The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

In H.G Wells' classic, The Time Machine, a man travels over 800,000 years into the future to find that humanity has taken a road he didn't anticipate.  He gets caught up in the lackadaisical attitude of the new creatures he encounters, the Eloi, but he can't help but notice how afraid they are of the dark...

The book is a heckuva ride.  Everyone, readers and characters alike, are waiting for the Time Traveller to take another breath, finish another sentence and continue on his tale.  There were some parts that were a bit too heavy on the description and, therefore, a little difficult to power through, but overall this book is just pure, unadulterated fun.

I did this book with my 7th graders.  I have a pretty mixed class, with half being very high and half being below grade level.  I think that with advanced middle school students or with a normal 9th grade class, this would be an excellent book to teach and study more about classism and class struggles.  With my class, I feel a bit of a limitation because of their level -- however, they still found this book to be "awesome" with a "great ending" and it was great to help improve vocabulary.  

An advanced student would be just fine reading this on their own, but students who are below 8th grade level would have issues following along as they read or understanding what was happening.  However, when it comes to content, it's very tame.  The Time Traveller does make a female friend and they do hold hands and kiss (seemingly on the cheek?) but from what I could ascertain, it felt more like a father/daughter relationship than anything remotely romantic.  

What I liked:

• An entirely new world, over 800,000 years in the future!  
• The way humanity evolved is fascinating.
• The Eloi and Murlocks are very creative. 
• The fact that the Time Traveller is never named. (We called him T-cubed.)
• Everything.

What I would warn parents about:

• The brief moments of touching that I mentioned above, but, as I said, I would bet money that it was paternal in nature. 
• Lots and lots of Darwinism.  At the Orthodox school I teach at, this wasn't a problem because I told them to think of it as sci-fi and suspend their disbelief.  They had no issues.  I don't think that you have to believe in evolution to enjoy this at all. 

Who I would recommend this for:

• Advanced readers who enjoy sci-fi.
• High school teachers!  Teach this in your classes!  It will be a GREAT cause of many interesting conversations about the future, the planet and our place in it.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

So, your child is reading "Lord of the Flies" in class and you're wondering what might be in it.  Hopefully I can shed some light, considering I've taught this book on two separate occasions to two separate classes - both of which were in middle school. 

"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding follows the story of a group of boys who are stranded on an island.  The boys must find a way to work together if they ever hope to survive, but as time wears on, the stamp of civilization starts to fade and the boys find themselves fighting their darker instincts. 

I'm going to try to keep this as unbiased as possible because this is, quite frankly, my second favorite book to teach. (The first is "Animal Farm.")  I have seen students connect with the characters, understand the darkness that lies in humanity's heart and be truly changed by this novel.  But I also heavily believe that it is the responsibility of the teacher to make sure that the students are understanding this in an empathetic way.

What I liked about this book:

• Everything.
• The educational value in the novel is priceless.
• The characters are varied and three-dimensional.
• The ability to teach multiple levels of figurative language, from the basics learned in middle school to the more advanced in high school.

What I would warn parents about this book:

• It's violent and the boys commit atrocities that they would never commit in the "real" world.
• The boys get naked when they take a bath.  There's no girls on the island, but it does mention that they're naked - no details, though. 

Overall, I think the success of "Lord of the Flies" as a novel and as a staple in middle and high school curriculum shows just how important of a novel it is.  William Golding's ultimate theme is that there is a darkness in all of humanity's heart that is inescapable but can be tamed.  That theme makes for a great debate, a great essay or more.  Both classes I taught this to took away valuable lessons. 

Lie to Me by Kaitlin Ward

"Lie to Me," by Kaitlin Ward follows the story of a young girl who found herself in the hospital after falling - or being pushed - off a cliff.  The entirety of the book consists of her questioning everyone around her as she tries to find the answers as to what really happened to her.  Was she pushed?  Or was it an unhappy accident?  And if she was pushed, then...who hates her enough to want to kill her?

This was recommended to me by a reluctant reader at the school I'm currently teaching at. She absolutely consumed this book and another by the same author. She's 13, a typical middle school girl and I think the exact demographic that this book is aimed for.

I'm 29, well-read and I figured out the mystery just from reading the back cover. I'm not this book's demographic and it's not a book that is going to transcend ages.  It's very much meant for middle school readers and there's nothing wrong with that. 

I think this is an excellent book for reluctant readers because the action starts from the beginning. It does grab you from the first page and doesn't let you go, which is fantastic for those who find reading boorish.  There's quite a bit of romance and I would even say the romantic aspect is a bit more prominent than the mystery aspect, which I was a bit bummed about, but for young girls, it's certain to keep them entertained.

Most readers will likely gather what the mystery is at least halfway through the book, but there is enough of a creep factor to keep them reading.  

What I liked:

• the heroine and her brother have a nice relationship
• depression is handled delicately and mental illness in general is not portrayed as anything to be ashamed of
• bisexuality is represented well, as is lesbianism
• the family unit is solid and there is respect for the parents
• adults are not made out to be the bad guys and are turned to for help

What I would warn parents about:

• there is a lot of physical contact; while there is no sex, there is plenty of kissing, handholding, etc.
• there is one scene in particular where she grabs her boyfriend by the belt in her bedroom while they're kissing; it does imply that they could go further, but they don't
• there is quite a lot of mention of homosexuality (bisexuality & lesbianism)

Overall, I think this is a nice 7th or 8th grade book for a quick read and might get those reluctant readers finally opening a book!