What Book Would You Choose To Read

[buzzlady]

If you were a 12 year old boy, what book would you choose to read? DS has to read one of these novels for his required reading this summer. He will be tested on it the 1st week back to school in Sept.

Night by Elie Wiesel
Nothing But the Truth by Avi
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

 

[onecoolmama]

Night! I won a National Competition using his speech for obtaining the Nobel Peace Prize! He is amazing and someone that everyone can learn from!


Edited to add: I was a little older..16

 

[monarchsfan16]

My guy friends were usually reading the books by Avi when we were that age. The other ones weren't very popular.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

the only one i have read is Night

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

Night is a very difficult book to read. I read it before my sophomore year of high school for summer reading but it is an amazing book everyone should read.

I would choose To Kill A Mockingbird which is one of my favorite books. I read it when I was in 5th grade so it would be good for a 12 year old.

I asked my brother who is 13 which he would rather read and he said To Kill A Mockingbird as well

 

[Son of the Morning]

'To Kill a Mocking Bird'

 

[LScot]

To Kill A Mockingbird

I just said the other day that i'd like to reread that one myself!

 

[depplyinluv]

nothing but the truth ....i read that when i was 12.....very funny book


i read Night this year, my freshman year...very difficult and graphic...

 

[cruisnfamily]

Originally posted by buzzlady
Night by Elie Wiesel
Nothing But the Truth by Avi
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Never heard of Night


My DD11 and many of her friends really enjoy Avi's books!

I read To Kill a Mocking Bird back in Jr High....I didn't know it was still required reading.

Can he read a summary of the books somewhere and decide from there? DD got a summer reading list with 8 books on it and a minimum of 2 required. The list had summaries of each book and she read those and picked 3 that sounded good to her.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

My son did a report on Nothing But The Truth when he was about that age and seemed to enjoy it. It is a pretty fast read.

To Kill a Mockingbird I think is something more of what an English Teacher would choose as compared to what a 12 yo boy would choose.

 

[buzzlady]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I guess choosing 1 out of the 3 is the easy part. He also has to choose 1 other book to read out of a list of 117!!

 

[ShuisFan584]

I usually hate reading, but I thought To Kill a Mockingbird wasn't that bad. I read it my sophomore year, so I was about 15 when I read it.

 

[AspiringCindy]

Originally posted by buzzlady
Thanks everyone for your replies. I guess choosing 1 out of the 3 is the easy part. He also has to choose 1 other book to read out of a list of 117!!

Being a teacher myself, I am assuming that the list of other books are Caldecott Award Books! If these are on the list, they are great books for his age!
The Cay
The Sign of the Beaver
Island of the Blue Dolphin
Number the Stars ***Outstanding book!

 

[Beth76]

I read To Kill a Mockingbird when I was a Sophomore and I loved it! I don't know of the other two.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I would also say To Kill A Mockingbird. It was ds required entering freshman reading and Night was required reading for entering sophmores. He said while it was a short book, it was also very intense. Haven't read the 3rd choice.

 

[buzzlady]

Originally posted by AspiringCindy
Being a teacher myself, I am assuming that the list of other books are Caldecott Award Books! If these are on the list, they are great books for his age!
The Cay
The Sign of the Beaver
Island of the Blue Dolphin
Number the Stars ***Outstanding book!

Nope, those books aren't on the list. One list is titled Best Young Adult Books: 1994-2003 (Ages 12-18) and then the other list just says Other award winning selections.

I wish they would have listed these books by reading level. DS would never be able to read and understand a higher grade level.

 

[tar heel]

I think most 12-year-old boys will like the Avi book best. I LOVE To Kill a Mockingbird, but it's pretty literary for a 12-year-old. It's funny that I never thought of it that way until one of my sons had it assigned. He didn't particularly like it, and I think he would have a year or two later. I was an adult when I read Night, and it's certainly a book everyone should read, but it's not something you are going to enjoy. I don't think I would send a 12-year-old off to read it by himself (as opposed to discussing it each day at school, for example). I like for summer reading books to be enjoyable, if possible, which is why I vote for Avi.

My middle son's summer reading last year was Things Fall Apart, by an African author whose name escapes me. DH and I both read it, too. It was deceptively simple, and, unfortunately, we got a lot more out of it than ds did!

 

[kbeverina]

buzzlady--maybe this link will help you pick a book at his reading level:

http://hbogucki.staffnet.com/aemes/resource/xcelread/bylevel.htm

You can sort this list by author, reading level, etc., so it can give you an idea about the books on your list if you can find them on there.

My son is almost 11 and recently read "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls. He likes reading, but really liked that book--maybe it's on your list.

I haven't read the Avi book, but I think now I'm going to check it out.

 

[kazzie]

I have only read To Kill A Mockingbird,I first read it when I was 14 for school.It's one of my favourite books but I agree with posters who said it might not be so enjoyed by a teenage boy!