Category: 2000-2009

Categories
2000-2009 2010-2019 All CEFR B2 eBook High school (grades 9+) Medium Length (up to 8 hrs) Novel Print

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

The protagonist, Virginia Shreves, lives in a perfect family in New York, but feels a total outcast. Her parents and her siblings are slim and sporty, while Virginia suffers from low self-esteem due to her obesity. Her parents are devastated by her brother’s date-rape case, and they go into complete denial. Virginia takes her life into her own hands, joins a kickbox class to lose weight and makes new friends.

Year of Release: 2003, 2018

Author(s): Carolyn Mackler

Preview: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/earth-my-butt-and-other-big-round-things-9781681198002/

Further information (link): https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/253106

ISBN: 9781681197982

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Extract and usage suggestions for teaching:

Very useful for moderate teenage slang.



Further comments for teachers:

The 2003 edition is different from the new edition published in 2018.

Categories
2000-2009 All CEFR B2 eBook Extensive Length (more than 8 hrs) High school (grades 9+) Novel Print

Black Swan Green

Black Swan Green is David Mitchell’s semi-autobiographical novel about coming to grips with his stammering. The protagonist is 13-year-old Jason Taylor who lives in Black Swan Green. He witnesses his parents’ failing marriage and his father’s affair.

Year of Release: 2006

Author(s): David Mitchell

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Further information (link): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11806799-black-swan-green

ISBN: 9780340839263

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Teachers’ guide is available: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/115429/black-swan-green-by-david-mitchell/9780812974010/teachers-guide/

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Categories
2000-2009 All Audiobook Available For Free (Open Access) CEFR B2 eBook Extensive Length (more than 8 hrs) Extracts - Well Suited for Teaching With Extracts High school (grades 9+) Novel Online Print

The Secret Life of Bees

Lily Owens lives with her abusive father and has trouble remembering what happened to her mother. When she finds the mysterious Black Mary picture, she feels she needs to investigate her past to come to terms with her unrecognized trauma. She and their maid, Rosaleen, leave her father and try to find a new place to live. They meet the Boatwright sisters who invite Lily and Rosaleen to stay.

Year of Release: 2002

Author(s): Sue Monk Kidd

Preview: https://suemonkkidd.com/books/the-secret-life-of-bees/

Further information (link): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37435.The_Secret_Life_of_Bees?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=pV4wphzdD0&rank=1

ISBN: 13: 978-0142001745

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Online text: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2941508W/The_secret_life_of_bees?edition=ia%3Asecretlifeofbees00kidd_0

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The film adaptation of the novel came out in 2008.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9RvcbzTCw
IMDB site: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416212/

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Categories
2000-2009 All CEFR B1 Extracts - Well Suited for Teaching With Extracts High school (grades 9+) Medium Length (up to 8 hrs) Novel Print

Just a Little Run Around the World: 5 Years, 3 Packs of Wolves and 53 Pairs of Shoes

After her partner dies of cancer, Rosie, heartbroken, sets off from Wales to run around the world. In what would become a five-year adventure, she faces harsh climates, packs of wolves, serious illnesses and faces many other challenges. This extraordinary journey helps her overcome her grief and find new joy in life.

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Author(s): Rosie Swale Pope

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Further information (link): https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780007306206/just-a-little-run-around-the-world/

ISBN: 978-0-007306206

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Extract and usage suggestions for teaching:

Instead of reading the whole book, chapters could be grouped by region (e.g. pages 121-172 for Russia, pages 173-235 for Alaska, pages 236-276 for Canada and USA). Different students read different groups of chapters and then process this in some way (e.g. presenting to the others verbally or via a digital story).



Further comments for teachers:

While reading the book from beginning to end, students can try to record and reconstruct an approximate timeline and locations and plot them on a world map. It will not always be possible to pin down exact places, but students can try to approximate locations as best as possible.