[LM_NET] Target --> MID --> Elie Wiesel and Night appropriate for 6th grade

["Erin L. Glover" <erin.glover@TUS.K12.PA.US>]

Hello all,

I am turning to the listserv for advice since I am struggling with this issue and 
haven't been able to resolve it under my own power.
I have a sixth grade teacher who annually encourages her reading classes (I'm not 
exactly sure what she says to them or how she says it) to read Night by Elie Wiesel 
independently.  We are at that time of year again, and sixth graders are beating a 
path to our door looking for this book. I KNOW that Night is a powerful, important 
piece of 20th century literature, and I KNOW it coincides with her unit (she is 
teaching Number the Stars by Lois Lowry at this time) but I just can't get over the 
feeling that this is not 6th grade appropriate literature, and every year I 
struggle with my conscious as I begin to round up copies from the high school and 
the class sets of the older grades for these sixth graders when they look for the 
book in our library. I have searched online, in the archives and in various review 
publications and I can't nail down the "accepted" grade level/age level 
recommendations for this book.  Also, I am not a prude and have a variety of 
holocaust lit for the kids - I just think Night specifically deals with so many 
graphic, adult issues that it should be used for guided reading at the 6th grade 
level or not at all.  I would appreciate input from this group of thoughtful 
readers and literature evaluators.

Thanks very much,

Erin L. Glover, Librarian
James Buchanan Middle School
Mercersburg, PA
erin.glover@tus.k12.pa.us<mailto:erin.glover@tus.k12.pa.us>


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