When students read classic and contemporary texts together, they use high-level thinking to determine similarities and differences in style, structure, and essential truths. Paired texts provide relevance and open entry points to new ideas and cultures. This guide pairs the following books:
This Is My America and To Kill a Mockingbird
Lessons in Chemistry and The Scarlet Letter
Before the Ever After and The Great Gatsby
The Vanishing Half and Great Expectations
Solito and The Odyssey
Right by My Side and The Catcher in the Rye
They Called Us Enemy and The Crucible
The books and activities in this guide, used in part or in their entirety during book circles or whole-class instruction, encourage students to read, write, discuss, and take action on both matters of literary merit and issues of social justice.
