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March 28, 2024

What are kids reading in class? Educators rate some of their favorites

Zoom Reading Center

Paul Takahashi

A reading tutor works with English-language learner students as Clark County Schools Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky looks on at a Zoom Reading Center on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, at Lunt Elementary School.

Desert Pines High School librarian Susan Trombley can barely keep copies of Ellen Schreiber’s “Vampire Kisses” series on the shelf before they are checked out again. The combination of vampires, love, teenagers and action attract students to the books like, well, blood to Dracula.

But for every “Vampire Kisses” read, there is a “To Kill a Mockingbird” taught in the classroom. Classic novels and stories still play an important role in the classroom today. Faculty members use them to teach vocabulary, writing skills, reading comprehension, history and culture, all through the plot of a story.

Yet none of that will resonate with students if they don’t engage in the material as well, making classroom book selections important. Corey Sanders chooses books for his fifth-grade class at Rex Bell Elementary School based on a few simple criteria: It must interest him, children can relate to the story and it’s not too long.

For teachers of all levels, the challenge is to find works that hold kids' attention — like the modern vampire books do — but offer the kind of depth, perspective and important themes of classic books.

In high school, teachers generally select books from a list that aligns with college standards recommendations, said Patricia Legat, English curriculum leader at Desert Pines High School. Most of those recommended books are classics or plays, but teachers try to choose works with themes that remain relevant to 21st century students.

Here are some books recommended by Legat and Sanders.

    • "Stone Fox," by John Reynolds Gardiner

      Grade level: elementary school

      The story is about a 10-year-old boy whose grandfather becomes ill and can’t afford to run the farm they live on. The boy takes it upon himself and his dog, Searchlight, to enter a dog sled race to win the money they need to pay rent. The story is a class favorite, Sanders said, and often has the classroom in tears by the end.

    • "The Witches," by Roald Dahl

      Grade level: elementary school

      Another popular book in Sanders' class for its combination of adventure and thrill in a story surrounding a little boy who stumbles into a witch convention and must stop it.

      “It’s funny. There are witches chasing kids and it’s kind of scary,” Sanders said of why he chose the book.

    • "The Giver," by Lois Lowrey

      Grade level: elementary and middle school

      This young adult novel set in a dystopian future has had a turbulent history in the classroom, ranking as one of the top 100 books challenged to be banned from classrooms in the past 20 years, according to the American Library Association. Still, the tale of a boy who's chosen to learn to see color in a black-and-white world has remained a fixture in classrooms.

      The novel serves as an opportunity to spark classroom debate, raises philosophical questions and is an opportunity to teach the elements of a story, according to a teacher’s lesson plan example on Scholastic.com.

    • "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee

      Grade level: ninth

      This classic novel has been a fixture in freshman-year classrooms for generations. Published in 1960, the story examines racial tension in the Deep South during the 1930s through the tale of a young girl and her father, an attorney who faces racial discrimination while representing a black client. The story ties in the coming-of-age themes students explore throughout their freshman year, Legat said. Students learn skills for critical thinking, problem solving and identifying symbolism, and it teaches them about history.

    • "House on Mango Street," by Sandra Cisneros

      Grade Level: 10th

      This coming-of-age tale is about a young Hispanic girl growing up in Chicago who yearns to escape her impoverished neighborhood.

      Written in the voice of the girl, it is a timeless book that really connects with students, Legat said. It provides an opportunity for students to confront stereotypes, learn about different cultures and understand obstacles kids of a different ethnicity might face.

    • "A Raisin in the Sun," by Lorraine Hansberry

      Grade Level: 11th

      This play is a popular choice in the classroom because teachers can have students read and act it out, allowing them to express their emotions and be involved in the literature, Legat said. The story, which revolves around a black family’s experience growing up in Chicago, is based on a series of poems by Langston Hughes. It allows teachers to explore the theme of heroes, a popular topic at the grade level.

    • "The Comedy of Errors," by William Shakespeare

      Grade level: 12th

      Shakespeare’s plays have long been a part of the high school curriculum. This lighthearted play is a popular one for senior year because of its themes about identity and loss of identity, Legat said. Kids can act it out, watch scenes in class and learn to translate the Old English language into modern words. Learning Shakespeare’s plays is also a way to instill the culture and history of literature and story form in students, Legat said.

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