Literature Inquiry Circles

1. Literature Inquiry Circles Pre-AP Book Options

2. Dark Water Rising Marion Hale Overview: While salvaging and rebuilding in the aftermath of the Galveston flood of 1900, sixteen-year-old Seth proves himself in a way that his previous efforts never could, but he still must face his father man-to-man. Booklist Review: In early September 1900, the booming town of Galveston, Texas, was nearly obliterated by a storm that is now credited with killing nearly 8,000 inhabitants. Hale's novel brings the drama and post-traumatic stress of the storm to life and also paints a vivid picture of the city before the tragedy. Sixteen-year-old Seth is a newcomer to Galveston. He would like to pursue his father's trade, master carpenter, but his family has relocated to Galveston to give Seth and his siblings an opportunity for higher education. Hale makes clear the tension such family expectations create for Seth, and through Seth's eyes, gives readers a glimpse of race relations at the time as Seth works on a construction job with an African American youth. The subplots fit smoothly within the overarching story of the horrific storm and the difficulties of recovering both physically and emotionally from its devastation. Character development is as vital here as the historical facts, and because the pace is quick and descriptions are sharp and focused, the book will draw even reluctant readers. With some romance, a few appropriately grisly moments, and a very credible protagonist, this fine example of historical fiction has something for almost everyone.

3. Bad Boy: A Memoir Walter Dean Myers Overview: Author Walter Dean Myers describes his childhood in Harlem in the 1940s and 1950s, discussing his loving stepmother, his problems in school, his reasons for leaving home, and his beginnings as a writer. Booklist Review: "I didn't want to be defiant. I wanted to be in the system that I was walking away from, but I didn't know how to get in." Many teens will see themselves in Myers' account of his troubled coming-of-age, especially since he offers no pat solutions. He doesn't analyze or laugh at his youth from an adult perspective, and he doesn't overdramatize his childhood self. He loved his Harlem neighborhood, but it was hard being black and poor and a reader, especially since moving into a world of books isolated him from those around him. He was big and physically aggressive, quick to get angry and punch kids who laughed at his speech defect. He was always in trouble at school and often truant. In fact, he dropped out of high school, read and wrote alone, and narrowly escaped jail. The aching truth is that although books saved him and helped him become a famous writer, they moved him away from the adoptive parents he loved.

4. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl Stacy McAnulty Overview: A lightning strike made Lucy, twelve, a math genius but, after years of homeschooling, her grandmother enrolls her in middle school and she learns that life is more than numbers. Booklist Review: When Lucy, 12, was struck by lightning, she gained extraordinary math skills, and her grandmother, Nana, who raised Lucy after her parents’ death, has homeschooled her ever since. Lucy is content to fill her hours with online college classes and chats on math forums where no one knows her real age, but Nana decides that Lucy needs to experience a world outside of a computer screen. If Lucy goes to middle school for one year, Nana promises, she’ll be allowed to apply to college, and reluctantly, Lucy agrees. At first, her germophobia and mild obsessive behavior make a difficult situation more difficult, but eventually, she acquires two friends, finds useful work to do at an animal shelter, and has her life changed by a little dog she calls Pi. McAnulty captures the drama and trauma of middle school with well-rounded and believable characters and a convincing and appealing story. The math focus (for instance, McAnulty nicely weaves information about pi and Fibonacci numbers) adds a useful STEM component as well.