Novel for seventh grade class

strawberry cola

Wed, May 24 2023, 5:31 am

Can anyone recommend a clean, kosher, interesting novel that would work for a seventh grade literature class?

amother

Apricot

Wed, May 24 2023, 5:37 am

Tuck Everlasting or The Giver are a little on the young side, but they might work. Both are kind of depressing, as are almost all school literature assignments.

sequoia

Wed, May 24 2023, 5:43 am

amother Apricot wrote:

Both are kind of depressing, as are almost all school literature assignments.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pm.....Medal

amother

Apricot

Wed, May 24 2023, 5:53 am

sequoia wrote:

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeathByNewberyMedal

Ha! So true. I worry that giving kids depressing books to read will turn them off literature for life. But the taste makers seem to prefer downers.

amother

Burlywood

Wed, May 24 2023, 5:57 am

Call of the Wild, or White Fang, by Jack London. I recall these being pretty clean, but it's been a long time, so don't rely on me.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, May 24 2023, 6:20 am

Here are some ideas based on what my kids have done:

Where the Red Fern Grows 5th
Mysterious Benedict Society 5th
My Side of the Mountain 5th
Pushcart Wars 5th
Black Stallion 5th

Candymakers 6th
Among the Hidden 6th
The Cay 6th
The Phantom Tollbooth 6th

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry 7th
The Westing Game 7th
The Hobbit 7th
The Breadwinner 7th
City of Ember 7th

Tom Sawyer 8th
12 Angry Men 8th
The Boy in Striped Pajamas 8th
Call of the Wild 8th
Weed Flower 8th

MiriW

Wed, May 24 2023, 6:40 am

The Giver is not totally clean, there are questionable scenes that are described with a lot of detail. But it is a great book!

Another vote for Roll of Thunder.

amother

Azure

Wed, May 24 2023, 7:13 am

MiriW wrote:

The Giver is not totally clean, there are questionable scenes that are described with a lot of detail. But it is a great book!

My son was assigned this book a few weeks ago. What is inappropriate about it? Now I am worried.

amother

Apricot

Wed, May 24 2023, 7:18 am

amother Azure wrote:

My son was assigned this book a few weeks ago. What is inappropriate about it? Now I am worried.

If your son was assigned this book, he's probably old enough to learn mishnayos. He won't be encountering anything new.

sequoia

Wed, May 24 2023, 7:38 am

Are The Chronicles of Narnia considered okay? ‘The Horse and His Boy’ and ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ are quite readable.

MiriW

Wed, May 24 2023, 7:39 am

amother Azure wrote:

My son was assigned this book a few weeks ago. What is inappropriate about it? Now I am worried.

There is a scene in which the male teenage character dreams about giving a bath to a naked teenage female. Depending on what you want your kids being exposed to and the type of school they're in, you'll have your own reaction. I would not be happy of my kids' OOT yeshivish schools assigned this book.

amother

Oatmeal

Wed, May 24 2023, 7:43 am

The Giver isn't inappropriate, but it has mentions on puberty ("the changes." Nothing overt or graphic, and IME, it goes over most kids' heads unless you discuss it). It's a good book though. I have seventh grade recs but I'm not really programmed to check if books are "clean" so it's better not to recommended them here.

sequoia

Wed, May 24 2023, 7:47 am

MiriW wrote:

You would not be happy if your 7th grade son was assigned a book that mentions puberty, when he’s going through puberty?

Are we keeping it a secret?

amother

Lightcyan

Wed, May 24 2023, 7:51 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

I’m surprised Jewish schools teach The Boy in Striped Pajamas. It’s become quite controversial because it’s inaccurate, historically, and it humanizes a Nazi’s son. There are so many much better Holocaust fiction (and non fiction) texts to choose from.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, May 24 2023, 8:43 am

amother Lightcyan wrote:

I don't know if they still do. This was years ago with my oldest son.
They did it as a contrast with Weed flower I think.

MiriW

Wed, May 24 2023, 9:55 am

sequoia wrote:

You would not be happy if your 7th grade son was assigned a book that mentions puberty, when he’s going through puberty?

Are we keeping it a secret?

This isn't puberty, this is an extremely detailed scene of a boy BATHING a naked girl. And no, I do not want my son learning about that at all, especially not in school. Of course he has to learn about puberty, but not from a secular novel in school.