Help With Dd English Reading Assignment:

[Jennifer48]

I read both Rebecca and Lord of the Flies in high school. I LOVE Rebecca! That is such a great book that I recommend to anyone. I even purchased it when I was in college just to read again.

Lord of the Flies, not so much. I can't remember much about the book but I do remember not liking it.

Good luck!

 

[Beca]

Rebecca is wonderful, you can't go wrong with that.

What concerned me though is the WE. At 14, she should be choosing and reading her own books. My 14 and 17 yo choose and read their own books for English class. In a few years, she'll be going to college. You can't help her out then, she needs to learn to do it now.

Yikes!! I don't really think that was necessary. The OP is obviously asking for advice (like so many do on the dis, and like you just gave her). She stated her dd is not a reader, and 14 yr old girls who do not love to read often have a difficult time doing so. It sounds to me like the mom may not be much of a reader herself (either that or she is just looking for others' opinions), and she is trying to find the most "girl friendly" book for her dd.

And, I think ANYONE would confirm that there is a HUGE difference 14 and 18. I think many parents are "somewhat" comfortable sending their children off to college at 18, but VERY few would send them off at 14. Personally, I think it is great that this mother/daughter would have a relationship that the dd would seek mom's advice on what book to read, and that such a caring mom would go to so much effort to help her dd. I would like to see MORE of this behavior, rather than less.

 

[DVCLiz]

Yikes!! I don't really think that was necessary. The OP is obviously asking for advice (like so many do on the dis, and like you just gave her). She stated her dd is not a reader, and 14 yr old girls who do not love to read often have a difficult time doing so. It sounds to me like the mom may not be much of a reader herself (either that or she is just looking for others' opinions), and she is trying to find the most "girl friendly" book for her dd.

And, I think ANYONE would confirm that there is a HUGE difference 14 and 18. I think many parents are "somewhat" comfortable sending their children off to college at 18, but VERY few would send them off at 14. Personally, I think it is great that this mother/daughter would have a relationship that the dd would seek mom's advice on what book to read, and that such a caring mom would go to so much effort to help her dd. I would like to see MORE of this behavior, rather than less.

What she said.

 

[luvmydogs]

What she said.

And what DVCLiz said.

There may be issues of which we're not aware, and are really none of our business. I'm just more than happy to recommend my favorite book.

 

[disneyangel7488]

I loved "Rebecca." Out of all the books I had to read in high school, that one was definitely my favorite.

 

[babytrees]

My 14 yo did To Kill a Mockingbird last year. Of those on your list she has also read Jacob and A Day. She is not a reader either and asks for my opinions on what to read. We picked a book at the beginning of the year to read at the same time...she got through it because she had to I couldn't do it.

I would suggest Jacob as she liked that one a bit better.

 

[shirleyb]

She(WE) just finished to KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, now we have to choose our next book:

Sorry, I stand by what I said. Maybe I did not say it the most diplomatic way possible, but I see lots of teenagers whose parents are essentially responsible for their good grades (including some of my family members) who then fail out their first year of college, because mom is no longer their to do their work for them.

That may not be the case here, OP, and if I'm wrong, I'm sorry. I know I have a friend who sits with her 14 yo and reads every other chapter and tells him what happened in that chapter, and then he reads every other chapter and then writes the book report, and to me that is wrong. That's where I'm coming from with this.

 

[MyGoofy26]

A Day No Pigs Would Die is a fairly easy read. I had to read it in 8th grade, then again last year in a Lit class I took (lit for adolescents - whole class was about how to get teens interested in reading, the value of these types of books over "classics" in getting them interested, how to use these books to tie into classics so they seem more accessable to young adults, etc)

It's written in a pretty simple manner - since it's written from the POV of a young boy, nothing gets too complicated. It really tugs at your heart too. . . I actually cried reading it, both times. I'm not sure what else she needs to do beyond read - if she has to write papers or analyze the story in anyway, but if it's the type of thing where she'll have to discuss the theme and such, it'd be a pretty easy book to do since it's so straightforward. It's a book about a boy turning into a man, and there's an exact point in this book where that happens. It's not something she'd have to think about and analyze too much. There are obvious points in his "journey" and that exact point where he becomes a man is unmistakeable.

