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SCHOOLERS BOOK-MANIA
By Nathan Chang

ISSUE: THE RIGHT BOOK FOR SCHOOLERS

ES FOR
FAIRY TAL
Grades 1-3)
(
S
R
E
N
IN
BEG

(Left) Two teenagers are reading

a book that is
obviously not
appropriate for
their age. This
could affect their
way of thinking if
done continuously

JUNE 2016

BOOKS AND STUDENTS: THE UNENDING WAR?

FINDING OUT REASONS WHY STUDENTS HATE BOOKS
Books and students have been enemies

It is observed that students argue

The easiest way in knowing what is

for some time, a problem that both

whether reading books are actually

students impression about books is

teachers and parents have struggled for a

helpful for our daily life purposes or only

interviewing them right away. I am

long time. Not all students do, but most

a waste of time. They debate over

choosing to interview some fifteen ninth

of them have a bad impression on books.

whether by reading books, students can

graders in order to understand their

In this article, I am going to discuss what

get something beneficial from it,

point of view of reading books. The

is actually the cause of students to hate

whether for educational purposes, social,

graph below stated the result of the

books, the books they are reading, and

or morality. They also disagree of having

interview; it shows how most of the

whether it is appropriate or not. We will

to read books that are of their age and

students agreed that reading books

find out at the end whether it is book or

grade level, having already reading

could help with our socialization,

the student that is actually the source of

books that far above their age, even

especially our fluency in speaking.

this war.

inappropriate ones.

However, most of them also think that

INSIDE THIS ARTICLE:

Some reasons of the importance of suitable book reading according
to experts.
List of books suitable for eighth graders. ((Right) A boy is reading a
Harry Potter series book, a book suitable enough for his age)

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Lorem Ipsum

List of BOOKS based on their

(Right) A child
is frustrated

GRADE LEVELS:

with one of his

Here are some lists of popular books

according to their grade levels. This is
based on Scholastics classification.
Preschool My ABC Book

homework,

Beginners (Kindergarten) -

personal

Grades 1 - The Judy Moody series

reading level.

which tells him

to read a text
that is over his

Grades 2 Geronimo Stilton series

reading books have no relationship

Grades 3 The 39 Clues

with education, and is has no use at

Grades 4 - Spirit Animals series

Grades 5 Diary of the Wimpy Kid series
by Jeff Kinney
Grades 6 Harry Potter series by J.K.
Rowling
Grades 7 Hunger Games series by
Suzanne Collins
Grades 8 Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.
Tolkien

all. They concluded that by reading

books does not help with the final
scores they get in assessments. This is
another

problem,

because

contributing factors I personally faced

such as laziness in studying is also the
cause for unsatisfying scores.

third wheel.
Laura Robb is a teacher, consultant,
and writer of several books related to
teaching students in a different way. She
explained

in

one

of

Differentiating Reading

her

books,

Instructions,

(2008) how some of her students in

class, as she have observed, have
different reading grade levels. Some

So, according to the ninth graders

students with the capability of reading

interviewed, books are helpful in some

grade levels above their current grade

Grades 9 I am Number Four series by

Pittacus Lore

cases, such as language fluency. In

level have no problem when teacher

Grades 10 Divergent series by Veronica

Roth

other perception, it is blamed for not

distributes

helping with their education at all;

However, those that are below have

however contributing factors such as

difficulty. They will not understand what

laziness in studying may support this.

they are reading, they will be scolded by

So, books win a point from students

the teacher because of their scores, and at

for helping them in language fluency,

the end, they will hate and blame the

and students win a point too for

books for the luck they got at school.

blaming books. Is this it? Both books

Accumulatively, this will cause education

and students started the war? The

retardation for the students.

Grades 11 Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain
Grades 12 The Fault in our Stars by
John Green

answers no, lets take a look at the

reading

assignments.

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In order to solve this problem, Laura
Robb explains how teachers need to
give out the reading assignments
according to each students grade level
and not to their current reading level.
Through that way, students will have
more understanding in what they are
actually reading. Teachers also should
handle the students with care, not by
scolding them, and consult with as with
what they like, and the genres they

possibly loved.
So, after all, it is not only the books
and students that are actually starting
the hate war. Teachers also participated
in it. If teachers jump in the war and did
what Laura Robb explained, the war can
cease, and gradually students will start

STEPS to make STUDENTS love BOOKS:

(According to Laura Robbs book entitled
Differentiating Reading Instructions)

liking books. It is just a matter of finding

the right book for students. The

1. Distribute reading texts to students based

unending war has just been officially

on their personal reading level

ended. (11/2/2016)

2. Let them read the given text

3. Supervise their activity
4. Dont yell or scold at them when they
dont do the assignment
5. Approach students softly in a conference
6. Ask students what genres they like
7. Try suggesting them books that match
their genre
8. Look at the result after they finish reading
the books

THE VIRUS OF YOUNG MINDS

BAD BOOKS AND THEIR EFFECT ON YOUNG READERS

*This method has already been proven to

work on students.

