ENGLISH 7_Q4_LESSON 2_ Employing a Variety of Strategies for Effective Interp...
For Your Consideration: Books to Ponder
1. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION books to ponder For Your Consideration: books for you to ponder For those of you who feel like you are a more advanced/ambitious reader, please click below and it will take you to more advanced novels.
2. Even if you have seen the film versions of this series picking up these books are definitely worth it! These books will take you away to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and you won’t want to come back! Mrs. Malinowski’s rating: A+ Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling Click the broomstick to fly away to Rowling’s website
3. Stargirlby Jerry Spinelli This book will remind you of the importance of acceptance and tolerance. It’s ok (and preferred in my class) to be different! Our differences are what make us who we are and we should appreciate everyone’s special abilities Mrs. Malinowski’s rating: B+ Click Me
4. Mrs. Malinowski’s rating: B A touching story about a high school girl who through the loss of her mother finds out about herself. Click Me!!!
5. Zora and Me is a fictional story about real life author Zora Neal Hurston. It is based in her real home town in a time when racism was rampid but as a small child Zora doesn’t realize the troubles around her. All Zora is focused on is the mystery that is plaguing her town. Mrs. Malinowski’s rating: B CLICK ME
6. My ratings: A A+ B Three of my favorite reads of 2010. These three books follow Katniss Everdeen who is selected for the Hunger Games, a gladiator type fight to the death. Katniss must survive the games to rejoin her family and friends however this is difficult when everyone is targeting her. Click Me
7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a holocaust novel that is narrated by death. Liesel is a German girl in WWII who is haunted by the events that are surrounding Germany. Her only escape is reading and even writing books. My favorite read of 2011 so far! My rating: A+ Click Me
8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie was another one of my favorites in 2011. The book follows Junior, a teenager from the “rez” while he transitions from his reservation school to a traditional/mostly white school. Another great story about finding out your true self while facing adversity. Also, there is great artwork throughout the book, the pictures on this page are just one small example. My rating: A CLICK ME
9. Beautifully written story about Kaitlyn, a girl with Asperger syndrome. Throughout the book Kaitlyn is searching for closure in the death of her brother. In her notes in the back of the book, Erskine writes why she wrote this book, “I wanted to write this book so we can better understand eachother.” My rating: B+ You know the drill!
10. You may have already read this book in Middle School but it is worth many reads. Every time I read this story I take something new away from it. I like to imagine living in The Community and what it would be like for Jonas to realize that there is life outside the Community. I recommend reading this for a second and third time if you haven’t already done so. My rating: A+
11. My rating: A- This novel follows a high school girl who decides to go mute after being sexually assaulted at a summer party. When she calls the police after the assault, her friends think that she has called the police to break up the party and turn on her before knowing what really happens. She finds her voice again because of an art teacher who sees her true self. Note: I really enjoy anything that Anderson writes and I have linked you to her website. She writes incredible historical fiction my favorite being Chains.
13. This book holds a special place in my heart. This is the book was the one that hooked me into reading. It’s definitely a more advanced read but a page turner. I recommend anything from Steinbeck but remember that Steinbeck develops more adult themes. This goes for the rest of the books in this presentation: you may want to speak with your parents about reading these novels as some material is mature. My rating: A+
14. Hopefully at some point in your lives you will read a Dickens novel. I was a little skeptical in the beginning too, but once you get used to Dicken’s writing style his stories come alive. A Tale of Two Cities was my first Dickens novel and I struggled through the first 50 pages or so. However, once the story began to develop I couldn’t put it down. A great twist at the end! After reading this novel, you may even want to pick up some more Dickens. Also a great history lesson on the French Revolution. My rating: B
15. I know what you’re thinking, we HAVE to read this book anyway so why would you put it on this list! This is why, this is probably one of the best books of all time. It is definitely worth reading and reading again. There are so many amazing themes to explore in this book and its another one of those where you will take something new away every time you read it. Don’t judge this book because it’s a required read…everyone reads this one for a reason! The film version of this book is excellent too but READ THE BOOK FIRST!!! My rating: A+
16. Another one of my faves! However, this is an example of a book for mature readers only. You might want to discuss the contents of this novel with your parents. This book takes place during a different time than today so some things may be difficult to understand. But, if you are a strong reader it should be easily enjoyed! My rating: A
17. This is a fun book! It is the “true” story of the Wicked Witch of the West from L.F. Baum’s Wizard of Oz. It was really fun to see the Wicked Witch (named Elphaba) in a new light in Maguire’s novel. Broadway even adapted this book to a musical…one of my favorite musicals of all time. I recommend seeing it when it tours through town again! However, borrow or check this book out from the library; while it’s a fun book you may want to save your pennies for a better novel. Note: Maguire writes a lot of books about fairy tales. If you have a favorite you might want to see if he has written a parody of it…they are truly fun reads! My rating: B-
18. For all of you Harry Potter fanatics out there, this may be a good trilogy for you to follow Rowling’s novels. Tolkien’s story is endless and you will enjoy Frodo’s journey from beginning to end. I know what you are thinking…I have seen the movies! While the movies are great, they didn’t include Tolkien’s entire story; I highly recommend reading these books even if you think you know the story. Also, seeing the movies might help you read these books, you will already be familiar with the funny names throughout the novels. My rating for all 3 novels: A You may also be interested in The Hobbit the prequel to the trilogy. I however didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the trilogy…but its up to you to decide!!
