read aloud
I recommend The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar. It's HILARIOUS!!!! It's about coming of age, learning to be a strong person who stands up for yourself--but the way it's done is great! The book is about some late middle school kids who steal an old lady's cane--they knock over her rocking chair and pour lemonade on her face, then make off with the cane. One boy, David, is only going along with this group because his best friend started to hang with them, and David is trying desperately to fit in, so he can hang onto his friend. David doesn't want to do anything at all to hurt this old lady--but he really, really wants these bad boys to think he's cool--so while he's not the one who steals her cane, or knocks her over, he does flip her off--and the guilt positively CONSUMES him for the rest of the book.
So the book talks about giving the finger--who made it up? Why is my middle finger so much worse to stick up than my pinky? Does your MOTHER know what it means? How long have people been doing it? It's a wonderful and entertaining discussion about respect that goes through the whole novel.
Of course, in the end, David ends up being the old lady's friend (but not friends with those boys). This is also an entertaining look at how David and another boy, also not beloved by the hoodlums, get really nice girlfriends.
I caution you that there is mild language--some incarnation of "ass" shows up several times--#######, fall on your ass, and one time, shove it up your ass. I personally don't have a problem with that with kids over 12. The word "dip####" comes up twice, I think, and it's up to you whether to use that word, or change it to "jerk" or something like that. I don't change anything, and I'll tell you why--the fact that a teacher would read a book that has those words RIVETS their attention.
So this book is definitely more mature, but it is hilarious, and it has EXACTLY the lessons that some of our summer school mess-ups need in their lives. It teaches them to stand up for what's right, and how to say no to things you know better than to do--smoking, bullying, lying. I read this at the very end of sixth grade every year (I don't do this with kids any younger than the end of sixth grade) and they beg for read aloud every day (Are we going to read Boy Who Lost His Face Today?)
I hope you will check it out and read it over the next week, and decide to use it. It is exactly what I would use in middle school summer school.
