Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge

Bibliographic Information:

Gulledge, Laura Lee. Page by Paige. New York: Amulet Books, 2011.

Plot Description: Paige and her parents have just moved from Virginia to New York City where everything is so new.  With her new sketchbook she wanders around the city, wondering how she’ll make her home there and if she’ll make new friends.  Fortunately it does not take her long before she meets Jules, Longo and Gabe.  With them, Paige finds herself inspired to draw, to share her work and maybe to fall in love.  And she finally discovers that she can let go of all the self doubt and trust her own fun and creative spirit.

Quantitative Reading Level: n/a

Qualitative Reading Analysis: This graphic novel takes the reader on a beautifully illustrated journey through the mind of an artistic young woman.  Her story is in equal parts text and drawing, with many images carrying the depth of meaning of her thoughts and feelings as an introverted teen well beyond words.  Detailed, almost magical imagery makes this story so accessible, and while sentence structure and vocabulary are not difficult for the average middle school reader, the profundity of her experience is well articulated overall.

Content Area: English Language Arts; Art: Drawing.

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade 6:  3) Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution; 6) Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

Curriculum Suggestions:  I’d recommend this book for independent reading to any adolescent that is a lover of graphic novels or art in general, or perhaps even a reluctant reader.  This story speaks to people who identify with introversion and/or the urge for creative expression.

Supporting Digital Content: Book trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_djoaooRcE4

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Bibliographic Information:

Scott, Elizabeth. Living Dead Girl. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

Plot Description:

Fifteen-year-old “Alice” has been living with Ray for five years now, and knows she will be replaced soon.  After all, her body is changing in a way that she no longer pleases him, no longer has the childlike innocence he demands.  This is the story of child who is abducted while on a school field trip and endures years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her captor, and her assignment to find his next victim.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 870, ATOS 4.8

Qualitative Reading Analysis: In terms of sentence structure, language and vocabulary, Living Dead Girl is simple in its readability as a Young Adult novel.  Structurally it is more complex because of the skillful way the author switches between first, second and third person narrative, and the shifts in time between the present and the past.  Furthermore, the subject matter is far more complex as it deals with subjects too terrible for even most adults: abduction, rape, and terror.  The realism of Ms. Scott’s story divides many readers about whether a teenager should read a book this painful and dark at all.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Reading Literature

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grades 9-10:

Curriculum Suggestions:  I’d recommend this as independent reading for the most mature teenage audience only.

Supporting Digital Content:  Author discussing her work http://books.simonandschuster.ca/Living-Dead-Girl/Elizabeth-Scott/9781416960607

Subjects/Themes:  Realistic Fiction, abduction, abuse, fear, kidnapping

Personal Thoughts: I’m reminded of Jaycee Dugard’s kidnapping and eventual release (a story that is close to home because we were the same age and lived just a few miles apart when she went missing).  How well does Scott depict the abduction and captivity experience in her fictitious novel?  How did she research the topic?  These are evaluative questions I might ask a reader interested in this difficult subject to consider.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Bibliographic Information:

Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. New York: Harper Collins, 2008.

Plot Description: After crawling away from the home his family was murdered in and into a graveyard one night, a baby is adopted by the council of supernatural beings that inhabit the place.  Neil Gaiman’s funny and adventurous story of his upbringing includes a familiar variety of creatures who mentor him in one way or another, and the murderer who is still searching for him to finish the family job.  Nobody Owens, as they name him, has total freedom in the graveyard, but he is still a human and must learn to embrace the human world as he grows up.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 820; GL 5.4

Qualitative Reading Analysis: The story unfolds chronologically from the scene of the family’s murder and maintains a third person omniscient point of view.  Each chapter is a story within itself, separated by a couple of years in the boy’s life as he grows up. The language is far more complicated however, often with vocabulary unfamiliar to a middle or even high school student and sentences that regularly contain subordinate phrases and clauses.  There are allusions to other works, notably The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.  As a fantasy story, no life experiences are necessary to enjoy the story, but there are deeper levels of meaning in some of the characters’ exchanges, such as the decision to raise the boy as a village (i.e. graveyard council), and the regard for death as “the ultimate democracy.”