19. I love reading Jodi Picoult novels when I just want to a quick mindless read. I included My Sister’s Keeper on here but I recommend any of her novels. I especially enjoy them for high school age students because many of her novels are about Young adults. She has written many novels and I have only read a couple that I felt disappointed in. My rating: Each book is different. Read some of Picoult’s novels and let me know what you think!
20. I hope that you have enjoyed this book tour and that you were able to find a book that you may enjoy. Don’t forget that I am always available if you need help finding a book. I love discussing any type of literature so I would be happy to read with you!!! Happy Reading
Notes de l'éditeur
I love to read and I love sharing my passion with others. In this presentation I’m going to share some of my favorite Young Adult books with you and hopefully spark an interest in you to read! I will also post links for you to find out more about each book if you are interested. For more advanced readers please feel free to skip to the second section of this powerpoint as it includes more advanced books to consider
I know, I know…Harry Potter. I however have to include these books in my favorites books presentation. These books hold a special place in my heart and I love every single book. These books will keep you hooked from the very first page.
I loved Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli! Spinelli did a great job of telling the story of Stargirl, a new girl in Leo’s high school. Leo is both fascinated and frightened by how different Stargirl is. She brings her pet rad and her ukulele to school everyday and sings in the cafeteria to people who have birthdays. When Leo becomes friends with Stargirl, he realizes what it feels like to be singled out and ignored by the rest of his high school.
Cures for Heartbreak is another great coming of age story. This book follows a girl after her mother dies suddenly of cancer. After her mother’s death, she has difficult time connecting with her family and friends. It is through her search for closure that she learns more about her mother and father and learns to make connections to those that are around her.
Zora and Me follows Zora Neal Hurston as child as she develops a story about the goings on in her childhood home. This story has an amazing website which I have provided for you and it gives a lot of historical information about the town when slavery and racism was a part of American society. This book does a fantastic job of exploring a young Zora Neal Hurston and is a great step stone to Zora Neal Hurston’s actual works.
All three of these books are fantastic. It took me only a day to finish each of these books…they are page turners and after finishing each book you will be tempted to continue reading the next book in the series. These books were my favorite of 2010 and I haven’t felt this way about a series since Harry Potter. The first book is Katniss’ first trip to the Hunger Games and gives you a foundation of the Hunger Games and how it came to be. Each story following the first introduces more about the background of each district and how the Hunger Games gives the government the ultimate power.
WOW! This 600 page book flew by. I could not put this one down! I laughed but mostly cried throughout this book. I loved this book for a few reasons. One, it was narrated by death and should only be narrated by him. Secondly, many holocaust novels follow a Jewish perspective and it was interesting to read this from a German’s perspective. This book is a must read!!!
If you have read and enjoyed any of the Wimpy Kid series, this book is for you. It reminded me so much of Kinney’s stories. It follows Junior, a freshman in high school, as he decides to leave the reservation in which his family and friend (he only has one) live. He knows that he will probably not move onto college if remains at the reservation but become an alcohol as many members of the reservation has. While he doesn’t have but one friend on the “rez,” Junior learns to stick up for himself at the traditional school and create long lasting relationships. The artwork in this book if unforgettable and only adds to the story of Junior.
I picked up this book because I wanted to learn more about Asperger syndrome. After reading this story, I really feel that I “get it.” Kaitlyn is a fifth grader who’s brother was shot and killed in a school shooting (Erskine wrote this book after the Virginia Tech shootings). Kaitlyn doesn’t completely understand the term “closure’’ and throughout the book she is searching for the meaning of closure and finds a way to honor and remember her brother while finding closure for herself and her father.
The Giver follows Jonas as he is selected as the new receiver in the community. Through his training, Jonas learns about life outside the community and begins to have thoughts of leaving his family and the community.
Speak is a fantastic novel about sexual assault. While at a high school party Melinda is sexually assaulted. When she returns to the party after the horrific event she calls the police without telling anyone what happened. When everyone realizes that she has called the police they believe that she has called the police to break up the party. Melinda returns to school with no friends because everyone refuses to listen to her. Because of this Melinda decides to go mute. Throughout the story, Melinda is trying to fit back in in her high school while trying to stay away from her assailant.
The following books are for more ambitious readers who feel that the previous books are too easy for them. However, I read most of the previous books as an adult and I enjoyed everyone of them. I recommend reading all of them but if you enjoy more difficult text the following ones are a good start.
I will not be posting links for the more advanced reads however information on these books are readily available from me or from the internet.