Novel Review Information
Sophomore
Title
Author
Educational Value
Animal Farm
George Orwell
Animal Farm​
offers a depiction of a world in which personal freedom is non-existent.
Personal freedom is relevant in contemporary society, giving students the
opportunity to connect with relevant global concerns. The educational value of this
novel is in the author’s use of dystopian ideas to provide students the opportunity to
deconstruct, analyze, and compare different types of government.
aka
Eric Blair
Sensitive Content
Violence
Mature Content
Themes:
Dystopian
Imperialism
Historical accuracy
Anthem
Ayn Rand
Anthem​
offers a depiction of a world in which objectivism- the idea that self-worth is
more important than the total of mankind- is outlawed because it is in direct contrast
of the collectivism of the society. The allegory of objectivism was note-worthy in
1938 USSR due to Joseph Stalin’s purging of intellectuals and educated individuals.
The educational value of ​
Anthem ​
is in the use of allegory (a philosophical idea
disguised at a fictional story) to relate, identify, and recognize the philosophy of
objectivism versus collectivism.
Themes:
Dystopian society
Historical accuracy
Academic Services 2/2015
Violence
Mature Content
Religious References
Novel Review Information
Sophomore
Bless Me
Ultima
Rudolfo Anaya
Bless Me, Ultima​
is a wonderful story about a young boy’s coming of age with a
strong cultural influence that contains Spanish, Mexican, and Native American ideals.
The conflict of cultures provides students with an understanding that humans are a
cultural weaving of many threads. The educational value is in the author’s use of
conflict to illustrate, describe, and translate how difficult coming of age is when
outside factors complicate one’s freedom to grow.
Violence
Mature content
Themes:
Coming of age
Magical realism
Chocolate
War, The
Robert
Cormier
The Chocolate War​
offers students a realistic view of teenage life- specifically
conformity, guilt, and violence. The ethical implications of teenage choices are the
crux of the story. The educational value of this novel is in the author’s use of realism
using language and the idea of bullies. Students will differentiate, compare, and
recognize how difficult coming of age can be.
Themes:
Coming of age
Conflict
Conformity
Academic Services 2/2015
Violence
Mature Content
Language
Novel Review Information
Sophomore
Chosen, The
Chaim Potok
The Chosen​
depicts the tension between tradition and modern American life during
and after WWII. The immigrants from Poland, Russia, and Germany feel tension
trying to fit into twentieth-century America. The educational value is in the conflict
between two different sects of Judaism; both characters struggle to assimilate while
keeping their traditions and values intact. Students will discuss conflict and analyze
the ideas of assimilation.
Religious References
Themes:
Coming of age
Historical accuracy
Education of
Little Tree,
The
Asa Earl
Carter
The fictional memoirs of Forrest "Little Tree" Carter begin in the late 1920s when, as
the protagonist, his parents die and he is given over into the care of his​
Cherokee
grandparents at the age of five. The boy's Cherokee "Granpa" and Cherokee
"Granma" call him "Little Tree" and teach him about nature, farming,​
whiskey
making​
, mountain life, society, love, and spirit through a combination of gentle
guidance and encouragement of independent experience.
Themes:
Coming of age
Understanding of one’s culture
Love of family
Academic Services 2/2015
Mature Content
Language
Novel Review Information
Sophomore
Fahrenheit
451
Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451​
offers an illustration of a dystopian society that shuns critical
thinking, especially through the reading of books. Censorship is central to the
storyline warning readers to be careful of technology and education. The educational
value in ​
Fahrenheit 451​
is in the use of the author’s imagery of a dystopian society
providing students the opportunity to estimate and predict the future of America if
censorship is allowed to pass unchecked.
Violence
Mature Content
Themes:
Dystopian
Censorship
Flowers for
Algernon
Daniel Keyes
Flowers for Algernon​
tells the story of Charlie Gordon, a mentally challenged adult
who becomes superhumanly intelligent through modern medicine. This book gives
students an opportunity to question the morality of Charlie’s decision, along with the
people around him, to have the procedure that makes him “smart.” Through
Charlie’s eyes, students understand point of view and syntax.
Themes:
Moral choices
Defining human intelligence
Personal identity/Conflict
Academic Services 2/2015
Mature Content
Language
Novel Review Information
Sophomore
Glass
Menagerie,
The
Joy Luck
Club, The
Tennessee
Williams
Amy Tan
Abandoned by her husband, Amanda Wingfield comforts herself with recollections of
her earlier, more gracious life in Blue Mountain when she was pursued by
“gentleman callers.” Her son Tom, a poet with a job in a warehouse, longs for
adventure and escape from his mother's suffocating embrace, while Laura, her shy
crippled daughter, has her glass menagerie and her memories. Amanda is desperate
to find her daughter a husband, but when the long-awaited gentleman caller does
arrive, Laura's romantic illusions are crushed (​
www.amazon.com​
). Students will
better understand the disappointment one must face when their hopes and dreams
remain unfulfilled.
