Recommendations for a good book for middle schoolers?

[Lanie]

I have been assigned to have a one hour dicussion on a book for middle schoolers of my choosing. I''m a Spanish teacher, 7th grade. I''m not a big reader. Most of what I read is in Spanish, or inappropriate for middle schoolers. (too heavy of topics or they have bad language, adult situations, etc)

Don''t yell at me but I''m dreading this. I''m not good with discussion groups...I''m a more concrete, cut and dry teacher. I have to read it over the summer and it needs to appeal to this age group. I also need to be interested in it bc I''m already upset I''ve been talked into this! I''m sorry for sounding bitter....I just relish my summer vacation for my own personal reading and/or loafing around.

One book I heard about, The Uglies, looks super appealing. But it''s 400 pages! I don''t like historical fiction. I think I''d do best with a book about a struggling girl that is trying to fit in....that type of thing.

My second choice is one called Skunk Girl about a Pakistani American girl with strict parents who is trying to do normal American teenager things. It looks pretty good and something I''d be interested in.

So....any recommendations????? Thanks!!!!

 

[NYCsparkle]

how about The Hatchet, by Gary paulsen? its about a teenage boy going to visit his father after his parents divorce---then his plane goes down in the canadian wilderness and he survives and is stranded alone for a few months. he has to learn how to fend for himself while replaying his parents divorce. it is very easy to get into discussions about divorce and what would your students do for food, shelter, clothing.....i read this series with advanced 6th graders and they loved it---both the boys and girls. it was very realistic and the scenario discussions are endless.

its not too long of a book and there are others...what would have happened had he not been rescued and had to survive a winter.....its called the winter....and theres another after that called the river.

 

[Haven]

Hi, Lanie,

What's your student demographic? Are you looking for a book featuring a minority character? A male main character?

Here are some of the books that are pretty popular with middle schoolers right now:

Holes by Louis Sachar
The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton (It's STILL around, and the kids still love it!)
Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I've read The Uglies. It's good, and it's a super fast read. The kids who like it will then go on to read The Pretties, and the rest of the series too, which is always a wonderful thing.

You'll be surprised to find that a lot of YA lit deals with pretty controversial subject matter, it's been a trend in YA lit for decades, now.

Don't worry about leading a discussion, it will be fun! Will the students have any accompanying assignment to go along with reading the book over the summer? If you can give them something to do, a great way to ensure a quality discussion would be to assign each student to bring five discussion questions (not quiz questions!) and five personal connections with them the day of the discussion. That way, each student will have something to contribute, AND it gives them a purpose for reading, which is one major component of being a good reader.

If you want more book ideas, do a google search for "7th grade summer reading" and you'll find a ton of lists out there. Your local bookstores probably have displays set up already with summer reading books, too, so you can go and browse in person, as well. That actually might be the best option, now that I think of it.

It's so wonderful of you to do this. We know as reading researchers that one of the major contributors to fostering a love of reading in children is to see adults model a love of reading, themselves. You're helping these kids far more than you know by reading with them, you really are.

Have fun!

 

[redfaerythinker]

Hatchet is a good one
Downriver is about some kids who have been in trouble with the law, get sent to a wilderness camp where they steal a raft and ride it down the Colorado. Great book for discussion
Z for Zacharia- nuclear war book apropos for today''s society
Fallen Angels- Vietnam War


Those are just a couple that I remember reading in middle school, that I enjoyed.

 

[Lanie]

Thanks so much for the recs Redfaery and NYCsparkle!!! I know they read Hatchet in 6th grade so that wouldn''t work. Good book that I remember myself.

Haven! I was hoping you''d chime in! I teach at a private school, all pretty much wealthy, white kids. I''m going to look at all of your recs, and thanks for the inspiration. I do know it''s a good thing for them to see me taking an interest in it, and I like your suggestion about having them bring questions ahead of time. It''s one of those activities where each student gets a list of which teacher is doing which book, and they choose. I''m a very popular teacher there so I won''t have a problem drumming up interest. (not to brag but I''m the youngest one, and I take an interest in their lives!) so all the other teachers I''ve been talking to are shocked that I''m so nervous about it! But thanks! You made me excited about it!!!

 

[Haven]

That''s a really interesting way to set up summer reading. I bet you''ll have a wonderful time, no matter what you choose to read.

Asking students to come up with five discussion questions and five personal connections is a way to guarantee that they exercise some very important reading skills:
- Setting a purpose before reading (to ask questions and to connect)
- Relate to the reading
- Monitor their own comprehension so they can ask interesting questions

If you can, giving them a little instruction sheet with room to write their questions and connections will do wonders for the program. It will not only ensure that your discussion runs smoothly, it will also help the kiddos have fun while reading the book on their own.

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

I read The Hatchet as a fifth grader and LOVED it. I read it again as a 28 year old and loved it even more. I like the follow-up book as well; it''s an alternate ending to the first book and answers the question, "What would have happened if the boy had to survive winter on his own?"


Also, I was captivated by The Hunger Games by S. Collins. When the second book came out, I read it... then read the first book again, then read the second book again. I was obsessed with this little world for an entire week.

"Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When her sister is chosen by lottery, Katniss steps up to go in her place."

The premise is sort of brutal, but there is no bad language or sexual undertones.I believe this author writes other children''s literature, but I haven''t checked her other series out.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I loved Holes when we read it, and I still do. It''s a great read.

Um, I wasn''t a big fan of a lot of assigned reading, but I do remember our teacher reading a chapter from Stephen King''s Eyes of the Dragon each class in 8th grade (is that weird? It''s not as dark/gory/adult as his other books). I have no idea if that is appropriate since my perspective is skewed, but we all (guys and girls) loved the book. It is long but it''s definitely written in the style of good v. evil, princes v. evil magicians, etc. I thought it stayed pretty PG-13 though. Just a suggestion!

 

[SarFarSuperstar]

I taught The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan to a group of 8th graders. It''s really more of a 5th/6th grade reading level, but it''s about mythology and SO good! The kids LOVED it, read ahead, and even bought the rest of the series and other books on mythology. It was a pretty diverse group of kids and even the non-readers got into it.