Further Information

If you are interested in further recommending or teaching either of the novels I read, here is some additional thoughts and information. 

First off, Golden Compass. This is a wonderfully written novel that would be great in a middle school classroom. The novel is based on the adventure of Lyra, a young girl that is destined to great things. Philip Pullman is able to write the story in the viewpoint of a young girl, but is careful not to "dumb down" the novel. If needed, there is a lot to analyze and teach in the novel, such as symbolism, metaphor, and voice. I found the story line to be original and very interesting. As a perspective teacher, I believe the novel will challenge students while engaging their interest. Since it is a series, this novel could also become a starting point for further reading. 

Oh, by the way, did I mention it's also a movie? This could potentially help visual learners if you wanted to incorporate a few scenes from the film.

The second book I read was City of Bones (along with the rest of the series). I must admit, the author Cassandra Clare does a wonderful job of hooking her reader. The story and the world of Shadowhunters is pretty original, or, it was to me at least. The writing I found to be sub-par. I thought that it was the story that kept me interested and a continual reader. Especially in the first book, I became frustrated with the writing at times. It could be seen as simple, obvious and dull. Although Clare is writing for a teenage audience, the novel seems to be written at a pre-teen level. That being said, it did improve with the series. I mentioned in the previous post that Clare has a prequel series, Clockwork Angel. I happened to read the prequel series earlier this year without knowing it was tied to City of Bones. If I were to recommend one of the novels, I would recommend the prequel. Clockwork Angel is better written, has more interesting characters, is less scandalous, and still obtains a quality story. Both series should be recommended to an older teenage audience. The 5th novel in the City of Bones series reminded me more of True Blood and might be more appropriate for an HBO series then for a teenage girl. 

However, there is a good reason to know about this series. For one, it is very popular and two, it is going to be the next YA movie. The City of Bones movie will come out in 2013 and is sure to be the "next big thing" in the teenage world. As a teacher, it's good to be on the up and up.