Painless Reading Comprehension - Darolyn “Lyn” Jones Ed.D. 2016

Books that interest teens
Books, books, and more books

I have compiled a list of the top three books recommended to me by students your age in a number of different categories. Over the years, I have had countless students say to me, “Mrs. Jones, I had never read an entire book all the way through until I read this book. You have to read it!” Or, “Mrs. Jones, thanks for recommending this book to me. It’s the best book I have ever read!”

Now, I am not trying to “toot my own horn.” But of all my responsibilities as a teacher, the one I take the greatest joy in is connecting kids to books. When one of my students tells me that he or she hates to read or has never read a book all the way through, I see it as a challenge. I am determined to find a book for that student. I believe everyone who claims to hate to read just hasn’t found his or her book yet.

The lists of books that follow are based upon genre and topic. For example, under “Rise Up: Teens Battle Social Injustice,” I have compiled books that students would pass around as “must reads.” So, browse through my lists, jot down some titles, and head to your local library or bookstore and check them out! Under “History Buff,” I have shared top books based upon history topics typically discussed in middle school or junior high school. Under “Picture This: Graphic Novels,” I have compiled favorite comic book—style novels. If you are a comic book or Manga reader, check these out—they are wonderful to look at and to read.

I have rated the books as easy read, average read, and complex read. Please note that even the books that I list as a complex read are so good that most of my students who didn’t even consider themselves good readers took them on anyway. It may have taken them a little longer, but they all said it was worth it!

“Rise Up: Teens Battle Social Injustice”

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is the story of Melinda, who is date raped by a high school boy she has a crush on. After the terrible events of the evening, when no one else will help her, Melinda stops speaking. She only speaks through her thoughts, which you read, and through her art, which she creates. Find out how her art speaks and how she finally finds her voice to tell the truth. This average read highlights the freshman difficulties of dealing with cruel gossip, rape, and pain.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan details the life of Esperanza, who lives a very privileged life in Mexico. When her father is killed and her home and land taken away, Esperanza must come to America and work as a migrant worker. She and her mother face death, hardship, and starvation, but she lives up to her name, Esperanza, which means hope, and thrives. This average read is filled with history, culture, love, and hope.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina is the story of Piddy Sanchez who is bullied by a girl named Yaqui and her group at school. Piddy doesn’t even know who she is, but Yaqui decides she hates her and makes her a target both in and out of school because she doesn’t think Piddy is Latin enough. Piddy has just moved with her mother to a new neighborhood and school, and she hates it. She has no friends and only enemies. Piddy starts to fail in school and her dreams of becoming a scientist fall away. Too afraid to tell her mother about the harassment, she begins to fight with her mother and lose everything she has worked so hard for, to be the first in her family to go to college. But, read and learn how this heroine Piddy survives in this complex and dark read.

“Facing and Overcoming Despair and Death”

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen is the story of Cole Matthews. Cole has a terrible home life and a history of violence. When he nearly beats a student to death, he is offered “circle justice” before jail. He becomes part of a real custom of the Tlinget Native Americans of sending the accused to live off the land of a remote island for a year. Read about Cole’s near death and survival on the island and how he learns to live again as a better person. This easy read is action-packed.

Holes by Louis Sachar is so popular that it has been made into a movie. The book is better. Stanley Yelnets has to dig a five-foot hole every day as part of his punishment at a youth detention center named Camp Green Lake. Yellow-spotted lizards, bad food, intense heat, and a warden looking for fortune gave Stanley plenty of reasons to give up on life. Stanley toughened up and toughed it out. In the process, he discovered that curse or no curse, you have to make your own luck. This average read is filled with fantasy, humor, and action.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers is the name the prosecutor gives the main character, Steve. Steve claims he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a convenience store worker got shot. Steve wants to be a filmmaker, so to keep his mind and nerves calm during the trial, he records the events of the trial as if they are appearing in a movie script. The reader then becomes the jury as you enter into Steve’s world. This average read is written in teen speak and is an intense book.

