This
week 7th and 8th grade Language Arts classes checked out books for
their next book report. In 8th grade students needed to select an
Accelerated Reader title. Before the students made their selections,
I had an opportunity to give each class a book talk. This was great
fun for me because I could pick some old and new favorites of mine.
Since 8th graders will be leaving Lakeview next year, I wanted to be
sure they had a chance to read some of my favorite middle school
books which may not be available at the high school. It was rewarding
to see a rush of students coming for the books I talked about.
The
7th grade selection was more specific since those classes are reading
and discussing a classroom novel. Their book report would be on a
book related to their class's novel. The teachers had previously
given me a list of themes covered in the novel and I created a list
of books on those themes. One class read After by Francine Prose, a
novel about one high school's severe reaction to a shooting at a
nearby school. Themes of conspiracies, government control,
conformity, and suspense were included in the book report selection.
Another class read The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson, a
CSI-type novel where a teenage girl helps her pathologist father
solve a murder. Their follow up book was a mystery book. The rest of
the 7th grade read Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan
Sonnenblick, about an family with a teenage son dealing with a
younger son who has cancer. Their follow-up included themes of
adolescence, family problems, illness, and sibling relationships.
Next
week 6th grade comes for their next book checkout. The advanced
classes will be choosing an historical fiction book, while the other
classes will be picking a mystery.
