SurLaLune Fairy Tales: Annotated Fairy Tales, Fairy Tale Books and Illustrations

Fairy Tales do not stop with Cinderella, although many teachers do.  On this site find in-depth annotation/analysis of 49 fairy tales, modern interpretations (including some media), illustrations. Links to at least 40 full-text eBooks expands student reading into a global library of folklore and tales.  This the meat and potatoes of cross-cultural reading, of core classics, of CCSS-type analysis.  Not just for kids - many of these stories lexile at the HS level.

Go on - enrich students with some of the UR plotlines, characters, settings, and conflicts.  Let them run with it.  I would also use Roderick Pullman's new "retellings" of the same tales, by the way.  And throw in a few episodes of Grimm and Once Upon a Time.  On their own, students can access Shrek and a host of other movies, from animations to dark and stark.  Speaking of dark, HS students (and MS selectively) should read some of the poems in "Transformations" (Anne Sexton).

Shanahan on Literacy: Six Pieces of Advice on Teaching with Complex Text
It has been over half a decade (!) and the question of how to teach high-lexile texts to elementary level (grade 3-6) students still is high on the list (Aside: Who is training teachers to do this?).  Good. Here is an excellent introductory answer.
Globe Education Shakespeare: Macbeth
Recommended especially for classes doing performance as well as reading.
American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL): AICL's Recommended/Not Recommended Reads in 2015

I value this yearly list highly. There are many more recommendations on the AICL site, but pay special attention to the Not Recommended list and to similar lists on the site. It dismays me often to see books appear on lists that should not be there anymore. Why the Not Recommended list is so much larger, after all of the awareness work that has been done, is a puzzlement. Guess stereotypes continue to make financial sense. So stop buying these books, librarians and teachers!

50 Greatest Works of Immigration Literature

This is a chronological listing. If you are seeking to extend the sensibilities of your students, you could do worse than begin here.

Shakespeare's The Tempest for iPad

Perhaps this app will result in more readings of this play - a timely one!  Recommended for grades 11-12.  A bit expensive at $9.99, but on the other hand, that is the price of a superior text. Good for flipping the classroom at the AP level.

Pamelibrarian: The Giver: A Reread

An argument for (1) reading the novel as a HS student and/or adult and (2) truly reading it deeply with students in MS.  Don't just throw this novel at kids - you must read it and talk about it and argue about it and cry and shout about it.  Otherwise, save it for later.

star wars ring theory | Mike Klimo

Great read for a HS film course - with the rebuttal from Wondermark: http://wondermark.com/star-wars-ring-theory/. The "ring theory" of mythic storytelling is a study in itself. How about Hunger Games?

Dr. Seuss's Appeal Depends on Your Childhood

A diverse selection of contemporary writers comments on the new Dr. Seuss.  Find here some good recommendations for home and classroom that might be new to you.  

Listen to 188 Dramatized Science Fiction Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Di...

What a great literacy and lit study exercise: read the story, then listen to the dramatization. Follow up with student radio dramatizations of well-written shorts (The Veldt, Here There be Tygers, lots of others).  Super way to use the internet with new MS tablets.