More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
Learn more
Your custom url is https://www.donorschoose.org/ms-luna-schatz
Having a classroom library has become more important than ever. By adding more young adult books and relatable nonfiction to my bookshelves, great literature will be more readily available to my young adult students.
Last year I was reminded of the power that current young adult books have on teens. A few of us English teachers created a school-wide “Big Read” that mimicked the National Endowment for the Arts project of the same name. We chose The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas in the fall and One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus for the spring. We promoted each book with flyers in all the English classrooms and around the school with the option to check out the book from teachers and to attend a book club meeting after about two months. Because the books were modern and relatable, students devoured them. I began hearing, “I never read, but I love this book!” Hearing these words over and over again really got to me.
Seeing the impact that young adult books can have on young adult readers made me want more of this literature available in my classroom library.
I have some great books already on my bookshelf, but I do not have enough. I’ve included a list of books that will help make my library appeal to more students. My students and I would greatly appreciate any contribution that you may have to us having the ultimate young adult book collection. Including texts that are culturally relevant to their lives will be reassuring and motivating for both beginning and experienced readers. Including texts with characters similar in age to students in the classroom who share experiences they have had is critical to their engagement with reading.
About my class
Having a classroom library has become more important than ever. By adding more young adult books and relatable nonfiction to my bookshelves, great literature will be more readily available to my young adult students.
Last year I was reminded of the power that current young adult books have on teens. A few of us English teachers created a school-wide “Big Read” that mimicked the National Endowment for the Arts project of the same name. We chose The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas in the fall and One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus for the spring. We promoted each book with flyers in all the English classrooms and around the school with the option to check out the book from teachers and to attend a book club meeting after about two months. Because the books were modern and relatable, students devoured them. I began hearing, “I never read, but I love this book!” Hearing these words over and over again really got to me.
Seeing the impact that young adult books can have on young adult readers made me want more of this literature available in my classroom library.
I have some great books already on my bookshelf, but I do not have enough. I’ve included a list of books that will help make my library appeal to more students. My students and I would greatly appreciate any contribution that you may have to us having the ultimate young adult book collection. Including texts that are culturally relevant to their lives will be reassuring and motivating for both beginning and experienced readers. Including texts with characters similar in age to students in the classroom who share experiences they have had is critical to their engagement with reading.