Literature for our Youth
I am making this topic because of a problem I have noticed that I believe we may all be able to help each other with.
The problem is, for those of us with school aged children that are avid readers, or who have friends with these children, or nieces and nephews of the same sort, the curriculum of the school system often fails the minds and needs of our little readers.
For example, I cannot tell you how many time Gabriel has come to me asking for a certain type of book- i.e; he needs a first person narrative where the protagonist has undergone personal transformation and which has never been made into a movie, and which is a certain length page number wise, and which he has never read before, and which is allowed because it will not be a part of future curriculum... and he would like it to be something that is interesting and stimulating insofar as his comprehension level, AND I, as a parent, would like it to be age appropriate.
It is actually very difficult. Just recently I was on the verge of writing his English teacher a rather stern email after racking my brain and coming up with four different suggested books that his teacher all said wouldn't do.
Are you kidding me? I have six hundred books in this house, am a complete book nerd, and nothing I come up with is good enough for you Mr. English Teacher? Tell me... what are parents without books in their home expected to do?
So I think this could be a place for good suggested reading for young adults, whether that be one of our younger members needing recommendations for a book for a class or paper, or one of our parents or other adults that knows a young adult or adolescent looking for suggestions of a a certain type of literature that must meet specific requirements.
Right now, I am looking for a book for my friends twelve year old son. A historical fiction of at least 300 pages that has never been made into a movie and will not be a part of future curriculum. (this is twelve year old that is already tackling The Grapes of Wrath)
This is an awesome thread idea!
I've got a suggestion for your friend's son.
The Pillar of the Sky, by Cecelia Holland
It fits all your criteria, and it's age appropriate content if he's read The Grapes of Wrath.
Yeah, it is. Hence this thread to exchange ideas.
I don't have the patience for kindness just now.
If you don't want to contribute then you know... don't.
I've got a suggestion for your friend's son.
The Pillar of the Sky, by Cecelia Holland
It fits all your criteria, and it's age appropriate content if he's read The Grapes of Wrath.
I will definitely check that out and let my friend know.
thanks so much Alecia.
Yeah, it is. Hence this thread to exchange ideas.
I don't have the patience for kindness just now.
If you don't want to contribute then you know... don't.
I should probably apologize to you too now.
But contribute or something, please. Or hush. I put effort into writing this out because it means something to me.
The only historical fiction I can think of right now is Shogun by James Clavell. It hasn't been made into a movie but it's about a 1,000 pages long. I think Imke and Pica read it but it seems cruel to make a 12 year old read that much for one assignment. Even if it is awesome.
Also, some of those requirements seem silly to me. The Grapes of Wrath was never on any of my curriculum ever. Still haven't read it.
I wish I had suggestions but I kind of stopped reading around that age bracket and I haven't picked up a book that fits the criteria.
I wanted to suggest Wings by Bill Brittain which was one of my favorite books in elementary but if he's reading Grapes of Wrath... yeah. The book I'm reading now 813 by Maurice LeBlanc is fun and aside from the murders is not too bad. It's a mystery book.
That's all I got.
I tried to read Shogun when I was around 12. It seemed like a good book. He might like that one. Sometimes, you get a large book and just don't want it to end (like a J.R.R. Tolken). I stopped because I had access to a decent library finally and was trying to digest the volume of books as quickly as possible. And started trying to read age appropriate books (which seems a waste of time, looking back).
I loved to read when I was 12 but I wouldn't have gone near anything longer than 300 pages unless Harry Potter was posing with a deux ex machina on the cover.
I'd like to clarify, that the waste of time was trying to read age appropriate books. The reading of quality books was time well spent.
I never read age-appropriate books. Okay, maybe Gulliver's Travels was for my age (I was 12), but Interview with the Vampire, The Silmarillion or Anna Karenina weren't.
Shogun is probably not appropriate for a 12-year-old.
Why?
Probably very graphic and a complex story, am I right?
I haven't read it, I'm just guessing, although my best friend read it in secondary school.
Ah maybe. I'm just curious since I don't remember anything that made me think that. I don't necessarily disagree.
That's true. Well, back in the day, my friends were reading Nancy Drew the P.I. Pollyana and Flowers in the Attic, while I was reading Tolken, Baum, and Louisa May Alcott series. That's why I'd rather have gone a step further in maturity with my old reading program, than backpedal the crap prose. Flowers was so nasty dirty! Nancy was frivolous. Thank god I squeezed in The Bell Jar, Catcher in the Rye and a few other good ones.
Historical fiction is dirty, sensational, explosive but informative. If one knows how to decipher it and it's well written. Okay, now I want to start Shogun again, Imke.
I read The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit at 12, and the Silmarillion at 13. I've been meaning to re-read it this year, but I want The Unfinished Tales first.
^Yup!!!
One of the main reasons I love this group of folks! Love ya, Irina and the rest of you guys! If I had switched to that school in Philly with Ben Franklin buried in the playground when I was 12, instead of moving, I would have had friends like you guys. Scholarly, diverse and somewhat provocative.
It's very graphic, and I feel like they wouldn't be able to grasp all of the story.
Ten hour miniseries, 1980.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080274/
I will now go back to Shutting The Fuck Up.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Not sure if any of these books are any good but Amazon has a historical fiction section for teens and there's a list on Goodreads.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=lp_28_nr_n_3?rh=n%3A283155%2Cn%3A%211000%2Cn...
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/476.Teen_Historical_Fiction
Oh, okay.
Ten hour miniseries, 1980.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080274/
I will now go back to Shutting The Fuck Up.