Themes:
Duty
Family
Recollection of the past
Deception
Dream fulfillment
Love
Marriage
The Joy Luck Club​
offers a representation of conflict of cultures, old-world China
versus modern America. The novel also depicts the conflict between mothers and
daughters and how the age gap, along with culture, can influence family decisions.
The educational value in this novel requires students to appraise their own family
and the cultures that influence who they are. ​
The Joy Luck Club​
offers students and
expansive analysis of rhetorical appeals.
Themes:
Historical content
Family bonds
Identity
Cultural translation
Academic Services 2/2015
Mature Content
Violence
Language
Novel Review Information
Sophomore
Julius Caesar
William
Shakespeare
Julius Caesar​
offers students a look at the true form of politics and ambition. The play
dissects how ambition and power can corrupt even the most incorruptible men. The
educational value of ​
Julius Caesar​
is students will recognize, appraise, and criticize
how power and ambition often overshadow integrity and morality. ​
Julius Caesar
offers an expansive analysis of rhetorical appeals.
Violence
Themes:
Historical context
Rhetorical appeals
Fate
Misinterpretation
Midsumme​
r
Night’s
Dream, A
William
Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night’s Dream​
is a light-hearted comedy that centers around a love
triangle. Romantic confusion enshrouds the characters as they fall in love. Hermia
won’t marry Demetrius because she yearns for Lysander, but her best friend, Helena,
loves Demetrius. Students will recognize the concept of comedy and possibly connect
with the idea of catharsis.
Themes:
Love’s challenges
Dreams
Comedy
Academic Services 2/2015
Violence
Mature Content
Novel Review Information
Sophomore
Mythology
Edith
Hamilton
Mythology​
is a foundational introduction to the key Greek myths, as well as myth
making and telling as ancient practices. It provides the rationale employed by ancient
Greeks in their creation of these myths, and provides detailed recountings of the
myths themselves. Understanding these myths and recognizing modern allusions to
these works is foundational to deep understandings of literature. Most often
students will only be introduced to small excerpts of the text. This resource gives
background information on the cultural and mythological gods and goddesses. It
provides clear, academic context for the study of ​
The Odyssey​
and other classical
Greek and Roman literature as well as future classical allusions.
Violence
Mature Content
Religious References
Themes:
(It is encyclopedic in nature.)
Man vs. Nature
The Hero’s Quest
Origin Stories
Nectar in a
Sieve
Kamala
Markandaya
Nectar in a Sieve​
is a moving story of a primitive peasant woman who lives in a small
village in India. As she recalls the obstacles she’s faced and overcame, students learn
the value of persistence. The novel offers an inside look at what life was like in a
small peasant town.
Themes:
Knowledge as power
Truth
Academic Services 2/2015
Mature Content
Novel Review Information
Sophomore
Shadow of
the Dragon
Sherry
Garland
Shadow of the Dragon​
is a coming of age story that follows Vo Dan (“Danny”) Duong
who struggles to fit into his high school while also honoring the values and traditions
of his native Vietnam. Students will experience Danny’s journey into gang affiliation
and what it means to find his own identity.
Violence
Language
Themes:
Family values
Cultural conflict
Historical context
Responsibility
Tradition
Immigration
Taming of
the Shrew,
The
William
Shakespeare
This Shakespearean comedy tells the story of Petruchio’s journey to Padua in search
of a wealthy wife. The humorous battle of wits between Petruchio and Katharina
highlights Shakespeare’s playful comedic style. There are three core values—the
importance of marriage for love rather than convenience; the role of patriarchy in
social structure; and the importance of money and social status. Similarities can be
drawn between Shakespeare’s play and the modern world; however, some issues
have changed due to the difference in context and audience.
Themes:
Gender roles
Personal happiness
Family relationships
Comedy
Academic Services 2/2015
Violence
Language
Mature Content
Novel Review Information
Sophomore
The Woman
Warrior
Maxine Hong
Kingston
The Woman Warrior​
is a series of memoirs which tells the story of five women over
five chapters. The story portrays 20th-century experiences of Chinese Americans
living in the shadow of the Chinese Revolution. The educational value is that students
will be able to analyze how an author’s use of event ordering and manipulation of
time create effects like suspense, mystery, and tension.
Themes:
Family
Bravery
Tradition
Culture
Academic Services 2/2015
Violence