We have read earlier that teachers need to distribute it according to their reading capability, because theyre reading level is left
behind. How about if the students are reading books that are way above their grade level, books that are sometimes containing
appropriate scenarios and languages? Parents and teachers question whether this will actually affect them with their current thinking, or
will it be okay, because eventually theyll turn to grown-ups?
Another interview is made, this time to Ms. Rai Sutarsih, a senior teacher in Highscope and graduate of a Literature university.
She explained about the danger of reading inappropriate booksbooks that are definitely not made for students. According to her
experience in reading books, some books are classified as inappropriate for children and teenagers. These are the books that contain:
continuous and done-in-purpose violence, constant profanity, nudity and porn, and the people from wests moral, that defies morals
from east people. These are the things parents, teachers, and the students need to consider before buying or reading a book.

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Violence means behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or
something (New Oxford American Dictionary, 2015). Little violence can be tolerated, because parents
can still direct young minds. However, if violence in the book is actually done continuously and
purposely, teenagers will develop a different thinking in my mind, which is thinking that violence is
okay, and its fine doing it. Accumulatively, teenagers mind will be developing in a bad way.
Another one is profanity, or in other words, known more general as bad words. Books that are
using profanity constantly, especially when the heroes uses it too, can affect young minds. At the end,
they will also use bad words like it is normal everyday words. Their way of thinking will change;
because those books teach teenagers that saying bad words are fine.
The most obvious and common is nudity or porn. When those things are included in a book,

(Top) Some students develop bad

behavior of profanity or bad word
from the books they read. To west
people, bad words may be a daily
language, but east morals are
different.

DANGERS of BAD BOOKS:

(According to Ms. Rai

and teenagers, unbeknownst, read those, something will happen with their brain (continued below),

Sutarsih, senior teacher at

the way they think. Porn does more damage to a childs way of thinking then drugs, because of its

HighScope)

addictive result. It will cause a strong addiction

According to her, people from the east should

whats good or bad for him or

that will harm a childs way of deciding what is

maintain east moral, because we are from the

good or bad. This will cause the reader in the

east, not from the west. If west people think that

future to not be able to determine what is good

is all right, then let them think what is right; but

for him and what is bad.

we are east people, and they should not affect

The last one, according to her opinion, is

us. Parents are suggested to guide students as

people from the wests moral. East people and

they read these books, seeing how much west

west people have a different way of thinking

books dominate bookstores.

whether a particular thing is actually acceptable

So, these are the factors that teenagers need

or not. This is not about racism, but about

to consider before reading or buying a book. It

keeping easts moral from being affected by

may took a long time for us to decide whether

wests. Some most common are saying bad

the book is good or bad, but it is better than

words as day-to-day language and violence, but

getting our brains, morals, and way of thinking

lately, another has developed. LGBT has grown

damaged. Parents too should help guide their

popular in the west, something that defies east

children to avoid reading those books and

morals. Ms. Rai explained that when reading

developing a bad way of thinking. Ms. Rai

books that contain west morals, such as LGBT,

concluded that book is helpful, but not when it

could affect the readers mind and morals.

has inappropriate factors. (12/2/2016)

1. Difficulty in determining
herself
2. Getting used to bad
behaviors, such as bad words
and violence
3. Affected by west morals,
that can affect what east
morals had thought them

(Up) Two students are fighting,

thinking that by doing so they will
look cool. This can happen from
continuous reading of bad books.

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WHATS MY RIGHT BOOK?

CHOOSING THE SUIT ABLE BOOK FOR YOUR READING LEVEL
Patterson. There are also some classical
books, such as science fictional genre
Journey to the Center of the Earth and
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the
Sea by Jules Verne, drama genres like
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, or
even biographies such as the book
Eight graders have their own reading

are personally in, we can start looking up

entitled Steve Jobs: The Man Who

levels. So do first graders, second, and

in the Internet what books could possibly

Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal.

so on. Choosing the right book

match

according our personal grade level is

GoodReads is one of the most trustable

more

because

websites that you can count on when you

through that way, we are able to

want to look up a book that matches your

understand what we are reading, and

likeness.

important

though,

will not be stuck in a certain grade level

for a long time.

our

taste.

Scholastic

and

Here are some examples of books

according to their grade levels. Im just

In reading, buying books that

going to discuss books that are suitable

according to our educational reading

for eighth grade level reading. If youre

grade level (school) is not always

an eighth grader, and you like reading

necessary.

is

thrilling genres, you can always look up

identifying what is our current personal

for these titles: The Hunger Games by

reading level, the reading level in which

Suzanne Collins, The Giver series by Lois

we still understand what we are

Lowry, or perhaps a more post-

reading. We also need to know what

apocalyptic genre like Maze Runner by

genre we mostly like; could it be science

James Dashner. If you would rather

fiction, horror, adventure, or fantasy?

choose adventurous-superhero themed

When we know what we genre we like

books, there are Spirit Animals and

most, and the possible grade level we

Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James

Whats

necessary

These

are

some

of

the

recommendations, but its actually up to

you to decide what books you actually
like. Its your decision to make; youre
free to decide whether you want to look
up books from these websites (down) or
from other websites. Just one thing you
need to note, reading is fun, but only if
you know what book suits you.
(15/2/16)
Here are some official websites that
you can visit and look at books
placed orderly based on their
reading level:
1.http://store.scholastic.com/shop/Book
s-8th-Graders/4502~4518~7~4552
(The books here are for eighth graders,
but other grades are also accessible)
2. http://goodreads.com/
(Here are some list of popular books for
each grade levels)