Club de lecture 6è

Cet espace est réservé aux élèves de Madame Hubert (6è1). Pour établir votre fiche de lecture, vous devez au préalable enregistrer le présent fichier sur votre clé USB; le remplir et l'envoyer par courriel à l'adresse de Monsieur BENNIS: a.bennis@eabjm.net

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time/Le bizarre incident du chien pendant la nuit by Mark Haddon - recent best seller told from the perspective of an autistic boy.

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee - memoir of the author's adventures walking to London from his country home in England and continuing on to Spain during the 1930s
(Mr. Hughes favourite book as a teen!)

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony Di Terlizzi and Holly Black (fun college reading in the same vein as Lemony Snickett)

The Invisible Detective series by Justin Richards ( college)

Sorceress by Celia Rees (follow up to Witch Child)

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (author of The Thief Lord)

Shadowmancer by G.P. Taylor (fantasy)

The Far Side of the World by Patrick O'Brian - adventure set on high seas during Napoleonic Wars (film with Russell Crowe)

Ruby in the Smoke, The Tin Princess, Shadow in the North, Tiger in the Well - series by Philip Pullman set in Victorian London

Fire Eaters, Heaven Eyes by David Almond (author of Skellig)

Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen

Up on Cloud Nine by Anne Fine

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Secrets, Lola Rose, Midnight by Jacqueline Wilson

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (for older readers 4è on)

Lemony Snickett Autobiography

The Pig Scrolls by Paul Shipton

Molly Moon series 1 and 2 by Georgia Byng

The Wars by Timothy Finley - excellent novel set in WWI (suitable for older readers)

Remembrance by Teresa Breslin - WWI but for younger readers

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - older readers

Biography: Lance Armstrong It's Not About The Bike

Ellen MacArthur, completed the Vendée Globe at 24, fastest woman ever: Taking on the World

HISTORICAL FICTION

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson (published 2002)

The story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia as told by Mattie Cook, a teenaged girl who must escape from the city with her grandfather when her mother contracts the disease. Notes in the appendix detail medical approaches of the time, and mention the influence of French doctors on treating the epidemic.

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

(1996 Newbury Medal for Children's fiction) Set in fourteenth century England, this story follows a homeless orphan girl who is taken in by a Midwife.

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

An excellent story about a young Ojibwa girl. This book is a great introduction into Native American culture, and includes a glossary of Ojibwa terms. A National Book Award Finalist.

Troy by Adèle Geras (2000)

During the seige of Troy, two sisters, Marpessa and Xanthe are set against one another when Aphrodite forces them to fall in love with the same man.

Comment by Philip Pullman:

« Every generation need its version of this great story. This one, powerful, clear and compassionate, is the best I've read for a long time. »

Sunday Times: « A brilliantly imagined tale that makes something alive, humorous and contemporary out of mythology. Not to be missed. »

Witch Child by Celia Rees

Set in 1659, a 14 year old girl's diary tells the story of her journey from England to Salem, Massachusetts, where she lives as a witch in a community of puritans.

SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY

Fall; Castle; Sabriel; Liriel; Shade's Children all by Garth Nix

These are wildly popular among sci-fi and fantasy enthusiasts.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

A sci-fi classic that looks at human intelligence.

The Seeing Stone; At the Crossing Places by Kevin Crossley-Holland

This series has won several major awards. It is set in the year 1200 in Wales and France, and follows the adventures of Arthur de Caldicot as he prepares to go on crusade.

Beyond the Deepwoods: The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

An alternative to Harry Potter. Includes some illustrations.

Over Sea, Under Stone, The Dark is Rising, Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper

Classic adventure stories set in England and Wales from The Dark is Rising series.

ISSUES BASED

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (for older readers, 4è and up)

So Much to Tell You by John Marsden

Recommended by an EABJM student, this Australian novel is written in diary form. The main character is in a treatment centre for an undisclosed reason, and writes thoughtful descriptions of the girls around her. She has been completely silent for two years. Through her diary, the reader slowly understands her reasons for not speaking.

Memories of Summer by Ruth White (2000)

Set in 1950's Michigan, this is the story of a teenage girl, Lyric, who tries to deal with her older sister's schizophrenia. It is a sensitively told novel with excellent characters and period detail.

