General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What top 5 books would you list when directing a teenager? [View all]LWolf
(46,179 posts)I teach middle school and some of those are out of bounds, comprehension wise, for most. I teach ages 11-15, with most in the 12-14 age range.
Some of my students have read # 1 -3, plus some of your honorable mentions.
Many modern teens don't relate to literature set in times they don't understand, and don't really want to. Of course, I get many students who would never pick a book up, at all, EVER, if I didn't force them to. Thinking about the book is the next step.
Getting them to engage means bringing them something they can understand and relate to, so some classic fiction needs a lot of front-loading about the setting.
A few other choices, in random order:
Briar Rose by Yolen
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Siddhartha by Hesse
I agree with the poster above who suggested Le Guin. Here are some authors who have more than one worthy selection:
John Green; just about anything he's written
Marcus Zusak
Sherman Alexie
Phillip Pullman
Madeline L'Engle