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Combining these two books, The Outsiders and A Night Divided, during 7th grade will allow my students to compare a contemporary time period with a foreign time to see similarities in the human experience. The Outsiders, an American story, is well loved by middle schoolers and enables students to consider social groups and developing identity. It is especially inspiring that SE Hinton was 16 when she wrote the novel and, because of this, many students can see the power in their own words. Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay”, that is alluded to in the novel, solidifies many students’ understanding of author’s intention that is a crucial understanding for students’ success as they enter into high school and begin literary analysis. I had a class set of this novel many years ago, but has time has gone by, I am in need of more copies to restore my class set that hundreds of students have already had the opportunity to enjoy. The second novel, A Night Divided, is set on the border of Germany and Russia. It focuses on a family that finds themselves separated by the Berlin Wall. The main character is also a teenager that must define her identity in a world that is literally divided. Later, in 8th grade students will read Night, a memoir of World War Two. I am excited that A Night Divided will allow students to see the repercussions of World War Two and the effects one time period has on others. Combining these three novels will allow my students to examine the theme of identity in a variety of situations with differing outcomes.
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