books for adolescent books
loraine
The boys in my 7th grade class just do not like to read!
Kris Baker
"loraine" <lon...@spr.k12.oh.us> wrote in message
news:ccb6bdf3-e6b6-4188...@m36g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> Can anyone suggest books or authors that would hook adolescent boys?
> The boys in my 7th grade class just do not like to read!
Rick Brant Science Adventure series?
They're vintage, but the boys may have fun solving the
mysteries AND also chuckling at the 1960s/1970s view.
Kris
RF
> Can anyone suggest books or authors that would hook adolescent boys?
> The boys in my 7th grade class just do not like to read!
Penthouse Forum should hold the interest of those little pishers!
Vampyre
> Can anyone suggest books or authors that would hook adolescent boys?
> The boys in my 7th grade class just do not like to read!
Really it depends on their interests.
I read mostly fantasy and sci-fi, so I'd recommend (in no particular
order): Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Raymond Feist, David Gemmell, Asimov
and Clarke. For some fairly simple stuff, try any of the mass produced
series - Star Wars, Dragonlance or Battletech.
For more action oriented, try Matthew Riley, Chris Ryan and Andy
McNab. I'm pretty sure all of these have a small amount of swearing
(up to and including f****), so be aware of that before recommending
them :) All are very easy to read, and shouldn't be problematic for
basic readers.
I read most of these from primary school to about year 8 (well, the
ones that were printed at the time.)
I found that the problem with school selected books was that they were
nearly always boring, pretentious tripe (often politically motivated)
that only sold because all the school kids were forced to buy them.
Forcing students to read books they detest makes kids think that they
don't like to read.
I'd much prefer that the kids be given the chance to try different
genres, and discover what type of story appeals to them.
Good luck !
leno...@yahoo.com
See here (the first sites are the simplest sites):
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/guysread/content6.html
("Following are suggestions from some very savvy guysread.com
visitors." It's a long list.)
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/guysread/content4.html
("A Few of My Favorite Books For Guys" - selected by "The Stinky
Cheese Man" author, Jon Scieszka - a shorter list)
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/guysread/content3.html
(what adults can do to help boys to enjoy reading)
http://www.bookslut.com/features/2005_06_005714.php
(long interview with Scieszka)
Excerpts:
Q: There was a USA Today article [May 3, 2005] about bringing comic
books into the classroom, and Santa Monica High School teacher Carol
Jago said, "Our job as teachers is to help students read hard texts.
When a student tells you the work is hard, you should say, 'Good; now
I know it's the right book for you.'"Do you agree with that?
A: Wow, I think that's wrong on just so many levels, it's not funny.
That's just painfully wrong, I think. In fact, that's what gotten us
where we are today, where we just keep telling kids, like, you know,
"Take your medicine. Reading tastes bad, but it'll make you a better
person, so suck it up." But it's not happening! Boys are just leaving
reading in droves. And that's not right.
(end of excerpts)
I WISH he'd at least acknowledged that kids do in fact whine about
books or writing assignments that aren't even that hard! He taught
school for years; he should know that.
www.guysread.com/
(this is a packed site)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4649807
(selections from Scieszka's book "Guys Write for Guys Read")
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0670060070.asp
(A review: ".......I'd comment more on the book, but the guy in my
life has stolen it and won't return it.")
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Guys-Write-for-Guys.html
(a negative review - but useful anyway, IMHO)
And there's much more in the rec.arts.books.childrens archives when
you search on Scieszka - including his disheartening experiences with
his teen son's reading habits.
Lenona.
Vampyre
can't believe I forgot -
Roald Dahl
Harry Potter
Redwall
Lloyd Alexander (particularly the Prydain Chronicles)
Paul Zindell
Gordon Korman (One of my all time favourites when I was growing up. I
read 'I want to Go Home' about 50 times)
And some more recommendations I've just looked up from 'The Dangerous
Book for Boys' -
Narnia
Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
Willard Price (a bit dated these days, but an easy and entertaining
read)
David Eddings - Avoid his more recent stuff though, it's appalling.
In fact, you could probably add The Dangerous Book for Boys to the
list, then get them to pick some stuff from the chapter 'Books Every
Boy Should Read'
And another couple that spring to mind now I've started typing -
John Christopher - The Tripods
Enid Blyton - Secret Seven / Famous Five
Monica Hughes - her sci-fi, not the teen novels :)
Piers Anthony
Pete
I see some good suggestions there, but one that's been missed out
is Anthony Horowitz's "Alex Rider" series (teenage Bond sort of stuff).
Lots of over-the-top action, if that's what they're looking for.
He also has the "Power of Five" series -- similarly tension-filled,
but more supernaturally oriented.
Then there's Robert Muchamore's "CHERUB" stories, which seem to be
popular (though I wasn't as keen on the one I tried). More teen
secret-agent/special-forces stuff but less gadgety than Alex Rider.
-- Pete --
--
============================================================================
The address in the header is a Spam Bucket -- don't bother replying to it...
(If you do need to email, replace the account name with my true name.)
leno...@yahoo.com
"Parents Who Love Reading: Kids Who Don't." It's bound to be useful.
Lenona.
John H. Morrison
(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
"loraine" <lon...@spr.k12.oh.us> wrote in message
news:ccb6bdf3-e6b6-4188...@m36g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> Can anyone suggest books or authors that would hook adolescent boys?
> The boys in my 7th grade class just do not like to read!
I think that RF had the right idea. More to the point, if they can treat
reading as something forbidden and subversive, the adolescent boys might be
more receptive.
Ruritanian Muglug
> I think that RF had the right idea. More to the point, if they can treat
> reading as something forbidden and subversive, the adolescent boys might be
> more receptive.
Now here's something really subversive! 19th century dime
novels...listen to how they can corrupt your boys!
<<A week later, I was thunderstruck at reading of the arrest of my
sympathetic friend's son for train-wrecking up the state. The fellow
was of the same age as Mike. It appeared that he was supposed to be
attending school, but had been reading dime novels instead, until he
arrived at the point where he had to kill some one before the end of
the month.>>
Jacob A. Riis "The Genesis of the Gang" The Atlantic Monthly 84(503):
303 [1899]
<<Teach [your boys] that dime novels and similar readings are an
invention of Satan.>>
"What to Teach Our Boys" Ohio Farmer 49(13): 203 [1876]
But if this sort of 19th century parents' advisory doesn't attract
them, the little tikes can sample some dime novels online
http://132.206.25.15/agreng/dodds/nov.htm (~30 titles by W.M. Graydon)
http://www.erbzine.com/mag18/unknown.htm
http://www.erbzine.com/mag18/crater.htm
http://www.erbzine.com/mag18/marooner.htm
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/texts/dimes_toc.html (9
titles)
http://special.lib.umn.edu/clrc/hess/hess_dimenovels_pdf.php (at
bottom, 13 titles)
Actually, they're mostly lots of fun to read, with wall to wall
action, lots of cliff-hanger chapter endings, skin-of-the-teeth
escapes from 'nefarious ruffians,' and long lost relatives popping up
all over the place...
Regards, G. Dodds