# Must reads for high school students



## MenderofRoads (May 9, 2010)

I'm an English teacher in an extremely small school (so small I'm the only English teacher in the district...).

Next year I will be teaching a novels class. Many of the kids I'll have in this class are planning on vocational programs or the military after high school instead of a four-year school (but at least a couple do read on a high level... it just doesn't interest them much). They typically stick with western novels (Louis L'Amour more than anything else), but I've found that novels about war and its effects hold their interest, as well (we've read _The Sun Also Rises_ and _The Things They Carried_ this year and they enjoyed both). I'm working on putting together a reading list for the year.

I've been given the green light to teach just about whatever I want. For some of these kids, it may be the last time in their lives when they actually pick up a novel and read the whole thing (pretty depressing), so I'd like them to read some novels that stick with them awhile. High-interest but meaningful is my goal. Since I'm the only English teacher in the building, I'm looking for some outside opinions.

The one book I know I want to include is Cormac McCarthy's _The Road_ (the first thing I read on my Kindle).

So... I guess my question is, if you could give a high school student no more than four books, and you knew these would be the last fiction they'd ever read, what would you give them, and why?

Thanks in advance for your help.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

We did "Lord of the Flies" in HS. . . .even the non-readers read and enjoyed the discussion.

There's also "The Scarlet Pimpernel". . . .sort of the original 'superhero with a secret identity'.  Girls would probably enjoy it more, but you could look at how it might have influenced modern comics makers, etc. . . . . .

One of the Sherlock Holmes novels might work well. . . .or a collection of the short stories. . . . .or anything by Agatha Christie. . . . .

None of these are very long. . .so they won't look like a big fat daunting task. . . .and you can probably use them to focus on life choices and how you make them rather than your typical 'dissect a book to within an inch of it's life for structure and deeper meaning'.  'Cause, you know, Mark Twain has famously said that Huckleberry Finn is really just about a boy going down the river on a raft. 

And. . . .with all of these. . . . .you know, you might just make them realize that there's more to literature than Dickens and Shakespeare -- which can be daunting to a HS student who doesn't have any great academic aspirations.  These would just be 'fun' . . . .but there's more to them than the one novel, so they might go on to read other things that are similar.  Show them the "literature map" site if they like 'em. . .so they'll know what else to try that they might like.  And make sure they know it's o.k. to NOT like something they try for themselves and move on to something else.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I have a HS senior sitting here at my kitchen table and he said that of all the things he's read in school the past four years, he liked *The Book Thief* the best.

For my personal list, I'd choose *Watership Down*, *The Color Purple*, and *Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe*.

From HS, the books I remember not loathing are *Alas, Babylon*, *On The Beach*, *The Mouse That Roared*, and *Hiroshima*.

L


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

The novels that I still have a favorable memory of reading as assignments in high school (decades ago, mind you!) are _Huckleberry Finn_, _Moby Dick_, and _Lord Jim_.

As far as war-related novels, the first two that come to mind are possibly marginal as far as being acceptable for high school: _Catch 22_ and _Slaughterhouse Five_. Much less controversial (or deep) and certainly more fun would be pretty much any of Forster's "Horatio Hornblower" series, or possibly Dumas' _The Three Musketeers_ in a similar vein. Clancy's _The Hunt for Red October_ would probably go over well with those with a military interest, too -- it may not qualify as "great literature" but it is certainly a well crafted page-turner.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

All The Things They Carried is a fantastic collection of short stories. I hope you enjoyed teaching that to your class.

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Conner is another good staple of many lit classes.

Slaughterhouse Five deals with military, but is also humorous and has aliens and time travel. However, there is an infantile drawing of boobies and that might cause problems depending on the parents and administration of your district.

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those books every kid reads in high school, and is still one of my dear favorites.

Last, if you feel daring, Everything's Eventual is a very solid collection of short stories by Stephen King. The idea of reading such a popular semi-controversial author might get the kids excited.

Good luck with your class!

David Dalglish


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I like that you mentioned _The Road_ and someone else added _Alas, Babylon_. In my opinion, Apocalyptic fiction is definitely age appropriate for most teens and also an opportunity to prompt discussions and research into a myriad topics (but then, I've been into the genre since I was 13 or 14)

I have a few other suggestions to add as other possibilities I think aren't overly philosophical to distract and/or bore:

The Postman
Earth Abides
Dies the Fire
The Stand
Swan Song


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Geoffrey said:


> The Postman
> Earth Abides
> Dies the Fire
> The Stand
> Swan Song


I think the Stand and Swan Song might be a bit too long for a class. That, and certain scenes in the Stand are probably a bit too, um, rated R. You'll have parents go crazy if they found out.

David Dalglish


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Half-Orc said:


> To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those books every kid reads in high school, and is still one of my dear favorites.


