Here I am, talking like a book nerd again...but you have no idea how liberating it has been to admit to myself that the high school classroom may not be the place for me. I enjoy children's literature far too much to abandon it in favor of the required classics that I have to force myself to read let alone enjoy. I mean seriously...when a supposedly dedicated English major would rather turn to sparknotes more often that actually reading the novels, that should be a sign.
Now that I have come to the realization that I would rather work with an age group where I can concentrate on motivating kids to read for the pure pleasure of it rather that force-feeding them Shakespeare, I have allowed myself to feel even more strongly connected to the books I read as a child. At one point a couple of weeks ago, I started to panic when the thought crossed my mind that I am SO behind in what kids are reading these days. I've been too caught up in figuring out how to get around reading the entire list of required novels for all of my lit classes that I of course had no time to start browsing lists of recommended reading for young adults. Since then, my evenings (and sometimes late nights) have included endless hours of perusing amazon for latest and greatest in adolescent lit. I've also spent a great deal of time searching for the books I once considered my friends. Authors like Beverly Cleary (who I've already discussed at length) Kit Pearson, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Joan Lowry Nixon have been my top priority as I've scrolled through pages of book reviews and plot summaries.
I would love any suggestions from anyone who might be a bit more up to speed with middle school book lists (Briana, I need your help on this one!). I feel like I need to catch up!
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