reddit: sci-fi & fantasy books

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I need to tell you that your donation to my classroom has made in impact in the lives of all my students. For some of them, it is a life turning experience because for the first time they have discovered the love of reading. Yet, some of them have made a personal connections with Percy and how he has changed from a troubled boy with low self esteem to a boy who is now taking responsibility for his actions. Others have identified with the struggle of not knowing their father and the anger that they feel and now have a more positive outlook on life because of how Percy has resolves his own issues.

For the most part The Sea of Monsters has continued to intrigue and challenge the minds of my students. For example, it has led us to discuss The Odyssey, Odysseus, and Homer and their influence on Rick Riordan's writing. Thereby, making History more interesting. It has also opened the gates of creativity. We are now working on a Camp Half Blood mural outside our classroom, shields representing the god's cabins, T-shirts depicting individual gods, and we have come up with our own T-shirts. The students are also narrating the chapters and getting into character, which means that everyone is participating.

Also we are using The Sea of Monsters to focus on literary devices such as: plot, setting, figurative language, and character analysis. Yet most importantly your donation has made it possible for my students to see that History does not have to be boring. In fact, The Sea of Monsters continues to allow my students to let their imaginations grow, to question, to search for answers, and apply their skills across the curriculum.

As a teacher, I am humbled and grateful for your donation and dedication to my students.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Gomez

Dear Adam, Junk my Car Team, Roben, Elise and Irwin, Barbara Hallock, Lenae, Courtney, Ms. Barrios, An inspiration, Whitney Robinson, and reddit,

My students could not wait to open the boxes of books when they arrived at my door. They knew that they would finally be able to read a brand new book; for some students, this will be the very first time in their lives. Because I teach mainly children with special needs, these resources are an invaluable commodity to myself and my classroom library. They will be able to experience the thrill and action of the HG series just like students in the regular education classes.

They cannot put them down, and I am so thrilled to see them excited about reading. Thanks again for supporting literacy in the public schools.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Carson

I cannot thank you enough for the gifts that you have given to my students, both current and in years to come. With the addition of the novels 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, you have given me the opportunity to continue and deepen a unit on Utopian and dystopian literature. Having read Anthem, students are ready to continue exploring the ideas presented - What is the government's role in providing for the people? What role does an individual have to society? To self? The Hunger Games is a recent dystopian bestseller, but its reading level is too low to justify using it as one of the main texts in this unit, and the two novels that you have so generously made available to me are tried-and-true literary classics.

What better gift to give than not only great books to read, but a vehicle to develop these young adults' minds and give them the tools they need to go on to become valuable members of the society that we will look to for guidance and leadership...”

With gratitude,

Mrs. McGillem

Our class would like to thank you for the generous donation of science fiction books for our new unit this year. As we discovered over the course of this unit, there are many different elements of science-fiction and it can take many different forms. Students discovered that science fiction will often comment on our society today, or teach us something about the way in which we live. Sometimes science fiction illuminates frightening things about our current society - things we should work to avoid in the future!

As students read their science-fiction stories, they met in literature

groups twice a week. They kept notes as they read using four categories

(Element, Connection, Discuss, Stood Out) to keep track of thoughts so they could

share and discuss with literature groups.

The kids loved this unit. As culminating projects, they wrote their own original short stories or designed utopias based on things they wanted to highlight or change in our current society. The stories and utopias were creative and illustrated their learning. Thank you so much! ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Foxall

Thank you for your generous and thoughtful donations. Our classroom set of books has made an incredible difference in quite a few of my students. We finally found a book and character they could identify with and relate with. Students ran into class each day eager to find out what would happen next to Katniss.

We were able to make connections with Julius Caesar as well as more contemporary literature that they would have normally had difficulty with. We explored allusions, foreshadowing, making predictions, vocabulary, figurative language and many other academic standards that would have normally felt like chores to my students. In reading this book, you have given my students the opportunity to taste success.

No longer were they content to sit and be the quiet kids who were afraid to participate. They were eager learners and playfully competed with one another to have their voices be heard. This enthusiasm even helped them to devour our next book, To Kill A Mockingbird.

You have no idea what a difference your donation has made in these lives. Thank you!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Brandon

I just want to express my gratitude towards your generous donation to my class. The books that were donated have helped my students increase their reading fluency and comprehension. We would read every day and analyze the characters in the story. My students would make connections with knowledge learned from previous skills and lessons. The books were used in all of my classes and the stories were really engaging for the students.

Our classes are suffering from lack of funds due to budget cuts all over our district. Thanks to your generosity my students would have never have gotten these resources.They have truly benefited from it. For students in sixth grade it is vital that they increase their vocabulary, reading comprehension, and critical thinking skills so that then they can move on to analyzing characters and plot of a story.

Thanks again. Without donors like you, many students would continue to suffer and be deprived of the best education they can receive. Thanks a million!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Pena

Thank you so much for your donation to my teaching project! I am happy that our students will now have access to the Hunger Games text while they independently read. These texts will enable our students to become more independent and imagine a world outside of their own. Vocabulary acquisition is a major part of middle school development as well as the ability to access a difficult text. I am very grateful for your contribution to our students and their future. I will be sure to maximize the generous donation you have provided our learning community. These texts will transform not only the minds of our students, but they will also help invigorate my thinking, planning, and instruction. Once again I just wanted to take the time to express how great my gratitude is to you both for providing such a valuable resource to my students. Thank you for making that impact.

”

With gratitude,

Mr. Thanos

I am writing this letter to thank you for your generosity. My classroom has changed so much! I had so many students tell me that this was the first novel they had ever read in their lives. In addition, the students went out and bought copies of the sequel and are sharing them around the school. The school library has a waiting list for all of the books in the series. They are begging me to read! One day I had planned a fun activity centered on the novel. The students begged and pleaded for me to allow them to read. Teachers began coming up to me and asking me, "What is The Hunger Games?" As a result several teachers purchased copies and are read along with us.

After we finished reading, we began working on our multi-genre research papers. The students really bought into the project. I offered an incentive for students to turn in the papers before Spring Break and I received so many projects and they were AWESOME! It almost brings tears to my eyes to see the kids reading and discussing the novel using terms like, dystopian novel, motifs, underlying theme, antithesis and more. During our first Socratic Seminar, the students talked until the bell rang and everyone participated. Even the quietest kids who never talk and the kids with language barriers who are ashamed to talk in front of the class, wanted to join the discussion. It was truly a magnificent event.

My students wanted to know how I got the books and when I told them they couldn't believe that people all over the U.S. A. cared about them reading. They were shocked and excited. I just want to say thanks so much from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot adequately express what I am feeling as I type this letter. These kids' lives will forever be changed and it is all because of you.

”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Lewis

Our library is now complete! Thanks to all of your generous donations, our classroom library now fills an entire bookshelf. My students couldn't even wait for me to unpack the books from the box to begin sifting through them to find one that they wanted to read.

In addition to my 7th graders, the 8th graders have gotten word that I have a great library. Almost everyday I have 8th graders slipping into my room and signing out books. Your donations are helping more students than I had expected.

As an English teacher, my goal was to teach my students that you can enjoy reading. I wanted my students to leave my classroom with a new favorite book. I wanted them to be able to say that they loved to read. I wanted them to connect to characters and visualize scenes. Because of these donated books, my students do love to read. Many do have a new favorite book. Many of their reading levels have shot up and their test scores are expected to double from last year. These books are the reason for this enormous change.

Thank you all again. Please know that your generosity is making a huge difference in my classroom and in the lives of these children.

”

With gratitude,

Ms. Miller