secular novels for teens (girls)

m in Israel

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 4:17 pm

petiteruchy wrote:

No, my memories of Shakespeare were mostly of the bawdy or romantic aspects. I never studied them past high school though so I might be missing one that is easily censored. King Lear is an interesting idea though.

I didn't read My Sister's Keeper when it first came out. The concept sounds perfect, I'll look into it.

Classics were my first thought when I started looking. We actually already do 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and some Sherlock stories. The language can be difficult though, and the ones that are completely tznius in the relationship department tend to have male or unrelatable characters. They were begging me last year after we slogged though Verne to read a book about a normal 15 year old girl. But for the life of me I can't find one!

If you are considering Shakespeare and want to avoid romance, consider the tragedies. We read both Julius Ceaser and Macbeth in a BY high school -- not Chassidish but they were pretty careful about boy/girl stuff.

But obviously Shakespeare is not a book about a "normal 15 year old girl".

Last edited by m in Israel on Thu, Aug 18 2016, 4:51 am; edited 1 time in total

petiteruchy

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 4:30 pm

Amarante wrote:

So what you are looking for are books for a literate 14 or 15 year old that she would enjoy reading but don't deal with adult stuff that might be acceptable to an older women but might offend parents of your students.

Not a value judgment but trying to get a sense of what you need.

I can't imagine being forced to read Verne in high school or anytime. Some classics don't merit remaining read least of all by hapless girls with no choice 😀

Is this specifically for classroom or also to recommend to your students for recreation?

You hit the nail on the head.

Basically, I get mixed messages from the school. On the one hand they seem interested in having their girls graduate with a strong secular education, and there are girls whose mothers have asked me to independently suggest literary novels for independent reading, but they are also not quite ready to give up some of more stringent restrictions when it comes to literature (which I'm totally fine with, it just makes my job more difficult!).

I'm hoping I might find an appropriate classroom novel just to change things up. Admin supports it, but it has to be worth it... significantly better than the novels already in use. I'm also building a list of books to recommend to my students, since it's been requested.

And yeah, 20K Leagues was the most ridiculous slog even for me (it was ordered by a previous teacher and there was no time to change it).

Amarante

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 5:47 pm

This would probably appeal to your students and nothing offensive as I recall. It's an adult book but one a literate teenager would enjoy.

The Curious Incident Of the Dog in the Night

Mark Haddon has written a moving novel about love and bravery through the eyes of a British autistic boy. Christopher discovers his neighbor's poodle dead, impaled by a pitchfork, and, because he adores puzzles, he sets out to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington . But Christopher is autistic, a boy who doesn't like to be touched and cannot decipher emotions beyond the tools his teacher has taught him, and so the task requires the huge effort of testing rules and facing his own fears. A literalist by neurology, he deconstructs life into a set of mathematical equations and physical laws. This unique perspective makes him a good detective on one level, where clues and logic rule, but it also fails him on another, higher one because he cannot understand the magnitude of what he uncovers.

That Haddon was able to write a book from Christopher's point of view with all his quirks and still make him lovable is extraordinary. By necessity, the writing is simple and unadorned, but the language of details elevates it from the mundane. The insertion of mathematical puzzles and drawings add to the reader's understanding of how Christopher's mind works. Haddon's real skill is an understatement that allows the reader to comprehend what is going on even if Christopher cannot. Although Christopher cannot grasp subtlety and nuances, the reader can, and that's where the true force of this exceptional novel lies.

This short, easy to read book can be completed in a couple of sittings, although its impact will last much longer. Highly recommended for a general readership.

Amarante

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 5:53 pm

This might also be appealing to your students. It's a twist on the dystopian stuff that is so popular among teens

The Uglies by Scott Westerfield

reviews from Amazon.

This is geared towards young adults, but believe me it's a book for any age. Scott Westerfeld is one of the few male authors out there who can successfully tell a story through young girl's eyes and get it right. This book is about a world divided into two parts, just as humanity is, ugly and pretty. Up until your 16th birthday you are considered an Ugly, you go to ugly schools, live in ugly dorms, reside in ugly city all the while dreaming of that one day when you will become pretty and get to live the good life in pretty town. Young girls and boys are told they are ugly by their parents and the government, they think they are too fat or skinny; they have big noses and squinty eyes. All they have to look forward too is that day when they turn sweet sixteen and get to shed their Ugly skins to be "normal" and pretty. The Pretties live in gorgeous buildings, throw parties all day; they seemingly have no worries and are always happy.

I know it seems just too literal, okay young people think they are ugly and when they "grow up" they will be able to do whatever they want, and pretty people always seem happier. It goes beyond that. Tally Youngblood is our heroine, her best friend Paris has been turned and she cannot wait to join him. She meets Shay and thus begins a quick friendship. Shay soon shows Tally another world, taking her to the "rusting ruins" on their hover boards (yes I said hover boards you back to the future freaks!) The ruins, are what is left of the "rusties" which you figure out are basically us, but so far gone and abandoned now its all being taken back into the earth, rusting. That world, the Uglies are told, had wars and famine and everyone was unhappy, so the scientist "cured" all that by mandating the surgery and therefore "saving" society.

Shay doesn't believe this is right, and tells Tally of another society, a secret one called the "Smokies" and she is joining them before turning 16. Tally is shocked! How could Shay WANT to stay ugly forever? Shay leaves, but not before asking Tally to go with her, but Tally doesn't want to be an ugly anymore...she wants to be happy so she stays, Shay does give her a map just in case she changes her mind. The government on the other hand connects Tally to the Smokies and blackmails her into finding Shay, if she doesn't she will stay Ugly forever.

