Ricki

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

 Today’s Topic: Top Books We’d Love to See as Movies or TV Shows

Let’s imagine these in a perfect world, where movies/TV shows didn’t butcher books.

Ricki

1. The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Luckily, this dream is coming true. As with all books I love, I am anxious to see how it comes out. I am glad to see that John Green is on the set.

2. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

This would work really well as a movie because the setting is so richly described. New Orleans in the 1950s? Awesome. Let’s do this.

3. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

I love Criminal Minds, the TV show, and this book has some similarities but is quite different. I could see this book making for a great TV series, and I think the public would love it.

4. The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

With The Walking Dead craze, I foresee that this book would make for an awesome TV series, as well. No, there are no zombies in this book, but it is a fascinating take on a dystopian setting, so I think it would have a widespread appeal.

5. Shine by Lauren Myracle

The themes and issues in this book are so very important, and I would like to see them in movie format. Inevitably, when a book becomes a movie, more people become aware of the book. This book is worthy of the public’s attention.

Kellee

 1. Graceling Realm by Kristin Cashore

I would love to see this on the screen if it was done correctly. The Seven Kingdoms would be so cool to see and it would be amazing to see the magic and beauty in the books.

2. Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

I love Zita and I would love to see her story as a cartoon! If you have read it, can’t you picture it too?!?!?!

3. Sidekicked by John David Anderson

I love superhero stories and this is one of my favorites I’ve ever read, so I would love to see it as a movie. Maybe by the same guy who did Spy High because that is kind of how I picture it in my head.

4. Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby

I love this story and I would love to see it on the big screen! It would have to be done so right or it would make me angry, but if done correctly, the emotions that this book exudes would radiate off the screen.

5. Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

Like Hurt Go Happy, this book is one I love and the emotions and themes are so important. I also think that if the cinematography was correct, it would be a beautiful yet so intense/conflict-filled movie.

Honorary. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

I know. It is a movie already. But I want it to be done again and right. The Lightning Thief and its sequels are some of my favorite books and the mythology and adventure in it would make a perfect movie IF DONE CORRECTLY!

 

Which book would you love to see as a movie or TV show? 

and

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

 Today’s Topic: YA Books That Would Be Great Paired with Classics

Because this post has been so popular, we created an updated post with even more ideas here!

Ricki

I tried to pick classic texts that many, many teachers have in their curricula. If you are looking for a pairing for a different classic text, feel free to leave a message in our comments section, and Kellee and I will give you a great pairing!

1. Classic Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Great YA Pairing: Monster by Walter Dean Myers or Black and White by Paul Volponi

I love teaching To Kill a Mockingbird. How neat would it be to pair it with Monster or Black and White? Students would be able to look at racial relations as they exist today. Both of these YA books incorporate justice and law, so there would be many parallels! I am envisioning a culminating social justice project. Ah, I wish I had thought of this one sooner.

2. Classic Novel: 1984 by George Orwell

Great YA Pairing: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

These two books MUST be paired together. When I teach 1984, I ask my students to relate the concepts of government, technology, and surveillance to the world today. Little Brother is clearly written in response to 1984, and I use an excerpt with my students because I wasn’t able to garner enough funds for a class set. After we discuss the book, students always want to read it. A fun project—ask students to find a newspaper article relating to the themes in 1984 or Little Brother. We had so much fun jigsawing newspaper articles. You would be surprised at how many recent articles you can find by searching newspaper websites with the keywords of “Orwellian” or “Big Brother.” 

3. Classic Text: Night by Elie Wiesel

Great YA Pairing: Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick or Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

My students love reading Night, but it seems that Holocaust texts are over-represented in our curricula. I wanted to branch out, while still covering the curricular requirement. This year, I was able to order a class set of Between Shades of Gray, one of my favorite books. Through our Scholastic book fair, each text was $6, so I didn’t have to deal with our school budget! The students LOVED the book. They couldn’t believe that they had never heard about Stalin’s acts of genocide. We spent a lot of time pairing it with Night, and as a bonus, I turned some self-proclaimed non-readers into readers! I also love booktalking Never Fall Down, which is about the Cambodian genocide. The labor camps are similar to those in Night, and I think they would bridge well. Teachers would have a lot of fun examining the language of this text, and it would make for some great writing experiences for students!

