What to substitute with - Lightening Lit Q

[Parrothead]

Okay, so, we are doing LL this year, looking forward to using it pretty much all the way through. I've got two problems. One I can figure out on my own as it gets closer to time.

 

The other has to do with next years' books. I'm not too thrilled with To Kill A Mockingbird. I really don't think dd is going to be ready for the subject matter. What book should I use instead? There really are too many choices for me to narrow it down.

[Guest]

I have no idea. How about just skipping reading it and the writing assignments just do the workbook pages?

[Kalmia]

What about Ray Bradbury's Dandilion Wine? It is set roughly in the same time period. 12 year old male protagonist. Little bit of magical realism. You can see a plot summary on Wikipedia.

[kiana]

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?

 

Roughly the same time period, racism issues, protagonist is a young girl. Will help set up understanding for reading of Mockingbird in later years as well imho.

[Parrothead]

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I really want to substitute with something similar but not quite that intense.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

The above suggestions are good, but what if she also watches the movie so she is familiar with the story? You can pull some of the discussion questions to go over.

[Mom22ns]

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?

 

Roughly the same time period, racism issues, protagonist is a young girl. Will help set up understanding for reading of Mockingbird in later years as well imho.

 

:iagree:

If he hasn't read this, it is intense, but is age appropriate aimed at middle school readers.

[Kalmia]

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is an excellent book. It doesn't have the r*pe references that are in To Kill a Mockingbird, but the racist actions affect the protagonists of the story directly making the story imo much more intense. The protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird is an observer.

 

This is an odd suggestion, but what about Driving Miss Daisy?

[Momling]

You know... I had my daughter start reading To Kill a Mockingbird last year, at age 8. Like you, I would have thought it was much too young, but she was auditioning for the role of Scout in the play and I think it's important to know the character. She started reading the book and loved it. So we continued reading it together and talking about it and we later saw the movie and a few months after that, we ultimately saw the play (which she didn't get the role...).

 

There are, for sure, some heavy issues that come up in the book. But the story is seen through the eyes a young child and is not inappropriate. My daughter is a deep-thinking, mature sort of girl, and she thought it was the most beautifully written book she'd ever read. If you haven't read it recently, you might want to take a look at it. I think a lot of 11 year olds, especially with a parent reading along with them, will be able to handle and appreciate the story and its underlying themes. Of course... if you have read it recently with your daughter in mind, then go with your gut and find an alternative.