ACTION / THRILLER / MYSTERY

Jade Green: a Ghost Story by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

A contemporary ghost story. When a girl's mother is put in hospital for a mental illness, she is sent to stay with her uncle in the southern U.S. Her uncle's only rule is that you must not bring anything green into the house.

Talking in Whispers by James Watson

Winner of two literary prizes for young adult fiction, this book is set in Chile during the reign of Pinochet. A 16year old boy must go on the run from the security forces when his father is kidnapped. An excellent political thriller.

The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier

A chilling murder mystery from the author of The Chocolate War.. Jason's friend Alicia was last seen alive in his company. Now he is suspected of her murder.

Scorpia by Anthony Horowitz

Another aventure starring Alex Rider, teenaged MI6 spy.

TEENS (for 4è and up) 

Footloose; Fiesta; Hard Cash all by Kate Cann

Fun, light reading. Footloose tells the story of three girls who go on holiday together in Greece without their boyfriends.

Tough Love by Anne Cassidy

A love story in which a girl must face up to the fact that her boyfriend is involved in illegal activities.

Changing Emma by John Brindley

Emma has just finished her GCSEs when her family wins big in the lottery. Do her results really matter now that money is no object in life?

BOYS (Books with boys as main characters, or with themes that may interest boys.)

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

Highly acclaimed, this is the story of Paul, a boy whose family moves to Tangerine, Florida. Paul loves soccer, but is less enthusiastic about his older brother, a football star.

Scorpia, Skeleton Key, Point Blanc, Eagle Strike by Anthony Horowitz

Follow the adventures of Alex Rider, teenage MI6 spy.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats, wrongly accused of stealing, is sent to a rehabilitation camp for juvenile delinquents. There he must dig holes all day under the careful watch of his boot camp director. Full of humour, this story will appeal especially, but not exclusively to boys.

The Crowstarver by Dick King-Smith

Smarties prize medal winner 1998. The story of a boy named Spider Sparrow, who, having grown up surrounded by animals, has a special ability to communicate with them. « A powerful and heartwarming story » Times Literary Supplement.

Agatha Christie
J.K. Rowling
Roald Dahl
Lemony Snicket
Malika Ferdjoukh
R.L. Stine
Anthony Horowitz
J.R.R Tolkien
Daniel Pennac
Jacqueline Wilson

TEACHERS’ BEDSIDE READING, MAY 2006

Madame DESSERTENNE, professeur de français
Le salon du Wurtemberg de P. Quignard

Ms. HURLEY, English and Math teacher
“At the moment, I've got "Crime and Punishment" next to my bed.  I love Russian
and Eastern European writers particularly Kundera, Kafka, and Gogol,
Dostoevksy.  My very favorite writers, though, belong to the genre of Magic
Realism, Latin American writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges
and Carlos Fuentes.  My favorite of all time (I think) is 100 Years of
Solitude, by Garcia Marquez.”

Madame FAURE, directrice de collège:
« Je viens d'avoir un vrai coup de coeur pour  The Brooklyn Follies de Paul Auster .
J'ai adoré le ton , le rythme, l'écriture , efficace mais pas simpliste, et  cette traversée qui nous est proposée dans la vie de personnages tous plus attachants et originaux les uns que les autres !  ( Il faut le lire en anglais ! )  C'est un livre qui fait du bien et qui met de bonne humeur. » 

Ms. SINGER, English teacher :
La Boutique aux miracles, Jorge Amado

Mr. COLE, English teacher
For me its Heroditus' "Histories" and "Interesting Times", the recently
published autobiography of the well-known English historian Eric Hobsbawm. I'm
going through one of my regular "history" stages!

Ms. BROWN, English teacher:
Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters

Mr. BRIGGS, History/Geography teacher:
“Currently, I am ejoying a social history book by my favorite, American
historian, David McCullough.  The book's title is:  The Great Bridge, and it
is about the people involved with the construction of the world's then-
greatest suspension bridge, the politics, personalities etc, as well as the
lasting impact that this project would have on New York and Brooklyn.

