Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Contemporary Books That Would Be Great Required Reading

So the original topic was: Top 10 Contemporary Books That Would Be Great Paired With A Required Reading Book or Top Ten Books That You Wish Were Taught In Schools. I’m shortening that to books that could be great required reading.

1. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: This one is almost a no-brainer. I love it for the plotting and the intricacy of the story but it’s also one of the best fictional depictions of WWII that I’ve ever read.
2. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: Great historical setting and I maintain that this should be required reading for all film studies majors and enthusiasts.
3. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund: I love the idea of using a retelling of a story (like this one!) to introduce and work with a classic.
4. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: I have used this book to illustrate an example of an effective feminist text. I also love it as a retelling.
5. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde: This series deals with a lot but again I love it to introduce and work with a classic as Fforde highlights some of the problems within Jane Eyre in a highly amusing story.
6. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell (or Strings Attached): No one does historical fiction like Judy Blundell. No one. I love her. Best examples of noir writing and best examples of 1950s New York area. Just fab.
7. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld: I feel like this could bomb but I’d love more units working with speculative fiction or alternate history stories to discuss real history (like WWI in this case).
8. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly: See above. This one is a great exploration of family and grieving but also a very compelling look at the French Revolution from an unlikely perspective.
9. Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel: A fantasy but a great atmosphere and evocative read of the 1930s Dust Bowl.
10. The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton: An alternate history with Norse mythology undertones would be a great way to discuss the myths and history. Just saying.

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

(Image made by me.)