I won't give everything away, but I will say that the rest involves Tally finding out who she truly is, and what she is capable of. You get to find out what the Pretties actually are, and why, and what exactly lies outside of Ugly and Pretty town. You also get to hear about the "Specials" which are Pretties but with deadly skills.

I cannot recommend this book enough, it's a quick read, its not Kierkegaard but its pretty darn fascinating nevertheless. The reader of this audiobook does an excellent job! I cannot wait to read the second in the series "Pretties".

I am a middle school English teacher and enjoy reading Young Adult literature. I also have seen the Twilight Zone episode, with a very similar story line, and it was an episode that has lingered hauntingly in my thoughts....so when I heard of this series, I was very eager to read it. I don't frequently write reviews, but I had to react to the negative reviews that I saw on this site. Though the story line may not be original, the author writes beautifully, using specific vocabulary and beautiful similes, without, at least in my opinion, holding back the story line. Tally is a well-developed character, thoughtful and fully understanding the consequences of her actions. I saved this book for a three-day weekend but read it all last night and this morning. I was unable to put it down and am planning to read all three books this week. I highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy thinking about what our future will be like. I plan to share the first chapter with my Junior Great Books class. I think it will be great fodder for intellectual discussion.

Amarante

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 6:02 pm

More recreational than for classroom study, but beloved by many teenage girls

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray

he three books of the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling Gemma Doyle trilogy available together for the first time.

This collection contains the complete text of the three Gemma Doyle novels, a deliciously sweeping and haunting saga that won't let you go. It's the only way to get all three of Libba Bray's critically acclaimed novels in one bundle.

A Great and Terrible Beauty: it's 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?

Rebel Angels: Gemma is looking forward to spending time in London over x-mas, but her troubled visions of three girls dressed in white are intensifying and only the enchanted realms can give Gemma the answers she needs.

The Sweet Far Thing: In a world where rules are everything, can a girl like Gemma survive? The conclusion to the bestselling series

Last edited by Amarante on Wed, Aug 17 2016, 6:30 pm; edited 1 time in total

Amarante

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 6:14 pm

petiteruchy wrote:

The Jodi Picoult books all revolve around these kinds of moral dilemmas. There is one called House Rules dealing with an autistic boy.

I also recently read a decent book revolving around a cousin suing her cousin for the cord blood he had banked for his child because she needed it for cancer treatment. The family are Long Island Jews but not frum. It's sad but clean and I don't recall any explicit stuff because that wasn't the point. Not classic great literature but a teenage girl would probably enjoy weeping.
Dying is always popular theme like Love Story or The Fault Is In Our Stars. 😀

Last edited by Amarante on Wed, Aug 17 2016, 6:18 pm; edited 1 time in total

spring13

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 7:35 pm

It's hard to tell kids to read Jules Verne for fun! Current literature is very different than the "classics" that people default to because they're "clean", which are not suitable for every purpose - not everyone who likes to read wants to wade through heavy content or language. Some more recent adult literary fiction might go over better:

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines - I read this in high school English but we all actually enjoyed it

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - there's a kiss or two, maybe a glossed-over relations scene - read it ahead, but it could work really well.

The Bean Trees and Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver - check through because I can't remember about language. No relations scenes or violence, but you'd have to judge the rest of the content yourself. They're interesting, thought-provoking, and readable.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Possibly a curse word or two - look it over. But excellent.

The following are kids/YA, but suitable for a decent range of ages (including older kids)
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson - technically a middle grade kids' book, but readable by an older crowd. The main character is 16.

Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens series - kids/YA fantasy

Donna Jo Napoli has some really good girly fiction (mostly fairy tale takeoffs in pseudo-historical settings) that has contact-free romance. Ditto for Robin McKinley - Outlaws of Sherwood is one of my all-time favorite books, I think that there's a suggestion that Robin kisses Marian at some point, but that's it.

Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez - more of a middle grade book, but a good story and thought-provoking, no romance at all. Also try Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. Also The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine.

gp2.0

Wed, Aug 17 2016, 9:31 pm

Amarante wrote:

The Gemma Doyle trilogy (or anything by libba bray) is not appropriate for OPs students. In addition to the graphic imagery and a hot Indian guy, I just remembered one character is a lesbian. Smile

m in Israel

Thu, Aug 18 2016, 5:06 am

The problem really is that the vast majority of books containing teenaged characters will have SOME element of boy/girl interactions, which is probably a problem for your students.

I love a lot of the books posted by Rachel 6543, but many of them would definitely not be acceptable for your criteria (Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books but I just don't see it going over in a Chassidishe school -- even the Anne of Green Gables series has quite a bit of romance.) The ones that are "clean" are really for younger students -- A Little Princess and The Secret Garden are both great and completely clean, for example, but I would say they are more on a 3rd to 6th grade reading level. Of course older students can enjoy them, but it's not exactly age appropriate literature to be reading in high school. Same for the Narnia and Oz series (and Narnia of course has the added issue of the Christian theology angle).

Someone once posted this list of detailed descriptions of many books, but it is really geared towards elementary school. It is very comprehensive and detailed in its descriptions, maybe some of the ones for upper elementary will be helpful:

https://rebeccaklempner.files......2.pdf