Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

I know I blogged about this book before, but last spring I read it aloud to my 5th graders and I feel compelled to give the book another plug. It was absolutely the best read-aloud experience I've had with any students, ever. Captivated by Elijah's character, my students laughed along with his lighthearted silliness and passionately rooted for him during the serious sections. Curtis beautifully crafted the characters and the plot line, which is so moving and complex that we couldn't help but engage in rich discussions as we read. No history book, no activity, no experience could better teach children their first real look at slavery in the United States than Elijah of Buxton. I am so grateful to Christopher Paul Curtis for writing it, and I encourage reading and history teachers everywhere to check it out.

The Witches by Roald Dahl

I re-read The Witches in August when trying to pick my first read-aloud for the year, and I’m so glad I decided on this one. Not only did I enjoy reading it to my nephew (for practice), but it is rapidly becoming a favorite of my students. They squeal with delight when Dahl describes the witches (we haven’t yet met the convention of witches - we’ll get to that this week); they find the grandmother hysterical with her cigars; they are already worried about the fate of the boy. I would say it’s a perfect read-aloud for a 5th or 6th grade class, and I am especially enjoying it as our first shared novel since they are so eager to hear the next chapter - a good way to start the year!
For independent reading: The Witches is guided reading level R.

Hatchet by Gary Paulson

I started Hatchet as my read- aloud in my 6th grade class- room, and I’m not sure if I’ll repeat it again next year. I love this book and I clearly see the value in teaching with it, but I find that the writing style (while brilliant!) doesn’t lend itself to being read aloud as much as read independently. The constant stream of Brian’s thoughts, often so repeatitive in nature, isn’t as comfortable to read out loud. I find myself wondering as I’m reading - would my eyes just skim over these sentences rather than focusing on each word when I have to read it out loud? Do the moments that feel awkward to me as the reader sound awkward to my students as listeners? I knew I would love the rhythm of the writing, and I do - but there’s something too dense about the description to keep the attention and focus of all my students. Perhaps next year I will try a different survival book (A Week in the Woods? I would love to have a Clements read-aloud) for read-aloud and highlight Hatchet in mini-lessons and push it as an independent reading choice.

Plenty of my students are whipping through the rest of the Brian series as I’m reading Hatchet, so that’s definitely a bonus. I should poll those who read Hatchet independently versus those whose only experience is the read-aloud to compare its likeability in both groups.

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

I chose Fever 1793 as the read-aloud during our historical fiction unit. Set during an outbreak of yellow fever in Philadelphia, the novel contains many elements I had been searching for: a strong female character, adventure, injustice, and (of course) history. Written by one of my favorite YA authors, the quick-paced plot follows Matilda through a variety of challenges during the epidemic. She rises up to become a mature young woman who reaches out and helps others in a time of great need, and I appreciate the connections my students can make to her. Matilda is one hundred percent REAL - she avoids her chores, she seeks her mother’s approval, she has a crush on the local painting apprentice - and my students enjoy her for that. I am hopeful that at the end of the story they will admire her courage and compassion as well. Highly recommended for 6th, 7th, or 8th graders; a great hook into historical fiction.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

I have recommended this book to simply every person I have spoken to about young adult literature since I started reading it, and I know my review cannot possibly do it justice. I fell in love with the main character, Isabel, within the first few pages, and her gripping story took such strong hold of me that I was sad to put it down whenever I ran out of time to keep reading it. In the middle of the book, I was horrified at the events (teachers, you should definitely read the book before giving it to students so you are ready to discuss the events with them) and was literally moved to tears. At one point, I thought I couldn't possibly read it aloud to my sixth graders because it might be too overwhelming and tragic for some to handle; by the end I thought I wouldn't be doing my classes justice if I didn't read it to them.

Following weeks of anticipation from the kids (I couldn't stop talking about how good it is ~ and they knew and loved Laurie Halse Anderson from a previous read-aloud, Fever 1793) I began Chains as our new read-aloud at the end of April with my 3 sixth grade reading classes. Within the first few chapters the majority of students were hooked, although a few students in each class (2-3 in two of my classes, as many as 5-6 in my right-after-lunch-kids-are-hyper class) never gave the look of enthrallment save the three chapters in the middle of the book when Isabel is caught and punished. The comments, questions, and predictions after each day's reading were the highest quality that I had heard of any of our read-alouds for the year, and many students showed a real understanding of the time period for the first time.

I sincerely hope Anderson writes books 2 and 3 in the series SOON and the 7th and 8th grade teachers at my school even promised to read them aloud to the kids if they are published in the next 1-2 years! Now that I'm moving down to 5th grade reading, and I know I can't read Chains to such young students, I might try to recommend it to the 7th or 8th grade English or history teachers as opposed to 6th.