Reflection

Would you use this novel with your future students?
I personally would not use "The Future of Us" in my classroom. First off, I'm not a huge fan of the book myself, so I wouldn't feel excited to teach it to students. I feel that YA books incorporated into the classroom should be exciting and relate-able. I felt neither of these emotions toward this book. More importantly, I'm not sure my students would enjoy it. The book brushes the surface of adolescence and almost presents it in a vain and childish light. The writing is very juvenile as well. Also, I don' feel as if the themes and points presented are of much importance. Other books could address similar themes as well and perhaps in a more appealing manner. I'd keep this book in my classroom library and would encourage students to read it if they think the idea of the book sounds interesting (and I'd argue that the idea of the book IS interesting; it just isn't executed well). I'd also consider supplementing another novel with this story. I just wouldn't teach this novel in and of itself. It's not //deep// enough, in my opinion.

I would not use "The Future of Us" in my classroom because I feel like the book is written for children. I did enjoy the book and found humor in it when seeing the differences of 1996 and today but it was written poorly. Not poorly as in it didn't make sense but poorly in the way that it is written too simple. I remember having dial up Internet and I remember when AIM was big but I don't know if my students can connect to the text because they wouldn't understand these terms. I feel like this book only connects to those who remember the 90s to a) understand the terminology and b) enjoy the book because you remember those days. I agree with Lindsey that there are no important themes or points to use. While yes you can discuss the theme of change and things that impact our lives and shape our future, I feel you can do that with other texts. I too, would use it in my classroom library for my students to read and enjoy if they so choose but I wouldn't make them read it. It is interesting and I did find it a little humorous but I just don't think it was written well enough for high school students. Lindsey said it right--it's not deep enough! I agree with that statement.

**Although I thought that "The Future of Us" was a great idea for a book and supplied great messages, I would personally not teach it in my classroom. The main aspect of the book that I enjoyed was the 90's generation references and I know my students would not get them at all and it would not be as humorous and enjoyable for them to read it without understanding it. I also did not like the way it was written. I feel that it could have been a little more complex. I think it would be great to teach the lesson that everything we do today will affect our future, but I don't think there is enough to talk about to actually teach it in class. I would, however, put it on a list for students to read as a sort of choice project or independent reading because I do think it is a decent young adult novel.**  I really struggled to get captivated by this book. I'm OBSESSED with the 90's- it's the only music I really listen to, and I still wear flannel like Eddie Vedder is on MTV every hour, but this book was a disappointing to me. Other than mentioning some music and TV shows, the book really didn't submerge the reader in the culture of the 90's. The story itself was kind of bland and predictable, and I often found myself flipping back to the first page of the chapter to see exactly who's story it was. I don't think I would use this book in my classroom. It'll be in my classroom library as I can't see myself reading it again, but I won't force my students to read it.

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