The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney as an Inroad for To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

If you have not yet had a chance to read The Mockingbirds, by first time author Daisy Whitney, you should. Summertime is coming, and this is a must read for your summer reading list. The story takes place at Themis, a private collegiate-like high school boarding school. The protagonist, Alex wakes up in a startling location, with a number of shocking revelations. From there, the book takes off at breakneck speed until the reader can unravel the truth of what happened "last night."

Alex is a piano player worthy of a Julliard audition, but her world has been turned upside down, and she seeks out the help of The Mockingbirds, a secret society of underground "cops" who police the campus where the school itself turns a blind eye. Alex determines that the only way she can find justice is with the help of the secret society.

There is a strong tie-in with To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This might be just the book you need to get your readers into the classic American novel. While I have trouble understanding why a student wouldn't be motivated to read Lee's fantastic story, showing a young girl maturing and growing up in the prejudice environment of the south, I can understand why students might be put off by the descriptive and vocabulary-rich narrative. I myself count it as THE BEST BOOK OF ALL TIME. However, some of our more fickle students are put off by the setting, some of the language, and the amazing vocabulary used in To Kill A Mockingbird. Whitney's The Mockingbirds is definitely more of a book readers can relate with, although equitable in vocabulary and narrative quality. Give it a try and see if you can help your students find their way through Lee's novel with the help of Whitney's YA first offering. Even better news? Whitney is currently penning a follow-up sequel to The Mockingbirds.

How Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson connects with I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou

Having read Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, I couldn't help but notice the numerous allusions to Maya Angelou. I kept thinking, why that poster? Why did the librarian suggest her? Later, when Maya Angelou tapped Melinda Sordino on the shoulder, I knew there was SOMETHING to the allusions. So, taking the reference to banned books, I realized the book in question was none other than I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou. Or, should I call her by her full name, Marguerite Ann Johnson? That's who she goes by in the book. What astounds me is how similar these two young women are/were, how they both transcend such difficult and terrible darkness in their attacks, and what they do to overcome, to rise, to survive. They are phoenixlike, ephemeral, powerful. We have much to learn from them. I hope your students will learn from them as well!

If you haven't read both of these excellent books, now is the time to read them both. Many teachers have an independent reader component to their curriculum, and can steer students in the direction of a book or two, make suggestions, or even prod a few to read a particular author based on your knowledge of the student. Keep these in mind. I hope you and your students will not only take the time to read these two books, but consider how they add a depth and layer of meaning to the other novel. Pairing books is one of my passions as a teacher, watching students eyes light up, for the synapses to begin firing again, to dust off the cobwebs and get them excited about reading. Won't you join me? I hope so. Please come back and share your comments when you get a chance. More importantly, listen to what Melinda and Marguerite learned from their trials, and take a walk with them through their luminous novels.

Speak Novel as a bridge for Salinger's Catcher in the Rye

In Laurie Halse Anderson's gripping, Young Adult novel, Speak, Melinda Sordino is, "Outcast." Similarly, Salinger's protagonist, in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is on the verge of expulsion, again, and both main characters traverse the pages of their novel in search of their identity. Melinda is traumatized by the events of a summer party and the effects it has on her pool of friends as she begins high school. Holden searches all around New York City, hiding his expulsion from his parents, and delaying his eventual coming-to-terms with this inevitability. By taking the time to read both of these excellent works of literature, the reader will benefit by drawing parallels and comparisons as well as contrasts with the protagonists of these novels.

Other pairings of Young Adult Literature with Classic Literature include The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton to pair with Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, for more direct parallels with Melinda Sordino. Young Adult Literature is making waves in today's English classroom. These books are worth the time to read, and even worthier of your students to unlock parallels among Classic Literature by which they might be otherwise "put off." I hope you will find ways to use these novel "pairings" in your classroom. I am certain your students will be richly rewarded.

An Idea with Young Adult Literature as a vehicle to steer readers toward classic literature

When I first read the Young Adult Novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, it literally took my breath away. The writing was fresh, edgy and visceral at times. I found my stomach in knots nearly the entire time I was reading. When I came to my senses again, and after much thought, I began writing lesson plans to teach this novel in my classroom. It is my belief that novels like Speak create bridges or windows to classic literature, and should be used as a vehicle to get our students to tackle the more challenging works of literature.

Saying that, I immediately come to the defense of Young Adult Literature, a genre of writing that has really taken off in recent history, and one, I would argue, attains a level of sophistication that would rival even the pillars of classic literature being taught in today's middle and senior high classrooms.

So, join me as I read amazing examples of Young Adult Literature, and pair them with the Literature typically taught in American Schools. Many of the works of classic literature have become dusty, stale, and dried out. Few students believe they have anything to say to them, and would benefit from finding new inroads, such as found in Young Adult Literature. Therefore, I am taking the challenge upon myself to find great examples of both classic literature and Young Adult Literature and pair them up so that my students can engage in reading again, and love the process along the way.