History Buff

My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier is told by young Tim, whose family is torn apart by the Revolutionary War. His father supports the British, while his teenage brother goes to fight with the Revolutionaries. This story has many twists and turns, and the ending is surprising. The events in the story are real, and the family is based on an actual family. This is an average read, and you will learn about the sacrifices people made to establish our great country.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is an incredible story of fourteen-year-old Billie Jo, who lives in the Oklahoma dustbowl during the American Depression. The constant poverty, hard life, and storms take their toll on Billie Jo and her family. Her mother dies, her father is dying, and her beloved piano is swept away in the dust, and her hands that once loved to play are damaged in a fire. Billie Jo turns that dust into grit and runs away and leaves that life behind. The novel is written in a poetic fashion and is easy to read and leaves the reader with a better understanding of what hope looks like.

Soldier’s Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers by Gary Paulsen is a fiction tale based on a real person, Charley Goddard, and his life as a young Civil War soldier. This book is beloved by both girls and boys. Charley is young and naïve and full of war glory when he lies about his age and joins the war. After almost starving to death, watching his friends die, and stacking dead bodies up to shield himself from the cold, Charley learns how terrible war is. This historically accurate and easy read is eventful and shows the whole truth about war.

Fantastic Fantasy Tales

The Hobbit: or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien is a timeless fantasy tale that sets up the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The main character, Bilbo Baggins, lives a good life in the shire but dreams of adventure. With his wizard friend Gandalf, they encounter amazing creatures, danger, and awe-inspiring magic. Bilbo wins a ring in a contest, which changes him and will change you when you read this tale. This average read can sometimes have some difficult vocabulary, but the action and characters will keep you easily moving through. Most students are familiar with the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the movie, but I recommend you read the book that started it all.

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley is a Newbery Medal award winner and classic, timeless piece. The main character, Princess Aerin, has a father who is a king and a mother who is a witch. The people of her village think her mother is evil. Aerin is torn and uncertain of her future, but a blue sword changes her. I do not like to read fantasy, but I loved this book. My students agreed, as it can be a complex read but is packed with “spellbinding” action and a strong group of young adult characters.

The Forestwife by Theresa Tomlinson is an easy-to-read, short, and fascinating fantasy story that is based on actual history and legend intertwined with magic and myth. The main character is Lady Marian from Robin Hood. Unlike the story of Robin Hood, we learn in this story that it is Lady or Maid Marian who chooses to live in the forest with the forest people and become their heroine. She and her band of women come together to survive and fight oppression against the tyranny surrounding them. Since the last edition of this book, two sequels have been added, titled Child of May and In The Path of the She Wolf.

Popular Series Read

The Crank Series by Ellen Hopkins includes Crank, Glass, and Fallout and is a series about a young woman named Kristina who becomes addicted to “the monster” (crystal meth) and while on the drug, she turns into someone different who in her mind is better than who she is. She becomes more and more addicted and eventually becomes pregnant. She decides to keep the child and in the second book, Glass, she has the baby but remains addicted and her mother kicks her out and keeps the baby. Kristina spirals further and further down and in the third book, Fallout, she has five children and the story focuses on her children and their relatives and how they survive with and without Kristina. Hopkins writes each page like a piece of poetry, and while this average read series often includes mature young adult content, the series highlights the very serious topic of drug addiction among young adults and the consequences of those choices, and it is hard to put down.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins is comprised of three titles: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. In the dystopian nation of Panem, one boy and one girl from each district are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games where they are forced to fight to the death on television. Katniss’ sister is chosen, and Katniss herself becomes a contender to save her sister’s life. Learn if and how she survives and what happens when Katniss fights President Snow and his district to improve the lives of the people in this average and exciting trilogy read!

