Summary
Edmond Did You Know…
In the school year, 2021-2022 parents were fighting against EPS to have transparency in the choices of literature they chose for our children to read. Parents believed the district was hiding topics the books discussed, and not being honest. Parents were upset about the amount of foul language and “woke” ideology in a majority of literature.
In the school year 2022-2023, after meeting with a district representative several times and sitting on the 10th grade book review committee, two moms have been able to make some positive changes. However, we continue to fight for more.
Please read the following summaries for a realistic review of each book. In the summary is a list of all curse words, topics discussed, and most have quotes directly from the book itself. If you don’t find the book you are looking for, keep checking back as we are updating the list often.
Background
In the 2021-2022 school year parents became aware of some concerning content in the literature our students were reading. Two Edmond moms met with the secondary ELA director of EPS to learn the process books are taken through to be chosen for the curriculum. We learned that at that time there was no rubric to judge the worthiness of a piece of literature. We also learned that the director and many English teachers in the district had not read several of the books our students were expected to read.
These two moms asked to be on the teacher/parent/student book review board that met in the summer of 2022 and were granted the 10th grade books to review. We appreciated the opportunity to share parental concerns and found the teachers and students thoughtful in their assessments of the material. However, many of the most offensive books remain for the 2022-2023 school year.
The director of secondary ELA has created a new document that shares the reasons for requiring our students to read the assigned books. We have also written our own assessments of each book to let the parents know exactly what is in them and allow the parents to make an informed decision as to what their children can read. Our goal is never to ban books, but merely to share the content of what the district believes is the best books for our students. Then, each parent can make their own informed decision.
2023 - 2024 School Year Updates
Students have to enroll for the next school year in February. This ensures the counselors have time to find the best fit for each student's schedule and meet their requirement needs.
When we reached out at the time of enrollment to Jackie Rasnic for the list of books to be used this next school year 2023-24, she was unable to give us the list as it hasn’t been decided upon. Students and parents signed up for English classes (remember there is a sophomore alternate class parents can choose based on the reading material for the mainstream class) without knowing what they were really signing up for.
We were told the list would be final in July, a month before school starts. So, we will work quickly to get the new books read and out to you as quickly as possible when they are public.
BOOK SUMMARIES
Book Summaries by grade level for the 2022-2023 school year:
**2023-24 Book List Not Public as of latest updates
6th Grade
Flipped - Read Summary
Freak the Mighty - Read Summary
Running Dream - Read Summary
Refugee - Read Summary
Hatchet - Read Summary
Lemons - Read Summary
The War that Saved My Life - Read Summary
City of Ember - Read Summary
Out of My Mind - Read Summary (NEW)
7th Grade
Full Tilt - Read Summary
The Giver - Read Summary
A Long Walk to Water - Read Summary
Hero - Read Summary
Wild Bird - Read Summary
Harbor Me - Read Summary
The Shadow Club - Read Summary (NEW)
Science Curriculum
Radium Girls - Read Summary
8th Grade
Whole Grade Level Books
The Outsiders - Read Summary
Literature Circle Book Options (Student Chooses One)
Alone - Read Summary
The Crossover - Read Summary
Long Way Down - Read Summary
Fahrenheit 451 - Read Summary (Only offered in Intro to Advanced)
All the Broken Pieces - Read Summary
Other Words for Home - Read Summary
Piecing Me Together - Read Summary
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer - Read Summary (Only offered in Intro to Advanced) (NEW)
Full Cicada Moon - Read Summary (NEW)
Under the Mesquite - Read Summary (NEW)
9th Grade
Whole Grade Level Books
Night - Read Summary
Literature Circle Book Options (Student Chooses One)
All American Boys - Read Summary
Dreamland Burning - Read Summary
Farewell to Manzanar - Read Summary
Punching the Air - Read Summary
The House on Mango Street - Read Summary
Of Mice and Men - Read Summary
To Kill A Mockingbird - Read Summary (Only offered in Intro to Advanced)
Salt to the Sea - Read Summary (NEW)
10th Grade
Whole Grade Level Books
Regular English II
The Glass Castle - Read Summary
The Kite Runner - Read Summary
Animal Farm - Read Summary
Alternative English ll Class
Everything Sad is Untrue - Read Summary
I am Malala - Read Summary
Animal Farm - Read Summary
Literature Circle (Student Chooses One)
57 Bus - Read Summary
A Very Large Expanse of the Sea - Read Summary
Dear Martin - Read Summary
The Book Thief - Read Summary
Hearts Unbroken - Read Summary
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Read Summary
Patron Saints of Nothing - Read Summary
The Astonishing Color of After - Read Summary
The Sun is Also a Star - Read Summary
11th Grade
Whole Grade Level Books
The Great Gatsby - Read Summary
The Crucible - Read Summary (NEW)
Literature Circle (Student Chooses One)
Born A Crime - Read Summary
Brain on Fire - Read Summary
The Nazi Hunters - Read Summary
Into The Wild - Read Summary
A Long Way Gone - Read Summary