Read to your class

What classroom teacher wouldn’t like to start off the year with a sure-fire, glue ‘em to their chairs read-aloud? Most experienced teachers have a shelf full of old favorites – and we rely on them to keep each new generation of readers going back to those great old titles (more on this anon). But still, everyone likes a little novelty now and then. So here are some newer titles that have been well-accepted by the squirreliest of audiences.

No Talking by Andrew Clements tells what happens when the yakkiest class in the school pits the girls against the boys in a no-talking contest. To be respectful, of course, one can respond to an adult – but only using 4 words. So how does brevity (and thinking before you speak!) impact class communication, learning, and relationships? There are some surprising, funny, and sometimes enlightening outcomes. Optimal Audience: grades 4-5

Drita My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard is another school story. This time an unlikely friendship develops between Drita, a new immigrant from Bosnia, and Maxie, the 4th grader most infamous for speaking first and thinking later. You may be as surprised as Maxie to learn that Bosnian kids play some pretty competitive basketball. O.A. grades 3-4

Peak by Roland Smith starts with a literal cliff-hanger. Our hero (actually named Peak – it’s a long story…) is hanging by his fingertips to solid rock as the March wind threatens to send him flying to certain death. Then we discover that he is actually on the side of the Woolworth Building and heading right into serious trouble with the police. His deus ex machina is his famous (and notably absent) mountain climbing father – who has an interesting proposition for Peak. O.A grades 5-6

Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins is a charming set of interconnected episodes about a child’s favorite stuffed toys. They have interesting personalities: the know-it-all, the worrier, even one toy who isn’t quite sure what she is (the students love figuring THAT out!). The toys bicker and negotiate, have adventures in the washer and in the backpack, and annoy and love one another in ways students will recognize. O. A. grades 2-3

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker offers similar but somewhat more sophisticated humor than Junie B. Jones. Clementine’s daily talks with her principal are indescribably funny. But at heart we have a little girl all too aware that she is a “difficult” child having “not so good of a day” and desperate to find her niche. A unique voice! O.A. grades 2-3.

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex is a wild sci-fi alien invasion story. Our heroine, Gratuity Tucci (nickname Tip) is on the run from the aliens, driving her mom’s car down the deserted highways with a can of creamed corn strapped to her foot to reach the pedal. She meets the alien “J Lo” (alien names being unpronounceable) at a convenience store and soon they are on the run together, finding Tip’s missing Mom, discovering why Disneyland is so clean, and generally saving the universe. Silliness was never so smart. O. A. grades 5-6

Please don’t ignore the old warhorses, however. Our students don’t need to know the book you’re reading is older than you are! Some of the books still getting excellent responses (thank you to every teacher I’ve ever met…) include:

Otis Spofford by Beverly Cleary
The Wheel on the School by Meinert DeJong
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Island of Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl
Soup by Robert Newton Peck
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

And if you have never read Charlotte’s Web aloud to a class, you are missing out. Miss Shelved cannot think how many times it has been, but we still always tear up when Charlotte dies ("No one was with her . . ."). No child should get through elementary school without it.

Genres for Elementary Grades

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