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From: Lyn Jones <ljones>
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2000 12:58:17 -0500
I have just recently joined the list serv and am really enjoying the discussions. I teach two major historical fiction units. This year the books I can't keep on the shelf are:
Holocaust - if I should die before I wake by han nolan and I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson
The students and I both like nolan's book because of the connection to the present. The main character, Hilary, is a neo-Nazi who through interesting circumstances finds herself living through the Holocaust via the memories of her hospital mate, Chana.
Bitton-Jackson's book is popular because it not only takes the character through the Holocaust, but has her facing complex issues along the way, such as resistance, rescue, and putting someone's life before her own.
Slavery/Civil War - NIGHTJOHN by Gary Paulsen, Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen, and No Man's Land by Susan Bartoletti
NIGHTJOHN is a classic and I love pairing it with Frederick Douglass' Narrative. It discusses the horrors of slavery and literary all through the main character, Sarny. Soldier's Heart and No Man's Land are both about boys fighting and surviving in the Civil War.
Junior high students are very interested in justice. These books and themes appeal to them. I use twenty different titles with the Holocaust and ten different titles with Slavery/ Civil War. The above books represent what the students are fighting over. I love having my students fighting over books!
A final note for intermediate and junior high readers is Petey by Ben Mikaelsen. It is an outstanding story of a man who is thought to be retarded and institutionalized and the boy who becomes his friend. My students fight over this one for book reports. It is based upon real events.
Enjoy! Lyn Jones
Received on Tue 05 Dec 2000 11:58:17 AM CST
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2000 12:58:17 -0500
I have just recently joined the list serv and am really enjoying the discussions. I teach two major historical fiction units. This year the books I can't keep on the shelf are:
Holocaust - if I should die before I wake by han nolan and I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson
The students and I both like nolan's book because of the connection to the present. The main character, Hilary, is a neo-Nazi who through interesting circumstances finds herself living through the Holocaust via the memories of her hospital mate, Chana.
Bitton-Jackson's book is popular because it not only takes the character through the Holocaust, but has her facing complex issues along the way, such as resistance, rescue, and putting someone's life before her own.
Slavery/Civil War - NIGHTJOHN by Gary Paulsen, Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen, and No Man's Land by Susan Bartoletti
NIGHTJOHN is a classic and I love pairing it with Frederick Douglass' Narrative. It discusses the horrors of slavery and literary all through the main character, Sarny. Soldier's Heart and No Man's Land are both about boys fighting and surviving in the Civil War.
Junior high students are very interested in justice. These books and themes appeal to them. I use twenty different titles with the Holocaust and ten different titles with Slavery/ Civil War. The above books represent what the students are fighting over. I love having my students fighting over books!
A final note for intermediate and junior high readers is Petey by Ben Mikaelsen. It is an outstanding story of a man who is thought to be retarded and institutionalized and the boy who becomes his friend. My students fight over this one for book reports. It is based upon real events.
Enjoy! Lyn Jones
Received on Tue 05 Dec 2000 11:58:17 AM CST
