CCAC CI Cycle 8 Executive Summary and Recommendations - EII Fall Book Clubs

	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	Vetting and Review Criteria: 1. Diversity: Exposes students to new ideas, perspectives, and experiences; students see themselves in the books 2. Student Appeal: Variety of reading levels and topics 3. Literary Merit: Awards, positive professional reviews, compelling characters, exemplary author’s craft and story telling 4. Alignment to Curricular Goals: The text matches the unit focus and can be used to teach the English Language Arts skills specific to the unit of study 5. Student Navigation of Text, Topics, and Themes: Is the content sensitive? Is the content age appropriate? Can the book stand on its own without needing a lot of supplemental adult support? Will students understand what is going on?
2	Vetting Criteria CCAC Response Summary English 2 Social Justice: A Study of Moral Dilemmas April 2021	% of Ratings of "Keep as Selection: Adequately Meets Criteria"	% of Ratings of "Keep but may require advisement"	% Ratings of "Concerns in this area sufficient to consider repurposing"	Summary of Commentary	Action
3	American Street by Ibi Zoboi	30%	0%	70%	The author immerses the reader into the main character's life and the struggles of a young Haitian immigrant. As the main character becomes more comfortable in her new surroundings, the text becomes easier to follow. Concerns included profanity (including f- word, n-word), violence, drugs, and non-graphic sexual scene (pg. 280-81).	May meet criteria. Title paused for 20-21 book clubs pending board policy re: language.
4	Americanized: Rebel without a Green Card by Sara Saedi	71%	6%	23%	This book gives a perspective of the journey of an undocumented Iranian immigrant living in the U.S. to becoming a U.S. citizen. Although accessible, readers might benefit from a graphic organizer timeline to keep events organized as well as second language learners might need support with sarcasm. Concerns include references to sex and drugs as well as disregard to society rules (ex. lying about date of birth to attend school earlier (pg. 216), lying about address so the kids can attend the desired school (pg. 23).	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
5	Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos	100%	0%	0%	This book provides representation of many different racial groups and varying experiences of immigration. There are characters who have legal immigration status, those who do not, and those who are seeking out various types of legal documentation. It's very informative about the immigration system in the United States in the form of a very relatable story.	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
6	Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson	100%	0%	0%	The perspective of a minority lawyer working in the justice system and the stories of the convicted would definitely expose students to new ideas and perspectives. The young adult adapted version allows students reading at various reading levels to understand the content. This book aligns to a unit theme of moral dilemmas. This book deals with heavy topics such as incarceration, crime, and racism, but in the book it is presented in a way that students can handle both in their own independent reading and in book club discussions. Teachers might want to find the statistics for the state of Texas, so that students can see the difference between Texas and Alabama where the story takes place.	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
7	Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know by Samira Ahmed	85%	0%	15%	This book will expose students to multicultural characters, minority group characters of highly affluent means, characters motivated by educational goals and driven for future careers, different religions, and allows students to see themselves in this book. The story is easy to navigate. A concern included the lower reading level and the flat and static characters. The content is age appropriate and not sensitive.	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
8	New Boy: William Shakespeare's Othello Retold: A Novel by Tracy Chevalier	15%	45%	40%	A retelling of Othello, this novel takes place in the 70s which could lead to interesting conversations with parents. This text does not have a lot of diversity and does not explore racial tensions beyond the surface level. This text is written at a lower reading level and characters aren't fully developed. There is some sensitive material (eg. race, sexual thoughts). Strong readers might consider reading Othello and compare with the adaptation.	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs. Concerns do not warrant removal. A suggestion includes pairing Othello by Shakespeare with this retelling.
9	Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich	93%	3%	3%	Written in 1999, the book may seem dated to students and require support to understand the context and slang of the time period. An uncommon topic for high school students to discuss financial issues in the US, the book gives students relevant topics to think about prior to entering into the workforce such as living wage, universal healthcare, and income. Although an appropriate reading level, the pace is slow. Areas of advisement include mentions of drug use, allusion to human trafficking, poverty. Students may need support with the union references as well as the author's tone and sarcasm.	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
10	Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay	89%	11%	0%	The main character goes to the Phillipines to learn about the mystery surrounding his cousin's death and learns about his family and the challenges they face in their country. Sensitive topics ("murder economy" and drug war in Phillippines, drugs, death, poverty) use real-world scenarios and are relevant to the story and can be understood by students independently of the teacher. Nonfiction texts can be paired with this text to build background knowledge of the history and current events of the Philippines.	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
11	Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson	53%	16%	31%	This memoir in verse is written from the perspective of a sexual assault survivor with support resources available at the back of the book. Teens can identify with experiences in this book and others can use it as a window into the experiences of others. The allusions and metaphors offer a challenge, and the tone and language allows accessiblitiy to the reader. Concerns include a negative portrayal of men, drug and alcohol use, PTSD, sexual assault, and rape.	Considerations sufficient to remove title from 20-21 EII book club unit.
