HIT: SEC: good read#2

[Diane Chen <ChenD@TEN-NASH.TEN.K12.TN.US>]

Hatchet by Paulsen
Puppies, Blue Northers by Paulsen
Paulsen's autobiography
Crutcher, Ironnam
other Crutcher titles
Art Spieglman's Maus (not spelled correctly)only comic book to win the
Pulitzer I believe.

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher

Maniac Magee-Jerry Spinelli
The Chocolate War- Robert Cormier
The Library Card- Jerry Spinelli
The Outsiders-S.E. Hinton****
The Devil's Arithmetic-Jane Yolen
Driver's Ed-Caroline Cooney****
There is also a series out can't remember the author "Scary Stories" etc.
Sixth graders can't get enough of them!!!

        I'm not sure what you mean by GOOD books but there are many outstanding
high interest/easy reading books out there for secondary students.
Authors like Paul Zindel, Gary Soto, Lois Duncan, and others write for
the reluctant reader. I would not be afraid to start them off on R. L.
Stine, teen age Romance novels, etc. Whatever it takes to get them
reading. I'm at home now but I can assure you that there are countless
books out there. NCTE puts out a high interest/easy reading list that is
great.
        I am sure that with a bit of inverstigation you will find more than you
can possible order. Look at Perma Bound's catalog; it is replete with
titles that should fill the bill.

Is your husband reading *to* the students or are they reading silently?
One of my all
time favorites is Hatchet by Paulsen and I think it would work with all of
these boys.
There is also a *good* sequel, Brian's Winter, if they like the first one
:)  (Beware
---- The River is another sequel but not nearly as good as Brian's Winter).

This year I bought a book called "Basher _ _ _", sorry I forget the numbers
that follow.
 It is the true account of the American military pilot who was shot down
and lived in
the wilderness to survive.  They will love this!

"The Contender" by Lipsyte would be very good for the older boys and
probably the
younger ones, as well.  It's about a black high school-age boy who watches
his best
friend fall to drugs and the neighborhood deteriorate.  The protagonist
elects to get
involved in boxing instead of drugs and then must decide whether or not to
make it a
career.  Actually he's a "contender" for LIFE not just boxing.  I think
they would like
it.

I bet you'll get some other ideas from this list as I know there are
several members who
do work in detention centers.  They will know what the boys are reading.


PS--Although I have not read them, now about some other books like *Basher
___* that are
real life dramas.  Adrift is one and there are others as well.  I'm sure
they are VERY
suspenseful which might be the lure to books :)




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*
Diane R. Chen, Library Media Specialist
Hickman Elementary School
3125 Ironwood Drive  Nashville, TN 37214
Telephone: 615 885-8956
ChenD@ten-nash.ten.k12.tn.us

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