the best novels for a high school literature class?

Question

I am a literature teacher teaching in Honduras, I am putting together next year's reading list. This is the list I have so far:

7th grade
Sea Wolf Jack London
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl
The Jungle Book Rudyard Kipling
The Pear John Steinbeck

8th grade
Tales From Shakespeare Charles Lamb
Hound of the Baskervilles Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett


9th grade
The Outsiders S.E. Hinton
The Iron Ring Lloyd Alexander
Stories O Henry
War of the Worlds H.G. Wells

10th grade
Hard Times Charles Dickens
Billy Budd Herman Melville
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
Lord of the Flies William Golding


11th grade
Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas
Tale of 2 Cities Charles Dickens
Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck

What other suggestions would anyone have for a good book for these kids. Remember that I am teaching at a bi-lingual school.
Thanks

Answer 1

I suggest

7th Grade:
The Boys of San Joaquin
By D. James Smith
Atheneum/Richard Jackson, Ages 10-13
Set in Orange Grove, California in 1951, this is the story, of twelve-year-old Paolo, his six-year-old brother, and his cousin Billy in their pursuit of the source of a half-eaten $20 bill, stolen money, which creates matters of conscience along the way.

8th Grade:
13 Little Blue Envelopes
By Maureen Johnson
HarperCollins, Ages 12 and up
Ginny’s beloved Aunt Peg dies from brain cancer and sends Ginny on a mysterious excursion from beyond the grave. There are 13 little blue envelopes to guide her on her mission across Europe. Armed only with a backpack, Ginny undertakes a life transforming scavenger hunt.

9th Grade:
Autobiography of My Dead Brother
By Walter Dean Myers HarperCollins/Amistad, Ages 14 and up Jesse and Rise are childhood friends and blood brothers who are trying to make their mark on the world or at least survive their tough Harlem neighborhood. One turns to his art, sketching and writing, while the other turns to the streets.

10th Grade:
Naughts & Crosses
By Malorie Blackman
Simon & Schuster, Ages 14 and up
In a world where the pale-skinned Naughts are discriminated against by the politically and socially powerful dark-skinned Crosses, teenagers Callum—a Naught—and Sephy—a Cross—test whether their love is strong enough to survive their society’s racism.

11th Grade:
Who Am I Without Him? Short Stories About Girls and the Boys in Their Lives by Sharon Flake.
16 and up. This short story collection depicts the lives of many different teenage girls, covering topics of family, sex and pregnancy, absent fathers, bad boyfriends, disobedience, poor decisions, death, and more, featuring unique storytelling techniques and perspectives. A powerful book for girls and guys about relationships, family, and urban life issues that only Flake could master.


All classes:
Red hot salsa : bilingual poems on life, love, and victory /
Edited by Lori M. Carlson ; with an introduction by Oscar Hijuelos.
Publisher New York : Henry Holt, 2005.



And here's a few modern classics (some of my faves) to chose from:
7th Grade- Jurrasic Park, Michael Crichton

8th Grade- Farenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

9th Grade- Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein

10th Grade- It, Stephen King

11th Grade- Roots, Alex Haley

I hope this helps : )

Answer 2

My suggestions for books that might make the kids more interested in reading them - where normal school reading material could be found boring.


The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien.

This is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings series. It's a single book, not too long with simpler language. It was originally intended for kids and teens, so they probably won't find the book too boring.


The Cross-Time Engineer - Leo Frankowski

A book about a modern day engineer named Conrad Schwartz who's cousin discovered the secret to time travel. Conrad is accidentally sent to medieval Poland where he must adapt and use his knowledge of history to protect himself in the 13th century. It's got a lot of good humour, based off of modern day ideas mixing with the past. Lots of fun, and part of a series. Introduce it in grade 8 maybe and have them read the others through the years?


Jurassic Park - Michael Chrichton

Not only was this book made into a very successful movie, but the sequel (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) was also a hollywood blockbuster. The movies are famous throughout the world and the books are spectacular. Chrichton is a wonderful author. I highly recommend these books - it'll keep kids on the edge of their seats waiting to read more.



Good luck with your classes! Hope this helps.

Answer 3

My first thought at this question appears to be the same as others: The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye. I love that you have chosen Of Mice and Men as well. One that I read in 4th grade but wasn't required until 7th was Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, keep in mind though that it's been a while since I've been in 7th grade. Another for that age group may be Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Answer 4

You've got a nice list there, the books I have read on that list were pretty good I suppose. They were tolerable.
If you really wanted to add something or change something, I guess you could try The Crucible.

Oh, and contrary to what people have written, DO NOT assign anyone to read The Great Gatsby. I don't care what literary proffesionals say, as an 11th grader who was forced to read it, I think it is a terrible book.

Answer 5

when I was in 12Th grade we read tale of two cities, which is on your list for 11Th grade. So Maybe for your 11th grade Lord of the Flies, that's what we read after Tale of Two cities. When I was in 10th grade we read,Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel GarcíEscolasticaa Márquez. there's also The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. There's lots out there, hope this may have helped.

Answer 6

of mice and men should be a little younger, thats kind of easy for 11th grade..

Johnny Tremain
hamlet
into the wild
call of the wild
around the world in 80 days
romeo and juliet
the crucible
lyddie

Answer 7

the jungle
gulliver's travels
1984
animal farm
diary of anne frank
the choice
my antonia
call of the wild
the plague dogs

Answer 8

you know its really tragic how these books are forced on teens it will kill anything in them that might want to pick up a book. Why can't you shake it up and give them some Stephen King or something interesting.

Answer 9

i would highly recommend the James Patterson series maximum ride its great.

jamespatterson.com

Answer 10

I SUGGEST THE GREAT GATSBY, GREAT NOVEL AND HOW ABOUT GREAT EXPECTATIONS. CATCHER IN THE RYE WAS GREAT TOO