I didn't, so not "every."


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Leslie said:


> I didn't, so not "every."


I've never read it at all.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> I think the Stand and Swan Song might be a bit too long for a class. That, and certain scenes in the Stand are probably a bit too, um, rated R. You'll have parents go crazy if they found out.
> 
> David Dalglish


They are long - and that's a pretty valid consideration. I do tend to forget that many parents are far more overly-protective than were my parents. Both, along with _Dies The Fire_ include metaphysical story arcs that could set off some parents ... along with extremely graphic descriptions of the apocalypse ...

I think the books are appropriate but I can see where others might not.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I didn't read TKAM either in high school.  I did read it when a neighbor girl was in high school.  My kids were in elementray school by then.  She wanted to discuss it with me so we read it together.
I read 1984 in high school.
deb


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Giver by Lois Lawry
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

The Book Thief and The Giver, especially...some kids will have read those by high school, but they're must-reads (IMNSHO) and will stick with them for a long time--and the kids will enjoy reading them, as well.


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## Magenta (Jun 6, 2009)

To Kill a Mockingbird

A Long Way Gone (non fiction)

Mila 18

A Tale of Two Cities


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I know I read quite a few books in high school and out of all of them, a few just stuck with me.

Fahrenheit 451
To Kill a Mockingbird
Diary of Anne Frank
and the Red Badge of Courage

For some reason I can still remember reading all of them and the impressions that they left on me.

I haven't read the Book Thief yet (on my TBR list) but I have heard some fabulous reviews on it. Also on the Boy in the Stripped Pajamas.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

One that made a big impresson on me that I haven't seen mentioned yet is _The Jungle_ by Upton Sinclair. Also something like _Of Mice and Men_ might mesh with their western interest. I think _To Kill a Mockingbird_ is a must-read, too. I like the suggestion of doing some apocalyptic fiction; _Alas, Babylon_ was another one of my required-reading favorites, but _On the Beach_ is a good one, too. _Empire of the Sun_ is a pretty good one about Japan immediately after the atomic bombs were dropped.


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## Virgoddess (May 1, 2010)

The three that stand out to me from my HS days are:

Rebecca
The Scarlet Letter
The Great Gatsby


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## MenderofRoads (May 9, 2010)

Thanks for the replies so far.  Several I never would've thought of on my own.

I'm not really that worried about "controversial" books or authors.  If they're worth reading, I can work through/around any issue that could pop up.


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

Anything by George Orwell, but particularly *Animal Farm* and *1984* comes to mind as excellent, thought provoking novels.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

My favorite assigned reading books in high school were:
Brave New World
Catch-22
1984
The Joy Luck Club (that might have been middle school, actually)
a few Ursula le Guin books (I liked all of them)
Catcher in the Rye
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

My absolutely FAVORITE book from high school (mind you, this was when I worked in a high school, not when I attended as a student. I'm not _that_ young was The Hunger Games.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Two other books that made a huge impression on me in High School were _Slaughterhouse Five_ and _The Ugly American_ ...


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> Two other books that made a huge impression on me in High School were _Slaughterhouse Five_ and _The Ugly American_ ...


I would agree with _The Ugly American_ although I haven't thought about it in years. I wonder if it would be dated?

L


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

_The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_ and _The picture of Dorian Gray_. . . . .a couple of spooky type stories that aren't too long.

Poe is creepy too. .which frequently appeals to that age group. . . . . .


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Okay guys, when I say "every" I more meant it is a very, very popular choice for lit classes, and pretty much anytime someone tells me they read the book it is usually followed by the phrase "yeah, I read it in school."

Sheesh. I need to go back to the Book Bazaar, you Book Corner peeps are nitpicky little people.  

David Dalglish


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## SarahDF84 (Apr 28, 2010)

I liked _Lord of the Flies_. It was very popular and produced a lot of great discussions when we read it in High School. 
I also really enjoyed _To Kill a Mockingbird_ and _The Giver_.


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## twinmom_112002 (May 5, 2010)

One I haven't seen mentioned is "The Grapes of Wrath". Somewhat appropriate in this day and age. 

I teach high school senior biology. Now that the IB/AP test is over I give them a list of books that deal in someway with science and they have to analyze how closely the author stuck to fact and where he/she deviated. They are all good fiction books and the kids get to choose what they want to read off the list of approximately 20 or 30 titles. This is probably the first time in 4yrs the kids will choose something to read instead of having it dictated to them. I can send you my list if you want ([email protected])


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## askenase13 (Mar 1, 2009)

Excellent thread here, with terrific suggestions.  I would consider "Anthem" by Ayn Rand.  I haven't read it for a long time, but she is a fasvinating author with intriguing idas.  Also, you could couple it with "1984" or "Alas Babylon" for an alternate world discussion.

