What books are you/have you considered using in lit circles?

[Denee Tyler]

I would like to supplement my meager collection of lit circle titles, but I would like some ideas for titles. What titles have been particularly successful or would you really love to have? I teach high school.

[Mary Thomas]

Sold by Patricia McCormick (about the sex trade in India), Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos (has some language), Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar, The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. I have done all with independent book groups at my high school with much success. Sent hone a letter about the issues in Sold and language in Gantos' book. Kids really liked all of these books and as a Reading Coach I am all about getting something into their hands that will make them want to read more.

[James Miscavish]

I'm starting two groups of lit circles next year, both thematic.

Sci-fi:
Anthem (I've actually got about 60 copies of this)
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - 7 copies
Ender's Game - 5ish copies
I, Robot - 7 copies
Something Wicked this Way Comes - 5ish copies

Coming of Age:
Tree Grows in Brooklyn - a whopping 3 copies
My Brother Sam is Dead - 5ish
A Chris Crutcher Medley - 5 different books
Where the Red Fern Grows - a bunch
My Antonia - about 200 brand new copies that no one in my department knows where they came from or have used...
Across Five Aprils - 5

I've never, ever done lit circles, so here's hoping.

[Denee Tyler]

My Antonia was a Big Read Choice a few years back, that's probably where all your copies come from. I have a classroom set of thirty I got for free at that time.

[Clix]

Hey - wait - what? What's this? Free books???

[Denee Tyler]

Clix, I've received copies of Tom Sawyer, The Fountainhead, Anthem, To Kill a Mockingbird, and My Antonia for free. The Ayn Rand books are available for free at this website: http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_classroom...
The other books I got from the local public library as part of the Big Read. Your community has to be participating in the Big Read to be eligible for books. Find a participating community here.

[Alison Kirkpatrick]

James - What grade do you teach?

[James Miscavish]

Freshman English Teacher Extraordinaire!

[Julie Bowerman]

My seniors choose their own selections for lit circles (as long as it's either something I've read recently or something I'm willing to read with them). I have multiple copies of some books, but usually they go to the school or community libraries to borrow a book. Recent selections that worked well:

The Bean Trees (I have 8)
Brave New World (I have a many)
Ender's Game (many)
A Long Way Gone
The Secret Life of Bees
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Water for Elephants
The Lovely Bones
Bleachers
Uglies
19 Minutes

[James Miscavish]

Another teacher in my building plans on using Long Way Gone next year. I think it'd be awesome in lit circles.

[Ann]

What a great list. I have used The Secret Life of Bees, and Enders Game, but love your other choices. Going to have to get a few copies of each for next year.

[Hattie DeRaps]

I've used Sold, Keesha's House, The First Part Last, and The Rules of Survival to great success. I have about 8ish copies of each of these titles and kids end up ready two or three (some avid readers go through all of them in short order).

I'm going to add to this selection for next year because this year worked SO well.

[Mary H]

I've used these in the past with much success:

River King
Whale Talk
Kite Runner
Curious Incident of a Dog in the Nighttime

In a cultural exploration unit:

The Attack
Swallows of Kabul
Real Time
Nectar in a Sieve

In a memoir unit:

Long Way Gone
Glass Castle
In My Hands
All Over but the Shoutin'
The Translator