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Research was conducted by asking a class of 6th graders what books they were currently reading or what books they read during the school year. Additionally, books were selected by viewing the Teens and YA Bestsellers Book list from the Barnes and Noble Website. Make sure to scroll across and down to see all of the selected books and the multimodal reader response activity!

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Research was conducted by asking a class of 6th graders what books they were currently reading or what books they read during the school year. Additionally, books were selected by viewing the Teens and YA Bestsellers Book list from the Barnes and Noble Website. Make sure to scroll across and down to see all of the selected books and the multimodal reader response activity!

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Author:
Alexandra Bracken
Publication:
December 18th, 2012 by Disney Hyperion

Summary:
Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday and something about her was different. Her parents locked her in the garage and called the police. She was then sent to a  government "rehabilitation camp" called Thurmond. She was found to have scary abilities that she could not control. Ruby is now sixteen and considered to be dangerous. The truth comes out about Ruby's abilities and she barely escapes Thurmond. She ends up on the run with other kids who previously escaped.
Implication for teaching:
This book would be appropriate to use for literature circles or to read as a whole class. The book focuses on drastic events that completely change and impact the world. Most of the children in the book at the age of 10 are either dying or gain supernatural powers that the government labels as too dangerous. Unfortunately, there have been recent events that have drastically changed the world we live in and may continue to do so. Students may be able to find connections between the way the world changes in the book to how it is changing in real life and try to identify ways to stop these changes.

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Author:
Antonio Iturbe
Publication:
February 21, 2018 by Thorndike Press Large Print

Summary:
This story is based on the true story of Dita Kraus, who was a real-life Auschwitz prisoner in the Terezín ghetto in Prague. Dita risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust. Jewish leader, Freddy Hirsch, asks Dita to take charge of books that the prisoners have sneaked past the guards. Dita agrees and becomes the librarian of Auschwitz.
Implication for teaching:
This book could be included in a Social Studies class during the unit that students learn about World War II or in an English class. This true story shows a window of what life was like in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Students will be able to better understand what prisoners in Auschwitz experienced and learn about some of the specific struggles they faced. Additionally, this text can help students understand the power that books and other forms of art had on the lives of those living in Auschwitz. It will not only teach students about the history of World War II, but it will also emphasize the importance and impact that books can have.

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Author:
Angeline Boulley
Publication:
March 16, 2021 by Henry Holt and Co.

Summary:
Daunis Fontaine is an 18 year old who doesn't fit in in her hometown or on Ojibwe, a nearby reservation. Daunis hopes to attend college but ends up putting her future on hold to take care of her mother. While she is home, Daunis meets a boy named Jamie who seems to be hiding something. Daunis witnesses a murder that pushes her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug. Daunis uses her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. Daunis learns how to be a strong Anishinaabe kew (Ojibwe woman) and protect her community.
Implication for teaching:
This book addresses injustices and inequities that exist among Indigenous populations in the United States. Many underrepresented Indigenous populations face these injustice and inequities that Daunis faces throughout the book. Students can learn about the experiences that many Indigenous populations experience and learn about whether this is relevant in the places that they live. This book can be used to open students' minds towards the injustice that exists within our world and help them understand the negative effects it has on peoples' lives.

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4. Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

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4. Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

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Author:
Rick Riordan
Publication:
January 1, 2007 by Disney Hyperion

Summary:
Percy Jackson is a boy who has trouble focusing on his schoolwork and controlling his temper. He swears that his pre-algebra teacher once turned into a monster and tried to kill him, and that is when his mom decides to tell him about where he came from. Percy's mom sends him to Camp Half Blood, which is a summer camp for demigods. At camp, Percy learns that his father is Poseidon. A mystery unfolds and Percy and his friends travel across the US to reach the gates of the Underworld to prevent a war between the gods.
Implication for teaching:
This book provides students with a fun and unique way to learn about some of the classic Greek mythology. Additionally, many students, especially adolescents, may be able to relate to Percy Jackson and what he is going through. For example, Percy Jackson has dyslexia and ADHD. Students who have these learning disabilities may not be able to relate to many characters in books. Percy Jackson provides an opportunity for students to make personal connections and feel seen in the book they're reading. Another way that students can relate to Percy Jackson is in regards to coming to terms with his new identity of being a demigod. As students enter adolescence, many of them are figuring out who they are and discovering their own identities. This connection may make the story feel more relevant.

