Monday, December 04, 2006
Fiction Read Alouds
Here are a few of my favorites from recent years.
Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan Scholastic, 2004.
Gr. 4-5
Becoming Naomi Leon is the story of a brother and sister abandoned by their mother and now living with their grandmother in a trailer named Baby Beluga in Lemon Tree, California. After seven years, their mom returns, determined to take Naomi and create a new family with her boyfriend and his daughter. The confidence, love, and security Naomi and her brother and grandmother have developed is in danger of being destroyed.
This book has an engaging plot with interesting, unique characters. Not only is it a page-turner, but it also discusses Mexican culture as well.
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker Hyperion, 2006.
Gr. K-3
Third grade Clementine will work her way into your hearts. She has spunk, perseverance, and plenty of character. This book pulls you into the story with scenes and characters that you remember long after the book is finished.
The Great American Mousical by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton
Harper Collins, 2006.
Gr. K-5
Can the mice that have their own theatrical community below Broadway perform when their star turns up missing? Read to see if the show does go on! Julie Andrews Edwards says her idea for the story occurred while she was working on a PBS program, Broadway: The American Musical. They were filming in one of the famous Broadway theaters when a mouse came out to observe. The theater people admitted the lower levels of the theater were quite overrun with the critters.
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins Scholastic, 2003.
Gr. 2-5
When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building chasing after his little sister, he finds himself in an underground world. The inhabitants of this world welcome him as their prophesized hero, although he feels woefully inadequate taking on this role. This is the first in a series of books that children will eagerly await reading.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt Clarion, 2004.
Gr. 4-5
Turner Buckminster moves to Phippsburg, Maine when his father becomes the town’s new minister. Life is hard to unbearable until he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin , a girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former slaves. When he hears the local town fathers plan to evict the families on this island in order to turn the island into a tourist spot, Turner hopes he can convince his father to stand with him in opposing this decision. This historical novel is based on an actual incident in 1912 on Malaga Island off the coast of Maine.
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale Bloomsbury, 2005.
Gr. 3-5
When word comes that the prince will choose a bride from the young ladies who live in the province of Mount Eskel, Miri accompanies other girls her age to the Princess Academy where they are to learn how to become princesses. Soon they are competing for the prince’s attention, until danger faces them al,l and they need to put aside their bickering to save each other.
Roxie and the Hooligans by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Ginee Seo Books, 2006.
Gr. 2-4
In this beginning chapter book, nine-year-old Roxie Warbler knows just what to do if she finds herself buried in an avalanche, but she doesn’t know what to do about a gang of children at her new school nicknamed Helvetia’s Hooligans. After a playground confrontation lands Roxie and bullies on a deserted island, her survival skills increase her confidence and change the Hooligans from foes to friends.
Space Race by Sylvia Waugh Delacorte, 2000.
Gr. 3-5
It’s time for eleven-year-old Thomas Derwent and his father to return to their planet from Earth. The first in a science fiction trilogy. The next two titles are Earthborn and Who Goes Home?
The Teacher’s Funeral A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck Dial, 2004.
Gr. 3-5
Some books are just better read aloud, and this is one of them. Russell Culver's narration transports readers back to 1904, when he was 15 years old and still in eighth grade at Hominy Ridge School, "an out-of-date, unimproved, one-room country schoolhouse in the backwoodsiest corner of Indiana." Living on a farm with his father, big sister, Tansy, and little brother, Lloyd, he dreams of hopping a freight train for the Dakotas. When old Myrt Arbuckle, his teacher “hauls off and dies” he believes his dream may come true until his sister takes over the teaching.
Toys Go Out Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, A Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic by Emily Jenkins Schwartz, 2006.
Gr. 1-5
Six stories tell the adventures of three best friends, who happen to be toys.
Children who talk to their own toys will particularly enjoy the conversations of this trio. If you’re talking about point of view in stories, have your students break into pairs or small groups to write dialogues or scenes between two or more of their own toys and perform them for each other.
The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin Little, Brown, 2006.
Gr. 2-5
A Taiwanese-American girl describes a year filled with excitement and self-reflection, as she shares adventures with a new friend, discovers untapped talents, learns about her heritage, and tries to harmonize her two cultures. Author Lin states in the author’s note, “I wrote it because it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up, a book that had someone like me in it.” This book, and the next on my list, expose children to people of other races, cultures, and communities, and spurs them to broaden their worldviews.
Younguncle Comes to Town by B.M.Kamath Viking, 2006.
Gr. 2-5
Younguncle’s stories of pickpockets and monkeys keep his older brother’s family in modern day India entertained. The book is infused with background details, beginning with the opening paragraph: Now the rain had slowed to a murmur and the lane was empty except for a buffalo, its black hide agleam, standing meditatively under the shi-sham tree on the other side. The author, born in New Delhi, introduces American readers to Indian culture, family life, lore, and legend.
