by Janny Jackson
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If you read my Third Grade Curriculum Choices post, you would know that I have always enjoyed reading to my kids, ever since they were infants.
We had fallen WAY out of schedule and routine when we moved, and I didn’t put forth the effort to research books and add in reading time to my kids over the last school year. With this school year I knew that I wanted to do more reading to them, and I wanted books that were highly recommended by other moms, as well as books that their kids enjoyed. I wanted to make sure that we were reading quality books that we would all enjoy.
So that led me to these books, that I gathered together over the summer, as I made our read aloud list for the year. These all came highly recommended, and as we have already gone through several of them, I can see why.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
This was our first read aloud for the year, and it was so fun for all of us. We all really enjoyed it, and then we watched both movies, old and new, to compare the book to the movies. It was a fun way to ask questions and really see that they comprehended what was being read to them.
Book description:
Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
Oh man, it is going to be hard to top this one. As our second read aloud for the year, we couldn’t put this one down. Every morning that I would read I would have to force myself to stop so that we could move onto our school work. I really love how the book is broken down into chapters that are only one or two pages long. Not only is it an easy read, but the format makes it so that I can read as much or little as I want and not have to stop in the middle of a long chapter. This book enraptured us and left us wanting more and more. I highly recommend this one for all elementary age kids.
Book description:
Can a robot survive in the wilderness?
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is–but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants.
As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home–until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
Of course we had to read the sequel! We are currently about half way through this one, at the time of me writing this, and I must say, we aren’t that into it. It starts off slow and is dragging a bit. The story is just now starting to pick up, but I’m not going to lie, there are days that my kids just don’t want me to read anymore of it for the day. We will finish it, and I am hopeful that it will end well, but we are moving through it a bit slower than we did with The Wild Robot.
Update: We finished the book and I cried! The story picked up to the point of us not being able to put the book down. The ending was exactly what was needed to finish the series. Highly recommend both books!
Book description:
Shipwrecked on a remote, wild island, Robot Roz learned from the unwelcoming animal inhabitants and adapted to her surroundings–but can she survive the challenges of the civilized world and find her way home to Brightbill and the island?
This is next in line for our read alouds. My son and I are both excited for this one. In all the reviews I read, this one was highly recommended by other moms and teachers as being a favorite read aloud, so I knew we had to add it to our list.
Book description:
Sixth-grader Rufus Mayflower is betting that he can make a whole gallon of toothpaste for the same price as one tube from the store. There’s just one problem, he has to solve real-life mathematical equations first! With help from his good friend Kate Mackinstrey, can these two entrepreneurs keep up with the high demand for their popular product? Beloved children’s author Jean Merrill introduces readers to the ins and outs of a budding business, from costs to profits, in this exciting tale about perseverance, ingenuity, and underdogs.
The reviews on this book are amazing! It has been said that the characters and plot of the story are epic, and so well thought out. We look forward to diving into this one!
Book description:
Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.
Kings fall and kingdoms totter. Tyrants ascend and terrors threaten. Betrayal beckons, and loyalty is a broken road with peril around every bend.
Where will Heather and Picket land? How will they make their stand?
I can.not.wait to read this series to the kids. It is described as being filled with so much adventure and connection to the characters as the story evolves.
Book Description:
The stage is set. It’s war. Morbin Blackhawk, slaver and tyrant, threatens to destroy the rabbit resistance forever. Heather and Picket are two young rabbits improbably thrust into pivotal roles.
The fragile alliance forged around the young heir seems certain to fail. Can Heather and Picket help rescue the cause from a certain, sudden defeat?
My Place Beside You
My Blood For Yours
Till The Green… Ember Falls.
I love the message behind the story of this book (based off of the description and reviews I’ve read). As homeschoolers, my kids are shielded from a lot of the challenges that the public school system can expose kids to, and although they are shielded from those things I still think it’s important to teach and inform them about those challenges. I also want to continue to impress upon them how we should treat others, and I think this book will open up that dialogue and conversations that can lead to lifelong lessons.
Book description:
Wanda Petronski is ridiculed by her classmates for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. She claims she has one hundred dresses at home, but everyone knows she doesn’t. When Wanda is pulled out of school one day, the class feels terrible, and classmate Maddie decides that she is “never going to stand by and say nothing again.”
A timeless, gentle tale about bullies, bystanders, and having the courage to speak up.
This is another book I’m excited to read that has a wholesome story and message, and it comes highly recommended for elementary aged kids.
Book description:
Trees can’t tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . . .
Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood “wishtree”―people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red’s branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red’s hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood.
You might say Red has seen it all.
Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red’s experience as a wishtree is more important than ever.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew
Honestly, I added this book to our list because of the popularity of it. Everyone that I know of that has read this series absolutely loves it. I’ve been reluctant to start reading it because of the popularity of it.. I tend to NOT do what everyone else is doing, haha. I sincerely hope it is one that we look forward to reading all of.
Book description:
Digory is concerned about his ill mother and about his Uncle Andrew, who seems very strange indeed. When Digory and his friend are tricked by Uncle Andrew into embarking on a series of magical adventures, they are brought into contact with the forces of both evil and good. Digory is set a task, which he completes successfully, and the safety of Narnia and the restored health of his mother are thereby ensured.
If you’ve read one or all of these books, please let me know what you and your kiddos thought about them. I would love to know! And, as always, thanks for being here!