top of page
Search

9th Grade Choice Reading Unit

Updated: Sep 23

The Practical EnglishTeacher is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.


As part of my graduate program, we had to take a YA lit class which made me happy and sad. Happy because there are so many amazing YA lit books out there. Sad because...I couldn't figure out how I was supposed to squeeze them into a school year. I have tried a few different ways of trying to integrate YA lit into class, which you will see iterations of in a few different posts, but this particular year, I carved out time during "testing season" to give students time to read YA lit book (or other classics, if they wanted) that connected to the classics we had studied as part of the class. Testing season was the perfect time to give kids time and flexibility to read because the normal school day is all crazy and I never have a full class of kids.


This particular year, we had studied Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Romeo & Juliet, Lord of the Flies, and The Odyssey, so for the choice reading unit, I chose books connected to these classics. Below are the books I chose and how they connected to our core texts or other core 9th grade classes (world history & biology).


Book cover of "Night" by Elie Wiesel. Gray tones with a haunting, blurred image. Text notes a new preface and Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize.


Book cover for "Survival in Auschwitz" by Primo Levi. Dark background, abstract image in center. Includes afterword by Levi and Roth.


Close-up of a woman with blonde hair and closed eyes, on a book cover with the title North of Beautiful by Justine Chen Headley. Subtle serene mood.


Book cover for "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. Features falling dominoes on a brown background. Text: "Success with Bridge of Clay" sticker.

Nonfiction. Connects to history & WWII.

​Nonfiction; connects to history & WWII.

​A girl with a wine birthmark on her face has to navigate her terrible father and passive mother. Connects to The Odyssey-many allusions to journeys , growth, and challenges.

​Just thinking about this book makes me cry. Connections to WWII/the Holocaust. Beautiful writing.



A person leans against a tree by a reflective river, set in a lush landscape. Text: "Crossing Stones" by Helen Frost. Calm, serene mood.


Green book cover of "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson, features a leaf and bird design. Text includes "The Classic that Launched the Environmental Movement."


Book cover of "The Iliad" by Homer, with stylized ancient warrior art in red. Blue banner reads "The Iliad." Translated by Robert Fagles.


Cover of "The Hobbit" 75th Anniversary Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien. Features mountains, a red sun, and dark sky with flying birds.


Men and boys in 19th-century attire on a street; one man wears a top hat and red scarf. Cover text: "Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens." Mood: somber.

​Novel in verse; connection to WW1 & women's suffrage.

​Nonfiction; Biologist reports on the effects of DDT. Launches the environmental movement. Connects to biology.

​Actually enjoyed listening to this, for some reason. Connects to The Odyssey.

Connects to The Odyssey.

​History-Industrial Revolution



Cover of "West Side Story: A Musical" shows a man and woman joyfully dancing on a street. Text features authors and contributors.


Red book cover for "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak. Features a playing card figure on a red background, with a silver award sticker.


Silhouetted figures hold hands under a starry sky with a treehouse. "Marcelo in the Real World" by Francisco X. Stork is the text.


Black book cover of "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, featuring a gold mockingjay pin central against a black background.


Illustrated cover of "American Born Chinese" by Gene Luen Yang. A boy holds a toy, with a gold medal and mountains on a yellow background.

Forbidden love in the '50's. Connects to Romeo & Juliet.

​A down and out dude starts finding mysterious playing cards in his mailbox. Heroic journey-connects to The Odyssey.

​A teenager with Asperger's Syndrome has to work in his dad's law firm for the summer. Heroic journey-connects to The Odyssey.

Kids battle to the death. Connects to Lord of the Flies.

Three stories combine into one to comment on Asian American identity. Connects to ninth grade theme of identity.



If there are any YA lit books that you enjoy pairing with classics, please feel free to leave your ideas in the comments below!

© 2022 The Practical English Teacher

bottom of page