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Attention Middle School Science Teachers:  These great books include all those concepts you are teaching (endangered species, habitat, food chain, environmental impact, invasive species), while also offering fun-filled mystery & adventure. Think of it as vitamins mixed with junk food. Tastes great -- yet packed with all the benefits needed for a growing reader.
Goodreads reviews are clear: This is a series worth reading.
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With multiple adventure series, Smith's book have been in our library bag all winter long. One after another, I keep bringing them home and we keep reading them. I would describe his genre as action adventure, with a sprinkle of mystery, a pinch of nature/animals, and a full dose of pre-teen hero. They make a great read for the 5th-7th grade set. Bonus: Many of the characters jump across the novel series, which means (as a reader) you often feel like you've been reacquainted with an old friend while reading a new book.
With Roland Smith continuing his writing, we'll continuing our reading. His website speaks of school visits, which has me thinking... maybe he'll come to our neck of the woods. 
It seems as if I've walked past Carl Hiaasen's books at the library 1000 times. Finally, I just couldn't pass up those simple but cute book covers. I checked out the whole 'Hoot, Flush, Scat, and Chomp' series and my 10 year old and dived in. Here's what we appreciated about these books:
1) Start Anywhere Each of these four books has its own story line and its own set of wonderfully crafted characters. Although each plot features a young hero/heroine, is set in the state of Florida, and has an interesting man vs. nature connection, each book stands alone. Pick up one or another and never fear that you are 'out of order'. 2) Different Types of Living Each book seems to offer a unique window into two ways of living. You come to understand the thinking of both the good kid and the mean kid at school. You glimpse a life with parent who tirelessly works to give their child a better life and of the parent who is absent or abusive. You see the thinking of the millionaire and the thinking of the those just scraping by each month. The pros and cons to each character's way of life are so expertly crafted that the reader is able to see the grays of real living and and the complexity of human int choice/interaction. 3) Parents Love You Each book features a parent who absolutley adores their middle/high school child and the good relationship between parent and child is a great platform for discussion. 4) Crazy-Funny Each book features some crazy character who may say inappropriate things that make you laugh. This ain't your elementary school humor: The developing sarcasm, parody, and shock-factor of middle school reins supreme (while still avoiding vulgar humor, sex scenes, or outlandish violence). 
His first bite of solid food, the day he lost his first tooth, his first day of first grade, his first birthday sleepover-- these have all been markers of my son's growing up. Slowly, joyfully he has gone from a babe in my arms to a young man. And yes, I know... the adventure is just beginning.
Another marker of time, in childhood (at least in this household) is reading "Where the Red Fern Grows." Perfect for my 5th grade son, our whole family listened to this beautiful tale on audio tape as my family drove from Chicago to the heart of Indiana. Wilson Rawls does such an amazing job of capturing both the joys and pains of growing up (for both mother and child), all while telling a harrowing tale of a boy, his beloved dogs, and the greatest coon hunting competition ever. I know...I know... I don't seem quite the coon hunting type - but beautifully crafted storytelling? That is surely "one of my favorite things"! I’ve blogged about the talented Klise sisters and their fabulous chapter books in the past. In this post, I’d like to draw attention to their picture books with Little Rabbit. 
I recently read these books with my seven year old and wish I had found them earlier. Little Rabbit finds himself in a variety of situations that seem remarkably well suited for “read-aloud and conversations” with four and five year-old children.  "Why Do You Cry?” explores why we cry and if those falling tears really make you a “baby.”
“Imagine Harry” introduces imaginary friends, the first day of school, and making new friends. “Little Rabbit and the Night Mare” delves into fears (both in the day and during the night). “Little Rabbit and the Meanest Mother on Earth” shows that running away from home to join the circus may not be such a grand plan after all. 
Again offering a comforting cadence of rhythm and rhyme, Bunny School features lyrical prose and charming illustrations. It’s a great read for children looking ahead to the start of the school year. Preschool and kinder students will enjoy this book as a read aloud. 1st and 2nd graders can read it independently. 3rd and above could use the book as a mentor text for writing rhyming-poems of their very own.
Mo Willems does it again with this cute book: 
I'm not sure why it's funny to have the characters in a book REALIZE they are in a book -- but it is. My youngest son and I used to read Elephant and Piggie books together - but now he breezes through them alone. This one reminds me of one of my favorite books as a child. It's a character-trapped-in-the-book classic! 
Here’s another series of books for readers practicing their craft.  Appropriate for 1st and 2nd graders, James Marshall’s Fox character has countless adventures. Truth be told: I wasn't a fan of Fox after reading the first book. Fox can have a bit of an attitude; He’s not always nice to his younger sibling; He sometimes back-talks his mom. However, in the end (after reading several in the series), I came to understand that the situations in which Fox finds himself are comical; his sister is a bit sly herself; and Mom’s directions are always followed.  Each book of the series usually contains 3 chapters. The chapters can be read separately or together as a set (which subtly weave together a larger story). For instructional purposes, these books are also a great way to draw attention to contractions and quotations marks. My youngest son and I took turns using voices to read the words said by each character. Here’s a listen:
Little Bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik are not for beginning readers who are looking to reinforce basic vocabulary. Instead, these delightful books (filled with dialogue) help basic readers who are developing their inflection and fluency. In the video here, you'll see my son read one short chapter in this book. Notice his self-corrections, the repetition of phrases and his eagerness to find the rhythm and meaning of the conversation between the animals. These are advanced reading strategies - all within an age appropriate genre that seems to tickle his funny bone. I am always fascinated when I hear my boy read. His progress pleases me. He's done the hard work to make all those letters, and dots and dashes, come together to tell a story. With Little Bear on the page --- that's a story we can all understand and enjoy together.
I am always on the lookout for new books with which we can flex growing reading-muscles. Oh, the variety needed to entice beginning readers to continue their hard work! Here’s a recent discovery: 
These old time favorites have been reprinted so that they may be enjoyed by another generation of readers. Each book features varying options for beginning readers and can serve students of all skills (and attention spans). At first glance, I read the text of these books and only required my youngest son to read the large word printed
in the right margin. These words all follow the same sound pattern and ensured a high rate of success. At our next reading, he was in charge of both the text and the large word in the margin. I was responsible for the speech bubbles on each page (different voices for different characters – of course). Now, my dear reader breezes through the whole thing on his very own. It’s as they say: “Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!” |
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