Reading Ladder
For my reading ladder, I decided to use The Hunger Games as my inspiration. Many of my students have read and enjoyed the series, but never took the next step into books in the dystopian genre. I decided for my book ladder to follow the genre of dystopian from young adult literature, to canonical literature, to contemporary adult fiction. I also followed a feminist theme throughout each of the rungs on the ladder.
I decided to start with The Selection Series by Kiera Cass. These books are kind of like if Hunger Games met the Bachelor, and are fun and accessible while also covering important themes like
classism and sexism. The story follows first a prince and then that princes daughter in an attempt to find love. The generational element of the story is often very interesting to students. Students would be able to build their reading skills throughout this three book series, and hopefully would be drawn in by the idea of multiple books. (5 books total)
The second book on the ladder is also a series. My strategy with incorporating two series into my reading ladder was to allow students time to grow in their confidence and abilities as readers while following one accessible but important story across multiple books. My hope was that this would hook interest while also building stamina. The second series is the Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman. In this dystopian universe, there has been a second civil war in the United States between the pro choice and pro life movements. The effect of this war is that abortion is now illegal, but unwanted teenagers can be "unwound" and their body parts redistributed to more deserving recipients during the ages of 13 and 17. The novel follows a male and female protagonist as the attempt to fix this broken world. The novel keeps with the feminists themes explored in the first series. (4 books total)
For the third step on the ladder I chose a canonical text that I believe follows the themes of the first 9 books, while simultaneously being significantly more difficult but still accessible to the high school reader. The Handmaid's Tale is a novel by Margaret Atwood that explores the troublesome dichotomy between the "freedom to" and the "freedom from" for women. In this dystopian world, women no longer have to worry about all of the dangers men present to us today, but they also are stripped of the freedom we possess. This book is more challenging in vocabulary and content, but follows the themes presented in the first two series.
The fourth book, has been referred to as a new version of The Handmaid's Tale. The Power by Naomi Alderman is a dystopian text where young women discover they have an electric current running through them that can function as a weapon. In the novel, the power is awakened in young women who teach older women how to awaken in it within themselves. This book is contemporary adult fiction, and of all the choices on the list, I found it the most difficult to read. This would be the last book on the ladder but hopefully a jumping off point for students in several different literary directions!
I decided to start with The Selection Series by Kiera Cass. These books are kind of like if Hunger Games met the Bachelor, and are fun and accessible while also covering important themes like
classism and sexism. The story follows first a prince and then that princes daughter in an attempt to find love. The generational element of the story is often very interesting to students. Students would be able to build their reading skills throughout this three book series, and hopefully would be drawn in by the idea of multiple books. (5 books total)
The second book on the ladder is also a series. My strategy with incorporating two series into my reading ladder was to allow students time to grow in their confidence and abilities as readers while following one accessible but important story across multiple books. My hope was that this would hook interest while also building stamina. The second series is the Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman. In this dystopian universe, there has been a second civil war in the United States between the pro choice and pro life movements. The effect of this war is that abortion is now illegal, but unwanted teenagers can be "unwound" and their body parts redistributed to more deserving recipients during the ages of 13 and 17. The novel follows a male and female protagonist as the attempt to fix this broken world. The novel keeps with the feminists themes explored in the first series. (4 books total)
For the third step on the ladder I chose a canonical text that I believe follows the themes of the first 9 books, while simultaneously being significantly more difficult but still accessible to the high school reader. The Handmaid's Tale is a novel by Margaret Atwood that explores the troublesome dichotomy between the "freedom to" and the "freedom from" for women. In this dystopian world, women no longer have to worry about all of the dangers men present to us today, but they also are stripped of the freedom we possess. This book is more challenging in vocabulary and content, but follows the themes presented in the first two series.
The fourth book, has been referred to as a new version of The Handmaid's Tale. The Power by Naomi Alderman is a dystopian text where young women discover they have an electric current running through them that can function as a weapon. In the novel, the power is awakened in young women who teach older women how to awaken in it within themselves. This book is contemporary adult fiction, and of all the choices on the list, I found it the most difficult to read. This would be the last book on the ladder but hopefully a jumping off point for students in several different literary directions!
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