Week 11 - Books with curriculum content

Knowing nothing about highschool curriculum or much about YA books I put it out to the "hive mind" that is Facebook to come up with the huge list below.  I showcased a few of the ones I thought were personally interesting and put the others in a list for reference.

Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda is shunned by her classmates for breaking up a school party.  She becomes isolated and eventually stops speaking altogether.  Through her art, she is able to face the rape that happened at that party by an upperclassman who is still a threat to her.  This novel illustrates the importance of speaking up for oneself.

Unfortunately, this is an all too common occurrence in schools and life today.  Luckily the "MeToo" movement has allowed women to come out of the dark and not be afraid anymore.

Dear Martin
by Nic Stone

Justyce is top of his class and Ivy-League bound.  But that doesn't mean he can escape racial profiling.  He looks to the teachings of MLK and begins a journal to try to find answers about why he is under scrutiny after an altercation involving guns with a white police officer.

Racial injustice is a large problem in today's world as well.  Living in upper-middle-class America it is rare for our students to see or understand that this does happen in other parts of the country/state.  

Heroine
by Mindi McGinnis

An Amazon best book of the month.  This novel explores the opioid crisis through the eyes of a college-bound softball star.  After a car accident, she is placed on pain killers that help her get back into the game where she loves to be.  She falls into a group of friends who are in the same place as she and her addiction spiral out of control.

Just like racial injustice and speaking up for yourself are important it is important for kids today to understand the dangers of opioids so they don't get trapped as Mickey does in this novel.  

Hey Kiddo
by Jerrett Krosoczka

A graphic memoir of Krosoczka.  Raised by his grandparents, his mother was an incarcerated heroin addict and he didn't know his father's name.  After finding his fathers name on his birth certificate he sets out to find him.

This is a really interesting story that encompasses a lot of trauma for this poor kid.  Knowing that Jarrett is an accomplished writer today will give kids the hope they may need to grow through their own problems.

American Street
by Ibi Zoboi

This novel tells the story of Fabiola Toussaint. Her mother is detained by immigration after they leave Haiti and she is sent to live with her cousins in Detroit. Soon she is faced with a difficult decision and she realizes that freedom isn't free.

Immigration is another important current topic that all Americans today should understand.  Some students might be immigrants and see themselves in this story and others may have never known an immigrant. This book is good for them all.

I Will Always Write Back By Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda

A true story about a girl from Pennsylvania and a boy from impoverished Zimbabwe and their pen-pal relationship.  The relationship spanned 6 years and changed both of their lives.

This is a good example of looking beyond your "bubble" and coming to understand how others live.  Understanding others is imperative to learning empathy. 

Other suggestions from the "hive mind"

American Born Chinese

by Gene Luen Yang

The Hate U Give

by Angie Thomas

The Book Theif

Markus Zusak

Unwind

by Neal Shusterman

Navigating Early

by Clare Vanderpool

Okay for Now

by Gary D. Schmidt

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

Outsiders

by S.E. Hinton

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

Human body Theater

by Maris Wicks

Crossover, Booked, Solo, Rebound, Swing, He Said She Said

by Kwame Alexander

Honor Girl

by Maggie Thrash

Spinning

by Tillie Walden

Relish

by Lucy Knisely

"March" Series

By John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

Salt to the Sea

by Ruta Sepetys

Children of Blood and Bone

by Tomi Adeyemi

Dry

by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman

Beastly Brains: How animals think

by Nancy Castaldo

Shout

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

by Brian Stevenson

The Poet X

by Elizabeth Acevedo