doing here?" Admittedly this was taught to seniors who are all 17-18 and getting ready to head out into the world. Most of them really enjoy the existentialism unit.

[AngieW in Texas]

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

I thought this one was actually pretty good. It's kind of a twist on King Arthur. I don't remember anything explicit in it. The whole Lancelot/Guinevere thing is going on, but it isn't graphically described - you just know about it. It is definitely helpful to have a background in the King Arthur legends.

 

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

This was another good book, but more for adults. There is definitely a language issue with it. I doubt that many kids would get much out of it.

 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

This is an excellent book that I highly recommend. None of my kids have read it yet. My 16yo wouldn't care for it, but I'm going to see if I can get my 13yo to read it this summer. I've read the whole series as well as the companion series. The later books aren't as good.

 

Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

There isn't anything in this book to worry you. It's about a teen who discovers that she is a missing child. She finds a picture of herself as a very small child on a milk carton, but she can't imagine that her parents kidnapped her. She tries to find her actual parents and discover the story behind how she ended up with the parents she has now. I've read the first two books in the series.

 

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

This was a very good book. It's about a boy with an abusive brother. Everybody around him sees his brother as the boy who can do no wrong.

 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

I'm sure you know about this one. I've read the whole series. My 16yo read part of the first book, but didn't like it.

[Ravin]

I haven't read "Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dumphrey" by Margaret Haddix, but I have read some of her other books, and on that basis I'd recommend it. It's likely science fiction.

 

Ender's Game is really good, but no female protagonist so your DD might not be thrilled about it.

 

A number of those books have been made into movies (Monster, Secret Life of Bees, etc.) One way of rating the books would be to take a glance at what the movies were rated.

 

That said, there are many good books that happen to have some sex and/or violence in them, that are nonetheless really good books. In my experience, reading that sort of thing you can skim over quite a bit, it doesn't sink in the way the visuals in a movie do. I know when I was that age, I tended to just ignore the sex/violence bits. Going back as an adult and re-reading some of the things I read at that age, I know I simply didn't pick up a lot of it. Certainly, what's in those books is nothing compared to what your DD is likely to encounter coming out of the mouths of her peers.

[Chris in VA]

Tears of a Tiger was the "book that broke the camel's back," and indirectly led us to homeschool. It's basically about a drunk driving incident after a teen party, and guilt and suicidal thoughts.

Ds was assigned it in 8th grade--they do a lot of YA, issue-related fiction at the middle school. He got pretty fed up--and he said, "I just want to read something that MATTERS." Great Books all the way here, baby. If we want to cover those important topics, we'll do it in the context of great writing by great masters.