Great Books for High School Kids: A Teacher's Guide to Books That Can Change Teens' Lives

by Amy Crawford (Editor), Rick Ayers (Editor)

Teachers Rick Ayers and Amy Crawford always wanted to find a guide to the vast world of great books for teenagers-one that didn't talk down or moralize. When they couldn't find one, they set out to create it.

An early prototype offered at Cody's Bookstore in Berkeley, California, was an instant success. Great Books for High School Kids is the culmination of their efforts.

Collecting recommendations and essays from colleagues and advisers around the country, this is a rollicking, thoughtful, against-the-grain guide that challenges stodgy notions of what great books are and what kids are ready for.

The book starts with seven essays by high school teachers about exciting, exemplary experiences they have had reading books with students in the classroom-from Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina to Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon to Aeschylus's Oresteia trilogy.

Augmented by an index of more than seventy subjects, the book also has an annotated list of hundreds of Recommended Great Books. The recommendations are playful and irreverent, ambitious and entertaining, and they go way beyond traditional reading lists. From classics to the unexpected, from literary novels to nonfiction, some drama, and even a little poetry, these are all books that teenagers have read with pleasure and can read on their own.

Great Books for High School Kids is an invitation and a sourcebook for inspiring passionate, lifelong readers-a book that could seriously change the lives of teachers, of families, and of kids.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Reference

260 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2004

Reviews

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looks at a variety of books and how high school students reacted to them. Good book lists. Good resource for teachers.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the stories of the books that worked for the teachers and how the classes responded to them. I wish more high school English teachers would read it.

[John Byrnes]

This is fine - it's tough to keep a text like this fully up to date - but Crawford does a good job of outlining major themes for the youth educator to follow. I'd supplement all recommendations with continual reading of reviews and reports from award committees.

There's no absolute formula to success with choosing the right book for a student - more a building of relationship with students so that they feel heard enough to give the stories a chance.

[Kelly Cundiff]

Ayers, R. (2004). Great books for high school kids: A teacher's guide to books that can change teens' lives. Boston: Beacon Press.

Reviewed by: Kelly Cundiff

Type of Reference: Bibliography

Call Number: 028.5/35

ISBN 13: 978-0-8070-3255-8

Brief Description: Annotated list of hundreds of books covering many different topics that are recommended for high school students

Content/Scope: This is a bibliography of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry titles that are great for teen readers.

Accuracy/Authority/Bias: This collection was created by educators based on what has worked well in their classrooms in the past. It covers everything from classics to modern and fun reads that work in the education setting.

Arrangement/Presentation: This books are listed in alphabetical order, each with an annotation. The books are also categorized under different headings for when they might be appropriate to read such as “classics”, “poetry”, “African-American experience”, and “big fat books to take on a road trip”.

Relation to similar works: While there are bibliographies for teen literature, this one is different from others because it is created by educators that are speaking from experience on the successes of using these titles in the classroom.

Accessibility/Diversity: A wide variety of books are covered making it a diverse title that offers something of interest for all learners.

Cost: $18.00

Professional Review: Books in Print. (2013, December). Ayers, R. (2004). Great books for high school kids: A teacher's guide to books that can change teens' lives. Boston: Beacon Press. Retrieved November 18, 2015, from http://www.booksinprint.com.libsrv.wk...

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lists/annotations included in this book are not necessarily as good/helpful as ones in, say, Book Crush, but the essays are wonderful. I imagine the essays are even more enjoyable when the reader has read the books discussed, but even though I hadn't read most of them, I enjoyed the depth of the discussions, and while the book is labeled as for teachers, and the essays discuss school, librarians, parents and anyone involved with teens will appreciate this book.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just OK... not a lot on the big list of recommended books for struggling readers.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

tee hee. couldn't resist

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent guide to help give students the right books to read for study or pleasure.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book lists were great. The editors came across as rather self-important, as did a lot of the contributors. I feel like I could've saved a lot of time and energy by skipping the chapters.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the book lists, and some of the chapters were excellent, but others were only OK. Some of the books, however, seemed a little too challenging for many of my high school students.