I saw part of it. It's not a movie though. And with all these fucking requirement, if I were 12 and really wanted to read it, I'd argue that fact forever.
I know I've read historical fiction, but I cannot come up with a damn thing. Except Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, but that was just made into a movie just recently.
Night is too short. Exodus is probably too long... I know I've read other historical fiction, I just don't know what it is.
"I'm glad I live in the GPS era. In a different century, I would've set off to visit the other side of the village and wandered off into the mountains and been eaten by a carnivorous plant. Or discovered the Americas."
-LaJessica
What about Uncle Tom's Cabin? Has that been made into a movie? Or maybe some Faulkner. The Sound and the Fury might be too tough for him. Maybe Go Down, Moses?
"I'm glad I live in the GPS era. In a different century, I would've set off to visit the other side of the village and wandered off into the mountains and been eaten by a carnivorous plant. Or discovered the Americas."
-LaJessica
I just had a course on Historical Fiction, so I've got a couple. Waverly by Sir Walter Scott. I'd suggest Ivanhoe as well, but that's been made into a movie.
The other one is The Trumpet Major by Thomas Hardy. I had more suggestions, but I can't find my notes. If he likes Dickens, he can try Barnaby Rudge (not very popular amongst the works of Dickens, but still Historical Novel). It's been made into a series on tv, but not a movie.
Ten hour miniseries, 1980.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080274/
I will now go back to Shutting The Fuck Up.
Hey, I remember that. Good series.
I will now go back to Shutting The Fuck Up.
I didn't ask or tell you to shut up, let alone to shut the fuck up. I asked you to actually contribute or leave it alone.
Your comment was rude, especially as a first comment. Or I read it that way. You might as well have tagged an 'idiot' onto the end of it.
When I think that I've contributed too much in a convo, I say, "I'm shutting up now." It's my way of apologizing, and give the other person a chance to either smirk or say, it's okay.
to start, i don't think i can help with the book you need at the moment.
but about kids reading, when my son was 12 we read McCarthy's The Road together. geez. buncha other stuff i can't remember 
Of Mice and Men, was quite umm... disturbing because his brother is severely developmentally delayed. all crying.
last year i "forced" him to read The Life Before Us (aka Madame Rosa). we loved it, though unfortunately my latest nickname is Momo. he just said last year i had him reading Connie Willis sci-fi stuff (Black Out, All Clear etc) . i forced Ursula K Le Guin on him too. he loves her.
i might take a moment here now and dig around for some titles to suggest for what you need now. i do have laundry though... AHH!
historical fiction = Uncle Tom's Cabin
(great idea!)
other than that, does 12 yr old have a certain time period s/he is interested in specifically? that might help develop your search.
What ever was I thinking? I apologize.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Whatever. Be mean to me for no reason. I don't care. One more thing to ruin my head won't hurt the heap on me already at all.
Jules Verne's books are entertaining and informative. And most of the film made out of them are quite old or not faithful at all.
Red Scarf Girl, by Ji Li Jiang, should be age appropriate. It's a non-fiction story about the Chinese Cultural Revolution through the eyes of a middle school aged girl. From what I remember (I read it ten years ago) it's not very action packed but the kids in class really identified with her.
As for school curriculums: the new 'common core' that most states are adopting is pushing non-fiction and, basically, abandoning fiction novels. The new way of thinking is that children need to be trained in technical writing for the work place. And, the funny thing is, they are complaining that the students' spelling and grammar skills are lacking so schools should give weekly spelling and grammar tests for all ages (at least that's how they've interpreted the new laws around here.
Oh yeah! Jules Verne is a great suggestion, and all that genre.
Issak Asimov, Phillip K. Dick, old issues of Omni magazine!!! Who remembers that?
Omni.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Omni. W00t
This is why we can't have nice things.
Issak Asimov, Phillip K. Dick, old issues of Omni magazine!!! Who remembers that?
Did I miss something? How are any of these historical fiction?
"I'm glad I live in the GPS era. In a different century, I would've set off to visit the other side of the village and wandered off into the mountains and been eaten by a carnivorous plant. Or discovered the Americas."
-LaJessica
Well dang. I'm sorry.
Completely sci-fi. But thought it might perk interest in science and fun what-ifs.
Some of Verne's books are not sci-fi. Around the World in 80 Days, for example.
I appreciate all of the suggestion, guys.
Sorry I haven't really replied to this or made any personal comments on suggestion, I've just been out of it- if the spectacle I've made of myself here the past week didn't show it well enough- also Tuff, personally, sorry for being such a bitch, my head is just fucked up and everything you said just seemed so sarcastic at the time, public apologies tend to be uncomfortable and awkward- probably for the receiving party even more than the giving- but it was a public tift that was pretty much my fault, so there it is- but there really are a lot of great suggestions here and I will forward them on to my friend and keep them in mind for my own kids.
I wanted to make a topic like this for a while, but kept putting it off. My hope for it is that it can be a place for people to ask for help when they are at a personal loss for what to recommend a kid in their life literature wise, whether it be for school or other wise.
I hope other people enjoy and find this topic useful for their own needs in the future.
/Cheers Loves 
seems like forever ago, but i took a children's lit class. for a book review assignment i read this and shared it with my son:
Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World
by Jane Yolen
it's too young for Pepper's friend's kid, but there may be others here with kids who might enjoy it.
http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Queens-Women-Pirates-Around/dp/1580891314
Good luck with that. It's a constant struggle.
This is why we can't have nice things.