Clearly, books are something I love - and I love to share them too. This is evident when I recommend some solid reads to others, whether those 'others' be children or adults. (Trust me, I know some gems at all levels of reading!)
Take this past weekend, for example - I spent a great deal of time during my visit on Friday in the classroom of the fifth graders (whom I had as fourth graders last year). Somehow, I did not manage to leave their room without first sharing with a few of them about The Mysterious Benedict Society (see post on mysteries). Their teacher (a current ACEr and a good friend of mine) explained later how my eyes had lit up with excitement as I spoke with the kids about the book.
Even in my own classroom, this phenomenon has been evident: A few weeks ago, a student was at a loss for what to read next, so I pulled a few - okay, more like 8 or 10 - books from the bins in the classroom library and started talking about each one and why it would be a good read. A student close by proceeded to gently "shhhh" me; however, I then explained how it would be simply impossible to be quiet when talking about books.
Here are just a handful of ones that I've enjoyed (some more recently than others) that would do well to be on most everyone's list of books to read. (Let's face it, a Top 10 here is just not possible!):
(Adult) Realistic Fiction:
Any books by Jodi Picoult
Water for Elephants
One Day
The Help
Nonfiction:
Story of a Soul (St. Therese of Lisieux) - you can access this text online*
The Reading Promise
For kids of all ages (by genre) -->
Mysteries:
The Mysterious Benedict Society
The Westing Game
The 39 Clues series
Fantasies:
The Tale of Despereaux
Tuck Everlasting - our newest read aloud!
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
Secrets at Sea
Percy Jackson and the Olympian series
Realistic/Historical Fiction:
Any books by Sharon Creech
To Kill a Mockingbird
Esperanza Rising
Hatchet
...And there are SO many more.
But that would require a lot more space and a lot more time.
For now, this is a start. I hope you have enjoyed (or will enjoy) many of the books on this list. (And I hope you have a list of your own.)
Happy Reading... (Remember, the library is your friend...)
Thank you for sharing your love of reading with Alexandra. Although I LOVE to read, she didn't find that passion until she was in your class. Thank you!
ReplyDelete"The Westing Game" is such a fantastic book. It was my last selection for my book review column, and I didn't even care that it would be just as suitable for a third-grader as it was for me. :)
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