TTT: Contemporary Books That Would Be Great Paired With A Required Reading Book

Contemporary Books That Would Be Great Paired With A Required Reading Book

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they have a different Top Ten list topic that a bunch of bloggers take and make their own list of those things. This week is Top Ten books with X setting.

 

I've split this into two sections. The first consists of books that I think would go well paired with an existent required reading book. The second is made of books that I couldn't find a match for, but that I still think should be required reading for High School students.

Books Paired with Other Books:

 

1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series (paired with any Greek Myths or The Odyssey)
I mean, kind of obvious (and this would most likely work best in middle school), but that would be the best required reading assignment EVER.


2. The Fault in our Stars (paired with Mortals by Tobias Woolf)
Mortals isn't a book, but it is a short story I had to read for English class last year. It's all about how we think we will be perceived after we die and how we actually are perceived. I think The Fault in our Stars really gets to the root of that discussion (as well as others) and makes you laugh and cry along the way. 

3. Eleanor and Park (paired with Romeo and Juliet)
A doomed loved story from back then paired with a (relatively) doomed love story from the relative now. I think together they would show that being young and in love is a universal and timeless theme in the world. There will always be young people falling in love and making admittedly not great decisions because of it.

4. Anna and the French Kiss (paired with Pride and Prejudice)
Just like Eleanor and Park goes well with Romeo and Juliet, I'd say that Anna and the French Kiss goes well with Pride and Prejudice. (I guess I'm not 100% sure that Pride and Prejudice is taught in schools, seeing as it was never a part of my school's curriculum. But I would be very surprised if it wasn't taught anywhere in school). Anna and the French Kiss is a modern gem, with humor and a tale of true love. I think it very much goes along with Pride and Prejudice.

5. The House of the Scorpion (paired with To Kill a Mockingbird)
The House of the Scorpion deals with a lot of issues, but one of them is treating certain people (clones) like less than other people. Except for the few people who are willing to reach out and show kindness to those people, acknowledging that they are just as deserving of love as anyone else it. I think the themes of injustice aren't necessarily identical, but they do parallel each other.


Books I Think Should Be Required:

6. Harry Potter
Yes. Just yes. (I am of the very firm belief that everyone should read the Harry Potter books).


7. Unwind
This book hits so many important points, but the important thing is that it lets you make your own decisions about what you read. The writer doesn't take you directly to the answer he wants you to arrive at. He just presents situations to you and you come to decide for yourself.

8. The Help
 I think this is one of the most important books I've read and easily one of the most important books that has come out in my lifetime. Beyond that, it tells a simple, but beautiful story.


9. Little Women
I know this is already a classic, but I don't recall ever hearing of it taught in school. I've always loved this book and I think it tells a great story with humor, wit, and great lessons.