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5. Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan

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5. Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan

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Author:
John Flanagan
Publication:
September 11, 2008 by Puffin Books

Summary:
The Rangers have always scared 15-year-old Will. The Rangers are believed to practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. Will has been selected as the Ranger's apprentice and soon finds out that the Rangers protect the kingdom. The Rangers fight battles before the battles reach the people. Will learns of an upcoming battle with the Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, who will not be denied.
Implication for teaching:
This book can be used to focus on character development throughout the story and the rest of the series. This book includes many characters who are very complex and intriguing to the reader. Students can learn how to think about what the characters say and do and how to better understand the ways that words and actions can impact characters' behaviors and interactions with others. Additionally, this book can be used to teach students the importance of looking past stereotypes and rumors and taking the time to get to know others and not believe everything heard.

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Author:
Angie Thomas
Publication:
February 28, 2017 by Balzer + Bray

Summary:
Starr Carter is 16-years-old and moves between the fancy suburban prep school she attends and the poor neighborhood where she lives. Starr witnesses her best friend, who was unarmed, being shot and killed by a police officer. Everyone wants to know what really happened that night, and the only person alive who witnessed the fatal shooting is Starr. What Starr ends up saying or not saying could turn her community upside down or even endanger her own life.
Implication for teaching:
Unfortunately, the story told in this book is culturally relevant to the students in the class who will be reading it. This book can be used to increase student awareness of social justice issues that exist in their own communities and the movements that are occurring to address these issues. This book can encourage students to become active citizens in their community. This book also provides an opportunity for students to have discussions about issues regarding police brutality, gun violence, and weapons in the safe space of the classroom. It addresses issues in a way that is respectful to humanity, while still discussing the harsh truths.

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Author:
Faridah Àbíké-íyímídé
Publication:
June 1, 2021 by Feiwel & Friends

Summary:
Two students who attend Niveus Private Academy are chosen to be part of the school's senior class prefects. After the announcement of who was selected as prefects is made, anonymous text messages are sent around the school by someone who goes by Aces. The text messages reveal secrets about the two characters that will threaten their future plans. The two characters who are being targeted in the text messages are the only two Black students in the elite private school.
Implication for teaching:
This story addresses issues of class, race, identity, and the horrors of surviving high school. This book offers many opportunities for adolescent students to find connections that will make them interested to continue reading. Students can learn further about the impact that class and race may have on students, especially when they are present in an upscale school. Reading this book will allow students to have opportunities to discuss class and race and explore the ways that it affects everyone. Additionally, this book will be good for students to read for enjoyment or literature circles, since it addresses surviving high school, which many readers are experiencing.

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Author:
Kit Frick
Publication:
June 8, 2021 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Summary:
Anna Cicconi is nannying in a small Hamptons village called Herron Mills hoping for a fresh start. When she arrives, the community is on edge after a local girl, Zoe Spanos, has disappeared. Anna resembles Zoe and her presence brings raw feelings regarding the unsolved case. Anna dives into the mystery and becomes convinced that her and Zoe are connected in some way and that she knows what happened to her. Zoe's body is found two months later, and Anna is charged with manslaughter.
Implication for teaching:
This story can be included as a fun mystery for students to read and try to solve while reading. However, there is more to it than just fun. The two main characters in the book are white, while supporting characters are biracial. One of the biracial characters, Caden, expresses the troubles he faces being raised by white adoptive parents, the racial suspicion he faces being a boyfriend to a girl who is white, and feeling marginalized at Yale. Students who read this book may be able to relate to the experiences that Caden goes through in the book or use this as an opportunity to become aware that these issues exist. This book will draw students attention to issues that likely also exist in their own communities.

