An ex English teacher here.
I have just finished Gerald Durrel's My family and other Animals. Fabulous book...i would like to see it on the curriculum as the prose is beautiful, the humour is great and his observations of the natural world are fantastic at teaching kids about nature. It also nods to our ex pat past and is amazing travel writing. It is a move away from cynical distopian fiction but reminds us of what earth could be like if we nurture our environment.
I'd also like to see the Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck as an jnsight into the dustbowl caused by over farming...it was banned due to the ending. It is also a warm observation of humanity.