I have to say I love that she gets a choice. I love to read and can't pick up a book unless I know I have the time to finish it in just a couple sittings at most, but I hated reading in school because I hated not having a choice.

 

[Syrreal]

I will 50th Rebecca. It's a great book.

I will also add that The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a great book too. It's about girls in HS and their teacher Miss Brodie. There is also a movie called the Prime of Miss Brodie but it's very diff from the book (still a good movie though) so I don't suggest watching it until after the book is read.

 

[N&B'smom]

Another vote for Rebecca!!

Shelby

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

As long as she's not having to read "A Seperate Peace". Yuck. I had to read that for Fresh English Lit in HS and I hated it. Didn't really care much for Rebecca either.


TOV

 

[Laura]

Yet another vote for Rebecca. I read it in high school and thought it was great. I honestly couldn't put it down once I got halfway through it.

But I have to agree with other posters that picking out "our" book is a little weird. I chose my own books when I was 14. But then, I have always been an avid reader, and my parents never thought to censor my reading. As long as it wasn't one of those bodice ripper novels I could read it.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

my parents never thought to censor my reading. As long as it wasn't one of those bodice ripper novels I could read it.

I had to laugh at that, Laura. My parents didn't want me reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz (too scary/gory/violent) but I was allowed to read dimestore bodice rippers.

TOV

 

[suzannen]

Another vote for Rebecca - one of my favorites. Lord of the Flies - not so much.

I don't see anything wrong with the OP asking us for book recommendations for her DD. I'm an avid reader and my 12-year old DD always asks me to glance at her reading lists to see if there are any personal favorites I adored at her age or else books that I know she'd absolutely hate. The list is eventually narrowed down to a few and then she makes her final decision. Last year she ended up reading "Island of the Blue Dolphin" because her best friend's older sister told her she liked it a lot. Why does it matter how they decide on a book? Isn't the important thing that they might find a book they actually enjoy and encourage more reading?

 

[Katie]

Thanks to all for your replies! I will have my DD read this thread when she comes home from school. We are then heading to the bookstore!

What concerned me though is the WE. At 14, she should be choosing and reading her own books. My 14 and 17 yo choose and read their own books for English class. In a few years, she'll be going to college. You can't help her out then, she needs to learn to do it now

She is choosing and reading, I am just trying to help her make an informed decision. She doesn't know what these books are about, ect. She has already done a little research on the internet and narrowed it down to the 5 listed above.

Personally, I think it is great that this mother/daughter would have a relationship that the dd would seek mom's advice on what book to read, and that such a caring mom would go to so much effort to help her dd. I would like to see MORE of this behavior, rather than less

thanks for the support, our relationship is not perfect...but I tend to pick my battles carefully.

Did your daughter like To Kill A Mockingbird? It's one of my top three books of all time

She got through it..and got a B+ on her exam. I had never read it, I enjoyed it! She has never enjoyed reading however, she is more the social type.

 

[Crankyshank]

Katie,
I would seriously recommend having your daughter pick up each of the books at the store, or the library, and read the first 5-10 pages. Whatever book grabs her the best, she should get. I think the mistake a lot of teens that aren't readers make is going by the back cover and then find themselves disappointed.

 

[Pam]

And what DVCLiz said.

There may be issues of which we're not aware, and are really none of our business. I'm just more than happy to recommend my favorite book.

And what luvmydogs said.

If she's not much of a reader, then I would say Jacob Have I Loved. Both of my kids read that in MS.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

I loved Rebecca and hated Lord of the Files(coming from the girl who loves Lost that's a suprise).

During HS when we had to listen to the book being read on tapes half the class fell asleep!

 

[babytrees]

Katie,
I would seriously recommend having your daughter pick up each of the books at the store, or the library, and read the first 5-10 pages. Whatever book grabs her the best, she should get. I think the mistake a lot of teens that aren't readers make is going by the back cover and then find themselves disappointed.

very good suggestion!!!

 

[ElizK]

Jacob Have I Loved is a great book, and an easy read. DD14 read it about 2yrs ago and loved it. I read it many times as a teen, and have read it twice as an adult. Still love that book.