There's a question I've been curious about since the beginning of the semester concerning everything we have read and have yet to read. Do you guys think there's more to the Twlilight series than meets the eye? What are some popular books that you find are good to bring into the classroom?

I have friends who loved the Twilight books, and I read them to see what the fuss was about. I thought I'd get a surprise, or at least something pretty interesting. Instead, I was met with an underdeveloped storyline, unbelievable characters, and mediocre character development and depth in general. The book was poorly written, and seemed to be trying so hard to be deep and provocative--but it was a miss altogether. Everything that happened was completely unrealistic, and it had nothing to do with the plot about vampires and wolves. A good book will suck you in, tooth and nail, and make you believe anything. Many of my favorite books have fantasy storylines. This was just silly.

I know it is a young adult novel; it meets the criteria pretty well. Parents take a backseat to let their teenage children carry the story. It concerns issues of love and friendship, bravery and taking chances. However, these issues were not explored to the extent or direction that good books are able to. It was about lust, and not about real connection. The friendships were structured and lacked depth and weren't real relationships. Lastly, the bravery and action were frenzied and pointless. Very staged. I felt like saying, "Whoa! Were are we going now? Um, okay...I'll go along." I could feel the book trying to manipulate me into feeling the action--but it wasn't going well. It felt laughable.

The books that we have read work on a much higher level--like the difference between a five-star steak and a burnt hamburger. All of them are different, and we liked some more than others, but all of them work in different ways to get a truly worthy message across. Looking for Alaska, Speak, Make Lemonade, Monster, American Born Chinese, and more. Yes, many of them have swearing, sex, and other controversial issues. However, they possess a worthy depth and substance that I can't describe. They make you feel for the characters and really consider your personal convictions. There's growth involved. There's a good reason for students to be able to read them and talk through the issues involved.

There are some books (like Twilight, in my opinion) that you couldn't have those conversations about because there's nothing to work with. But there are plenty of great books that kids really love that are really worth the read. What books have you guys heard of that you are glad that kids read? How about the Harry Potter series, or even the books that we grew up reading? How about books that you grew up reading, and did they seem like good selections to teach? I'm curious about what everyone thinks about current and past popular teen books.