No, this has nothing to do with a certain series by Stephenie Meyer, or even with Rod Serling. I’ve received a request from a science teacher moving from teaching high school to teaching eighth grade who needs to build a classroom library appropriate for middle school students. If you follow trends in YA fiction at all, you might have noticed that some YA books are very dark, and they can be very explicit. In fact, there’s a debate going on right now about this very thing. Most of these books are aimed at older teens, ages 15-18, and that means that they aren’t terribly appropriate for a classroom library for middle schoolers. Just because younger kids CAN and DO read some of those books, doesn’t mean they are the best selections for their classroom library. However, in spite of the fact that I personally enjoy reading books for upper elementary students, most middle schoolers are moving beyond those. It is a tricky age to find reading material that walks the line.
This doesn’t mean books can’t have dark themes. But books with foul language, explicit sex, and extreme violence and gore are not great choices for the majority of middle schoolers. As with any age, though, many of them love suspense, cliffhangers, a good scare, adventure, a little romance, humor, mystery, and stories about kids who might be going though the same things they are. Among other things.
Do you have any ideas as to good titles for a middle school classroom library? What did you read for pleasure at that age? Honestly, I probably read more of a variety of titles and genres in middle school than I have at any other time of my life, and I’d be happy to share some of my favorites with you, and with her, but I’m one person. What are your suggestions?
Liz B
July 20, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Percy Jackson series
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Skin and Sight by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (a series, leans more toward the romance side than violence)
The Enemy and The Dead by Charlie Higson (leans toward the violence, although not overly descriptive).
Kids still have plenty of love for Gary Paulsen, Chris Crutcher, Mike Lupica, and Walter Dean Myers.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (for reluctant readers)
Agatha Christie novels can be a surprise hit; kids feel like they’re reading a “grown-up” book but they’re so cozy!
Kirsten
July 20, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Thanks! I’m familiar with some of those, and they are definitely good choices. The Percy Jackson series is perfect for a classroom library, and Rules is a fantastic book!
I agree with you about Agatha Christie, too. I think I read most of her books in middle school, as well as anything by Asimov and Bradbury that I could get my hands on. And even though some of their work was required reading, I loved Edgar Allan Poe and everything Sherlock Holmes. On the YA side I remember reading a lot of Lois Duncan, Richard Peck, and E.L. Konigsburg, Gordon Korman’s older stuff (like Son of Interflux) and a LOT of short story anthologies, many of which were compiled by either Alfred Hitchcock or Martin Greenberg.
I also remember middle school as an age where I read a lot of nonfiction about unexplained phenomena, the supernatural, mysterious disappearances, cryptids, and bizarre historical happenings, especially assassinations. I think there’s a strange metamorphosis in reading habits and interests that can occur in middle school if the resources are there to discover… and I found a lot of these in my school library. There has been such a flowering of YA literature since that time, though, and middle school is a tricky place to navigate when it comes to choosing books for kids. Thanks for your suggestions!
Daryl A. Maxwell
July 27, 2011 at 10:46 pm
What about the Vampirates series by Justin Somper. They seem to be aimed at the age group you’re looking for (older kids/younger teens) and it’s a great series. Vampires and Pirates, together!!! Great fun!!
Kirsten
July 30, 2011 at 9:55 am
That’s a good idea… Orphans, vampires, pirates… can it get any better than that? Interestingly, at the public library those books appear in the Intermediate Fiction for the Children’s Department… which is why it’s so tricky to choose for this age group. They cross the line so easily, and most of those who have been reading YA books tend not to look backward to very good books that they’d like that just happen to end up shelved in Children’s. A classroom library, where the books aren’t classified in the same way, is really an opportunity to expose kids to the best of both worlds.