What do you think are the ten most common books read in schools through 12th grade? I mean books assigned in class, not what students choose to read on their own. The books can be fiction or non-fiction and can be a compilation of short stories, a novel, or a play, but reading the Declaration of Independence or Constitution doesn't count. Edit: I was thinking about posting this in Education and Academia, but I think it can fit in either place.
I actually did a quantitative research project on this subject when I was getting my master's degree. Back then (2002), the runaway favorite novel for 7th grade was The Outsiders. I was surprised. Believe it or not, I now own a bookstore. It's still selling well. Based on what I've sold, other favorites this year: Wonder by RJ Palacio is being read all over the place in elementary schools. Charlotte's Web is still a favorite. Shiloh is still going strong. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas For older kids, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird. Still lots of Shakespeare -- specifically Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet followed by Othello. 1984 is still being read quite a bit. The Diary of Anne Frank is still part of middle school curricula. I can probably think of some more, but it's really the classics still. It's still mostly dead white guys. Occasionally, I've seen Native Son by Richard Wright.
We read these in high school back in the day, and they still show up on the reading lists-- Romeo and Juliet To Kill a Mockingbird Lord of the Flies 1984 The Scarlet Letter The Great Gatsby two that may have fallen out of favor-- Catcher in the Rye Brave New World
off the top of my head.... Romeo & Juliet Julius Caesar A Separate Peace A Tale of Two Cities Scarlet Letter The Things they Carried The Awakening The Jungle Eva Luna I am blanking on a lot though. Scarlet Letter, The Things they Carried, The Awakening, and The Jungle were all part of my "American Studies" class which was English/US History back to back (with the other class swapping and sometimes the fake wall removed and we would have 1 big class, usually for tests). The books we read in English corresponded to what we were studying in US History