Content Area: English Language Arts

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade 8: 2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text; 3) Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision; 4) Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts

Curriculum Suggestions: Of course Neil Gaiman’s books are always great independent reading recommendations for students who enjoy paranormal or fantasy literature.  A middle school English class might also analyze the chapters in the text that allude to other works like The Jungle Book.

Supporting Digital Content: Neil Gaiman reading from the book http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx

Awards: Carnegie Medal 2008; Newbury Medal 2008; Hugo (sci-fi) award

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

Bibliographic Information:

Paterson, Katherine. The Great Gilly Hopkins. New York: Harper Collins, 1978

Plot Description:

Gilly is eleven years old and off to yet another foster home.  As far as she’ll let anyone else know, she doesn’t care about anyone else or letting anyone in.  Her new foster mother, Ms. Trotter and her foster brother William Ernest annoy her, as does the neighbor who shares nightly meals with them.  With a chip on her shoulder she goes to school and finds herself despising even more people, although she quickly decides to embrace her studies just show everyone how smart she is… for awhile.  In the meantime, Gilly dreams of being reunited with her beautiful mother whom she has not seen in eight years, and plots to steal money and buy a bus ticket out west to find her.  After than attempt fails, Gilly is resigned to staying with Ms. Trotter and slowly comes to form a bond.  Unfortunately, other consequences of Gilly’s actions will soon put an end to that arrangement when her biological grandmother comes to take her away.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 800; GL 5.3

Qualitative Reading Analysis: Gilly’s story follows a simple, chronological timeline from her arrival at Ms. Trotter’s to her life with her grandmother.  Use of language is slightly more complex, however, as the narration is heavily peppered with Gilly’s sarcastic thoughts which influences the meaning of the text.  Most of the vocabulary is familiar but there is regular use of complex sentences.  The subject matter may be somewhat heavy for a middle school-aged audience, dealing with foster care, anger, loss, and the explicit racism in Gilly’s attitudes about black people.

Content Area:

Content Area Standard(s): English Language Arts; Psychology

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade 7: 2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

Curriculum Suggestions:  This novel would be appropriate for whole class, middle school level exploration of themes dealing with adoption and foster care, racist perspectives still common in the era the book was written, and possibly the evolution of one child’s development through challenging life circumstances.  Similarly it would be a great realistic fiction recommendation for adolescents.

Supporting Digital Content: Author Katherine Paterson discusses her childhood and family life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJLaLc_kaZc

Awards: National Book Award for Children’s Literature; Newberry Honor Book 1979.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Bibliographic Information:

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.

Plot Description: Luke is one of the “shadow children,” born into a family that already has the maximum of two children allowed under an oppressive, futuristic government.  Since his father sold the woods next to their home to developers, he can no longer go outside or even look out the window.  One day he sneaks a glance at a neighboring house and discovers an unfamiliar face in the window, a young girl who he realizes is also one of the shadow children.  Luke decides to risk everything and go meet her, discovering that she is organizing a demonstration of shadow children to stand up for their right to live.  When this falls through and the unthinkable happens to her, her father devises a plan to rescue Luke from the same fate and sends him off with a new identity.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 800; GL 5.9

Qualitative Reading Analysis: This novel has a simple, chronological storyline, though it is a highly unpredictable story.  The language and sentence structure is also simple, making this a very accessible for reluctant readers.  The dystopian theme of an intrusive central government might be new to middle school readers, but the suspenseful nature of the book make it very engaging.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Civics

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade 6: 2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments; Grade 7:3)  Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

Curriculum Suggestions:  This novel would pair well with other dystopian novels, and is another recommended high-low title for high school students.

