Previous by Date | Next by Date | Date Index
Previous by Thread | Next by Thread
| Thread Index
| LM_NET
Archive
| |
I asked for reading suggestions for a book club at our high school. Thanks to everyone who gave me such great suggestions. We're going with the Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls this time but there are many other excellent choices that I can't wait to suggest in the future. Thank you so much! Gayle Lawrence Library Media Specialist Charles Page High School Sand Springs, OK gayle.lawrence@sandites.org Lovely Bones, Glass Castle, It Happened to Nancy, Uglies, Please Stop Laughing at Me, Speak, Breathing Under Water are all books my high school book club has read and loved. They really got into a great discussion with 2 of Scott Westerfield's series - Uglies (set of 4 total) and the Midnighters (set of 3). We are considering a different genre for our next read, though I am meeting with opposition by some who don't want to stray from their beloved fantasy. I am giving them the following choices - Twisted by Anderson, My Sister's Keeper by Picoult, Bucking the Sarge by Curtis, Good Brother-Bad Brother by Giblin and Al Capone Does My Shirts by Choldenko. I tried to pick a wide variety and will do a short book talk on each one. sounds like you've got a lot of girls in your club... if you read Twilight. how about anything by Jodi Picoult?? she's very popular, and the subject matter usu. makes for good discussions. I highly recommend Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. We did a One Book program in Oct. 2006 with it in a 7-12. Students loved it. My new book club just read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and the students all loved it. How about a "boy" book like Deadline by Chris Crutcher or Fat kid rules the world, by Going. I also liked Looking for Alaska, by Green. Lots of meaty stuff in all three! Anything by Robert Cormier, particularly "Fade" (does have some adult content). Twisted or Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Monster by Walter Dean Myers My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult I think that because the book club participation is optional, one can read more adult fiction, but you have to be careful. I would recommend the following titles: The House of the Scorpion/ Nancy Farmer (science fiction) Nothing but the Truth/Avi (documentary novel) Martyn Pig/ Kevin Brooks ( dark comedy) I am trying a "manga" themed book club. I am trying to force myself to read this genre. The kids basically come together and share their favorites, recommend new titles, and then soon we will pick one to read together. In the past we have read Uglies and My Sister's Keeper This is my 2nd year doing a Book Discussion at my high school. This had never been done here before. The number of students participating has doubled this year. We keep it very low-key and we meet once or twice a month during late starts at our school. This group also does our state Battle of the Books so often we discuss these books. Our most successful discussions have been: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Lord of the Rings, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, The Uglies series, and The Twilight series (students really came out for Eclipse). The students always pick the book and I just facilitate the discussion. Good luck. This is a great way to encourage reading while actually creating a little excitement over it. This year we are reading: I'd Tell You I Love You but then I'd Have to Kill You (Girls spy school...great read...a boy one is coming out soon). Disney bought the rights to a film version. What Happened to Cass McBride Code Talkers by Bruchac (Dec. selection for Pearl Harbor) Down the Rabbit Hole The Lightning Thief Harry Potter 7 Any novel from the Twilight Series Last year we read My Sister's Keeper because we have such a fan base for Jodi Picoult here. Our book club includes boys this year, and they seem to be enjoying most of the books. Octavian Nothing Godless Dark Sons The Book Thief ****** I loved Scott Westerfeld's Uglies Trilogy...Uglies, Pretties, Specials which now includes a 4th book, Extras. (It was originally a trilogy). This is my favorite series ever and I am a voracious reader. Also you could try Jay Asher's 13 Reason's Why - very thought provoking. Nancy Farmer's House of the Scorpion takes on cloning in a future society. Anything by Mary Higgins Clark for mystery/suspense/murder Seeker by Nicholson. That will soon be a movie, so might be a good one to get them into it. Our book club which includes students and teachers is discussing Runner by Carl Deuker tomorrow. (Living with his alcoholic father on a broken-down sailboat on Puget Sound has been hard on seventeen-year-old Chance Taylor, but when his love of running leads to a high-paying job, he quickly learns that the money is not worth the risk.) Our first title was Double Helix by Nancy Werlin. (Eighteen-year-old Eli discovers a shocking secret about his life and his family while working for a Nobel Prize-winning scientist whose specialty is genetic engineering.) Our next title is Twilight. How about Black and White by Paul Volponi (Speak) It's about two high school basketball players who decide to make money by robbing some people; it goes too far and one of them shoots someone. Two great book club books for high school students are: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult I have 25+ students in my book club and I thought it was too many for one good book discussion, so I purchased sets of 7 and the students are reading with a smaller group. I float from group to group and 2 teachers help me. Here are the books I selected: The Book Thief--this group loved the book. Briar Rose--also enjoyed by the group who read it Looking for Alaska--I required a parent permission form for this one; the group liked it. Glass Castle--again, very popular The Thirteenth Tale--mixed reviews A Thousand Splendid Suns--no one selected this one yet, but we will be changing books this Friday, so I am hopeful. Try The Pact 0 or My Sister's Keeper - both by Jodi Picoult. I guarantee tons of discussion!! The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon--we read it two years ago. It is gothic, full of suspense, mystery, intrigue, murder, etc. IT was a a bestseller in Spain for one year and then it was a NY Times bestseller list. Poetic, like you wouldn't believe!!! It is the best book I've EVER read, second only to To Kill a Mockingbird. You simply MUST read this book, if not in your book club, read it for yourself. I think your book club would enjoy reading Jeannette Walls' book The Glass Castle or Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Our students have really been reading both of these books, giving excellent feedback to me and other fellow students. This year, we have read/are reading: I am the Messenger The Glass Castle The Secret Life of Bees In the Time of the Butterflies Naughts and Crosses The Kite Runner Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes The Book Thief Elsewhere Tamar The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL 3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation. * LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/ * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/ * LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html * LM_NET Wiki: http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------