Books

This summer I am spending my book time reading the books from my class library. I like to have an idea what the books are about. I want to be prepared if a parent comes in saying "Why is my child reading a book about such-and-such from your library?" I also like to be able to suggest books to kids as I get to know them better. I have found that a recommendation from me goes a long when when it comes to which books get read and which just sit on the shelves. For example, we read Because of Winn-Dixie out loud together and my entire class just adored it. I had to send home a special book order near the end of the year so they could buy their own copies.

Anyway, I have been reading tons of children's (or should I say young adult) books lately. I have been amazed by how intense they all are. No Dick and Jane plotlines here. I have read about children who have lost their parents, struggled to fit in, narrowly avoided landing in jail, and survived a fire in a California mining town. They all go through life changing events and suffer in ways that I can't imagine. Part of me wants to keep the books in a shelf at my house in an attempt to shield my students from these horrifying realities. Why should they have to feel, even vicariously, what it feels like to lose a grandparent or see, even in their imaginations, the consequences of ignorant bigotry?

But I know better than that. These books that suck me in and make me cry are exactly the ones I am going to recommend the most. My students may be children, but they are not untouched by sadness or fear. Perhaps one of them will make a connection with one of these stories, finding hope in the knowledge that they aren't the only ones to lose loved ones to alcohol or war. Books are therapy and I won't deny that to my students. However, the intensity and depth of these stories does make me glad that I have read through them. These are things that should be talked about. I already know which ones are going to be read aloud to next year's class. I hope they enjoy them as much as this year's class enjoyed Winn-Dixie.

*click the links above to see some of the books I have been reading. I would say that they are appropriate for bedtime read alouds for ages 10 and up and independent reading for ages 12 and up. You should, of course, take your child's reading level into consideration. :)