Supporting Digital Content: Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJFAUHkD7PU

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

Bibliographic Information:

Trueman, Terry. Stuck in Neutral. New York: Harper Collins, 2000.

Plot Description: Fourteen-year-old Shawn McDaniel has the interests and desires of anyone his age, but the severity of his cerebral palsy has robbed him of any control of his physical body.  This includes any ability to communicate, meaning no one knows just how incredibly sharp his mind is.  In this story we get to know his family and how they cope with his condition, including his distant father who, although he loves Shawn, is expressing a growing consideration of euthanizing loved ones in order to spare their suffering.  Alone in his own mind, Shawn is increasingly concerned that his father wants to kill him.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 820; GL 6.1

Qualitative Reading Analysis: Told in Shawn’s first person narrative, the story includes regular flashbacks of his family as they face the reality of Shawn’s condition.  His father, a Pulitzer Prize winning poet, has written a poem about life with Shawn, each stanza of which introduces the next chapter.  His character is perhaps the most complicated after Shawn, for his love of his son is apparent while his anguish over the condition enrages him and leads him to conclusions about Shawn’s intelligence that don’t reflect what we know as readers who have access to Shawn’s thoughts.  The language of the story is familiar and accessible, with several vocabulary terms likely being introduced for readers not familiar with CP or the grand mol seizures that he experiences.  Shawn is frequently humorous despite the grave life experiences being considered here – the humility of living without any control of one’s body, and euthanasia as a response to suffering.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Health

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grades 6-8: 2) Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text; 6) Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

Curriculum Suggestions:  This is a quality high-low read for classes that have struggling readers, introducing the challenging ethical dilemma of euthanasia in an accessible story.  It might also be paired with other texts discussing or depicting Cerebral Palsy in youth for comparison.

Supporting Digital Content: Book Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ_pLwYP3bA; Understanding Cerebral Palsy informational video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg-KIQR_GLM

Awards:  Various awards including the Michael L. Printz Honor Book, 2001.

Subjects/Themes: Cerebral Palsy, Euthanasia, Family, Realistic Fiction

Impact by James Dekker

Bibliographic Information:

Dekker, James C. Impact. Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2009.

Plot Description: The story begins with the murder of a young man on his way home from work.  His family suffers through a long and uncertain trial, discovering the truth about the crime through witness testimonies.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile HL660, RL 3.8

Qualitative Reading Analysis: As a high-low text, this book is only slightly complex in terms of sentence structure and language.  The story is chronological but unfolds in retrospect through the trial proceedings.  Sentences are simple and vocabulary is accessible for teenagers.  It is also very literal in meaning.  As a story about murder and the court system, however, the life experience aspect is more complex, and readers will likely feel the suffering of the family as they try to move on with their lives while seeking justice for their son.

Content Area: English Language Arts

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade 9-10: 5) Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Curriculum Suggestions:  This is a page turner for the teenage reluctant reader; I’d recommend it as an independent read for someone who enjoys crime or mystery.  The story also discusses the use of forensics in the criminal justice system, which may be of interest to a young  reader considering a career in forensics or law enforcement.

Supporting Digital Content: Introduction to forensic science video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_58XsN6XJWQ

Reader’s/Teacher’s Advisory Notes: High-Low read for ages 14-18

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

Bibliographic Information:

Bradbury, Jennifer. Shift. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

Plot Description: Win and Chris have been best friends for most of their lives and are planning a cross country cycling trip to celebrate high school graduation before heading off to college.  Just days before they make it to Seattle, however, Win disappears and Chris is forced to finish the trip on his own.  As the fall semester approaches and there is still no word from Win, Chris finds himself under scrutiny of Win’s dominating father and a persistent FBI agent.  Where is Win? Should he try to find him?  And what has become of their friendship?

