Long Term Read Alouds unsing Young Adult Novels

I used a young adult novel called The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan in conjunction with the teaching of The Odyssey in ninth grade English class. It is a modern story with modern characters that are intertwined with the Greek mythological gods. There are sequels that go into mythology even further called, The Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse, with another on the way. I don't know that all of these could fit in to the time period of study, but I have had several students who rushed to the library and finished the book before we did in class, and now have read all of the current sequels. Also, students excitedly asked if we were going to have a chance to "read The Lightning Thief today?!"