4. Classic Text: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Great YA Pairing: If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson or The Fault in our Stars by John Green

It seems that almost every school teaches this classic to freshmen, so I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss two great pairings. I love If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson. I learned about it in my education course with Wendy Glenn. It is much more relatable to students than Romeo and Juliet, so teachers would be better able to connect the classic text with students. It won’t take long for students to read it because it is not a lengthy book, so I promise you have time for it, and the students won’t forget it! It would also be great to draw parallels between Romeo and Juliet and The Fault in our Stars. The books seem to be a bit different, but I can think of many connections that would be worthwhile and meaningful to students.
[Kellee: The first thing my dad said to me when he finished The Fault in our Stars was that it should be paired with Romeo and Juliet.]

5. Classic Text: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Great YA Pairing: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Now THIS is a classic that most teachers loathe teaching. No matter how much you dance, it seems there will always be students who are disengaged from the text. I bet many students would enjoy reading The Scarlet Letter if it were paired with Speak. There are so many connections between the two, that it just seems like an obvious choice. Students could connect the plot details, characterization, and themes. The language and structure of Speak make it an amazing book to teach. The students in our school love reading it.

 

Kellee

I focused more on choosing classics that students may encounter and the YA (or middle grade/picture) books that could be paired with them to make the classic “easier” to read.  Classics, in my opinion, are often very hard to connect to and by pairing it with a text that has similar themes or story line can really make the classic more reachable in the student’s mind.

1. Classic Text: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Great Middle Grade Pairing: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

I read A Wrinkle in Time in 6th grade and loathed every minute of it. I would have LOVED to have When You Reach Me to read first as a scaffold up to such an intense science fiction novel.  These two books are made to be paired, specifically because A Wrinkle in Time plays a part in When You Reach Me. When I finished Stead’s novel, it actually made me want to read L’Engle’s classic which is something you won’t hear me say often.

 

2. Classic Text: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Great YA Pairing: The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick

I love how well these two fit together and it actually makes me want to teach Fahrenheit so I can! As you all know, in Fahrenheit 451 books are being burned because the firemen are being told to burn them. In The Last Book in the Universe we enter into a world where almost everything is destroyed, including books. In both books the protagonist finds out about the power of books in different, but special ways; however, both include learning about the past.

 

3. Classic Text: Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Great YA Pairing: Looking for Alaska by John Green

I love both of these novels and I love how well they would work together as a pairing. In both novels, a teenage boy is going to boarding school and both are encountering things they need to adapt to. The themes in the book can even be compared: Coming of age, Questioning authority, Solitude, Death. I also love a teacher character in both of these books because the teacher really makes them question. And coincidentally enough, John Green has even said he was influence by Holden Caulfield when writing Looking for Alaska.

 

4. Classic Text: Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

Great Picture Book Pairing: Elephant and Piggie by Mo Willems

Two sets of best friends who I love! Elephant and Piggie are some of my favorite picture books right now. They are about friendship and kindness. We all read Frog and Toad when we are younger and they are about friendship and kindness. What a great pairing! I think Elephant and Piggie is a nice scaffold up to Frog and Toad. They both have similar themes and are truly loved by children.

 

5. Classic Text: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Great YA Pairing: This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel 

This one almost seems like cheating because, well, This Dark Endeavor was made to be paired with Frankenstein. This Dark Endeavor is Kenneth Oppel’s story of Victor Frankenstein as a young man thus fitting perfectly with Frankenstein. I tried to stay away from these types of books as pairings, but these are both such wonderful horror books and they would be great to pair together. This Dark Endeavor, in my opinion, would have made Mary Shelley proud.

 

We’d love to hear your thoughts about which YA books you’d pair with classics!

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

 Today’s Topic: Most Memorable Secondary Characters

We can’t forget these supporting characters!

 

Ricki

Get ready. My list is quirky. I like secondary characters who are quirky and/or intelligent.

1. Simon Lewis (The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare): Simon is witty and lovable. I can’t help but get a warm, fuzzy feeling when I think about him. If I were a literary character, he’d be my sidekick because I would constantly be laughing. I can’t say much about Simon without giving away too much plot, but I like how he doesn’t play second fiddle in the story and is essential to the plot.

2. Hassan Harbish (An Abundance of Katherines by John Green): Hassan is another funny guy. He is very lazy and admittedly overweight. Hassan really seems to drive the plot of the book. He uses his Muslim heritage to get out of things he doesn’t want to do, which is comical. Oh, and he loves Judge Judy.

