The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

              I think that this text could be really valuable to use in a classroom, with not a lot of obstacles and having it be so relevant to the greater Spokane area I think Alexie uses his own experience well to construct a book with relatable themes and appropriate messages for students. This book is already used widely in schools and has found its way on the approved list for texts to use with teacher’s lessons. Since it is already so well received I don’t see this text having any issues as far as administrative approval or parental approval. This book works with topics that students by not know a lot about and explores them in an easy to read way that wouldn’t be difficult for students to understand. I personally love this book, I read it for the first time over the summer going into my junior year of college. I was exposed to this book because a program that I worked for was giving them to students entering college, and we all received one to read over the summer as well. I think that this book does have a lower reading level, I worked through it very quickly so with that in mind I would most likely use this text anywhere from middle school to high school keeping in mind that students in high school would get through it quickly. Scholastic rates this book as being used for grades 9-12 but if students in middle school were reading at a higher level I would have no doubt that they could handle this text. I appreciate that Alexie talks so much about life on the reservation, I think this is something that we need to talk more about, but it is not necessarily something that student who are not Native American would know anything about. I am not sure how I would use this text in my class unless we were reading other works of fiction, if we were studying local authors, analyzing writing style or technique, I love the content of the book but as far as lesson planning goes I would have to come up with a very intentional way to utilize this book with my students without just glazing over it.

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

              The Education of Margot Sanchez is a book that explores a lot of themes that I think are important for young adults to explore; however, I am not sure if it would be appropriate in every classroom setting. This book does say that it is appropriate for ages 14 and up but considering the books content and language I think some students wouldn’t be mature enough for it. I think that a book like this would be great for a summer reading list, or a book to keep in your classroom library for students to read on their own, I don’t think that this is a book that I would teach as a part of a curriculum. This book follows the character, Margot, or as others call her “princessesa” but she prefers Margot. She has just recently started high school, a fancy rich high school where she finds herself not fitting in. I think that the theme most easily explored in this book would be the nonconformity aspect of high school, social pressures, friends, and relationships. All of these themes are relevant in any high school, for any student regardless of where they grew up or what they are going through. This book while it does have its fair share of obstacles, also is extremely relatable. This book is also written in English but with some Spanish in it as well because Margot and her family are Spanish-American. I think that this is another huge selling point to a lot of students that might want to read something that is familiar to them, but to others could be a challenge. If a student doesn’t know Spanish or anything about the culture this book could be difficult at times and a lot of the references might be lost on them. I don’t think that this is an obstacle per say but I do think it is something that would cause some students to either lose interest or take longer to finish. Overall, this book was amazing, it was a quick read that I was very invested in, the story is captivating and engages you from beginning to end. This book, while I might not want to teach thinking about it now, might find its way into my classroom one day; however, with the content it would be one I would get approval on if it wasn’t already.