Matryoshka Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Youngest refuses to read anything. I've given up and had her listening to audiobooks - right now she's doing Center for Lit, but she doesn't like the 2-hr discussions. So, for next fall I'd give her a short list of books she'll listen to (often we do this in the car, so we listen together), and then we'll discuss with a lit guide when she's done. She'll have to take an Intro to Lit class at the CC, but in my experience, they tend to assign very little reading (mostly short stories). Older dd had more in Honors Intro Lit, but younger will not take Honors level, for perhaps obvious reasons. Older dd's American Lit class at the CC was all short stories and poetry. So... I figure this is my last chance to at least expose her to some "you should be familiar with this" literature, and also just have her listen to rich language/vocabulary. I want books that are not going to bore her or annoy her too overly much... So far I'm thinking: Huckleberry Finn Jane Eyre 1984 Then I'm stuck. I thought some Austen but she's seen the wonderful Emma and P&P BBC productions (and loved them) and feels like she knows the story already. I would've thought that was a positive, but she says no. This year she's read/listened to or will before the end of the year: Touching Spirit Bear (@ps) All the President's Men (@ps) To Kill a Mockingbird (@ps - not sure if she finished it, but knowing her she won't want to revisit it) Romeo and Juliet (Center for Lit) Tale of Two Cities (Center for Lit) (there are two other Center for Lit titles, but they're not high-school worthy imho - she's in the 8th/9th class there) Any ideas what I could add to her list for next year? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 What sorts of things interest her in general? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 What sorts of things interest her in general? Well, her faaaavorite books are the Warriors series, but I can't think of any "literature" like that... She watches a lot of Sci Fi; the title that comes to mind for me in that genre is The Left Hand of Darkness, but then LeGuin is one my favorite authors... ;) She also likes funny (used to love Roald Dahl). I'm hoping she'll find humor in the Twain. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 If she likes Science Fiction, then maybe: Fahrenheit 451 Dune The Dragonriders of Pern The Amber Chronicles The Left Hand of Darkness Slaughterhouse Five Soylent Green 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 1984 Neuromancer I, Robot The Foundation Series Among Others Brave New World The Time Machine The Enchanted Forest Chronicles Howl's Moving Castle The Godstalker Chronicles The Moon is a Harsh Mistress There are actually many, many great science fiction stories out there. I only listed some off the top of my head (Some may not be appropriate for a High Schooler. I can't remember details on some of these.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyOwn Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 (edited) OneStepAtATime probably has all the best suggestions, but I really enjoyed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn at that age. It's beautifully written, but an easy read. I also found Steinbeck's books very engaging. East of Eden? Grapes of Wrath? Edited March 5, 2016 by OnMyOwn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amateur Actress Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 "Sense and Sensibility" is my favorite Jane Austen. The Crucible The Scarlet Letter The Old Man and the Sea The Great Gatsby A Shakespeare comedy The Scarlet Pimpernel The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings series The Lord of the Flies Our Town 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 If you want things to talk about: Enchantress From the Stars is, IMO, an underappreciated sci fi book that would spark a lot of conversation. It's easy to read. I would suggest Brave New World instead of 1984--it really invented the whole genre. The Moon Is Down is one of my favorite Steinbeck books. Again, lots to talk about. The Grapes of Wrath is excellent also. Macbeth is fantastic. Antigone ditto. Esther (from the Bible)--short and intense So Big and Giants in the Earth are outstanding older novels of the US pioneer era--real literature and excellent books Add some poetry--a few sonnets by Shakespeare, and some Edna St. Vincent Millay, and 'The Chambered Nautilus', and watch 'The Dead Poets' Society' and you'll have a decently well-rounded program that will probably engage her at least partially. None of these are extremely hard, but they are certainly high school level books. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 I was going to suggest Hitchhikers Guide, and maybe Pern, too. How does she feel about graphic novels... Could be a gateway. Marvel did Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility both a while back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 (edited) 1. What does she like? 2. What kinds of works in the past have sparked good "life" discussions? 