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mopinko Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-17-04 10:55 PM
Original message
please suggest a book
the city of chicago has a program called one city/one book. they have done "to kill a mockingbird" "the things they carried" and the current book is "the coast of chicago", which is a memoir of growing up in chicago. they sponsor discussion groups, readings, author appearances, etc.
so, we are talking about doing a similar thing at my kid's elementary school. we would be hoping to get the middle grade kids as well as parents to read the book.
we are thinking a classic book that is available in at least a few languages. spanish is a must, but we have immigrants from all over the world.
so, suggestions??
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FarmerOak Donating Member (528 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-17-04 10:58 PM
Response to Original message
1. The Holy Bible
Kids should be reading the Lord's word in school, and nothing else!

Hee! Just kidding.

It would be hard to appeal to kids that young AND their parents, but my recommendation would be "Charlotte's Web." Adults can appreciate it, too.
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mopinko Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-17-04 11:03 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. not funny
we have a LARGE muslim population.
the kids would be 6,7,8th graders, mostly a pretty sophisticated lot. (you should see the dance numbers at the talent shows)
just to clarify that this would be a completely voluntary, extra-curricular exercise.
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Radical Activist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-17-04 11:01 PM
Response to Original message
2. The Grapes of Wrath or...
Something considered classic literature with a good political message for our time would be nice. Is that book too advanced for grade school? I don't really know what kids read these days.

You could always pick an anti-war classic like the Red Badge of Courage. I had to read that in grade school but I don't remember getting the real message from it back then.
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mopinko Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-17-04 11:04 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. grapes would be a good one
we have a very immigrant community.
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Mobius Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-17-04 11:05 PM
Response to Original message
5. Justine - Marquis de Sade
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eileen from OH Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-17-04 11:18 PM
Response to Original message
6. Middle school? 2 very strong recommendations
"Holes" by Louis Sacher and "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis. I write and direct video "book reports" for our local PBS station and these two were among MY favorite books of the year, so I know the adults would love 'em as much as the kids.

eileen from OH
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mopinko Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-17-04 11:21 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. languages?
must be available in at least a couple of languages.
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eileen from OH Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-18-04 01:16 AM
Response to Reply #7
10. Well, I know that both have at least a Spanish translation
because they have them at Powell's.

http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=1-8424186389-0

http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=1-8434878607-0


And while looking for you, I saw a German translation of Holes.


Quite frankly, I'm not exactly sure how to find the languages to which a book has been translated, BUT - since both of these were Newberry Award winners, I suspect that both are out in a variety of different languages.

Hope this helps!

eileen from OH
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Bossy Monkey Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-17-04 11:24 PM
Response to Original message
8. Maybe the Three Tales (Trois Contes) by Flaubert
Kiinda violent, though. Can't really remember what I was reading at that age besides 1984. I usually recommend LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy for that age group, but I don't think they qualify as classics (not to mention there being 5 1/2 volumes or so by now).
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LWolf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-17-04 11:37 PM
Response to Original message
9. Your best bet
is to pick a Newberry winner or honor book. Besides being a list of ultimate "classics," every year since the 1920s.

Some have been translated into other languages:

http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/forlibrarians/transnewbery/translatednewbery.htm

There are great choices there, including "Bud Not Buddy" and "Holes," suggested by Eileen from OH.

I have read all of them, and they are all worthy.
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sampsonblk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-18-04 01:29 AM
Response to Original message
11. The Crystal Cave & The Hollow Hills
Two-part King Arthur story by Mary Stewart. Kids and parents will find them hard to put down.
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Rhiannon12866 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-18-04 03:28 AM
Response to Original message
12. My personal favorite classic is "Catcher in the Rye," though
I know that those pesky swear words could be a problem. They did not bother me as a 16-year-old, however, and would be less likely to offend our current youth population. Other classics that I remember studying are "Death Be Not Proud" and "The Great Gatsby," but "Catcher in the Rye" will alway be my favorite because it was so humorous. I read it aloud to my 11-year-olds when I was a 17-year-old camp counselor and they loved it. They chose this over Winnie-the-Pooh, LOL! But you know your audience better than I do. Good luck. It sounds like this is a tough assignment. Good luck with this.:shrug:
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Commie Pinko Dirtbag Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-18-04 09:14 AM
Response to Reply #12
15. Oh no! Not that!
:tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat:
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mopinko Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-18-04 08:56 AM
Response to Original message
13. thanks all
thanks for some very good suggestions. ultimately, we will have a vote, so it is not really my worry to pick a book. but i wanted to make sure that we had some good suggestions to start off.
btw, this is part of the otherwise odious no child left behind. i am on the parent advisory council. we get to spent 1% of the chapter 1 funds for parent education, which our school desperately needs. i tell people that what i am doing is from the teddy kennedy part of the bill. i will be curious how much money we have next year.
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July Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-18-04 09:11 AM
Response to Original message
14. One of the Sherlock Holmes volumes (Arthur Conan Doyle).
Very well-written, not very long, and appealing even to those who don't like to read (I think it's because of the suspense and action in the stories and novellas). I'd recommend "A Study in Scarlet" or "The Hound of the Baskervilles."

In the same vein, Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" is a great read, for some of the same reasons.

Both should be available in Spanish, and I think there are movies based on them, as well (something to follow up with and compare?).
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Az Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-18-04 09:20 AM
Response to Original message
16. In the nonfiction realm: Carl Sagan's Demon Haunted World
Edited on Tue May-18-04 09:20 AM by Az
Science as a candle in the darkness.

This is a must read book. Can't say enough about it.

In fiction I would have to suggest Farenheit 451 considering the current state of affairs.
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mopinko Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-18-04 12:41 PM
Response to Reply #16
18. yup
i love, love, love this book myself.
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JayS Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-18-04 09:35 AM
Response to Original message
17. United States Internal Revenue Code, Title 26 of the U.S. Code (26 USC)
It never hurts to learn about taxes. :)
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pagerbear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-18-04 12:58 PM
Response to Original message
19. One from The Chronicles of Narnia?
Are those books available in translation?

How about A Wrinkle in Time? (Madeleine L'Engle)
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