   I have already read numerous other titles by the same author, who has a way
of simplifying complex situations in a very user-friendly way.  I highly
recommend this author if you have any interest in American history and, more
importantly, in quality historical writing.  These books are so well-written
that they read almost like thrillers or comparative styles of fiction.

   This author has received the Pulitzer Prize two times, once for his book on
John Adams, the other for a book on Harry Truman.  Really, excellent stuff
here! »

Mrs. GINSBACH English teacher and coordinatrice pedagogique for 3è and 2nde
“Memoirs of a Geisha (in preparation for my upcoming trip to Japan)”

Ms. DACEY: English teacher
“I'm reading 'Maigret à New York' in French at the moment because I speak too much English at home and at school! The last book in English I read was Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go'. It was excellent as Ishiguro always is, it never ceases to amaze me how he can write so well about English people, especially women, when he is a man of Japanese origin. I'm going to read 'Mansfield Park' next, as I realised recently it's the only Jane Austen I have never read.”

Mr. HOULT: Science teacher
“Biography of Jim Morrison
"The life of Pi"
"Une mauvaise vie" (Frédérique Mitterrand)
in the last year or two
"Always unreliable" (Clive James)
"The Human Stain" Phillip Roth
various by:
Nick Hornby (I like all his stuff)
Kate Atkinson (I like all her stuff)
Richard Feinman "The meaning of it all" (Essays)
Phillipe Delerme
oh, and I nearly forgot...
of course, all the Harry Potters !”

Mr. AKBARNIA, Science teacher:
“"The Kite Runner" (by Khaled Hosseini)
 - a good eye into the changes and tragedies afghanistan has experienced, with
a very engaging a good plot

"the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" (by mark haddon)
- read this one right through, really quick, i loved it! a beautiful story
told by a young autistic boy, and it really gets you in the "space" of the boy
and how he's thinking »

Mrs. EKINS, English teacher
The Time Travellers’ Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Ms. CHASE: SAT teacher
“I just finished reading The Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov and Cousin Bette, by Balzac.  I had to read those in English, but every week, I read the magazine Public in French.  You may not consider Public to have much literary value, but given its dramatic stories of romance, greed, and ambition, I feel certain Balzac would have read it if it had been available at his local kiosk.”

Ms. SMITH, English teacher
“I am reading 'Leaving Home' the latest Anita Brookner. - about a girl who comes to study garden
design in Paris!
I have just read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini which I enjoyed. It was
rather depressing though as the protagonist seemed to experience a series of
unfortunate events in his life. It was well written and gave you a good
insight into life in Afghanistan in the 60s-90s.
One of the best books I have read recently is 'We need to talk
about Kevin' by Lionel Shriver. It is a book which cannot fail to provoke a
reaction in the reader and although the content is shocking, it is written in
such a way that really makes you think.”

Mr. McDermott, coordinator of English lycée:
“I have just finished reading Saturday by Ian McEwan who is one of my favourite
writers. This novel is amazing. The backdrop is the anti Iraq war demonstration
in London and it follows just one day in the life of a brain surgeon. It is
very philosophical and deals with major themes today.
A very impressive novel. »

Mr. Damon, Science teacher
There are two books currently on my bedside table:
1) "Gödel, Escher, Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid," by Douglas R. Hofstadter.  A book which is impossible to describe in fewer than 2000 words.  Basically it's 750 pages of mental gymnastics including music theory, mathematics, science and art.
2) "The Ages of Gaia, A Biography of Our Living Earth" by James Lovelock.  I decided to reread this book which I bought in my university days.  It attempts to prove that the planet Earth can be considered a single giant living organism which "breathes" and maintains homeostasis.
The last book I read was "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins.  After studying and teaching science so long, I was greatly surprised to have my entire perception of how nature works turned upside down in the first few pages of the book.  I can't wait to read other books of his.

Mr. Baillet, Science teacher
I am currently reading "Alias Grace" by Margaret ATWOOD : excellent.

Ms. Elliot Le Clainche, librarian
I am currently reading The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith. I loved his earlier series, “The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency”, set in Botswana.

I recently read We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. This is an amazingly well written but disturbing book about maternal ambivalence. I kept thinking that I should put it down, but somehow couldn’t stop reading!