Nihilianth
9th April 2011, 11:16 AM
Ok, so it is confirmed that I am to be assigned to teach 5th grade next year, and they recommend that I choose several books for reading material for the class to choose from. The previous teacher has a long list of recommended books, and there are other classroom books available as well.
However, there are three books which stand out in my mind that I remember reading around that age:
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Book #1: This is the book I actually remembered the name of a few days ago, but have since forgotten again. lol.
It is about a boy, who is the main character (I think he's like 12 or 13), and who lives with his mother, and I think he had a sister. The father went missing for several years. I THINK he was an experimental pilot for hte Air Force or something, but am very unclear about that.
In any case, the father is not around, and some how or other the boy got tangled up in an experimental scientific theory about the folding of space, and being able to use it to travel between the stars. Somehow or other, the boy ended up using the the theory, I think to look for his father or something, and wound up on an Earth-like planet. The major differences: This planet was all nice and neat, and orderly. TOO orderly. The streets and houses were TOO perfect. Same with the trees, and the lawns, and so forth. It turns out, the planet and it's inhabitant are controlled by a huge over-sized brain. The boy (and I think along with his sister) get arrested, and thrown in prison. They were to eventually meet up with this master-brain character, and before they do so, they run into their father, whom they have not seen in years!
So, they go in front of this big brain character thing, and it starts taking over their minds. In order to resist, they had to recite things like the multiplication table, the Star Spangled Banner, the Gettysburg Address. (Those are the three specific things I remember them reciting.) The point was, to resist the brain, and to remember their home planet or Earth. To remember that it still exists, and that the mother is at home, waiting for them.
In the end, they were able to defeat the rain, and ended up getting home safe and sound, and live happily ever after.
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Book #2: This is a book with a rather infuriating cliff-hangar at the end. This is great, because I am supposed to touch on teaching about cliff-hangars as part of the curriculum.
This, too, is a book with the main character being a boy of about 12 or 13. He is living all by himself, in a completely unoccupied valley. His family, for whatever reason, left him all alone. The father had earlier (I think) packed up and left to fight in "The War." Eventually, the mother, and some other sibling I think the boy had either died, or left. I, for the life of me, cannot remember what happened to those particular characters.
In any case, the boy is in this valley, all by himself (I don;t think the book specifies for how long.) He is able to take care of himself just fine, and has a ready supply of clean spring water in the creek which flows through the valley. The boy never ventures beyond his little home, for outside the valley is all dark, and bleak, and dreary.
Eventually, one day, someone come stumbling into his little slice of paradise. It is a man, wearing NBC-type military clothing. He had a gas mask, and all kinds of other gear. The kid, being a young boy, is naturally frightened, but curious. His curiosity gets the better of him, and he approaches the man, who collapses into the stream.
The boy finds out this man is sick. He is delirious, and so forth. I do not remember what all the man tells the kid. I think he tells him all about The War, and the results from the war. (You find out it was basically WWIII, and the rest of the planet seems quite dead, but you never really find out if there are any other pockets of survival.)
Anyway, eventually the man dies. The boy undresses the man, and takes the gear for himself, and decides once and for all to leave his safe little valley behind in order to explore the world. As he goes into the bleakness of the world outside the valley, the book comes to an infuriating end.
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Book #3: Once again, the main character is a 12 year-old boy, "coming of age." He lives with both his parents, and I think he has a sister or something. But that isn't important.
As you read the book, the setting is really strange. You find out that he is the only one with "bright eyes, and light-colored hair..." or vice-versa? In any case, the book only describes peoples' eyes as being "light" or "dark." (I forget. The boy is the odd one out in this community. Either he is the only one with "light-colored eyes and hair," or he is the only one with "dark-colored eyes and hair.")
In any case, the community is a perfectly ordered community. Perhaps a bit TOO perfect! The boy, being the strange one, is sent to speak with the village-elder, and to become the net "wise one" or whatever. After speaking with him the first time, he goes to school, and notices the apple on the teacher's desk changes suddenly, and becomes indescribably different-looking than what he was used to seeing it. Scared the crap out of the kid! lol.
He went back to speak with the old man again, and explained to him what he saw. The old man agreed the kid was "ready" or whatever. So he began to teach the kid about "color." (Up until this point, the book never reveals that everyone can only see in black and white, and shades of gray.) But the boy begins to see more and more colors. The sky is blue. Clouds are white. Grass is green. Etc.
Eventually, the kid is sent out of the community to go exploring on his own. (It must be mentioned that nobody ever stepped foot passet one certain point in the town.)
As the boy treks out on his own, he discovers that the land is not flat. He comes to a large and looming mountain, and begins to ascend along a road. Eventually, it begins to get cold (something else he never experienced before.) Then snow began to fall and lay on the ground. Again, this is a brand new experience. He has dreams of kids sledding in the snow, and having a great time. He dreams of a kid flying off the sled, and breaking an arm. At which point, the boy slips and breaks his own arm. He feels excruciating pain (he never felt pain in his entire life.)
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Beyond that, I forget how the book comes to an end. I think he eventually comes back to the community, and replaces the previous community elder, as he eventually dies or something.
I don't remember with very great detail much about these three books, as you can tell. I remember them, specifically because they were a couple of my favorite books I've ever read. I haven't touched any of them in over a decade (probably in the mid to late 90s when I last read them.) In fact, I think I only read each of them just once, except for the first one.
