I’m currently working on a few posts on the subject of the “classics” of both science fiction and fantasy. While working on them I had some thoughts about what an ideal middle/high school curriculum would look like that included those genres. Oh, I read The Hobbit in middle school, but that was the extent to which we delved into speculative fiction as a whole. Everything else was The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, The Poisonwood Bible, and various Dickens books.
I was bored out of my mind most of the time.
Why can’t literature be fun or exciting? Can’t we mix some imagination in with the dour, real world settings?
As is usually the case with these posts, I should say that these selections are my opinion. However, what is not an opinion is that middle school and high school literature curriculums often include outdated and uninteresting works that bore students to tears and develop in them a hatred for reading. Students ought to have fun with it. I tried my best to include historical fiction as well as survival fiction that current curriculums employ.
Let me begin here with my selections for middle school. For those unaware, these are grades 6th through 8th in the United States and students often have particular books they always read. These students are usually 11-13 years old.
Stories Kept in the Middle School Curriculum
Here are some current staples I’m going to highlight and suggest that I think should stay:
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (1881) – An adventure story with pirates, buried treasure, and a mutiny. It’s a fun adventure that students will love, even if it is from the 19th century.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843) – I recall having this read to my class by my teacher in Middle School. I loved it and despite some outdated terminology the story holds up. It was creepy, interesting, and a great tale around Christmas.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903) – Between White Fang and this book, I would have to go with The Call of the Wild. This story has an interesting point of view with some amazing tension. The need for Buck to be with his human while also feeling the call is a great issue for a dog. When I was younger i tried to read it but didn’t understand it. I think it’s better than White Fang, but still I think some kids will have difficulty with it. Maybe older middle school.
Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945) – A representation of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia using farm animals. Orwell’s story is still referenced to this day in terms of its dissection of the Soviet Union. Orwell himself was a socialist but hated Joseph Stalin, who was praised at the time by the scholars of his day. This book not only addresses political theory and history, but satire as a tool. It’s approachable even to middle schoolers.
The Cay by Theodore Taylor (1969) – A book set during World War II, Phillip and an older man named Timothy survive a shipwreck with a cat. Phillip has some racial bias against Timothy and suffers from losing his sight. This is a survival book with themes of prejudice, war, and survival. Of these three, I considered dropping this one the most, but it won me over with how interesting it is. Years later the book would be criticized for Phillip being racist, but the story shows that he was wrong to be biased. I see no problem with it, and the controversy would actually allow kids to discuss it better.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (1986) – A survival story of a kid who was in a plane crash in the woods and has to live by himself until he can get rescued. It’s interesting adventure literature that still sticks with me to this day.
Holes by Louis Sachar (1998) – A book with an almost prison-type atmosphere where a kid is accused of theft and forced to dig holes in the Texas desert. There’s a lot of social commentary but it centers around a warden looking for… something.
Stories Added to the Middle School Curriculum
Now allow me the pleasure of including stories I would add for a middle school curriculum. Remember, these don’t have to teach history like it seems many others have been included to do. Instead, they should encourage students to read and enjoy what they read.
Here are my suggested additions:
A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1912) – If there was ever a story that needs to be read by young people, this is the one. Fun, adventure, romance, and science fiction before the “hard” stuff. This is the stuff of dreams and will easily encourage young people to imagine other worlds. This is the story of a soldier being transported to Mars, a world of alien warriors and a beautiful princess. I considered Tarzan of the Apes to represent Burroughs, and might be convinced to include it in the high school curriculum, but I feel like A Princess of Mars may hold a middle schooler’s attention better.
Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert Heinlein (1957) – One of Heinlein’s juveniles, this one is about Thorby, who is a boy bought as a slave and taught by a beggar. It’s an incredible story with Thorby becoming an interesting character with a fascinating past. The universe Heinlein builds is one of interstellar travel and aliens. This is a fun sci-fi universe with a young protagonist middle schoolers could relate to.
Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson (1961) – Poul Anderson wrote something like 100+ books in his lifetime and not one was included in any middle school curriculum I read online. Of his books, though, most are fairly adult in nature with the science fiction books skewing towards the boring at times. That said, this story is an adventure fantasy story where a modern Danish man during World War II is shot and wakes up in a fantasy version of the European middle ages. There’s magic, dwarves, and witches. It’s worth a read even for adults, and middle school kids ought to love it.
Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny (1971) – A story where a planet is divided into magic and science fiction concepts, with interesting world building and a unique main character. This one is adventurous and kind of edgy, the kind of a thing a teenage mind might love. Once again it’s a bit older in terms of concepts, so I would probably push for older middle school.
Interstellar Pig by William Sleator (1984) – The fact that William Sleator is all but forgotten in young adult/science fiction is a shame. This story in particular will grab a student’s attention and take them to places of wonder. It’s a story of a boy on vacation with his parents in a beach house, where he meets odd older kids who seem kind of cool and interesting. They play a game called Interstellar Pig where aliens travel the galaxy looking for a “Pig” that will ensure their species’ survival in the end of the universe. However, this may be more than just a board game. Part Jumanji, part space opera, and all fun. I also considered Sleator’s House of Stairs, but I feel like that one gets a bit slow and repetitive at times.
And with that, you have my list of books I’d include for middle schools! This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I would encourage any educator reading this to consider the fun a young mind might have when approaching these stories.
I didn’t include any Clark Ashton Smith or H. P. Lovecraft. I might include another Poul Anderson book in the later curriculum. Obviously absent is Robert E. Howard, who I believe several short stories ought to be read… in high school. Conan especially tends to be a bit bloody, so it might be best kept for older readers. Personally, I think middle school kids are too young for the sword and sorcery I love to be included.
Stay tuned for that post. In the mean time, do you have any books you think a middle schooler would love?
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