SingTeach Recommends

Reading need not be dull, dreary, or even solitary. SingTeach approaches five well-read individuals to recommend books you can enjoy with your students.

“We read to know we are not alone,” said celebrated author C. S. Lewis. Indeed, there is nothing that quite compares with a good read. To get us all started on some fruitful reading, SingTeach asks five well-read individuals to help you choose that perfect book you can enjoy and share with your students.

“A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is a classic work of fiction for young adults. As a work of science fiction/fantasy, it neither patronises the imagination nor shies from the problems in the real world. The characters are extremely interesting and the ideas in the plot are thought-provoking.”

~ Aaron Lee, prize-winning poet and author of Five Right Angles

“George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London brings journalism and ‘live’ investigative reporting to its extreme. Orwell gave up his comfortable life to be a tramp in the streets of Paris and London for 3 years. He did that because he wanted to know and write about how ‘advanced and civilised societies’ treat their poor and destitute. Through Orwell’s eyes, Down and Out presents to us another perspective of life in a city.”

~ Kenny Leck, co-owner of Books Actually

“I recommend the Manga Shakespeare series published by SelfMadeHero, UK. Teachers can use these texts as an initial introduction to the themes and language in Shakespearean plays such as Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The manga format is visually engaging and appealing especially to youths. Teachers may also encourage students to compare and contrast the manga version with the original text version and then to discuss the effectiveness of different formats for storytelling.”

~ Suzanne Choo, Teaching Fellow, National Institute of Education

“At first glance, not many of us can relate to Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, a tale of an autistic teen’s search for his long-lost parent. Told from the protagonist’s point of view, Haddon weaves a poignant, funny and heartbreaking story of, really, a teenager’s search for meaning and place in this world. This book will entertain and enlighten the most cynical and sceptical of teenagers.”

~ Lim Yi Lyn, Manager of Artistic Development at The Arts House

“Terry Pratchett has the distinction of being the most ‘shoplifted’ author in Britain, and is the second most-read author in the UK. His Discworld novels are hilarious but behind the farcical comedy are razor-sharp social commentaries camouflaged as light entertainment. Small Gods is his subversive take on religion and faith. As you laugh at his jokes, you suddenly pause and think, ‘Hey! That makes sense.'”

~ Dark Orpheus, blogger