3. Are there any types of works (novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, plays) that you haven't touched on before that you would want her to have exposure to? 4. Are there any major genres of fiction (realistic, comedy, epic, tragedy, sci-fi, dystopia, fantasy, mystery, thriller/suspense, western, gothic or horror, fable, fairytale, myth, tall tale) that you haven't touched on before that you would want her to have exposure to? 5. Are there any works that are heavily alluded to in our culture that you really want her to be familiar with? Just me, but I would probably use 1 and 2 to come up with most of the ideas, and then use 3 and 4 to fine-tune that list. :) And THEN, I'd use 5 as a completely separate goal of coming up with 3 dozen heavily alluded to works and once a week have a family movie night and watch a good FILM version of that work and then discuss briefly afterwards, or point out the aspects that are frequently alluded to. Esp. since you mention that she did great with Emma, think how much great lit. you'll be able to cover through watching before she heads off to college! :) I would also probably require a bit of actual reading just to keep her from getting totally rusty at reading -- perhaps try reading it aloud together, alternating pages, and discuss briefly afterwards. You could enjoy a short story once every 2-3 weeks and that would knock out 15 or so classic short stories. Just one last (unrelated) thought -- might DD need glasses, or have a vision tracking issue or processing issue, or have "stealth dyslexia"? Is it possible she rebels at reading because it is hard or actually hurts? Just tossing that out in case it is something to check on and if it is the case, getting it addressed might turn around the reading rebellion. ;) I, too would, have concerns if my almost 12th grader seemed "stuck" at 3rd-5th grade "fluff" books for reading level, but was handling complex ideas/themes by watching movies or listening to audiobooks just fine... Edited March 5, 2016 by Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Still brainstorming here. Maybe Alas, Babylon? I read that in High School and our class had some terrific discussions afterwards. Non-Science Fiction book that I (a HUGE Sci-Fi buff) still found interesting as an official reading assignments: A Separate Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 More Science Fiction: War of the Worlds The Martian Chronicles Bladerunner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheap?) Frankenstein The Man in the High Castle Downbelow Station Inbiotic Life As We Knew It Non-Science Fiction: To Kill a Mockingbird The Great Gatsby Of Mice and Men A Farewell to Arms Heart of Darkness The Crucible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 If you're trying to pique her interest and "find herself" as far as what she likes, I would throw some good but non intimidating ones at her. How about Michael Crichton Andromeda Strain or even Jurassic Park? There is a lot to discuss in either book on so many levels. They aren't just superficial reads. What about The Joy Luck Club? Mothers and daughters not understanding one another is a time honored tradition! Enders Game? I am probably in the minority, but I would just try to light a fire in her for reading and let her find an author that speaks to her before I threw any heavy stuff at her. Then once she finds something she actually enjoys and isn't just forcing through you can add in. I agree. What got me really loving to just pick up a book and read for fun were the books like Dragonriders of Pern and the Flinx novels by Alan Dean Foster and books like St. Valentine's Castle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Oh, one that ties in with the Middle Ages but is Science Fiction and still a favorite of mine: Doomsday Book. Funny, sad, exciting, dramatic, etc. And a series that I really enjoy now: https://www.goodreads.com/series/109102-the-chronicles-of-st-mary-s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Well, her faaaavorite books are the Warriors series, but I can't think of any "literature" like that... She watches a lot of Sci Fi; the title that comes to mind for me in that genre is The Left Hand of Darkness, but then LeGuin is one my favorite authors... ;) She also likes funny (used to love Roald Dahl). I'm hoping she'll find humor in the Twain. My son's favorite books ever were the Warriors series. So what about doing a sci fi theme? In 12th grade I took a course titled Utopia, Science Fiction, and Fantasy. So stuff like Fahrenheit 451, 1984 (I know you mentioned that one), Logan's Run, Brave New World, etc.. And my all time favorite is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 If you click on the reading list here, there are tons of ideas, including ideas for reluctant readers: http://www.thehomescholar.com/college-bound-reading-list.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 About Austen: What about Northanger Abbey and then watching the Jane Austen bookclub? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GThomas Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 My daughter loves fantasy/sci fi. Books she has enjoyed are (not all of these are "literature"): 1984, The Dragon Chronicles, the Finishing School Series, Watership Down, Fablehaven series, The Hobbit, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Inheritance series, The Witch of Blackbird Pond (not fantasy/sci fi), Fahrenheit 451. She read The Golden Compass many years ago and I think she was too young. I'm trying to get her to try again. The trilogy was one of my favorites! Good luck and have fun with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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