Grade 10 book recommendation - I need help!

[justjulie]

I need a recommendation for a good book for my son's English class. Apparently there was no recommended reading list (which would have made it so much easier - go to the library, read the jackets, pick a book) but no such luck.

If any of you have any good book recommendations I would appreciate you throwing them my way - he's not an avid reader and he's a boy - there's your challenge ....

TIA!

 

[Raysplus1]

It may be old but I read Where the red fern grows when I was in 10th grade. It is a story of a boy who raises $ and buys 2 hunting dogs (coon hounds) and goes out and hunts raccoon. It is about the relationship of the young boy and his dogs. A very good book.

 

[justjulie]

I agree - I never read the book but I did cry through the movie. Hmmm.... now that I think about it I wonder if The Yearling would qualify ...

 

[darrose]

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Byrson.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My 11h grade reading list (partial--these are what I remember):

Death of a Salesman
Great Gatsby
As I Lay Dying
Huck Finn (I think!!)

Focus that year was American Lit

My 10th grade year was World Lit and we read a bunch of stuff in our Lit Book....think of those greek stories and such. I'm sorry that I do not remember much.

 

[Sirius]

Anything by Chris Crutcher...

 

[belle_of_the_ball]

im in 10th now here is our reading list

Scarlet Letter
Gone With the Wind
October Sky
Crucible
Julius Ceasar
All of my Life


I just finished SL...we had to wear our own Scarlet Letter. There are some more, Ill post when i get the "offical" list

 

[Fantasmic303]

A Separate Peace by John Knowles. We read it in tenth grade, and it remains one of my favorite books ever. Granted, I'm a girl, but (if you've never read it) the story is set at a boys' boarding school.

Amazon blurb:

The volatile world of male adolescence provides the backdrop for John Knowles' engrossing tale of love, hate, war, and peace. Sharing a room at Devon, an exclusive New England prep school, in the summer prior to World War II, Gene and Phineas form a complex bond of friendship that draws out both the best and worst characteristics of each boy and leads ultimately to violence, a confession, and the betrayal of trust. Narrator Scott Snively's ability to switch seamlessly from the perspective of a teenager tormented by feelings he doesn't want to understand to the reflective musing of a man looking back at the formative experience of his youth provide both the story and the setting with an immediacy that quickly engages listeners. Not only does Snively give a distinctive voice to each of the main characters, he also delineates the mannerisms and personalities of the other boys and the teachers surrounding them. Intense, mesmerizing, and compelling, this rendition of a classic coming-of-age tale belongs in all public library collections, and will be especially helpful to high school students as an accompaniment to the written text.

Either that, or my all-time FAVORITE book, The Catcher in the Rye. I'm not sure what grade appropriate that is, and it's banned in some places, but it's my favorite anyway, and I think your son might actually enjoy it. (Maybe moreso BECAUSE of the "controversial" nature of it.)

 

[Shere_Khan]

Well in 10th grade I read The Hunchback of Notre Dame and was absolutely obsessed with it!
It's nothing like the Disney movie and so interesting.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

oh yes--I remember Scarlet letter..I very much do not recommend that book. I hated reading as well (I could read--just not at a fast enough pace if the material was something I didn't like). That was a tough read--it is written in old english (can't remember the term--but the entire book is written in the style of how they would have spoken at that time).

Let's just say I was so sick of that book--I didn't even read the ending.

 

[monarchsfan16]

What I remember reading in 10th grade (4 years ago)
Ethan Frome
Huck Finn (we read Tom Sawyer freshman year)
The Great Gatsby
Moby Dick
Scarlett Letter

We definitely read a lot of other books, but those are the only ones I can remember. Clearly that English class left a big impression on me Can't say that I'd recommend any of them, but they are all classics

If you wanted to go to Brit Lit some options could include Great Expectations or Wuthering Heights

 

[hidmickey:myantidrug]

In 10th grade in class we read Lord Of The Flies that I read the summer before 8th grade also that I loved. We also read Animal Farm which I hated but some people really loved. We read Inherit The Wind which I thought was great and Taming of The Shrew. I LOVED She's Come Undone but being that he is a SON he may not love it as much. The summer before 8th grade and then again this year in 11th we read Death Of A Salesman and I really loved that one, too. He may also like my favorite book, Of Mice And Men.

 

[damo]

How about the Life of Pi or does it have to be a classic? My son read that in Grade 11. It is also written by a Canadian author, so it should be appropriate. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.

War of the Worlds and The Time Machine are good classics for boys.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I read Life of Pi not too long ago and found it incredibly interesting.

Do they have to be classics? Because I can recommend a ton of books he might be interested in. PM me if you want.

TOV

 

[BrerLizzie]

Life of Pi was AWESOME! I read it for fun during my senior year.

In 10th grade we read Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, and Huck Finn. In 11th we read Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby.

 

[Beca]

The Jungle....that was my favorite book in HS. It changed the way I look at the world permanently.

 

[minkydog]

The Crucible...Arthur Miller
Night... Elie Weisel
Breakfast At Tiffany's...Truman Capote
Fences...August Wilson
Bless the Beasts & Children...Glendon Swarthout

 

[LukenDC]

In 10th grade, I was in honors English and remember reading the following:

Julius Caesar
Scarlet Letter
1984
Grapes of Wrath
All Quiet on the Western Front

 

[CourtasanSatine]

I was bored silly by Lord of the Files but how about Lion,Witch and the Wardrobe?

 

[Shere_Khan]

I read Life of Pi not too long ago and found it incredibly interesting.

Do they have to be classics? Because I can recommend a ton of books he might be interested in. PM me if you want.

TOV

Omg how did I forget LIfe of Pi???? Yes definately recommend that one to him. It was amazing!
If he does choose it let him know that the beginning is a little slow and a bit hard to get into but once he gets shipwrecked I literally could not put the book down!