¶ 12:53 PM
Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan Scholastic, 2004.
Gr. 4-5
Becoming Naomi Leon is the story of a brother and sister abandoned by their mother and now living with their grandmother in a trailer named Baby Beluga in Lemon Tree, California. After seven years, their mom returns, determined to take Naomi and create a new family with her boyfriend and his daughter. The confidence, love, and security Naomi and her brother and grandmother have developed is in danger of being destroyed.
This book has an engaging plot with interesting, unique characters. Not only is it a page-turner, but it also discusses Mexican culture as well.
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker Hyperion, 2006.
Gr. K-3
Third grade Clementine will work her way into your hearts. She has spunk, perseverance, and plenty of character. This book pulls you into the story with scenes and characters that you remember long after the book is finished.
The Great American Mousical by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton
Harper Collins, 2006.
Gr. K-5
Can the mice that have their own theatrical community below Broadway perform when their star turns up missing? Read to see if the show does go on! Julie Andrews Edwards says her idea for the story occurred while she was working on a PBS program, Broadway: The American Musical. They were filming in one of the famous Broadway theaters when a mouse came out to observe. The theater people admitted the lower levels of the theater were quite overrun with the critters.
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins Scholastic, 2003.
Gr. 2-5
When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building chasing after his little sister, he finds himself in an underground world. The inhabitants of this world welcome him as their prophesized hero, although he feels woefully inadequate taking on this role. This is the first in a series of books that children will eagerly await reading.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt Clarion, 2004.
Gr. 4-5
Turner Buckminster moves to Phippsburg, Maine when his father becomes the town’s new minister. Life is hard to unbearable until he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin , a girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former slaves. When he hears the local town fathers plan to evict the families on this island in order to turn the island into a tourist spot, Turner hopes he can convince his father to stand with him in opposing this decision. This historical novel is based on an actual incident in 1912 on Malaga Island off the coast of Maine.
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale Bloomsbury, 2005.
Gr. 3-5
When word comes that the prince will choose a bride from the young ladies who live in the province of Mount Eskel, Miri accompanies other girls her age to the Princess Academy where they are to learn how to become princesses. Soon they are competing for the prince’s attention, until danger faces them al,l and they need to put aside their bickering to save each other.
Roxie and the Hooligans by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Ginee Seo Books, 2006.
Gr. 2-4
In this beginning chapter book, nine-year-old Roxie Warbler knows just what to do if she finds herself buried in an avalanche, but she doesn’t know what to do about a gang of children at her new school nicknamed Helvetia’s Hooligans. After a playground confrontation lands Roxie and bullies on a deserted island, her survival skills increase her confidence and change the Hooligans from foes to friends.
Space Race by Sylvia Waugh Delacorte, 2000.
Gr. 3-5
It’s time for eleven-year-old Thomas Derwent and his father to return to their planet from Earth. The first in a science fiction trilogy. The next two titles are Earthborn and Who Goes Home?
The Teacher’s Funeral A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck Dial, 2004.
Gr. 3-5
Some books are just better read aloud, and this is one of them. Russell Culver's narration transports readers back to 1904, when he was 15 years old and still in eighth grade at Hominy Ridge School, "an out-of-date, unimproved, one-room country schoolhouse in the backwoodsiest corner of Indiana." Living on a farm with his father, big sister, Tansy, and little brother, Lloyd, he dreams of hopping a freight train for the Dakotas. When old Myrt Arbuckle, his teacher “hauls off and dies” he believes his dream may come true until his sister takes over the teaching.
Toys Go Out Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, A Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic by Emily Jenkins Schwartz, 2006.
Gr. 1-5
Six stories tell the adventures of three best friends, who happen to be toys.
Children who talk to their own toys will particularly enjoy the conversations of this trio. If you’re talking about point of view in stories, have your students break into pairs or small groups to write dialogues or scenes between two or more of their own toys and perform them for each other.
The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin Little, Brown, 2006.
Gr. 2-5
A Taiwanese-American girl describes a year filled with excitement and self-reflection, as she shares adventures with a new friend, discovers untapped talents, learns about her heritage, and tries to harmonize her two cultures. Author Lin states in the author’s note, “I wrote it because it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up, a book that had someone like me in it.” This book, and the next on my list, expose children to people of other races, cultures, and communities, and spurs them to broaden their worldviews.
Younguncle Comes to Town by B.M.Kamath Viking, 2006.
Gr. 2-5
Younguncle’s stories of pickpockets and monkeys keep his older brother’s family in modern day India entertained. The book is infused with background details, beginning with the opening paragraph: Now the rain had slowed to a murmur and the lane was empty except for a buffalo, its black hide agleam, standing meditatively under the shi-sham tree on the other side. The author, born in New Delhi, introduces American readers to Indian culture, family life, lore, and legend.
¶ 12:53 PM
