January has a sneaky way of bringing with it the winter blues. Winter break has passed, and spring still feels so far away. This is a great time to encourage students to dig into a new book stack!
Today I’m joining forces with three other AP Lang teachers to share some of our favorite book recommendations (that are great for students and teachers). I hope these lists of popular books for high schoolers will provide you with just the boost you’ve been looking for to spice up your reading program this winter.
Sara Cuzzo
Sara Cuzzo of the Red-Haired Reader (on TPT) is a teacher from New Jersey who teaches AP Lang and 2 senior electives courses (a mystery/horror/suspense course and a graphic novels course).
Here are Sara’s top 5 book recommendations:
The Mist is a great read because King’s characters are relatable, the language is descriptive, and the monsters are oh-so-horrifying. King is truly the master.
Sara’s unique opportunity to share books in the mystery/horror/suspense genre through her elective course gives her the chance to share this as a whole-class text. Her students universally enjoy this book, and it helps her to establish the elements of suspense. Students later have the opportunity to read a text of their choice in Lit Circles and analyze how the author uses the elements of suspense in small groups.
It’s bleak, heart-wrenching, and SO suspenseful. One of Sara’s students said it’s like a punch in the gut each time she picks it up, but she just cannot put it down.
This is a title Sara’s mystery/horror/suspense students enjoy the most in Lit Circles. Most students who choose it find McCarthy’s writing style odd at first, but get used to it quickly and can see how it is appropriate for the circumstances the man and boy find themselves in.
This is an impactful Graphic Memoir that Sara’s students read to analyze why a graphic novel is such an effective medium for the particular story. None of her students were even aware of this event in our country’s recent past; once they got past the shock of the situation, they were able to really digest the details embedded in all of the panels and appreciate the art style.
One of her students shared that he would never, ever choose to pick up a non-fiction informational text about Kent State, but he found this graphic memoir so engrossing.
That, my friends, is why we do the job we do, isn’t it?
The Called Us Enemy by George Takei
The realities of the Japanese Internment Camps are depicted with such care and accuracy that the graphics are jarring and alarming to students who may not be familiar with the realities of this part of WW2 history. It offers an intimate look at one of the many ways racism rears its ugly head in our country.
This is another graphic memoir that is popular with Sara’s students. With Takei’s skillful writing, students are eager to learn all they can.
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
In this piece, Firoozeh Dumas, an Iranian American, talks about the struggles of fitting in here in America during her childhood in Whittier, CA during the 1970s and 1980s. Writing as an adult looking back with the gift of perspective, she incorporates a natural humor that appeals to teens. Sara’s students relate well to the goofy, embarrassing family members and the push-and-pull between cultural influences at home and societal pressures at school.
Sara has taught this book with great success when she taught 10th grade. She paired it with The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros in the curriculum. Both texts examine big issues of racism, sexism, cultural identity, and assimilationism but in a very, very different tone.
Maura Wolfe
Maura Wolfe is a teacher in Massachusetts who teaches 10th, 11th, and 12th grade (11th/12th AP Lang, AP Seminar and AP Research). Aside from her Grade 10 classes, Maura doesn’t read whole length novels as a class, so she’s sharing book recommendations for books that her students have read either for choice reading or have read outside of class and just really enjoyed talking about.
Maura’s recommendations come from books that students recommended to her, books that students recommended to other students, and books that she recommended to students and they couldn’t stop talking about. These titles are sure to be a hit with students in your classroom as well!
Here are Maura’s top 5 book recommendations:
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
This story grips students from the beginning, and while the title spoils whether Monday will be found (ahem, Monday’s not coming (back), the book centers around what happened with Monday. Students love unraveling the story as it goes along, and the end is sure to be a surprise! Many students who are reluctant readers and try this book are quickly sucked into it. (Students are also shocked that the book is nothing like What Happened to Monday on Netflix…the two are unrelated!)
After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay
If your students are into basketball, they’ll love the sports background of this book. Even your reluctant readers are sure to be drawn in with the urban setting and universal conflicts presented through the storyline.
Maura confesses that she’ll recommend anything by Ribay. Although she’s only read a few of his books, she’s found that he gets people and writes his characters in their complexity.
Some of Maura’s students read Patron Saints of Nothing the year before they were in her and loved it.