12	Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds	71%	6%	23%	The conversational nature of this book makes it accessible to the reader and allows for critical thinking and discussion. This book presents information about historical events and historical figures as well as the moral dilemmas they faced and the impact of their decisions. This book presents the duality of historical figures and historical events, no one is all good or all bad; the moral dilemmas and impact of decisions for generations to come. Students will benefit from independent research to learn more and better understand topics presented in the text and own their learning. Concerns include the presentation of the historical information not from a history book and the portrayal of historical figures is taken out of context, based on the author's own bias presenting a one-sided view of history.	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
13	Swing by Kwame Alexander	83%	17%	0%	Written in several different formats including verse, text messages, podcast scripts, letters, and artistic illustrations, the topics are appealing to teens - not making the team, friendship, secret crushes, loneliness, learning to drive, popularity, jealousy, and decisions about parties. The book focuses on the relationships between 5 characters of different races, but their races are not explicitly revealed until it impacts the plot. Advisement regarding sensitive topics including PTSD after Afghanistan war, death, racial tensions, and an unsuspected police shooting abruptly at the end of the novel which may facilitate stereotypes. Students will be able to navigate this text and the content is age appropriate.	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
14	The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez	88%	12%	0%	This is an omniscient point of view novel, and each chapter is told from a different person's perspective exposing the reader to different perspectives with the appreciation that each immigrant story is unique with different reasons for immigrating. In order to keep up with how everyone is related, the reader might keep a notecard with names and countries of origin for each character. An area of advisement includes the perception of non-Latino characters (ex. the black police officer ignores the Mexican woman when she sees that she doesn't speak English, the white gas station clerk is impatient and rude, the white boy at school uses racial slurs and sexual insults, a white dad shoots and kills a Mexican man without any explanation), a scene where a boy ejaculates in his pants while kissing a girl who has had traumatic brain injuries (when they weren't allowed to be alone), and a lack of consequences for skipping school, stealing a car, and lying to parents.	May meet criteria. Title paused for 20-21 book clubs pending board policy.
15	The Power by Naomi Alderman	100%	0%	0%	This book flips our current societal "norms" and forces the reader to imagine a world opposite of what we are living in (i.e., women hold more power than men and hold all leadership positions). Each of the spotlighted characters in the book come from a different place and different circumstances, which gives the reader the opportunity to see the shift happen from various perspectives. I think that students would easily be able to see themselves in this text, especially towards the end when the characters ask so many deep and universal questions, and have to take hard looks at themselves and their beliefs. The content in this book is age appropriate. There is some sensitive content that some students might want to discuss (violence and sexual assault).	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
16	There are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America by Alex Kotlowitz	100%	0%	0%	The text is told from a reporter's point of view and is detailed and descriptive; however the text is appropriate for the grade level and not difficult to understand. This book will help teach empathy towards others and open the eyes of the reader to be aware there are people struggling everywhere, through no fault of their own. They are born living with these struggles and die with these same struggles. Our children may not have to make not have the same moral dilemmas with the choices of choosing to participate in gang life, but we do all undergo moral dilemmas especially during the teenage years including friend circles. This book has some sensitive content (including gang violence, murder, poverty, police brutatlity, teen pregnancy), but nothing graphic. Content is age appropriate.	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
17	We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss	76%	24%	0%	Exposing the reader to life in rural areas and a lifestyle as abused and neglected adolescents, the characters encounter different dilemmas throughout the story. This text is a good example of a writer's craft using storytelling and flashbacks to keep the reader guessing. The topic of the death penalty would be of interest to many students. Advisement includes profanity and topics of physical abuse, emotional abuse, parental neglect, substance abuse, and teen sexual activity.	Meets criteria. Available for use in the 20-21 book clubs.
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