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 770; GL 5.2

Qualitative Reading Analysis: Shift follows a unique time structure, with each chapter alternating between the bike trip and Chris’ life after the trip, which creates a very suspenseful plot.  The point of view is entirely Chris, but there is a significant amount of dialogue between him and other characters, some of whom evolve throughout the story like Win’s father and the FBI agent.  The language is mostly accessible but for some cycling-specific vocabulary.  The subject matter is moderately complex – with a theme of friendship implicit throughout what initially unfolds like a crime story.  Ultimately this book requires very little knowledge demands – even the reader with no cycling knowledge can follow and appreciate the story.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Reading Literature

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grades 9-10: 2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text; 5) Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Curriculum Suggestions:  For an English class read, the most interesting text feature is the alternating time frame structure, jumping back and forth around the mystery of Win’s disappearance.  I would definitely recommend this as an independent reading choice for students to explore themes of independence, friendship and coming of age.

Supporting Digital Content:  Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NQorLYnmQU, Interview with the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMXi5_i0P9Q

Recognition: Selected by ALA and School Library Journal Best Book for Young Adults and YALSA Top Ten Crime Fiction for Young Adults

Reader’s Advisory Note: Especially awesome for cyclists, campers, travelers and other adventurists!

Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going

Bibliographic Information:

Going, K. L. Fat Kid Rules the World. New York: Penguin Putnam Books, 2003.

Plot Description: Troy is an overweight teenager just trying to get through high school.  He doesn’t have any friends, his brother is constantly bugging him, and he knows he is a disappointment to his father.  One day he is standing over the subway tracks not far from his home in Manhattan when he strikes an unlikely friendship with Curt, a homeless rock star legend he knows from school.  When Curt asks Troy to drum for his punk band, Suddenly Troy’s life doesn’t seem so bleak as he follows Curt’s lead to become more than just some “fat kid.”

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 700, GL 4.3

Qualitative Reading Analysis: This book follows a simple, chronological text structure, with a fairly predictable storyline.  The language is accessible to the average teen, although it includes swear words and many musical and rock band references.  Sentence structure is mostly simple with some complex sentences.  And while the meaning in the story is straightforward, the themes and life experiences are pretty heavy – drugs and alcohol, depression, suicidal thoughts, and the loss of a parent.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Reading Literature

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grades 9-10: 2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text; 3) Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Curriculum Suggestions:  Despite the lower quantitative reading levels, the themes in this book are challenging and thus I would recommend it as an independent reading assignment for a mature high school student, possibly one who expresses a love for rock music.

Supporting Digital Content:  Movie clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vfstM5G12A; Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEpw8FrDLt0

Subjects/Themes:  Depression, suicide, drugs and alcohol, friendship, obesity, bullying

Personal Thoughts:  Troy makes several offensive sexual references to women in the text that I’d invite students to think critically about.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Bibliographic Information:

Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1999.

Plot Description: Steven is sitting in a courtroom where his trial for felony murder is about to begin.  The story unfolds as a play by play of the trial with occasional flashbacks, with testimony from various people including the other accused.  It’s unclear who exactly is telling the truth, or if Steven’s lawyer even believes in his innocence.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 670; GL 7.1

Qualitative Reading Analysis: The structure of the text is very complex, in part because of the break in chronology as the story unfolds.  Because Steven is an amateur filmmaker, the narrative is written as a movie script in the third person, with occasional diary entries told in first person.  Use of language is moderately complex, with mostly familiar vocabulary except some informal street talk used by some of the witnesses.  The subject matter is for a mature audience, and likewise both the background knowledge and life experiences are beyond the reach of most young readers.

Content Area: English Language Arts, Reading Literature

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grades 9-10: 2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text; 3) Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme; 5) Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Curriculum Suggestions:  Monster is a great independent reading recommendation book, possibly of interest to students who enjoy or identify with gritty, realistic fiction novels.

Supporting Digital Content: Student-made book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2tKzK4B8-o

Author’s Purpose/Theme: Perhaps the most pervasive theme of the novel is the idea that there are sometimes grave circumstances resulting from bad decisions.

Award: 2000 Michael L. Printz Award, 2000 Coretta Scott King Award Finalist