If the kids like Westerns, try the future westerns- i.s. Star Wars books.  There are quite a number written by excellent authors (Timothy Zahn for one), and the story/writing level, in general is pretty good.


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

Moby Dick, Scarlet Letter and The Great Gatsby. No one should get through high school without them. And I second the Grapes of Wrath mention.

Oh, by the way, my son who is a sophomore in high school read To Kill a Mockingbird last year and thought it was the most boring, terrible book, so those of you who did not have to read it can consider yourselves lucky, I guess. I know I read it, but that was 3,000 years ago, so I can' t really remember how I felt about it.

Good luck, English teacher!


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

I have 2 kids currently in high school. The oldest (graduating next month) has read most of the books mentioned. He hated some of them, including one of my favorites, _To Kill A Mockingbird_ and _The Lord of the Flies_.

He loved of _Of Mice and Men_. I think a lot of Steinbeck's books are good for high school students. I loved _The Grapes of Wrath_ myself.

Some he found compelling are: _Catch-22_, _1984_, _Animal Farm_, _The Giver_ (read in elementary), _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,_ and we both adored _The Stand_.

Good luck!


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## Paegan (Jul 20, 2009)

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card



As an aside:  if I was in your class and you made me read The Road ...I would hate you for the rest of my life.


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## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

I also liked To Kill a Mockingbird and A Book Thief. Catch-22 is one of my favorites as is Catcher in the Rye. I agree that a Sherlock Holmes mystery may interest them.

You're a good teacher! Good luck.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

I think a couple good books for high schoolers would be something like these:

_Dracula_ by Bram Stoker
_Frankenstein_ by Mary Shelley
_Contact_ by Carl Sagan
_The Postman_ by David Brin
_1984_ by George Orwell 
_Brave New World_ by Aldous Huxley
_Lonesome Dove_ by Larry McMurtry
_The Hunt for Red October_ by Tom Clancy
_Jurassic Park_ by Michael Crichton

Don't be like a college English professor and get the most boring novels known to mankind, you want your teens' attention, not put them to sleep!


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## Merry (Apr 26, 2010)

The Illustrated Man
Exodus
The Foundation Trilogy
Diary Of Anne Frank
The Andromeda Strain
The Pearl
The Prince And The Pauper
The Call Of The Wild
Ice Station Zebra (in fact, any Alistair MacLean)
Douglas Reeman has some good sea stories


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## JosieGirl71 (Sep 15, 2009)

I'm not sure what age we're talking, whether it be freshmen or seniors, but some more current novels for younger high school students that would make for interesting class discussions are The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Unwind by Neal Shusterman.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

My favorites were:

_To Kill a Mockingbird
Fahrenheit 451
The Scarlet Letter
Moby Dick
Anything by Poe_

I think kids would like these, as well:

_Dracula
'Salem's Lot
Jurassic Park
Pride and Prejudice_

There's a bit of sex (not much) in the first 3 in my second list, but it's pretty tame compared to today's books and movies. _Pride and Prejudice_ is one of my all-time favorite books, with great insight into human nature, as well as a great deal of humor.

By the way, I teach in a school that sounds as small as yours. Ours is K-12 in one building.


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## dlafavers (May 4, 2010)

A couple ideas

Tunnel In The Skyl - Robert Heinlein - science fiction
Robert Heinlein has such a positive outlook on things and no-nonsense. In this story, high school students on their final exam for new planet exploring get stranded and have to work together to rediscover civilization in the wild. It's an easy read.

1984 - George Orwell
Good for discussion, since we are now well established into newspeak and wars and censorship. Not a story of things to come, but a portrait of today.

Great topic - good luck with the class


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I'll second Merry's choice of "The Illustrated Man." It was an absolute delight discovering Ray Bradbury. Also, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is a fantastic read, too.

David Dalglish


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## Merry (Apr 26, 2010)

My English teacher was a huge SF fan - and yes, we read Something Wicked This Way Comes, too.  But Illustrrated Man was my fave.  

We also read other Asimov - a collection of short stories that I cannot remember the title of.  It opened my world to sci-fi and after that I devoured sci-fi for years.  

The reading of Exodus also started me on the road to reading Leon Uris - Mila 18 was next and then several others.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

MenderofRoads said:


> So... I guess my question is, if you could give a high school student no more than four books, and you knew these would be the last fiction they'd ever read, what would you give them, and why?


Moon Palace, by Paul Auster 
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens 
Diary of Anne Frank 
All Quiet on the Western Front, by Remarque


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## blackbelt (May 4, 2010)

I did a list of books that are NOT Twilight that are good YA books. Some of those might help!

http://www.amazon.com/lm/RN8KTP2QZ9F0D/ref=cm_rna_own_lm

- Michaelbrent Collings


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