Where can I find a good list of books to assign for book reports?

Question:I am teaching an upper level ESL (English as a second language) class and have assigned a book report as their final project. I am trying to find a good list of books for them to choose from for this book report, but cannot find anything comprehensive or accurate enough.

Does anyone know where I can find a good list of books for these students to read? I am looking, specifically, for a list that concentrates on books that are on a highschool senior / college freshman reading level that would provide (hopefully) a good list of fun and challenging books for these students.

Thanks.



Answers:
well, what books did you read as a high school senior/college freshmen?

also, the list doesn't have to be complete- you can tell them they can pick a book of their own, with your approval. that's what my freshmen english prof. did.
I would ask your local librarian. They are always very helpful and know a lot about the books they carry.
Newbery Awards are always a great source for high school students. A link follows below.
Call around to the local high schools, and see if one of the teachers will give you a list. Also, you may want to limit the books to things that will also enrich your students understanding of the history and culture of our country. For instance- Mark Twain, although banned by many schools, wrote books about southern culture during a certain time period. This might help to open a dialogue about what has changed, and why some of the things that Twain wrote are no longer acceptable in today's society.
Also, Laura Ingalls Wilder books are good and detail a different part of our history and culture.
I am sure that if you check around, you will be able to find many other authors who have written similar historical type books.
Check out this website: http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsschola...
It has all of the books that won Newberry Honor of Newberry Medal. Good quality literature.
Oh I just saw that someone else had that idea as well! So here is another list of quality literature for high school that are not usually read in high school. Hope this helps as well.
http://www.amazon.com/books-dont-read-hi...
Check with your state department of education. They usually publish lists of appropriate books for many things--at least they do in California.

Otherwise, talk to a librarian at the local library. He/She may be able to show you other places where there are lists.
You could look at your public library for a book like this: Reading Lists for College-Bound Students http://www.amazon.com/reading-lists-coll... Contains actual reading lists - straight from the professors' desks - from over 100 colleges and universities nationwide and an annotated list of the 100 books most often recommended by leading schools.

This is another good source: World's Best Thin Books, Revised: What to Read When Your Book Report Is Due by Joni Richards Bodart http://www.amazon.com/worlds-best-thin-b... Students, teachers, and librarians will love this handy little volume that describes 100 titles recommended for middle and high school students. Readable, attention-grabbing - all are less than 200 pages. Each entry lists title and author, provides information on characters, plot, and action, and even suggests topics to cover in a book report. Librarians and teachers will appreciate the inclusion of curricular areas and readability indexes, and students will find the appendix on approaches to writing a book report or booktalk a real gold mine.

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