Genre: Nonfiction (memoir)

Lexile Level: 1010L

Grade Level: 11th Grade

Big Ideas: Poverty, Environments, Self-Determination, Familial Bonds, Abuse

Summary: The memoir The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is about her off-kilter upbringing and her experiences with poverty. The situation for Jeannette and her family gradually becomes less stable as the dad, Rex, loses his job at a mining company. Throughout Jeannette’s childhood the family would move house to house, all of which started in good shape and gradually deteriorated due to a lack of care, fixes, and financial support. After their dad’s struggles with alcohol, and a series of troubling and traumatizing interactions with their grandma, the family moves to another home and Jeannette and her sister Lori plan on moving away to New York. Years later, Jeannette gets a call from her dad to tell her he’s dying, which occurs just a few weeks later. The family, years later, on Thanksgiving, join together in remembrance of Rex.

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Genre: Nonfiction (graphic novel/autobiography)

Lexile Level: GN380L

Grade Level: 11th Grade

Big Ideas: Trauma, Power of Reading, Individualization, Effects of War, Social Systems, Power and Gender Dynamics

Summary: The graphic novel Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is an autobiographical depiction of Satrapi’s childhood growing up in Iran during a tumultuous time of clashing ideologies and the threat of war. Marji, through her education and her family’s resources, is able to read from a variety of  American and European perspectives. This, alongside the ongoing Cultural Revolution, heavily informs her political and social beliefs. However, after the end of the Shah’s leadership, Marji notices a rise in extreme, strict, religious beliefs in Iran. The increased restriction regarding the freedom of women in Iranian society continues to anger Marji, and an interaction with her uncle Anoosh strengthens her convictions. Not long after the interaction, Anoosh is arrested and executed under the guise of him being a potential spy. After Iran and Iraq go to war, Marji and her family continue their resistance and rebellion against social restrictions. Marji’s family begin to worry for safety and send her to study in Austria after a missile hits their street causing death and destruction that further traumatizes and angers her.

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Genre: Nonfiction

Lexile Level: 1200L

Grade Level: 9th Grade

Summary: Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” describes the purpose behind the Civil Rights protests, and the systemic nature in which they have been rebuffed or ignored. Martin Luther King makes the distinction between overt racism, which is obvious and easier to point out, against that of the moderate, who will agree with sentiments but will criticize any action or noise. Furthermore, a moderate promise for change won’t be acted upon, keeping up the status quo and the systemic benefits many moderate thrive off of. King also responds to local clergymen who decried the timing and the nature of the protests while praising the response of the Birmingham Police. King argued that the point of the riots was to create tension, so that all of America can racism and violence capture directly on camera and film.

Big Ideas: Justice, Racism, Status Quo, Ignorance, Safety, Protests, Power Dynamics

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Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Lexile Level: HL740L

Grade Level: 11th Grade

Summary: The young adult novel I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson follows siblings Noah and Jude throughout their teen and young adult years. The first part of the novel follows Noah’s perspective in his teen years when he was hiding his sexual orientation and was determined to make it into a prestigious, competitive art school. However, Noah finds himself in a series of difficult and traumatic events, as his mom, Dianna, catches him with Brian, a boy from their neighborhood, disintegrating their respective relationships. The tension between Dianna and Noah furthers when he discovers that Dianna has been seeing Guillermo, a local sculptor, and plans on divorcing Noah's father to be with him. On her way to propose to Guillermo, Dianna unexpectedly dies in a car accident, changing the courses of Noah’s, Jude’s, and Guillermo’s lives completely. The second part of the novel follows Jude’s perspective after, due to the grief from her mother’s death, she has been unable to continue her artistic endeavors. Jude looks to Guillermo to mentor her. Through sculpting, Jude finds catharsis and clarity and realizes that she needs to tell Noah about what she did. Jude and Oscar, Jude’s eventual boyfriend, stop Noah just in time before he makes a reckless decision, influenced by guilt, to tell him her past actions and feelings. Through this new revelations, the twins forge a new bond, and, with newfound clarity attempt to pick up the pieces of their lives and begin to rebuild, starting with a re-entry into art school and the building of relationships both old and new.

Big Ideas: Self-Acceptance, Self-Expression, Grief, Sexuality, Inner Turmoil, Strength, Sibling Rivalry, Companionship, Identity

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Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Lexile Level: 640L

Grade Level: 8th Grade

Summary: Becky Albertalli’s novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda follows the titular Simon, a closeted, gay, teen, in the suburbs of Atlanta. Simon, in secret, has been emailing another guy who goes by the online nickname of Blue. However, Simon’s orientation and email are threatened to be revealed and leaked publicly by another student in school, Martin, unless Simon can convince Martin’s crush to go out on a date with him. Simon has to juggle Martin’s requests while keeping his identity safe from both his peers and parents. Simon’s sexual orientation is eventually revealed, however, leading him to Blue in person. Blue is revealed to be Bram, a peer who always sat near Simon’s lunch table. 

