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

Rick Ayers and Amy Crawford both teach English at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California.

Challenging traditional notions of what great books are and what kids are ready for, Ayers and Crawford, teachers of English at Berkeley High School, describe books that will inspire passionate, lifelong readers. Eight teachers relate their experiences in teaching great books on abuse and recovery, political struggles, spiritual journeys, cultural survival, and other subjects of interest to high school students. The book concludes with an annotated list of about 400 titles, including novels, nonfiction, drama, memoirs, and poetry, mainly drawn from adult literature. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

School Library Journal

The editors have selected nearly 400 fiction, nonfiction, and poetry titles, all of which have "something that made them extraordinary to readers who love books-." The list follows seven essays contributed by English teachers on their experiences with Bless Me, Ultima, The Things They Carried, Oresteia, Reservation Blues, Song of Solomon, Bastard Out of Carolina and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These anecdotal stories offer lighthearted, "in the trenches" accounts of the teachers' attempts to create meaningful connections between their students and the material. The alphabetical list of books offers brief annotations for classic and modern titles including To Kill a Mockingbird, Dune, Life of Pi, Cut, and Poisonwood Bible. Subject categories range from the usual ("African-American Experience") to the unusual ("Big Fat Books to Take on a Road Trip"). A refreshing bibliography with good instincts about what's "great."-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.