A Top Ten Tuesday post is probably the last thing I should be publishing today, considering how behind I am on reviewing books.  But, yeah.  I just couldn't resist today's topic since it's a freebie.  Yay!

My friend messaged me a bookish question on Facebook yesterday and I thought a Top Ten list would be the perfect way to answer her query.  She will be starting her first year of teaching this Fall.  As she's trying to collect books for her classroom library, she asked which titles I would recommend stocking for her upcoming 6th graders.  This is a little tricky as kids this age want to read more mature books, but (in my opinion, anyway) they're not necessarily ready for hard-core YA novels yet.  In fact, there's been a bit of a brouhaha at my kids' elementary school about the recent availability of teen books in the library.  So, in thinking of volumes for a 6th grade classroom, I tried to come up with stories that are exciting/complex enough to hold an older reader's attention, while still being appropriate, especially for a school library.  Be sure to let me know whether you agree or disagree with my choices and what additional books you would suggest to my friend.  I'm sure she'd appreciate as much feedback as possible.

Before we get to that, though, why don't you join in the Top Ten Tuesday fun?  It's super easy.  Just go on over to The Broke and the Bookish, read the easy-peasy instructions, and jump on the bandwagon.  It's a good time, I promise.

Now, on to my list.  First of all, I would make sure I stocked lots of great classic lit, like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Diary of Anne Frank, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the Anne of Green Gables books by L.M. Montgomery, etc.  

Assuming I already had those on hand, these are the Top Ten Books/Series I Would Buy for a Sixth Grade Classroom Library:


1.  Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling—Most kids discover the wonders of Harry Potter long before sixth grade.  If they haven't, they need to.  This is also a series that kids (and adults!) love to re-read, so the more copies of the books a school has, the better.


2.  The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins—Although these books are pretty violent and grim, it's a YA series that definitely appeals to middle grade readers.  While it doesn't provide the most uplifting reading in the world, the series features books with tight prose, lots of action, and thought-provoking moral questions.


3.  The Percy Jackson series (and spin-offs) by Rick Riordan—These books are popular with readers of all ages.  Sixth graders love them as much as fourth graders do.  Also, watch for Riordan's new series based on Norse mythology—the first book will be coming out in October, I believe.


4.  The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer—Although this is a YA series, it's squeaky clean.  It's also got memorable characters, vivid writing, plenty of action/adventure, and a sci fi twist that makes it stand out from the crowd.  Sure, the books are "re-booted" fairy tales, but there's plenty for both girls and boys to love about this series.


5.  The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz—When my son was in 5th and 6th grade, these books were his absolute favorite.  Alex Rider is sort of a young James Bond.  I haven't read any of the novels, but they're very popular at my kids' elementary school and come highly recommended by my son.


6.  The Maze Runner series by James Dashner—Like #5, these books will appeal to reluctant readers, especially those of the male variety.  With dystopian elements, a mystery, and lots of action/adventure, this series is another really popular one.


7.  The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter—I don't know how much literary merit these books have, but who cares?  They're clever, upbeat, and tons of fun.  My 13-year-old daughter and I both adore this series.

8.  The Unwind series and, really, anything by Neal Shusterman—If you read this blog on any kind of a regular basis, you already now that I'm a huge Shusterman fangirl.  His books are complex, imaginative, and thought-provoking.  I love the Unwind series best of all, but I also really recommend his Skinjacker series.

9.  Anything by Margaret Peterson Haddix—Haddix is another author who will appeal to reluctant readers.  Most of her novels are short, quick reads that still manage to be suspenseful, exciting, and thought-provoking.  Every 6th grade library needs a little Haddix in it.


10.  The Al Capone books by Gennifer Choldenko—I adore this trilogy about families living on Alcatraz Island during the time it housed a working prison (and a very famous inmate).  It's a fascinating historical series that is unique, interesting and full of heart.  I love it.

I could seriously go on and on about this subject!  So, what do you think of my choices?  Which books/series would you buy/not buy for a 6th grade classroom?  I'd love to hear your answers and I know my friend would, too.

Happy TTT!

Who are the people in your life that have most influenced your love of the written word?  Are they family members?  Friends?  Teachers?  Librarians?  For me, three people come immediately to mind: my mom, my dad, and my paternal grandmother.  All of them love books.  A recent trip back to the Motherland (the beautiful Columbia River Gorge) made me reflect on my grandma, especially, and how our shared love of reading and writing has influenced and strengthened our relationship.  I don't often get personal on this blog, but I hope you won't mind if I share a little something about what I learned from her this last weekend.  

Grandma, who's been a widow for over two decades, once told me that she would never be bored or lonely as long as she had something good to read.  One of the hardest parts of aging, for her, has been the loss of her eyesight.  For a few years now, she's been too weak to hold a book, let alone read one.  Last week, on her birthday, someone asked her to describe in one word what it was like to be 100 years old.  She said, "Difficult.  I can no longer read.  I can no longer write.  I'm not the person I used to be."  I think this says a whole lot about the importance of reading and writing, not just in her life, but in all of ours.

My grandma and I used to bond all the time over our shared love of books and writing.  Sadly, she can no longer remember those conversations.  She can't remember me.  During my three day visit, I had to remind her every 15 minutes or so of what my name was, who my parents were, and that yes, we were in fact related.  These exchanges were sad and sometimes bizarre, but also hysterical.

On Mother's Day, my younger brother and I had the privilege of grandma-sitting while my parents, her primary caregivers, went out to dinner with my sister and brother-in-law.  Not surprisingly, my bookworm of a grandma enjoys it when people read aloud to her.  When I assured her it would be my pleasure to spend the evening performing that task, she settled in her bed to listen to the mystery novel my parents were in the middle of reading to her.  For two hours straight, I read.  I read until the words on Dad's Kindle blurred and my already sore throat felt raw and achy.  After about an hour, Grandma fell asleep, her mouth wide open as she snored.  When I paused, thinking I should sneak away and let her rest, she jolted upright and exclaimed, "This is such a good book!"  I kept reading.

In her old age, my grandmother has grown very paranoid about being left alone.  She kept telling me that she thought she would be really scared with "the kids" (meaning my parents) gone, but that, since I was reading to her, she didn't feel frightened.  A little later, I was explaining to her how much I loved to read and write.  She said, "We have so much in common!  I'm glad to meet you."  I chuckled and reminded her that we've known each other for almost forty years.  "If you say so, honey," she replied, "but now I know you again because you read to me."

The two hours I spent reading to my grandmother are precious to me.  I cherish the fact that we were able to get reacquainted (even if I had to re-introduce myself to her a few more times the next morning) because we shared that experience.  It wasn't the book that was so good, but the company.

Grandma's words made me think about the power of reading together, be it a parent to a child (I can't count the number of times I've shared classics like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom or Green Eggs and Ham with my kiddos), an older sibling to a younger sibling (as a teenager, my husband spent many nights reading Jurassic Park to his wide-eyed little brother), a wife to a husband (my mom used to read Jack Weyland books aloud to my dad while he drove on family road trips), or a granddaughter to a cherished grandmother.  That time spent together is special, valuable, the stuff of which fond memories are made.  What could be better than stolen moments like these when we're wrapped in the warmth of the love we share and bound together by the kind of magical spell only a story well-told can cast?  If you don't read to your children, do.  Start today.  Right now.  And if your grandmother needs a little help to feast on the written word she loves so well, help her out.  Maybe she can't remember your name, but she'll know you again because you read to her.  What could be more priceless than that?  In the immortal words of Strickland Gillilan: