Some of My Favorite Read Alouds

Everybody loves a good book -- even kids.  One of the things we always talk about in class is how books are like movies in your head.  I love it when my students clap at the end of a good book, the same way we clap at the end of a good movie.  This happened recently when we just finished the book, Holes by Louis Sachar.  Before that, they applauded when we finished Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  And before that, they cheered, sighed, smiled, and clapped for Frindle by Andrew Clements.

I have a few books that are my "go-to" read alouds each year.  My goal is for all my students (those who already love to read, and those who struggle with reading) is to learn that books are fun!  Reading is fun!  

Here are some of the ones I use to get my students interested...

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling

For the past few years, I have begun our read aloud for the school year with Harry Potter.  There are so many reasons I love Harry Potter:  the plot, setting, and characters are so vivid and rich.  Many of them have already seen the movie, so it is a great book to do a lesson on contrast and comparison.  The 2 main reason I love it is because 1) it is easy to get hooked, and 2) it is the beginning of a series book.  And in case you're wondering...I only read aloud the first book in a series.

Read about Harry here...

Frindle by Andrew Clements

I am a HUGE Andrew Clements fan.  All his stories have a child who does something pretty incredible (with the minor help of an adult in some fashion).  He has captured the school experience from a child's point of view, and it is total fun.  Frindle is a great way to teach students about the power of words.  It is also one of the few books we've seen that explains cause and effect so clearly.  Every year we've read this, the kids laugh, question, create words, and cheer!

Learn about the power of words and Frindle here...

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

One of the things I try to do is make sure I vary the genres we read from. I also try to make sure we read stories where a girl is the main character.  Until recently, that was not always easy to find.  Every year we have read this, I have had at least 1 student ask me if it was made into a movie.  Lois Lowry does such an amazing job of crafting this story in a way that you assume it was made into a movie.  I mean, seriously -- a girl who helps her family with a covert activity to hide her best friend from the Nazis??  The students are riveted the whole way -- and are even amazed to learn of the true events that inspired the tale. 

Read about Number the Stars here...and about the Danish Resistance here

Holes by Louis Sachar

As much as I love series books because they hook a student into wanting to read more, I admire stories that leave you feeling as satisfied with the one story as if you'd read a whole trilogy.  I stand amazed at the way this story is woven with a back story until it comes full circle.  Like I said above, my class clapped when we finished, and one girl said, "I have a new favorite book!"

Read about Holes here...

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Yes, that Suzanne Collins (author of The Hunger Games).  I, personally, think the kids in my class are too young for the themes in The Hunger Games (just my opinion).  However, if you want something a little more appropriate for a younger audience -- Gregor the Overlander is it.  Think of it as Chronicles of Narnia with a twist.  We are reading it right now, and I'll let you know what they think when we're done.

Learn more about Gregor and his adventures here...

So this is by no means a comprehensive list. It pretty much takes us from the beginning of the school year to Winter Break.   I also realize that most of the books feature boys as the main character.  I'll post later about my favorite books with female protagonists.

 In the mean time, what are your favorite read aloud books?  Please feel free to share them with me!