Big Ideas: Self-Acceptance, Identity, Coming-of-age, Support Systems

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Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Lexile Level: HL950L

Grade Level: 10th Grade

Summary: The novel The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas follows Starr Carter, a 16 year-old, and her family as they navigate life and the systemic issues that disproportionately affect them and their neighborhood. Starr and her family live in a poor community that is predominantly black, though Starr goes to a prep school in a community that is predominantly white. At the beginning of the novel, Starr reunites with Khalil, a childhood friend, at a party. After the party, when Khalil is driving Starr to her home, they are pulled over by a police officer. While Khalil is out of the vehicle, as instructed by the police officer, he looks back in the window to check in on Starr. The policeman reacts by shooting and killing Khalil. Starr, hoping to bring justice to Khalil, works, at first, with the police to identify the officer that killed him. Starr eventually realizes the police have no intention of actually helping her and that they are trying to twist her testimony, and use Khalil's past, to cover up for the officer. Starr then goes to an advocacy group to protest police brutality and the systems that uphold it. The officer is eventually found not guilty of murder, despite his actions, in court, leading to a town-wide riot. The events happen concurrently with the racism, casual and overt, Starr experiences at her school and the disconnect she starts to feel with her boyfriend, who is white. At the end of the novel, King, an abuser and drug dealer that has terrorized the town for years, is arrested by the police after the community decides to speak up about his actions.

Big Ideas: Casual and Overt Racism, Self-perception, Code Switching, Status Quo, Judicial Systems

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Genre: Literary Fiction (canonical/dystopian)

Lexile Level: 890L

Grade Level: 11th Grade

Summary: Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 follows firemen Guy Montag whose job is to burn books. The appearance of Clarice, a new neighbor who doesn’t abide by the strict social codes and attitudes enforced by her school, her neighboring families, and the government, completely changes the course of Montag’s life. Montag becomes more questioning and more inquisitive of his surroundings and the ramifications of his job. After a series of startling events, such as his wife’s overdose, the mysterious disappearance and apparent death of Clarice, and a woman self-immolating to protest to the demands of the firemen, Montag begins to dissent from the norm. He takes and hides a book at his home, much to the dismay of his wife, who, along with her friend, eventually sells him out to the firemen. The firemen, punishing Montag, make him burn down his own house. Afterwards, Montag attacks the firemen and runs away to a group of intellectuals who were well-read before books were made illegal. As war breaks out, and bombs are dropped on the city, nearly killing everyone, the once exiled group decides to rebuild with what little they have left.

Big Ideas: Dystopia, Choice, Systems, Knowledge, Meaning and Interpretation

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Genre: Literary Fiction (canonical/magical realism)

Lexile Level: 840L

Grade Level: 9th Grade

Summary: Rudolfo Anaya’s novel Bless Me, Ultima follows Tony and his reflections on his childhood experiences growing up in New Mexico. Tony's family decide to house Ultima, a curandera (a healer/conjurer), who is wise beyond her years, and demonstrates to Tony a fundamental understanding of the connectedness of life. Tony struggles with his connection to religion on his mother’s side, and the looser viewpoints of his father's side, as he witnesses deaths, violence, and illnesses that seem to sharply contrast with, if not outright rebuke, his perception of Roman Catholicism. This struggle is happening alongside a fight between good, Ultima, and evil, Tenorio, a barber and saloon owner who, along with his three daughters, curse and nearly kill Tony’s uncle. After Tenorio chases Tony back to his home he shoots Ultima’s owl, effectively killing Ultima herself. Tony reflects on the teachings of Ultima and his own experiences as he attempts to build a new understanding of himself and his beliefs, effectively pulling from both sides of the family instead of staying strictly by one.

Big Ideas: Self-reflection, Religion, Identity, Family, Good, Evil

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Genre: Fiction (classic/canonical)

Lexile Level: 1350L

Grade Level: 9th grade

Summary: The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a tragedy that centers on the titular Macbeth, his ascent to the throne of the king, and his eventual downfall. The play takes place in Scotland and follows Macbeth, initially a brave and renowned warrior, who gradually begins his descent after he is told three prophecies, including that he will become king, by three witches when Macbeth is returning through the forest from a battle. The prophecies go to his head, and his ambitions lead him and his wife to murder the king, taking them both down a path of paranoia and guilt. Macbeth’s actions become irrational and violent as he desperately attempts to hold onto the crown, fearful of the full ramifications of the Witches’ prophecies. After much war, betrayal, and bloodshed, Macbeth is slain by Macduff, who defies the Witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will be slain by no man born of woman as he was delivered via C-section. 

Big Ideas: Tragedy, Guilt, Hero, Protagonist, Structure, Tone

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Genre: Literary Fiction (coming-of-age/canonical)

Lexile Level: 750L

Grade Level: 9th Grade

Summary: S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders follows the coming of age story of Ponyboy, his two older brothers, and the Greasers, who make up Ponyboy’s inner circle of friends. Ponyboy navigates life dealing with the Socs, a rival gang composed of the rich and the upper class, a troubled family dynamic, and all the turmoil that comes with coming of age and figuring out one’s identity. After Ponyboy’s friend, Johnny, the youngest of the group, kills a member of the Socs in self defense, saving both his and Ponyboy’s life, they go on the run to hide in a church. After Johnny decides that he has to turn himself in, he and Ponyboy notice that the church is on fire, and schoolchildren from a class trip are stuck in the building. Risking their lives, Ponyboy and Johnny rescue the children but suffer burns and injuries. The Greasers and Socs start to become disillusioned with the ongoing violence, and Jonny passes away due to his injuries. Once Ponyboy returns to school, in order to make up for his dwindling grades, his teacher gives him a theme writing prompt. After reading Johnny’s final letter, Ponyboy decides to write about his experiences, making the novel come full circle as it starts and ends with the same two iconic sentences.

Big Ideas: Coming-of-age, Identity, Self-perception, Changes in the perception of others

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