There are some books that strike harder than others. Some that leave a lasting impact that has you thinking about them days, weeks, months, years beyond when you finish reading them. Books that just won’t let go. They haunt you, make you see things differently, affect your actions, push you to look around you and recognize the truth of what’s happening. These three young adult books have done that for me. I keep talking about them because I want all teachers to read them. Though one is already available to buy, the other two don’t publish until October, but they should definitely be on your radar. (And all three authors will be at ALA next week, so if you’re going, you might want to make getting a copy of these books a priority.)
I had already read two of these books when I wrote my blog post in March, A Text Set to See Themselves In – Providing the Mirror or Window to get to the Sliding Door. At the time I said “I could too easily see my students in the pages of these stories, which makes them all the more impactful. These are the kinds of books our teens need to see in their classrooms, read, and discuss.” Well, I can now say for certain, all three of these are powerful books that need to be in teens’ hands as quickly and as often as we can get them there. I feel a sense of urgency about telling teachers to buy and share these books because I know exactly which former students of mine would have been changed for the better by reading these stories. Lives would have been affected by seeing themselves and their lives and their neighborhoods in these books. That’s a powerful thing to hand to an adolescent.
Please, buy/get The Hate U Give, Long Way Down, and Dear Martin. Read them. And then make sure the teens in your life do also. I promise you will not be sorry, and you will not walk away from any of these books the same you walked into them. They represent the power of story to change, validate, and affect the lives of the children in our society to make a better future for themselves, their neighborhoods, and all of us. My thoughts on each are below.
| 240 pages 67 seconds 7 floors 6 visitors Each with a piece of the story not known until now. Will grieving his brother with a gun and a target thinking he knows what he has to do following The Rules wondering what to do who to be and what comes next. Jason Reynolds is masterful in the way he can use such sparse language in these free verse poems for such a powerful and emotional impact. I’m going to be talking about and sharing this book for a very long time. Jason’s skill at putting words together that grab your heart and head, bringing you into the lives of his characters, kids just trying their best to do what’s right and live the way they’ve been taught, astounds me. Long Way Down is no different. This book is going to have an impact. The type of impact that makes you question what you thought you knew and how life can be. This is a must-read and must-share in classrooms (7th & up), especially in those rooms where you have teens who are living Will’s life with the rules he’s been taught to life by. I can’t wait to get my hands on a finished copy, to reread, sit with his words and turns of phrase, and find the spots that bear repeating to kids in our classrooms. I can picture the faces in my head of the former students I wish were still in my classroom so I could put this book right into their hands. |
A powerful debut that grabs the reader from the start and doesn’t let go. You will ache from the injustice Justyce faces as he navigates a world that sees him primarily for the color of his skin, and secondarily for everything else beneath it.
Another teen having to navigate a complicated world more messed up than he deserves. His story will strike a chord with the teens you know who look like Justyce and will seem themselves in his story, those who have friends who look like Justyce and want to better understand their stories, and, perhaps most importantly, those who judge and avoid teens who look like Justyce because just maybe it will give them a reason to think again.
An important book to add to the conversation about police brutality and race relations in America and how it impacts the lives of black teen boys. Pair this with All American Boys & The Hate U Give, and open up conversations with teens, and adults, in your life.
Powerful. Important. Impactful. When people talk about window & mirror books, this is what they’re talking about, with the potential to be that sliding door for many.
Starr’s voice is fantastic, and feels oh so real. For a debut book, this is a standout. It is written so well, and draws you into the story and makes you want to be a part of it. We care about these characters and their lives and the outcome.
This book, and Starr’s insights made me feel like I could know my students’ lives better. A must-read for 8th & up, and a book that needs to be shared with students. Pair with All American Boys for an effective pairing to start conversation.
