Too many books, not enough $$ | Mentoring in the Middle

Too many books, not enough $$

At the end of the year, I often get a gift card or two from my students to purchase new books.  They know how much I encourage reading and they want me to stay on top of the latest books out there.  I'm always thinking about books I want to buy for my new class, but this year, the choices are quite a bit greater than my pocketbook!  Part of the reason for that is that I finally listened to my hero, Donalynn Miller, and started a section for graphic novels.  But the other is that there just are a lot of good choices.

Have you read any of these?  Which ones should I buy?

  And the list goes on and on.  Have you read any of these books?  Are there others which should be on my list?


2 comments

  1. My daughter has Fish in a Tree and loves it. I have a few copies of March. I had the opportunity to meet with Congressman John Lewis, Andrew and Nate at the San DIego Comic Con the year it was released. There are some parts of the story that are authentic enough to be a problem for younger readers, but it is an honest conversation about the violence and hatred. What is so powerful in my opinion is the conversation about learning to receive that violence without becoming violent. That was something that was eye-opening for some of my students who could not imagine letting even a small slight go unchallenged. Preview the WHOLE graphic novel before putting it in the hands of a student so you know the language and the images and can make an informed choice about maturity. Also, Book 2 came out in January 2015.

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    1. I really appreciate your response. I was given an Amazon giftcard so I was only reading online reviews of the books. I will take a look at March at a local bookstore before I decide whether or not it's a good fit for my sixth graders. Thank you!

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