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Author:
Dean Atta
Publication:
August 8, 2019 by Hodder Children's Books

Summary:
Michael is a mixed-race gay teen who has navigated what it's like to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican, but never felt Greek or Black enough. When Michael gets older, his coming out is the start of him learning who he is and where he fits in. When Michael discovers the Drag Society, he finally finds where he belongs. That is when the Black Flamingo is born.
Implication for teaching:
This book not only address the experiences of being a mixed-race, but it also addresses the experiences of being gay and coming out. This book tells a story of a boy who finally is able to figure out who he is and where he fits in. There may be students in the class who are experiencing similar struggles to Michael regarding not knowing who they are or not feeling comfortable with themselves. This book can encourage students to be accepting of both themselves and others. Sexuality is an important topic during adolescence, and this book may help students feel confident with who they are and/or help them respect their peers. Including this in a classroom is a step in making sure that all students know they are welcome and that the classroom is a safe place for them.

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Author:
Nic Stone
Publication:
September 4, 2018 by Ember

Summary:
Justyce McAllister is an honor student who always helps his friends, which doesn't matter to the police officer who puts him in handcuffs. Justyce escaped his bad neighborhood, but can't escape the negative views from his former peers or the subjection from his new classmates. Justyce turns to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers and starts writing a journal to Dr. King. One day, Justyce is driving with his best friends with the music way up making an off-duty cop mad. Words are said, shots are fired, and Justyce and his friend are caught in the middle. When the news is released to the media, Justyce is under attack.
Implication for teaching:
The content in this book addresses some controversial issues, difficult situations, and includes some inappropriate language. Although the reading level is appropriate for 8th grade students, it is better to use in a high school setting. This text can be included in a classroom as an opportunity for students to see themselves in a text and for the content to be relevant to students' own lives. This book introduces complex, social justice issues and can be used to lead students into difficult, but important, conversations. Even for students who don't see themselves through the characters in the book, the story is relevant to many situations that occur in their own communities. The book can help students understand and navigate these complex situations.

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How does drawing on pop culture support adolescent literacy learning?

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How does drawing on pop culture support adolescent literacy learning?

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Using pop culture supports adolescent literacy learning in multiple ways. Pop culture is a large component of students' lives outside of school and is something that students usually select based on their personal interests. Incorporating pop culture into literacy learning will make learning more relevant to adolescent students, which will likely result in increased engagement. When students have the opportunity to make connections to topics that are interesting and relevant to them, the learning becomes more meaningful because they enjoy what they are learning about and can make connections to their own lives. When students are able to make connections between academic content and popular culture, they can demonstrate a deeper understanding and think about the subjects in more complex ways. Additionally, using pop culture supports students use of background knowledge, which can then increase comprehension of texts used for literacy learning. Allowing students to read and write about pop culture will give students a purpose for completing their work.

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What do these texts or media teach us about adolescence? Or, teach adolescents?

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What do these texts or media teach us about adolescence? Or, teach adolescents?

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Many of these texts teach us that adolescent students enjoy reading about experiences that are similar to the ones that occur in their own lives, in addition to reading about characters who are around the same age as them. Many of the books that I have included in this review are about characters who would be considered adolescents. Students are able to see themselves in these characters and books. Another thing that these texts teach us is that adolescents are capable of reading about and discussing complex, and difficult topics. Some of the topics in the books selected can be very hard for people to speak about. However, these books are directed toward an adolescent audience indicating that adolescents are capable of having difficult discussions. These texts not only teach us about adolescents, but they also teach adolescents. These books can be used to teach students about social justice issues, figuring out their own identities, dealing with racism, and much more. Even though adolescents may think they are reading for enjoyment, they are still learning so much from reading many of these books that will impact them as individuals.

