This post was originally meant to help a teacher find material, not argue about philosophy, OTD or who-knows-what. If you have a problem with secular literature being taught in schools, could you please do many of us a favor and begin a new thread elsewhere? Thank you.
That said; some great titles would include:
– The Mysterious Island and The Meteor Hunt (both by Jules Verne) – technically The Mysterious Island is a sequel to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”, but it can be read as a standalone, and is much more exciting to a modern reader than its predecessor. The Mysterious Island is also more of an adventure book, while The Meteor Hunt is a bit more complex thematically.
-To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) -Usually read somewhere between 8th and 10th grade in most high schools, but if your girls haven’t read it yet they may enjoy it. That being said, every year we teach it at my school there is at least one girl (or her parents) who objects to the language and subject matter, so be ready with a back-up if you choose this novel.
-Life is So Good: One Man’s Extraordinary Journey through the 20th Century and How he Learned to Read at Age 98 – While the first chapter details the author’s eye witness account of a lynching, overall the book is clean and very inspirational/upbeat. You could also use it to teach literary devices such as perspective, voice, and setting.
-The Crazy Man (Pamela Porter) – This book is pretty popular among Canadian English Teachers right now. Clean, interesting and written in a very unique format. Definitely worth checking out.
-The Human Comedy (William Saroyan) – Easy to understand and analyze, and has some great themes and devices to explore. The ending is sad, and there is one chapter (page and a half long) you may choose to skip.
-Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass – Plenty of humor if you’re looking for upbeat work and will get your student’s heads working hard as they try to untangle the puns and meanings. If you do use this, be aware that there are plenty of sick people out there who will attempt to explain the books in disgusting lights. Ignore them.
-Call of the Wild and White Fang – Great books; they’re neither depressing nor upbeat. They sort of just “are”. They’re written well and are interesting though.