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling includes Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I had to keep this in this new edition because if you haven’t read any Harry Potter books, you will love them. I have seen kids who have never read a book read all seven. The Harry Potter books are not just good but great books to read and reread. The series chronicles the story of boy wizard Harry, who is born from very famous wizarding parents who die at the hand of a dark lord, Valdemort. Harry is raised by his often cruel aunt and uncle who are Muggles, not wizards. He is born a wanted wizard and once he enters the Hogwart’s school, his life becomes about keeping himself and his friends alive against Valdemort. If you have only seen the movies, you are missing out. This easy-to-read and action-packed series is hard to put down. Even though the setting is magical, the problems encountered by young adults and then teens Harry and his friends are relevant to this world.

Picture This: Graphic Novels

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang is the story of middle school student, Jin Wang, who spins three different story lines and then brings them all together at the end. The first story is about his lonely and difficult life of assimilating as an Asian-American student in a predominantly white school. The second story is about an American white student named Danny. The third story is about Jin Wang’s dream of being the Monkey King, a cultural icon in Kung Fu. Each has their own personal story and all are part of Jin Wang, and they all come colliding together in the most amazing way. Each learns the meaning of each story and event that takes place. This action-packed and remarkably illustrated graphic novel is an easy, entertaining, and enlightening read.

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman is a graphic novel about the Holocaust. The author’s father was a Holocaust survivor and the book shares his experiences as told to his son. In this book, the Nazis are depicted as cats, the Jews as mice, and the American soldiers as dogs. This complex read was a favorite of my students because of the way the art helped explain a difficult topic.

Pedro and Me by Judd Winick is about the friendship of Pedro Zamora and Judd Winick, both early contestants on the MTV show Real World. Pedro had AIDS and was compelled to educate other teens about his disease. Judd, a cartoonist, celebrated Pedro’s life and message through this graphic novel. This is an easy-to-read book and is a favorite among all young people, as its topic talks about real issues facing teens who are different.

“Take me out to the ball game!” Popular Sports Novels

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher is about TJ, a high school senior who is black, Japanese, and white. He is an outstanding athlete but is sick of the jocks’ attitude and decides to create his own swim team, made up of non-athletes. TJ discovers who his real friends are, who he is, and what it means to be a leader. Check out this average read if you like reading about swimmers, if you know what it’s like to be torn between two worlds, or if you have ever felt like doing something drastic because you are sick of playing by the rules.

The Contender by Robert Lipsyte is a classic young adult novel about a high school dropout named Alfred. His friends are into drugs. He is into nothing. The street life is getting to him. He visits a neighborhood gym and boxing club, and it changes his life. He learns to fight—on the streets, in the ring, and for himself. He finds his calling. I have yet to have a young man who doesn’t like this average read, classic book.

Hoops by Walter Dean Myers is the story of a star basketball player, Lonnie, who becomes friends with a former professional basketball player who once lived the good life until a scandal ruined his career. At a tournament, Lonnie is faced with a possible serious scandal of his own and has to make a difficult decision. This easy-to-read book is filled with action and suspense as you learn about the players and how they play the game and their lives.

There are hundreds of categories and themes and literally hundreds of books I could talk to you about, but this book would be too long! Read through my descriptions and head to the web site I suggested, to your local bookstore, or school library. Take a friend. Read a book together so you can talk about it. Remember, I only included books that my students swear are the best! Some of the books have now become my favorites too.

REFLECT ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED!

What will you do next time when you are looking for a good book to read? What tools will you take with you?

List three books mentioned in this chapter that sound so interesting that you must check them out.

Set # 9

When you answer the following questions, remember to use the strategies discussed in Chapter Two on how to answer multiple-choice questions.

1.Who is the best source for helping you in finding a good book to read?

a. Your grandparents

b. Your teachers

c. Your neighbor

d. Your friends

2.When browsing for a book, remember to first

a. Look in a section you are interested in like biographies or fantasy.

b. Read the last page to find out what happens.

c. Read the reviews written by the experts.

d. Look at the cover to see if there is any interesting art work.

3.One of the benefits of using the Internet to find good books is that

a. You can find out how hard the book is.

b. You can read reviews written by other teens.

c. You can see the art work in the book.

d. You can find out what parents think of the book.