How to use TOUCHING THE SURFACE in the Classroom--Kimberly Sabatini

This month we are talking about how our books can effectively be used in the classroom. My intention was to be concrete in presenting a guided tour of TOUCHING THE SURFACE, but it didn't feel like a good translation of what's beneath the cover.  

TOUCHING THE SURFACE was meant to be consumed in the way it was written--organically. Like a writer using a writing prompt, I believe SURFACE is a jumping-off point for important exploration and growth.

TOUCHING THE SURFACE is a YA Book that can be used as a vehicle for teens to confront their own mortality. 

It's a safe way to explore death. 

We all live in a post 9/11 world. 

Most people know someone sent to war.

School shootings are like water cutting through rock--forever changing the landscape around us.

Too many teens text and drive which leads us to frightening but foregone conclusions.

Bullying results in suicides. 

Between chemical-laden fast food and eating disorders, we have some children who die of obesity and some that die of starvation--all in the same country. 

At the very best--we all eventually lose someone we love. It is inevitable.

Life altering mistakes are meant to alter lives...

TOUCHING THE SURFACE is also about the power of making an epic mess of things. It's a story about forgiveness--a reminder that there's no shame in being human. 

We all screw up and we usually spend a lot of time focused on that. Rarely do we pause to ponder the benefits of the things that are almost too heavy to bear.

Discussions of death, mistakes and forgiveness belong in the classroom because there are real people in those classrooms.

TOUCHING THE SURFACE is a book about understanding death--but it's also a book about the beauty of life.

“What if there is endless free choice and not a single choice is right or wrong? Could every choice be a possibility? What if every option feels good or bad based only on our perception of it? Or if all the 'rules' aren't really rules? What would happen if just being in the moment was an option?” ― Kimberly Sabatini, Touching the Surface

What books do you believe we NEED to read?