What Are They Reading for Fun?: Stories of "Survival and Hardship"
RSSCompiled by Marlene Charnizon
Sunnie Sette, New Haven Free Public Library, CT: Anne E. Schraff's "Bluford High" series (Scholastic) continues to be too much of a favorite to keep on the shelves, as are Nikki Grimes's Bronx Masquerade (Dial, 2002) and Ebony Joy Wilkins's Sellout (Scholastic, 2010). Steampunk is just starting to catch on in our community thanks to Scott Westerfeld's "The Leviathan Trilogy" (S & S), and its thrilling conclusion, Goliath (2011) was eagerly awaited by adults and teens alike. I expect Clay and Susan Griffith's adult title The Greyfriar, the first book in their "Vampire Empire" series (Pyr, 2010), to be the next big hit as it blends a bit of steampunk with the paranormal. Katie Wilkinson, Gar-Field High School, Woodbridge, VA: Nestled 30 minutes outside Washington, DC, Woodbridge is an ever-growing community filled with diversity in social, political, and economic status. At Gar-Field we have the pleasure of working daily with more than 2,500 of these unique individuals. Students interested in nonfiction have found their way to The Manga Guide to Statistics by Shin Takahashi and Trend-Pro Co. Ltd. (No Starch, 2008) and other books in the series, which help them to master various topics with the guiding force of their favorite manga characters. Among the adult nonfiction works that make the rounds are Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild (Anchor, 2007), Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Crown, 2011), and Hal Vaughan's Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War (Knopf, 2011). Karen Elliott, Grafton High School, WI Andy Mulligan's Trash (Random, 2010) is set in an unidentified third-world country and chronicles the citywide adventures of a couple of boys who stumble upon a cash-filled wallet and a mysterious key. Michael Northrop's Trapped (Scholastic, 2011) is the chilling story of students caught in their high school building during New England's worst storm on record. As conditions deteriorate and their options diminish they face hypothermia, starvation, and even death. Hard-core "nonreaders" can't get enough of Warren Fellows's 4,000 Days: My Life and Survival in a Bangkok Prison (St. Martin's Griffin, 2000). This true story is the nightmarish tale of the author's conviction on drug-trafficking charges and his 12 years of incarceration. This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.
January 17, 2012
New Haven is a wonderfully diverse city with just under 130,000 residents and a student population of more than 20,000. Fans of Suzanne Collins's "The Hunger Games" trilogy (Scholastic) are also devouring Matched by Ally Condie (Dutton, 2010) and Lauren DeStefano's Wither (S & S, 2011), the first book in the "The Chemical Garden Trilogy." Cassandra Clare's series "The Mortal Instruments" and "The Infernal Devices" (both S & S) are exceptionally popular as well.
Boys have been immersed in John Flanagan's "The Ranger's Apprentice" books and are now enjoying the first title in his "Brotherband Chronicles" series, The Outcasts (all Philomel). Other sought-after series include L. Divine's "Drama High" (Dafina), Anne E. Schraff's "Bluford High" (Scholastic), and Colleen Houck's "Tiger's Curse" (Sterling). Boys are also reading Anthony McGowan's novel The Knife That Killed Me (Delacorte, 2010), which is popular because it deals with gangs, peer pressure, bullying, and other tough issues that young men face during their teen years.
Grafton is a rural/suburban community 30 miles north of Milwaukee. To reach the students who would rather be hunting, fishing, or snowmobiling, I suggest books that tell a story of hardship and survival. Whether fiction or factual, these tension-filled tales grab them from the first page and have them asking for more.
