Teaching the Selected Works of Mildred D. Taylor »

Whether you re teaching Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry for the first time, or whether your class is following the unfolding saga of the Logan family, Teaching the Selected Works of Mildred D. Taylor will help make the most of your students experience with this popular and award-winning young adult novelist. In Teaching the Selected Works of Mildred D. Taylor, young adult literature advocate, author, and researcher Chris Crowe presents new and inviting ways to explore Taylor s novels with adolescent readers. Crowe offers proven ideas for literature-circle instruction, where students can home in on themes of family, memory, war, oppression, and economic hardship. In addition his sensitive and well-researched biographical sketch of Taylor will help you and your students understand the inspiration for not only much of her writing but also for the attitudes and actions of the characters in her major novels.

VOYA

Teachers are always looking for fresh and new ideas when incorporating novels into the curriculum. Help for teachers with this problem can be found in the Young Adult Novels in the Classroom series. In Teaching the Selected Works of Robert Cormier, Monseau focuses on five Cormier novels. The guide includes a synopsis of each story, themes that are explored, classroom activities, and ways to help teachers defend these novels if a parent or administrator questions the content. Cormier has long been known for his controversial story lines; however, it is also these edgy topics that appeal to many young adults. They find a sort of camaraderie with the characters and the struggles that they face. The guide also includes a chronology of Cormier's major works, a selected teacher resource page, and works cited. The guide for Mildred D. Taylor is similar in format. This guide feels a little more complete because of the continuity among the selections. Crowe provides the reader with a list of characters, the setting, and a plot summary for each novel. He also includes pre-reading questions, writing topics, questions for writing and discussion, and making text-to-text connections to other stories. For classroom teachers trying to broaden their students' horizons with young adult literature, this reviewer would suggest picking up these guidebooks. There are some wonderful resources that can be found within their pages.