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Multimodal Reader Response Activity: Dear Martin

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Multimodal Reader Response Activity: Dear Martin

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Dear Martin is a relevant book regarding the tension that is growing in America regarding race and justice. The book presents issues related to social justice and racial biases and is an opportunity for students to learn about these complex issues and discuss them in the classroom. The book makes students aware of how the world often views and perceives young black men and allows them to explore this topic on a deeper level. The following activities will use different modalities, and students will complete each of the activities throughout the time that they are reading the book. These activities will allow students to take a deeper look at Dear Martin and explore the complex issues that are addressed.

Activity #1 (Auditory):
Students will participate in class discussions throughout the book. They will use evidence from the text to support their answers and reasonings. Some of the guiding questions they will respond to are:

- When Justyce is trying to get his ex-girlfriend, Melo, home safely, do you think the police officer would have attacked Justyce if he thought that Melo was not white? Why or why not?
- What does power have to do with fairness and justice?
- When should a person stand up for what he or she believes is an injustice? How can you stand up for what you believe to be an injustice?

Students will be reminded that this is a safe space, and the teacher will guide the discussion to ensure that all students know that their opinions and feelings are respected. Since this is a difficult topic, the discussions responding to each question will be spread across multiple days.

Activity #2 (Reading and Writing):
In the very first few pages of the book, Justyce gets arrested by a police officer based on a situation in which he was doing nothing wrong. He was trying to help his ex-girlfriend, who was drunk, get home. His ex-girlfriend is telling him to leave her alone and that she will drive home. However, Justyce won't let her drive since she is drunk and picks her up to put her in the car. His ex-girlfriend starts screaming as he puts her into the car and almost immediately he hears sirens. He is yanked by the police officer and put into handcuffs.

Students will respond in writing to the questions: Do you think that the police officer should have put Justyce in handcuffs? Why do you think the police officer put Justyce in handcuffs?
Students will then be asked to find recent news articles that report on similar situations to the one Justyce experienced. Students will explain the situations they found, compare and contrast the situation in the news article to the one that Justyce experienced, and write about how they think the situation could have been handled differently.

Activity #3 (Visual): Students will watch the Ted Talk "The Path to Ending Systematic Racism in the US" given by Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, Rashad Robinson, Dr. Bernice King, and Anthony D. Romero. This will be used to help students better understand racism in America and learn about ways to start addressing these issues to make a change. As students watch, they should be thinking about the connections that can be made to Dear Martin and how the fiction novel is similar to events that have actually occurred.

https://www.ted.com/talks/dr_phillip_atiba_goff_rashad_robinson_dr_bernice_king_anthony_d_romero_the_path_to_ending_systemic_racism_in_the_us/details?referrer=playlist-talks_to_help_you_understand_r

This is the brief blurb from the Ted Talk website regarding what the hour long video is about:
"In a time of mourning and anger over the ongoing violence inflicted on Black communities by police in the US and the lack of accountability from national leadership, what is the path forward? Sharing urgent insights into this historic moment, Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, Rashad Robinson, Dr. Bernice King and Anthony D. Romero discuss dismantling the systems of oppression and racism responsible for tragedies like the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and far too many others -- and explore how the US can start to live up to its ideals. (This discussion, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson and current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was recorded on June 3, 2020.)"

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                                                                 References

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                                                                 References

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Àbíké-íyímídé, F. (2021). Ace of spades. Feiwel & Friends.
Atta, D. (2019). The black flamingo. Hodder Children's Books.
Boulley, A. (2021). Firekeeper's daughter. Henry Holt and Co.
Bracken, A. (2012). The darkest minds. Disney Hyperion.
Flanagan, J. (2008). Ranger's apprentice: The ruins of gorlan. Puffin Books.
Frick, K. (2021). I killed Zoe Spanos. Margaret K. McElderry Books.
Iturbe, A. (2018). The librarian of Auschwitz. Thorndike Press Large Print.
Riordan, R. (2007). Percy Jackson and the olympians: The lightning thief. Disney Hyperion.
Stone, N. (2018). Dear Martin. Ember.
Thomas, A. (2017). The hate u give. Balzer + Bray.