---
On my "I couldn't put it down" list are:
Left for Dead by Peter Nelson: The story of the USS Indianapolis
tragedy during WWII (also mentioned in the movie Jaws) based on a 16
year old student's living history project. Fascinating!
Tea That Burns by Bruce Edward Hall. The story of how Chinatown was
born...with the popularity of the movie "Gangs of New York", the Five
Points slum area of NY places came to life. In this book, the same area
is covered, only now the reader is placed in another portion of the Five
Points region, Chinatown. After building the transcontinental RR in CA
with slave -like treatment, prejudice and cruelty drove them to NY where
they had no female companions and their odd looks and demeanor made them
the object of more harassment. How they survived in a hostile, foreign
environment makes for a great read, not to mention the gang wars that
sprouted once the opportunity was there to take advantage of a
vulnerable people. What comes across most impressively is the
resilience of the Chinese. The passage of their survival on the Titanic
(p. 161) would make for a good read aloud too.
---
I read a couple of paragraphs from 4,000 Days: My Life and Survival in
a Bangkok Prison by Warren Fellows, and now can't keep it in the
library. Even my very reluctant readers are reading it. However, it is
not for the faint of heart. Some of it is quite gruesome. I just read
the paragraphs that are at the front of the book. Is this what you are
looking for?
---
Jack Gantos' autobiography "Hole in My Life" is a great book. In "Hole
in My Life" when I booktalked it, I read the section where Gantos laughs
at the prisoners who come speak to his school--the irony being that
later he lands in prison. They also thought the part where his trial is
covered was pretty "cool". and some of the English teachers I know are
using "Ella Minnow Pea" by Mark Dunn this year. The premise of that
book is the town council on the island of Nollop starts to take letters
out of the alphabet because a special monument in the town is losing
letters. It's a very creative study of language development.
---
One of my favorites is The Beaded Moccasins by Linda Durrant. Early in
the book (maybe around ch. 2 or 3 - but not for sure) a girl and her
younger brother are kidnapped by Indians. The little boy has a hard
time keeping up with the traveling group so he is taken aside and
scalped. Yes, it is very gruesome but kids are hooked after that.
I would also say that Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Small Steps, Mick Harte
Was Here, The Graduation of Jake Moon by Barbara Park, Nory Ryan's Song
by Patricia Reilly Giff, and The Man Who Loved Clowns by June Rae Wood
would all have some very catchy parts to capture an audience.
Listed below are some excerpts from a query a while back requesting
captivating literature. Hope this helps.
"I did read the opening chapter of The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963"
by Christopher Curtis.
"I love to read the part in Something Upstairs by Avi where a hand
moves a box across the floor in the attic."
"Also, I just recently read aloud to a group of sixth graders a part
from Incident at Hawk's Hill by Allan Eckert. The part where the badger
is trapped and tries to gain her freedom to save her newly born pups. It
is gross...but the book won't be in for the rest of the year!"
"By far, the most mentioned titles were Holes by Louis Sachar, Because
of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, A Long Way from Chicago by Richard
Peck, and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck".
---
Jane Yolen's short stories book Twelve Impossible Things Before
Breakfast almost all start with very intriguing "hooks." I particularly
like the intro to the second story, "Mama Gone." Here is a shortened
version: "Mama died four nights ago, giving birth to my baby sister,
Ann... By all rights we should have buried her with garlic in her mouth
and her hands and feet cut off, what with her being vampire kin and all.
But Papa absolutely refused. The onliest thing he would allow was for us
to tie red ribbons 'round her ankles and wrists, a kind of sign like a
line of blood. Everybody hoped that would do. But on the next day she
rose from out her grave and
commenced to prey upon the good folk of Taunton."
I also like the stories in Phillip Hoose's It's Our World, Too! Young
People Who are Making a Difference: How They Do It--How You Can, Too!
This is a collection of true stories of young people who fought to
improve some condition they saw around them -- racism, gangs,
development of wetlands, nuclear armament... a very wide variety of both
kids and problems tackled. It would be possible to read the beginning of
certain stories as a hook and hand out the full story, each of which
could be read in 20 minutes.
---
Sharon M. Draper's books (Romiette and Julio, Darkness Before Dawn,
Forged by Fire, Tears of a Tiger are good for high school students.
Sharon was the National Teacher of the Year a few years back. Our
students love them. "Holes" by Louis Sachar that just came out at
the movies & is available in video format is a great book!
---
Opening few pages of "Wolf Rider" by Avi.
---
For your biology classes, they could try reading from James Watson's
The Double Helix, which is an interesting look at the behind the scenes
back biting and stabbing that went on as the search for the structure of
DNA went on at Cambridge University. A biography for Rosalind Franklin
would be a good counter point for Watson's book. There are one or two
available but I have not read them so I'm not sure how accessible to the
reluctant reader they might be. Could create some interesting
discussions.
Also any of the essays by Lewis Thomas are great, but the most
accessible, IMHO, are found in his first book the Lives of the Cell.
---
Adam Janowski
Library Media Specialist
Naples High School
1100 Golden Eagle Circle
Naples, FL 34102
E-mail: NHSWebmaster@collier.k12.fl.us
Phone: 239-430-6644 Ext. 390
Fax: 239-430-6673
Library web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/lmc/
School web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/
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