Books for School

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is anything related to education. My kids went back to school 2 weeks ago (sort of), but now is the general time for heading back into the classroom. I have chosen ten books I would assign to high school kids, if I was the teacher.

I think I would do book pairings. I would assign a classic paired with a modern retelling, or a non-fiction and fiction pairing.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare paired with The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore. Moore's books is a retelling from the perspective of the fool.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte paired with Re Jane by Patricia Park - Park's retelling is an update to modern day with a Korean American main character.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis paired with The Magicians by Lev Grossman - The magical world of Grossman's world is reminiscent of Narnia from the earlier work.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot paired with The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis. - They both show the unfair treatment of black women in mid-centry America. The first is non-fiction. The second is fiction.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald paired with Guests on Earth by Lee Smith. Guests on Earth is a fictionalized version of the last years of Zelda Fitzgerald.

I am going to cheat and add one more. Texts From Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Heroes. This would just be fun and it would show that you can fave fun with classic literature.

What would you assign?