So, based on these descriptions, can anyone help me out here? I would totally appreciate it!
However, there are three books which stand out in my mind that I remember reading around that age:
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Book #1: This is the book I actually remembered the name of a few days ago, but have since forgotten again. lol.
It is about a boy, who is the main character (I think he's like 12 or 13), and who lives with his mother, and I think he had a sister. The father went missing for several years. I THINK he was an experimental pilot for hte Air Force or something, but am very unclear about that.
In any case, the father is not around, and some how or other the boy got tangled up in an experimental scientific theory about the folding of space, and being able to use it to travel between the stars. Somehow or other, the boy ended up using the the theory, I think to look for his father or something, and wound up on an Earth-like planet. The major differences: This planet was all nice and neat, and orderly. TOO orderly. The streets and houses were TOO perfect. Same with the trees, and the lawns, and so forth. It turns out, the planet and it's inhabitant are controlled by a huge over-sized brain. The boy (and I think along with his sister) get arrested, and thrown in prison. They were to eventually meet up with this master-brain character, and before they do so, they run into their father, whom they have not seen in years!
So, they go in front of this big brain character thing, and it starts taking over their minds. In order to resist, they had to recite things like the multiplication table, the Star Spangled Banner, the Gettysburg Address. (Those are the three specific things I remember them reciting.) The point was, to resist the brain, and to remember their home planet or Earth. To remember that it still exists, and that the mother is at home, waiting for them.
In the end, they were able to defeat the rain, and ended up getting home safe and sound, and live happily ever after.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Book #2: This is a book with a rather infuriating cliff-hangar at the end. This is great, because I am supposed to touch on teaching about cliff-hangars as part of the curriculum.
This, too, is a book with the main character being a boy of about 12 or 13. He is living all by himself, in a completely unoccupied valley. His family, for whatever reason, left him all alone. The father had earlier (I think) packed up and left to fight in "The War." Eventually, the mother, and some other sibling I think the boy had either died, or left. I, for the life of me, cannot remember what happened to those particular characters.
In any case, the boy is in this valley, all by himself (I don;t think the book specifies for how long.) He is able to take care of himself just fine, and has a ready supply of clean spring water in the creek which flows through the valley. The boy never ventures beyond his little home, for outside the valley is all dark, and bleak, and dreary.
Eventually, one day, someone come stumbling into his little slice of paradise. It is a man, wearing NBC-type military clothing. He had a gas mask, and all kinds of other gear. The kid, being a young boy, is naturally frightened, but curious. His curiosity gets the better of him, and he approaches the man, who collapses into the stream.
The boy finds out this man is sick. He is delirious, and so forth. I do not remember what all the man tells the kid. I think he tells him all about The War, and the results from the war. (You find out it was basically WWIII, and the rest of the planet seems quite dead, but you never really find out if there are any other pockets of survival.)
Anyway, eventually the man dies. The boy undresses the man, and takes the gear for himself, and decides once and for all to leave his safe little valley behind in order to explore the world. As he goes into the bleakness of the world outside the valley, the book comes to an infuriating end.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Book #3: Once again, the main character is a 12 year-old boy, "coming of age." He lives with both his parents, and I think he has a sister or something. But that isn't important.
As you read the book, the setting is really strange. You find out that he is the only one with "bright eyes, and light-colored hair..." or vice-versa? In any case, the book only describes peoples' eyes as being "light" or "dark." (I forget. The boy is the odd one out in this community. Either he is the only one with "light-colored eyes and hair," or he is the only one with "dark-colored eyes and hair.")
In any case, the community is a perfectly ordered community. Perhaps a bit TOO perfect! The boy, being the strange one, is sent to speak with the village-elder, and to become the net "wise one" or whatever. After speaking with him the first time, he goes to school, and notices the apple on the teacher's desk changes suddenly, and becomes indescribably different-looking than what he was used to seeing it. Scared the crap out of the kid! lol.
He went back to speak with the old man again, and explained to him what he saw. The old man agreed the kid was "ready" or whatever. So he began to teach the kid about "color." (Up until this point, the book never reveals that everyone can only see in black and white, and shades of gray.) But the boy begins to see more and more colors. The sky is blue. Clouds are white. Grass is green. Etc.
Eventually, the kid is sent out of the community to go exploring on his own. (It must be mentioned that nobody ever stepped foot passet one certain point in the town.)
As the boy treks out on his own, he discovers that the land is not flat. He comes to a large and looming mountain, and begins to ascend along a road. Eventually, it begins to get cold (something else he never experienced before.) Then snow began to fall and lay on the ground. Again, this is a brand new experience. He has dreams of kids sledding in the snow, and having a great time. He dreams of a kid flying off the sled, and breaking an arm. At which point, the boy slips and breaks his own arm. He feels excruciating pain (he never felt pain in his entire life.)
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Beyond that, I forget how the book comes to an end. I think he eventually comes back to the community, and replaces the previous community elder, as he eventually dies or something.
I don't remember with very great detail much about these three books, as you can tell. I remember them, specifically because they were a couple of my favorite books I've ever read. I haven't touched any of them in over a decade (probably in the mid to late 90s when I last read them.) In fact, I think I only read each of them just once, except for the first one.
So, based on these descriptions, can anyone help me out here? I would totally appreciate it!