Is she specifically looking for 20th century lit? How about Picture of Dorian Gray combined with The Turn of the Screw? They're both quick, fast read, fun and exciting, and the latter has a female protagonist (well, not necessarily admirable, but still) and has interesting things to say about ambiguous content / unreliable narrator.
Giles: Stop that, you two. Riley: He started it... Xander: He called me a bad name! I think
it was bad; it might have been Latin.
'Selfless'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Vonnie K - May 16, 2012 5:42:05 am PDT #18709 of 28326
Kiss me, my girl, before I'm sick.
Gris - May 16, 2012 5:46:10 am PDT #18710 of 28326
Hey. New board.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My CryThis was one of my suggestions! Along with The Secret Garden and A Little Princess (haven't heard a response)
Pride and PrejudiceThey read it in 11th grade. My wife hates teaching, though, and the 7th grade teacher loves it, so maybe it could be negotiated.
EmmaLove it. Only Austen I actually don't despise. Don't know if 7th graders would get it quite as well, but worth suggesting.
My AntoniaMy Antonia might be a good choice...
Picture of Dorian Gray combined with Turn of the ScrewThey do Dorian Gray in eleventh grade along with Jekyll and Hyde (summer reading, so fast reads are good) which is an awesomely perfect pairing. I don't know Turn of the Screw, but I'll suggest it.
I don't actually know if she's looking for 20th century or American specifically. They do US history in 7th grade, so tie-ins can be nice, but I don't think its a necessity.
JZ - May 16, 2012 5:51:20 am PDT #18711 of 28326
See? I gave everybody here an opportunity to tell me what a bad person I am and nobody did, because I fuckin' rule.
Peter S. Beagle's A Fine and Private Place, or The Last Unicorn?
meara - May 16, 2012 6:09:23 am PDT #18712 of 28326
Hah, my first thought was also "Roll of Thunder"! Is "Circle be unbroken" a sequel to that or something else? I don't think I've re-read them since middle school. Hmm. Westing Game? Might be too young.
Hil R. - May 16, 2012 6:24:30 am PDT #18713 of 28326
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
Does True Grit have enough "literary heft"?
Gris - May 16, 2012 6:40:00 am PDT #18714 of 28326
Hey. New board.
True Grit
I don't know, I've never read it! But I'll suggest it. Along with the Beagles.
I think Let the Cicle Be Unbroken is a sequel to Roll of Thunder, yes.
erikaj - May 16, 2012 6:40:19 am PDT #18715 of 28326
Always Anti-fascist!
Good choice. Not that I've read it myself. Saw both versions, though.
Kat - May 16, 2012 7:02:46 am PDT #18716 of 28326
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
Gris, is this independent reading?
For 7th grade, guided, I would do Merchant of Venice (and have!) Or the Crucible.
For book they read mostly independently, I'd suggest
I Capture the Castle
Peace Like A River
Shabanu
Little Women
Black Ships Before Troy
Life of Frederick Douglass
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Number Devil
If you are going to be implementing the Common Core, then I'd suggest they look for what the CCSS has in their curriculum maps. i only have the maps 9-12.
ChiKat - May 16, 2012 7:03:49 am PDT #18717 of 28326
That man was going to shank me. Over an omelette. Two eggs and a slice of government cheese. Is that what my life is worth?
How about When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago. I taught that to low 10th graders.
Hil R. - May 16, 2012 7:07:50 am PDT #18718 of 28326
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?