Can't-miss literature for middle school?

[Tasia]

I have a 6th grader who reads everything he can get his hands on, and an 8th who doesn't mind reading, but rarely picks up a book on his own. We'll be reading some ancient and medieval literature this year, and at least my oldest will do Lightning Literature, but I want to find a good ~15 books for each of them to read on their own.

 

Does anyone have a list of books that their kids have read (or that they want their kids to read) in middle school? Or a link to a list?

 

Thanks!

[PeterPan]

Well I've be VERY NAUGHTY and suggest you add Hunger Games to the list. I haven't read it, but after it got talked about SO much at the convention, I decided to let dd read it. It's the ONLY book my dd has read all these years that she walked up to me and actually wanted to TALK about. Cha-ching, score! It's dystopian, totally weird, and it just brought up so many issues she really needed to talk. And it launched her on this whole dystopian kick. She doesn't know the genre label, mercy, but it seems like that style is really scratching her itch right now for the age. So it might be that it would really connect with your reluctant reader 8th grader, you never know.

 

Beyond that, I'd do something radical, like paying them $5 a week every week they hit 500 pages. Or lower it to 400. Or a single book but a minimum x number pages. Don't make it an easy goal but a good stretch. But sure pay 'em. Sometimes they need a little something to get over themselves. But I wouldn't actually specify the books. Does your library have a teen section? I'd take them or use the pile method (here's a pile of stuff I found, dig and pick). You could probably get some healthy competition (supportive of course) going with your multiple kids. Each one could have a chart to fill each week with their own goal and percentage as they creep closer. Or record time spent. My dd is just highly motivated by the summer library reading program. It's silly that something so simple, with stickers and coin purses and stuff, can be so motivating. :D

 

BTW, I offered my dd money for typing, because in her cause it was not going well and was very hard. She didn't get the cash but it tallied up to save toward a goal of something nice. What she wants is an ipad mini. (Ok, what she really wants is an ipad, but that's more $$.) We're waiting to see if they actually come out with one this fall, because that would hit her price point. So it's not like you have to hand over $5 bills and have them get frittered. You can put some instruction about goal-setting and values in there too. :)

Edited August 2, 2012 by OhElizabeth

[yvonne]

OT, but OhE, your daughter might want to try Fahrenheit 451 if she's interested in dystopian novels. My boys read that this past year for VP lit & it was one of their favorite books last year. Now, we're listening to the Hunger Games audiobook together.

 

It was interesting to me how Fahrenheit 451 kind of opened the world of literary analysis to them. It seemed to be the right genre at exactly the right time (age?) for them.

Edited August 2, 2012 by yvonne

[KarenNC]

:lurk5:

[Homemama2]

My absolute favorite series way back when I was in middle school was the Dark is Rising series (fantasy). (I think SWB even mentioned it somewhere in WTM, but I couldn't tell you where.)

[Tasia]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check out the Dark is Rising. :)

 

Thankfully, if I hand any of my older kids a book and tell them to read it, they will. I don't think I'll have to pay them. ;) My problem is which books! Ds11 has read the Hunger Games series, and convinced Ds13 to read the first book, but he didn't like it enough to even go see the movie.

 

I should add that I'm not a big fan of our library and plan on buying the books. With five boys (and even younger cousins), I'm sure we'll get our money's worth.

[claire up north]

Middle school reading....I LOVE it! I have an assortment of books that are "must reads" for my family just because I read them in middle school and loved them and learned a lot from them. My two rising 7th graders will be working on these:

 

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Outsiders

Flowers for Algernon

The Watsons go to Birmingham

Where the Red Fern Grows

The Circle of Children (not on any famous list, but I loved it! It's about a teacher working with autistic children.)

Unwind (dystopian novel exploring abortion--extremely good)

Under the Blood Red Sun

A Wrinkle in Time

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Hunger Games series

 

 

My rising 9th grader I do a bit differently. I like to assign him according to themes. He is currently working on a Mental Illness theme. Some of his books include:

 

The Circle of Children by Mary McCracken (autism)

In Cold Blood - not as gruesome as I feared it would be (psychosis)

The Glass Castle (neglect?)

Stuff (about compulsive hoarders--much better than the cable show!)

The Bell Jar (depression)

Still Alice (alzheimer's)

 

He recently finished a Dystopian theme. That included:

Unwind

Animal Farm

Lord of the Flies

Hunger Games trilogy

 

After he finishes his Mental Illness theme, he's going to do a theme on Black History. He'll read

The Help

The Color of Water

Black Like Me

The Autobiography of Booker T. Washington

Crazy Summer

 

Hope that gives you some ideas

[JudyJudyJudy]

My rising 9th grader I do a bit differently. I like to assign him according to themes. He is currently working on a Mental Illness theme. Some of his books include:

 

The Circle of Children by Mary McCracken (autism)

In Cold Blood - not as gruesome as I feared it would be (psychosis)

The Glass Castle (neglect?)

Stuff (about compulsive hoarders--much better than the cable show!)

The Bell Jar (depression)

Still Alice (alzheimer's)

I would say that there is definitely mental illness in The Glass Castle, as well as addiction (alcoholism). Also, don't forget that in addition to neglect, there is a scene about sexual abuse. I think I feel for Maureen the most because she was the youngest and essentially had no one to lean on as the others did, which is likely why she ended up being the one with mental issues as an adult.

[Tasia]

Thanks so much for the ideas, Claire! I really like the idea of doing the themes, so I think I'll try it out!

[JadeOrchidSong]

Claire, I like your list a lot.

However, Glass Castle is too depressing. I can't imagine reading it again myself. But maybe I will let ds read it when they are in mid or upper teens