15 YA Books for Reluctant Readers

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Middle and high school English teachers, especially those with classroom libraries or an independent reading requirement, have to please a wide variety of student readers. But how do we help the students who lack the interest, time, or motivation to read?

I recently asked several English teachers to share fiction titles for reluctant or picky readers that are appropriate for a secondary classroom, and here are the results. Though they vary in terms of being best for middle school, high school, or both, many of these have exciting plots to keep reluctant readers turning the page.

18 YA Retellings of Myths, Legends, and Fairy Tales

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Many readers LOVE modern-day versions of an older fairy tale, myth, or legend. If you live in a state that uses Common Core standards, you might also be faced with a Reading Literature standard that asks students to specifically read a retelling.

To help with that, I recently asked several English teachers to share great YA fiction titles that are appropriate for a secondary classroom (middle or high school), and here are the results.

15+ STEM-friendly Books for Teens

Whether you teach in a STEM school, want to inspire your students, or want to reflect a wider variety of student interests in your classroom library, there are many outstanding books to bring into a middle or high school classroom!

I recently asked several English teachers to share fiction OR nonfiction titles that are appropriate for a secondary classroom, and here are the results.

Choosing an Order of Topics in Grammar Instruction

On social media and TpT, the most frequent question I receive is how I choose the order of topics when I teach grammar.

Truthfully, my sequence of grammar instruction varies a bit from year to year, depending on what students already know. (Check out my grammar diagnostic tests one and two for that.) However, I’ve learned over the past seven years that the order matters more for some topics than others.

15 YA Books that Celebrate Diversity

Now that publishing is finally showcasing a wider variety of historical and contemporary stories, teachers are trying to stock as many of them as possible in their classrooms.

I recently asked several English teachers to share fiction with diverse authors or stories (that are appropriate for a secondary classroom), and here are the results.

24 Poetry Books for Secondary English

I’m constantly on the hunt for novels-in-verse, anthologies, and other types of poetry books that teens will find addictive and accessible, especially now that so many marginalized voices are finally being represented more in print.

I recently asked some of my wisest teacher friends to recommend their favorite poetry books on Instagram, and here’s what they said!

20+ Books About Women for Teens

The publishing industry is catching up to publishing the untold stories of women all over the world. In honor of Women's History Month, I wanted to find more great titles to possibly bring into a secondary ELA classroom library.

I recently asked several English teachers to share book titles about inspiring women that are appropriate for a secondary classroom, and here are the results.

22 Love Stories for Secondary Classroom Libraries

Romantic plotlines can help engage teen readers like little else, and even the love between friends or family members will deepen the emotional impact of a book on its reader.

I recently asked several English teachers to share romantic book titles that are appropriate for a secondary classroom, and here are the results.

22 Inspirational Books for Secondary English Classrooms

Stories about heroes motivate readers like few other books do. Whether it's mythology, a fictional hero, or real-world nonfiction, we want to cheer for characters who overcome and make a difference.

I recently asked several English teachers to share fiction OR nonfiction titles about inspiring books that are appropriate for a secondary classroom, and here are the results.

5 Standardized Test Tricks for READING Sections

Almost all of my tutoring students in the last 10 years have made the same mistakes while taking the Reading portion of the ACT and SAT. They struggle with...