Today, I'm sharing two new and fresh dystopian books for middle school readers. These are great books to stock in your classroom library - they make great literature circle reads or independent reads.
One of the most important things a teacher can do for his or her students is motivate them to read. Particularly with children who are striving to read, motivation is key. Much of the research on motivation draws the same conclusion, when children have great literature to choose from, they become more motivated. Additionally, when children are rewarded for reading with more reading, they become more motivated. Motivation comes when children want to read and enjoy the books they pick up.
Most of us can probably remember really enjoying dystopian literature at this age. There is something about anticipating what the future might hold that is really exciting. Some of my personal favorites, that I still love today, are The Giver series, The Divergent series, Legend series, The Hunger Games, Ender's Game, and A Wrinkle in Time. These books are great to share with students today, particularly as many have had movies made in recent years - or coming soon. :)
If you want to update some of the dystopian literature, I am sharing two that I read in August 2017 and loved.
The List by Patricia Forde
The List is a fresh, new dystopian book that combines a few of my favorite things - discussion of controversial topics and jeopardizing the spoken word. Stay with me on this one! In this book, we meet Letta who is the apprentice to the town Wordsmith. The Wordsmith's job is to keep The List, documenting all the words allowed to be spoken within the community. The List is quite limited and every so often, the town leadership decides The List should be cut, as there are too many words. When students enter school, they are provided with a box of all the words they are allowed to speak and learn. Specific trades are allowed words appropriate to them, such as the Healer, but not everyone can know those words. When the story opens, Letta and the Wordsmith have just been told they need to cut The List to only 500 words.
The characters live in Ark, which is a post-apocalyptic town. Most of the world was drowned during The Melting - the time when all the polar ice caps melted. Only people who opted to come to Ark survived. The leadership of Ark has determined that the world came to an end due to words. People were constantly fighting and using their words to incite violence, ultimately resulting in the world being punished.
One day, the Wordsmith sets off on a journey to collect words. While he is away, Letta receives a strange visitor to her door - an injured teenage boy who is clearly not from Ark. She takes him in and begins caring for him, but at her own risk, for it is unallowed to have outsiders enter Ark. She then receives word that the Wordsmith has been found slaughtered by animals. At the same time, she learns that the leadership may be up to no good and hiding secrets from Ark. She is faced with challenges and choices for her own sake and the sake of her community.
This is a book of courage and provides a great deal of fodder for discussion. The premise of this book is that language is inherently dangerous and should be controlled - a fascinating topic for teaching empathy to middle grade readers. There are also opportunities to discuss environmental concerns, laws, and compassion.
This is definitely a middle grades reading level and would be appropriate for about 4th grade and higher, depending on the students' interests.
This is Not the End by Chandler Baker
This is Not the End is another new release (out summer 2017) set in a dystopian world. First off, I love this book because the dystopian world does not look much different from our own. Except for the major content of the book, it could have fooled me on setting. That makes this an especially good book for adolescent readers because this book's premise could happen in the next 10-20 years.
In this book, we meet Lake, a soon-to-be 18-year-old enjoying her summer with her best friend and boyfriend. They are a great trio of friends who enjoy spending time together and having adventures. In this world, an interesting event can take place on a person's 18th birthday - they can choose to resurrect someone. Yep, it is called Resurrection Technology. Scientists have discovered how to regenerate dead cells, so someone can be brought back from the dead. There are many laws surrounding Resurrection Technology dictating who can be brought back (not Shakespeare or Marie Curie). And, a person can only use this privilige on their 18th birthday and they have a finite amount of time to decide if they are using it and who they want to bring back. After that, the chance is gone forever. People take this event so seriously that parents purchase insurance for their children, in case they die before their 18th birthday.
The key to Resurrection Technology is that it can only regenerate cells of someone who is dead, meaning all their cells have been destroyed. Because of this, Letta has promised her Resurrection to someone. She is spoken for. Three weeks before her 18th birthday, Letta, her best friend, and her boyfriend are in a terrible car accident. Letta's boyfriend and best friend are both killed in the accident, while Letta lives. Now, she has a life-altering choice to make - who will she choose to resurrect? Her boyfriend? Her best friend? Or the original person she promised her Resurrection choice to?
This book is heavy, but includes topics that hold great meaning - what are the consequences of Resurrection Technology? Could society ever move in that direction? What is the "correct" choice for Letta to make? Due to the content, this book is most appropriate for more mature readers. It is un-put-down-able.
What dystopian literature are you using to motivate readers?
No comments:
Post a Comment