Discover Nancy Farmer’s The House of the Scorpion, a thought-provoking dystopian novel for middle school readers. Explore themes of identity, ethics, and power in a futuristic world of clones and “eejits.” Perfect for classroom discussions on complex topics like morality, technology, and societal structures.
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Exploring Monster by Walter Dean Myers: A Screenplay-Style Novel for Middle School Classrooms When I picked up Monster by Walter Dean Myers, I was drawn to its unconventional format and powerful themes. This award-winning novel, written in the unique style of a screenplay, provides a fresh narrative perspective that engages readers while exploring critical societal
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I recently grabbed a book at a sale, intrigued by its potential relevance for some of the more challenging school environments where I work. The book centers on six teenagers living together, each with varying degrees of emancipation—some by choice, others forced out by their families. It promises an engaging mix of suspense, romance, and
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Hello Everyone! I have an amazing book to share with you today – Restart by Gordon Korman. I was struggling to find a read aloud for my class this year – it is my first time teaching grade 78 and pretty much everything I wanted to read either didn’t feel appropriate for this particular mix
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Mare’s War by Tanita Davis 5 stars An amazing book by an amazing author! Mare’s War was nominated for the 2010 NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literary Work (In the Youth/Teen category). It even won the Coretta Scott King Honour Award the same year, and I can see why! The story of Mare is such
Dear Martin by Nic Stone is a fantastic book; and one of the few that has been able to make me cry openly while reading it. As such, before you think to use it in a classroom setting make sure you and your class are in for an emotional rollercoaster that deals with privilege, perspective,
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This story is one of a few i’m going to be reading to educate myself more on black lives, history, and stories. I realize that while i’ve always tried to offer a variance in my classroom library, it can be hard to find good books for tweens by black authors or about black characters; so
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“Sold” is a great book by author Patricia McCormick. The description immediately had me hooked and it certainly didn’t disappoint! This story is about a young girl named Lakshmi who you immediately feel a kinship and empathy for as she describes her less than ideal home situation with bravery and hope. She talks about how
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The Hate U Give is an AMAZING book by Angie Thomas. Based around the very real and tragic death of Oscar Grant in 2009, the book follows a 16 year old girl by the name of Starr, who witnesses her best friend Khalil killed by police at a traffic stop. Throughout reading the novel you
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Hi All! Sorry my posts have been lacking lately; I got a teaching job! It’s only a contract that ends in June, but it’s still a 1.0, 5 days a week so it’s taken most of my time and energy to build a grade 2-4 English program as well as a grade 6-8 music program,
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