Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  For more information, or to join the fun yourself, check out their blog!

Top Ten Books I'd Assign if I Taught High School 

Literature

So I know that I might be perceived as stepping on toes, but I don't intend to.  I do understand that principals, school districts, and curriculum often weigh heavily on the decision process.  But if I was a teacher, and didn't have to answer to a school board, these are the books I'd assign:

1. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina:  great, powerful story that brings up lots of good discussion points about bullying & it's effects.

2. 45 Pounds (More or Less) by K.A. Barson:  great story about positive body image, with a heroine that you really care about.

3. Life Unaware by Cole Gibsen:  another one that brings up bullying, this one from the bully's point of view.

4. Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver:  dual point of view... maybe?  Great book for talking about unreliable narrators and different types of writing (prose & diary entries).

5. Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis.  I'd teach this on alongside the original Snow White story, as it's a retelling.

6. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko:  fun, fun, fun and leads to discussions of history (takes place in the 1930s), social issues (takes place on Alcatraz), and differently-abled kids (main character's sister has autism).

7. The Running Dream by Wendelin van Draanen:  This one actually shows up on summer reading lists sometimes!  So yay!  It's a great book about overcoming adversity with a positive attitude, and helping others even when you think you're the lowest.

8. The Martian by Andy Weir.  Technically an Adult book, but I'd teach this to seniors.  Incredibly entertaining, and then we could talk about record keeping and problem solving.

9. Every Day by David Levithan:  this one is just so unique!  The main character has no identity:  no gender, no name, no permanent address.

10. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein:  I loved this WWII historic novel!

And these are in no particular order; I love them all!  What about you?  What books would you like to teach?