In the confines of a school day, not much gives me more pleasure than sharing with and recommending books to my students. When I discover a great book, it cannot stay on the shelf - and that goes for books for adults too (if you couldn't tell).
Just today, I passed along The Lions of Little Rock to a fifth grader (one of my fourth grade girls last year) with the instructions to pass it on as she sees fit to some of her friends...just so long as it eventually makes its way back to my classroom. What I loved about this book was that, while it takes place in the late 1950s during the push for integration of schools, it is not focused so much on the violence or specifics of the time - instead, it is more of a look at a young girl's (12 years old) relationships with her parents, her sister & brother, her new friend (who turns out to be trying to pass as white), her classmates, and people in her community. It's the story about a girl finding her voice and standing up for what she believes in, even when it's not the easiest thing to do. The story revolves around themes of friendship, trust, and courage. To top it all off, the book was a rather quick read, despite its nearly 300 pages.
Currently in our fourth grade class, we are reading The Family Under the Bridge, which has already led into various discussions about homelessness, Paris, and the meaning of family. This novel was meant to be used as a literature circle book, but as many of the copies we have are falling apart, we have opted for doing it as a read aloud/model book instead. It's a very timely book, as it centers around the Christmas season and one family's search/wish for a permanent home. I'd consider it a Christmas classic.
The Gift of the Magi is another book that is perfect for the holidays, especially for middle elementary grades and up. Instead of reading the classic version of this story, half of our class is performing the story as a readers' theater (Scholastic ed. of scripts). (We might also read the picture book version too.) This story gets me every time, as, in an ironic twist, the main characters both independently sacrifice their greatest treasures to find the perfect gift for one another. Its message rings true for all ages, and it has caused our fourth graders to think more deeply about sacrifices. [The other half of our class is doing a twist on the classic A Christmas Carol (by Charles Dickens), but that's (literally) another story.]
I just started The City of Ember at the recommendation of my sister's coworker. We'll see how that turns out, but I hope to finish it before the Christmas season, so I may then turn my attention to The Penderwicks and some other reads.
After all, I have to keep one step ahead of the students. Recommendations are always needed (and usually welcome)...
that book (city of ember) was almost a secret santa gift... but decided on something else. :)
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