3. Uncle Larry (Living with Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles): I just read this book last week, and I will never forget Larry, Josh’s Karate-loving uncle. When Josh is struggling, Larry takes him in, and he is a major support in Josh’s life. Larry consistently inserts nuggets of Karate wisdom into conversations, which is quite amusing. And the guy just can’t stop smiling. This makes me, in turn, smile.

4. Rue (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins): Rue teaches readers to never underestimate the little guy. She flies like a monkey between trees and represents purity and goodness. “She has bright, dark eyes and satiny brown skin and stands tilted up on her toes with her arms slightly extended to her sides, as if ready to take wing at the slightest sound. It’s impossible not to think of a bird.” Rue’s goodness is a perfect foil to the Capitol’s wickedness.

5. Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee): As a future parent, I want to be exactly like Atticus Finch. When no one else stands up for Tom Robinson, Atticus does, even though he knows he won’t win the case. He teaches so many wonderful morals to Scout and Jem about work ethic and empathy. If I have a son, I would consider naming him Atticus (and it is too bad the name is so peculiar or this would be set in stone).

I can’t choose just five. I need to cheat.

6. Hassan (Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini)

7. Slim (Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck)

8. Magnus Bane (The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare)

9. Prince Brigan (Fire by Kristin Cashore)

10. Ma Joad (Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck)

Kellee

 1. Ruby and Stella and Bob (The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate): Ivan’s cast of characters makes you love Ivan even more. His interactions with the other characters show you his characters. Stella helps mold Ivan into who he is, Ruby’s innocence pushes him to do something he’d never though he’d do, and Bob is the comic relief.

2. Smithers (Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz): I love Smithers. Whenever he shows up in an Alex Rider book, you know that an awesome gadget is going to show up. He is brilliant and funny.

3. Phoebe Winterbottom (Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech): Phoebe is a character who I actually do not like at all, but you definitely remember her. Phoebe is obnoxious, self-righteous, loud, but she also has a huge imagination and really makes the story interesting.

4. Summer and Mr. Browne (Wonder by RJ Palacio): Summer shows that there are 10 year olds that are still loving and thoughtful. Oh, and most importantly – kind. Mr. Browne is an awesome teacher. I love his precepts and how he teaches his class. What a way to make students reflect about their lives and to think deeply.

5. Manchee (The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness): Manchee, Manchee, Manchee! Oh how everyone who read Knife loves you. Because of the Noise, the all-male population of Prentisstown can also hear the thoughts of their male animals which gives us Manchee, Todd’s dog, who is the best friend a boy could have.

I’m also going to cheat:

6. Kate (Matt Cruse Trilogy by Kenneth Oppel)

7. Isaac (The Fault in our Stars by John Green)

8. Sam Yu (Curse Workers series by Holly Black)

9. Patrick (Shine by Lauren Myracle)

10. Nero (Blood Red Road by Moira Young)

11. The Pink Ladies and other bonobos (Endangered by Eliot Schrefer)

Who are your favorite secondary characters?

and

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

This week, we modified the topic a bit. We loved the topic provided by The Broke and the Bookish, but we wanted to give it a creative twist. The original topic was: Top Ten Things That Make Your Life As A Reader Easier. Our modification is:

 Today’s Topic: Top Ten Reasons Your Life is Easier Because You Are a Reader

1. We always have something to do while we wait. If you are running late, no problem! We have our books with us.

2. Stuck in an elevator? Trapped in an awkward situation with a stranger? Let’s talk books. We will find common ground…or enjoy debating about whose taste is better.

3. We have made so many friends at NCTE/ALAN and through social networking about books. We also consider hundreds of characters our friends, as well. #dweebs

4. We can beat our husbands in the literature categories on Jeopardy. We also know random answers in other categories—purely due to our appetite for books.

5. Our days are much brighter because of emails/tweets we get from past students when they read a good book and want to share.

6. Books make great house decor.

7. We get to go into work each day and start each morning with book recommendations. How awesome is that?

8. We get a bit giddy when the electricity goes out because it means more focused reading time. Who doesn’t love to read about a long-ago setting by candlelight?

9. Car trips are far more bearable with long audiobooks. When we remember our vacations, we remember the books we read and listened to along the way.

10. A Friday night trip to read at the bookstore is much less expensive than a night out on the town. Okay, we lied about this one…because we never leave the bookstore without a dozen books in hand.

 

How is your life easier/better because of books? Please share with us!

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