CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
Selected (7) reading passages (grades 9-11) to pair with the novel "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. George and Lennie are two migrant workers trying to stay employed and out of trouble. Their dream of having their own farm may be...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "The Odyssey" by Homer
Selected (6) reading passages (grades 8-11) to pair with the epic poem "The Odyssey" by Homer. Odysseus, an ancient Greek war hero and leader of Ithaca, embarks on a twenty-year long return to his homeland after the fall of Troy. It is...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry
Selected (9) reading passages (grades 5-11) to pair with "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry. Number the Stars is historical fiction set during WWII in Nazi occupied Denmark. 10-year-old Annemarie Johansen risks her life to help the Rosens,...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Night" by Elie Wiesel
Selected (10) reading passages (grades 8-11) to pair with the autobiography "Night" by Elie Wiesel. In this autobiographical account, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel recounts his horrifying experiences at the Auschwitz and Buchenwald...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte
This Gothic-Romantic novel, set in Victorian England, chronicles the life of Jane Eyre: a plain governess who falls in love with her employer and discovers a terrible secret within Thornfield. Selected (11) reading passages (grades 8-12)...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou recounts her coming of age story as a mature but apprehensive girl in the American South and California during the Jim Crow era. Selected (8) reading passages (grades 7-10) to pair with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
In this novel, Louise dreams of leaving her tiny island home in Chesapeake Bay, but first she must escape the shadow of her twin sister who seems to rob her of everything. Selected (11) reading passages (grades 6-10) to pair with "Jacob...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'dell
Karana's tribe has lived on the Island of the Blue Dolphins for centuries, but a tragedy forces them to leave. When Karana gets left behind, she must learn to live alone. Selected (10) reading passages (grades 5-9) to pair with the novel...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Inside Out & Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
In this novel based on her life, Ha and her family are living in Saigon when the Vietnam war forces her family to flee to Alabama. Selected (6) reading passages (grades 5-8) to pair with "Inside Out & Back Again" by Thanhha Lai....
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Incantation" by Alice Hoffman
Estrella is a girl living in Spain during the Spanish inquisition and dealing with the secret of her Jewish heritage, an unacceptable crush, and her best friend's betrayal. Selected (6) reading passages (grades 5-9) to pair with the...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
"In the Time of the Butterflies" is the story of the four Mirabal sisters, who lived through the despotic regime of General Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Throughout the novel that spans more than 50 years, Julia Alvarez masterfully weaves...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare
Spurred by ambition and spiritual prophecy, Macbeth, and his wife Lady Macbeth, come up with a scheme to murder King Duncan and take his throne. Their actions force them to commit more murders and eventually leads to their downfall....
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Lyddie is a young girl who is separated from her family and made to work in order for them to keep their farm. Selected (6) reading passages (grades 8-9) to pair with the novel "Laddie" by Katherine Paterson. [Free account registration...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
In this novel, a group of boys are stranded on a deserted island and attempt to govern themselves. Selected (7) reading passages (grades 5-8) to pair with the novel "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding. [Free account registration...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park
Based on a true account, this book tells the story of Salva Dut, an 11-year-old boy separated from his family by the civil war in Sudan, and Nya, a girl from a small village who walks miles each day to fetch water for her family....
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
On the first day of summer, 12-year-old Percy Jackson learns that he is a demigod. He joins Camp Half-Blood, where he learns the skills required to travel on a dangerous quest to retrieve Zeus' stolen lightning bolt. Selected (7) reading...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
This book tells the story of Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer who establishes a legal practice, and takes on the case of Walter McMillian who was wrongly convicted for murder. Selected (8) reading passages (grades 8-12) to pair with "Just...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
Four Chinese women, who left war-torn China and immigrated to America, share their stories as they try to understand their daughters and what it means to be Chinese in America. Selected (10) reading passages (grades 8-11) to pair with...
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Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville
Selected (7) reading passages (grades 8-11) to pair with the novel "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. In this famous American novel we follow Ishmael as he documents Captain Ahab's obsessive pursuit of the infamous white whale, Moby Dick -...