It is difficult to get students interested in reading because it is a task for some of them and students are made to read books that they have no interest in reading because they cannot identify with the characters. Some of the books I have used in the classroom that the students loved are:
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
Walk Two Moons
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Judy Blume
I have noticed that several of the Newbery Medal and Honor books have managed to keep their attention.
Good Luck,
Bonney
Tags: books, literature, middle, school