Help Me Curate a List...

[Melanie, the neutral party]

.. I am responsible for teaching gifted students this year. We have decided to substitute a class assignment attached to independent reading to a group book with Socratic seminars. We are getting ready to start a new book, but I am running out of ideas for books to suggest to them. I try to give them 3-4 books to choose from for each book cycle.

Both students are 14 years old.
student 1- likes "Drama, Nonfiction, Classics" that "take an uncommon approach, allow for interpretation, use critical thinking"

student 2- likes "Mythology, fantasy, mystery" that has "Good foreshadowing, symbolism, interesting characters"


Thus far we have read: Julius Caesar, Angels & Demons, and Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.

I am trying to choose books they will BOTH like.
Can you help?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Volsunga Saga. Not as long as it sounds. Epic Icelandic classical myth/folktale/possibly somewhat true about badass chicks and the bloody war they wage.

Macbeth? That's both.

Their Eyes Were Watching God? Another sort of at the intersection.

You know I can't leave here without saying The Once and Future King

Sherlock?

The Diaries of Adam and Eve is funny, classic, and touches on all of that, more or less.

Same with Candide.

I think all of these should be approachable by 14 year olds with good discussion and not too too much objectionable maybe?

[Hayley]

Hi. I have a few recommendations.

Circe by Madeline Miller

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Mem by Bethany C. Morrow

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

Educated by Tara Westover

The Diviners by Libba Bray

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson

The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend by Bob Drury

Starship Mine by Peter Cawdron

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan

All But My Life: A Memoir by Gerda Weissmann Klein

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

[Rachel]

The Just City by Walton might do fir both.

[Melani]

Gulliver's Travels. I read it in my early teens and while a lot of the satire went right over my head, for me-at the time- it was pure portal fantasy goodness.

[Chris]

The Handmaid's Tale - a classic, has a TV series, sequel came out recently

Watership Down - another classic that doesn't feel dated

Norse Mythology - a recent take on old stories

[Leticia]

If you want something out of the beaten track you could read The Book of Imaginary Beings
It is classic, fantasy/mythology and the author is quite brilliant.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Oh! What about Frankenstein or Lud-in-the-Mist? Both classics AND important foundational works in fiction.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

A lot of great suggestions...
* the 1 student vehemently opposes most non-fiction
* the other doesn't like fantasy that is too dragon-ish
* they have consistently turned down sci-fi books

That being said, I have enough for two more cycles which will get us to the end of this year. Thank-you!!!

[Rachel]

The Just City is an exploration of Plato’s ideals where Athena creates said city and Apollo becomes mortal to understand consent. So it deals with philosophy, slavery, consent, and so much more in a speculative fiction/SFish/mythology setting. SO much to talk about and unpack in a class setting.

[CBRetriever]

maybe Ilium by Dan Simmons would satisfy both

it's history to satisfy the non-fiction reader with time travel and a bit of fantasy thrown in

[Hayley]

Happy to help!

[Sarah]

I’m just going to echo Rachel’s suggestion of The Just City. I think it fits most of both their requirements and as an added bonus is relevant to the class. I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers- but the whole book is Plato/Socrates centric.

The only thing you might have to clear is there is possible sexual content. It’s not gratuitous and is relevant to plot and character growth and the philosophy. But it is in there.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I did put Just City on the list and I kind of hope they pick it.

Here’s the current list:
(realistic fiction) A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
(classic fantasy) The Once and Future King by TH White
(mythology retelling) Circe by Madeline Miller
(classic fantasy) Watership Down by Richard Adams
(dystopia) The Just City by Jo Walton

I’m keeping the others in a file for next time.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

That is a fun list. *I* want to read it haha! Tell us what they pick please!

[Leonie]

Illuminae which is Book 1 of the Illuminae Files.

Has a really different format, and is Scifi, but has most of the things listed above.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

We are going with Circe.
Just City gat a hard no from one of the participants.
Thanks again for your help!

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

I should have recommended The Mere Wife.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Ooo that would have been good, Ryan! Perhaps a bit tough for 14 year olds? But maybe not. I'll be very curious what they make of Circe! Good enrichment choice, Melanie!

[Hank]

You have to try Underland Non-fiction with a serious bent towards evocative prose and the adventure parts will make any mystery buff happy.