If you know me even a little bit, you know what I do Monday through Friday from 7:10 AM to 2:40 PM. If you don’t know me at all, allow me to enlighten you. I’m a teacher. I make no apologies about that, and I’m pretty damn passionate about my “job,” but that is a post for another day. Seriously, I’ll bend your ear about education at a later date.
Because of what I do and who I work with, I’m surrounded by literature and all sorts of readers. Kids who devour books and tear apart a carefully crafted book shelf. Kids who must be guided into a selection, make that every selection. Kids who only read when they have an assignment due. Kids read just graphic novels because there are pictures. Kids who don’t read but magazines are okay. Kids who “read” but only look at the book when they think you are looking at them. Kids who put the book under their desk because they don’t want to be rude when you’re instructing, but dammit, you aren’t as interesting as that book. Kids and books . . . I’ve seen every type. And believe it or not, occasionally, they ask for my opinion on books because they know I read what they read. That’s right: I read books geared toward 12- to 15-year-olds. Surprised? You shouldn’t be because there is some awesome literature out there for kids. Technically, it’s called Young Adult literature, but people call it YA for short.
If you’ve been living under a rock, then you’ve avoided the whole The Hunger Games media hoopla. But if you’ve been among the rest of society and you’ve thus far avoided the craze, I have two words for you: embrace it. That’s right . . . embrace a book that, at its heart, pits people against each other for survival. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that can capture both the interest of the boys and the girls in my class. The first book? It’s regularly stolen from my classroom library. Sounds horrific, right? Kids stealing books, but that’s a true testament to how good a book is. I’m on my fourth copy in the classroom, and I’ll buy a fifth if that means a kiddo is reading something that doesn’t talk down to them or treat them like a simpleton or shelters them from the cold, hard facts.
I read the book last year on a plane headed to San Antonio. The flight itself was fraught with minor disasters (canceled flights, driving through Texas with strangers, no food), but the book wasn’t one of them. The second book? Consumed it on the return flight. The third book (it’s a trilogy . . . and a good one) I finished to and from an amusement park for our end-of-the-year field trip. In the end, it made enough of an impact to warrant a second reading of all three to review the subtleties of the writing and the plot points that pissed me off.
If you are watching the news these days or reading blogs or Facebook posts, people are concerned about the violence in the movies and the books. Guess what? When your plot pits 24 children between the ages of 12 and 18 against each other in a fight to the death, it’s going to be violent. Absolutely, the movie is bloody and gory. Half the movie brings me to tears: Katniss volunteering to take her sister’s place in the Games, Rue’s death and Katniss’s tribute to her with the flowers, the song that she sings. But the part that actually causes a tear to drop: when Katniss reflects on Peeta saving her life when they were home by throwing some burned bread in her direction. It isn’t bloody. It isn’t gory. Nobody dies. There is no stirring music. So why do I cry?
Because while we don’t have an annual “pageant” in which kids kill each other, we do have hungry kids . . . and that pisses me off. Because that is reality.
You are so right – about everything. I’ve said it before and I will say it again – I think if we had more teachers like you, we’d have more children on fire for learning, for reading, for all the good things that are going to help them when they’re older. Keep fighting the good fight, my dear, and please keep the rest of us posted while you do. 🙂
I’m not too sure how much I do, Michelle, but I loved the email that I got from a student yesterday. He told me (yes, a boy who was reading and emailed his English teacher) that it was the best book he ever read, and when I offered to loan him the second book on Monday, he replied that it was okay because his mom ordered it for him.
I agree any book that a child will read /disuss/ question is fantastic in my mind. Atlass we do have too many hungary children, but not just for nutrition. They are hungary for thoughts, wisdom, an ear to listen to, someone to tell them they are right, wrong, or that they make a difference. It is for all these children that we must continue to work hard at our job everyday. I too LOVE my chosen profession and vow to keep on keeping on
It’s the physical hunger that gets me the most, but everything you mentioned is just as important to a kid.
Really? Seriously? Great. Just great. 🙂 I have been avoiding this like I avoided HP, not reading any of that until well after the 5th was published. I am like that, fighting against the flow for no good reason except to be different. Now with your recommendation, I find myself thinking I will find merit in the books.
Thanks a lot!
I’m perfectly comfortable in my role as “book pusher” as it truly is an amazingly well-written trilogy. See? Trilogy . . . and all published. I’d say that half my classes have read them, and most of their parents. The books are quick reads, and even the first person POV, which normally doesn’t sit well with me, doesn’t distract from the overall story telling.
Give it to the books . . . because I have about a bajillion suggestions! Scholastic should be paying me royalties for the books I “push.”
Found you thru O & U. Would love to hear of other YA book recommendations. I’m a reader and looking for something new:)
Thanks for clicking over! I’m planning on talking about other YA books (I’ll admit it: pretty much all I read because of my work). A favorite series? The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. It’s a little fantasy, a little romance, and pretty decent writing. I also enjoyed The Looking Glass Wars trilogy by Frank Beddor.
Awesome. Thx. I haven’t heard of either:)