A few students read After the Shot Drops for independent reading, and again, even her reluctant readers got into it. Teaching in an urban area, many of Maura’s students could identify with many of the conflicts in the book. (While they’re universal conflicts, they take place in a more urban setting.)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Many students at Maura’s school read this for their biology class, but they were talking about it outside of class! This is a great book for students in AP Lang, AP Seminar, or AP Research.
The book frames the scientific and ethical dilemma surrounding Henrietta and her HeLa cells with a narrative that blends the science with storytelling. It provides great background for AP Lang students (helloooo, Q3!) and explores lenses and perspectives that AP Seminar students need to consider while addressing research and ethical research practices that AP Research students cover.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (the entire collection)
While the main story revolves around why billionaire Tobias Hathorned would will his billions to a seeming stranger instead of any (or all) of his four grandsons, the book (and the series) is filled with puzzles and plot twists to keep your students guessing and talking about it.
Maura’s students really enjoyed the overall storyline in this collection, including the main and sub plot lines and conflicts.
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (or any McManus book)
In a somewhat modern version of the breakfast club, five students from different backgrounds are in detention, and one dies as a result of anaphylaxis – his water was poisoned with peanuts and his epipens were nowhere around. One of the students in detention is the culprit but all deny their involvement. Over the course of the book, the students work together and independently to determine who is telling the truth and who is lying, both in regards to the murder and lying about themselves.
Truth be told, students love anything by Karen M. McManus.
Stephanie Kirk
Stephanie Kirk is a teacher in Tennessee who teaches Grades 10 and 11.
Here are Stephanie’s top 5 book recommendations:
Thank You for Arguing by Jay Heinrichs
This book is a favorite among AP Lang teachers and for good reason! In addition to writing a great book, Jay is also known to “zoom” with classes and answer student questions. If your students are looking to hone their argument skills or perhaps read a text over the summer to help them feel more prepared for AP Lang, this is a great option.
The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt
The title alone is enough to pique teachers’ and students’ interests. A provoking read, this book is sure to spark discussion.
How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
This book is another great read for teachers and students alike!
Maus, Book I and II by Art Spiegelman
This recommendation is a 2-in-1, as both graphic novels are excellent. While most students have studied WWII and the Holocaust in previous history or English classes, they might not have learned about it through the lens of a graphic novel.
Beth Hall
Beth Hall (that’s me!) of Coach Hall Writes is a teacher in Arkansas. I teach grades 10-12. Each year, I assign Lit Circles or an independent reading project for my AP Lang students as a way to help them broaden their knowledge for Q3, the argument essay. These books have been their favorites.
Here are my top 5 book recommendations:
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Several of my students read this book for lit circles or an independent read. They unanimously agreed that I should add it to the curriculum for my College English class. One student even told me it was the best book they’d read in a long time, and it made them want to read more.
Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend by Karen Blumenthal
If you have high school students who are interested in true crime, this is a great read! Since my students enjoyed it, I decided to read it as well. I was impressed with how well-researched the book was, and I appreciated that Blumenthal included the backstory of Bonnie and Clyde’s families and their victims as well.
The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller
Most of us have probably heard the Lizzie Borden “rhyme,” but we may not realize the magnitude of this case. The Borden Murders is another great read for true crime fans. Students will enjoy the detailed narrative style.
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
We’ve taught this play in a variety of grade levels in my district. Initially, it was a quick read for our seniors, but now we teach it in our freshmen classes. Nevertheless, our students have enjoyed selecting parts as they act out the play, and they’d have meaningful conversations about the American Dream.
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
My students LOVE this book. It’s unique structure and style makes it unlike other books they read in high school. Given the nature of some of the content, I send a parent letter home before we read the book. I also make some chapters optional due to the possibly triggering content.
Some of these books are pretty popular books for high schoolers. We hope these recommendations will give you a variety of different books in different genres to help you pair your students with a great fit to get them through the winter blues and spark their interest in picking up a new book this year.
Looking for ways to turn these popular books for high schoolers into an argument essay assignment? Check out this post for some ideas!
Disclaimers:
The College Board does not recommend any specific texts for AP Lang. These book recommendations are not affiliated with The College Board.
Coach Hall Writes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate marketing program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
