Good Books

The heart of education is often found in what the children are choosing to read and discuss. The images, ideals, and motivations of a book can affect thought processes and individual standards. There are so many good books, hold them in your hands, feel the pages, and relish in the time together.

Some Suggested Novels for Great Discussions:

• Time Machine by H.G. Wells
• What might be a modern Morlock or Eloi? How can you protect yourself from becoming like them? How can an understanding of your past affect your future? What are some things you can do now to influence the kind of future you want for yourself and your posterity?
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• What are the different weaknesses each character struggles to overcome and how can you overcome them as well? Why does Laurie, the rich boy next door, desire to be part of the March family? What is missing in his life?
• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
• How does his upbringing of a single mother affect David’s adulthood? How could have David protected Emily from his own best friend? What are the contrasting influences between Dora and Agnes?
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• How is Jonas’ perfect society a mask for a true dystopia? How does shielding negative experiences from history sometimes have a harmful effect? When is it okay to run away like Jonas?
• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
• When does the individual need to stand up against an oppressive government? When is deception more just than truth? How can a person find peace in difficulty? How does attitude affect happiness?
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Why do the characters share so much important information through letters rather than face-to-face? How influential are first impressions? How can the choices of one person affect the whole family? What are important considerations when choosing a spouse?
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• This is an awful dystopia and not my first choice, but if you are looking for a dystopia to discuss it is better than 1984. What makes a good leader? How can emotions affect actions? How can you gain control of emotions and not be caught up in a frenzy you will regret later? Why did the boys become numb to violence?
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• How is reading and freedom connected? Why should a person have the ability to choose what he studies? What freedoms should you continue to fight for now? How can you stand up for your rights in a positive way?
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• Letters to Emily by Camron Wright
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
• The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
• Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
• Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dosoevsky
• Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• The Call of the Wild by Jack London
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emma Orczy
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (a play)
• A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen (a play)
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
• The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
• Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris
• Schooled by Gordan Korman

What are you reading?