Book Challenge #2: 111 Books in 2011

I found my second book challenge: The Centurions of 2011: 111 Books by January 2012!. Post your books each month, choosing one as your "Must Read" to total twelve favorites for the year. All genres of books are welcome!

First Book Challenge 2011

I have decided upon my first book challenge for 2011: Dana Huff's Books I Should Have Read in School, but Didn’t Challenge Something I do not often admit to my students or even my own daughter, is that I was a fake reader in high school. I did not like being told what I had to read, much less spending so much valuable reading time on one novel. So as to rebel, I just opted to not read what was on the required list.

Obviously, I was able to get through Grad school, so my methods worked. But, now, I am in a different place in my life. With my daughter reaching the age of also being told what she "has to read" for her AP English classes, I figured this would be the perfect time to start reading all of those books that were on the "mandatory list."

My goal for this book challenge is at least 12 books that I feel I should have read in school. Most of my choices will come from high school, but being an elementary librarian, I will also choose a few elementary novels that I know I have avoided over the years, mainly so I can have that rich conversation with my students.

The #1 position goes to: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, 1960.

I think Atticus can sum it up perfectly for why I am starting this challenge: "When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness' sake. But don't make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles 'em." ~Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird