My Students

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, "That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal, that you are not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong."

The students from my school are a group of unique individuals from all backgrounds and life experiences.

My students are mostly 10th graders who are in the throes of becoming young adults. Every day they are attempting to discover who they are as people and how they fit into a world where life can be much more complicated than they ever anticipated. Growing up can be a tough time full of insecurity and soul searching and with their own coming of age, I want to foster a love of reading within them that instills the idea that "You are not alone."

My Project

My students need 75 copies of The Book Thief for their coming of age, multicultural reading unit. This year, I want to explore all of their unique backgrounds as well as others they are not as familiar with by reading a variety of coming of age literature that is also multicultural. We will explore the experiences of different races and ethnicities within the United States, as well as explore the rich histories of Europe, Africa, and South America as well. We will begin studying The House on Mango Street, but after that, we will continue with The Book Thief. This story is narrated by Death (which kids love!) as he becomes fascinated with the life of a young girl named Liesel from Germany during World War II. The story shows Liesel growing into strong and compassionate young woman who fights to protect a Jewish man she befriends, despite the growing hostility and hate towards Jewish people. This unit is meant to allow students to discover the universal qualities of a coming of age story, despite characters being from different ethnicities as well as different time periods.

With the growing challenge of sparking a love of reading with students, The Book Thief would be an excellent story to engage young adult readers and foster a continued love of literature.