10 of My FAVORITE Chapter Books for Kids!

I am so excited about this post. I LOVE reading. Picture books, novels, non-fiction, I get excited about it all. So today I wanted to talk about 10 (I know, how could I narrow it down to only 10?!) of my favorite chapter books for kids.

When I was making this list, I was getting excited. That is the power books hold over me. Just glimpsing the cover of a book I haven't read in years is enough to bring back great memories.

I have to preface this list by saying that it may seem completely unorganized and seemingly disconnected. There is no set age-range or theme, but rather I solely chose books that have somehow impacted me. These are books that have stayed with me since childhood or have somehow impacted my teaching. This list is a book of favorites - my favorites. I'm sure I've left out some masterpieces, but when I sat down to think, these are the 10 that popped into my mind. So without further ado, let's move on to the list!

10) The BFG by Roald Dahl

All books via Amazon

Of course I had to start my list off with a Roald Dahl - you'll see that this will be a reoccurring theme! I first heard this book as a classroom read-aloud in third grade and have loved it ever since. The detail, the humour, the suspense, it is great.

9) From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

Mystery, intrigue, and New York City, what more do you need?

8) The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

I love this book because it is the perfect first chapter book read-aloud for young readers. Plus, it's a really great story - who can't help but love that sweet, little Despereaux?

7) The Giver by Lois Lowry

When I read this book in seventh grade, it was so different than other books I had previously read. The concept had a powerful impact on me then that still resonates to this day.

6) Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

When I read this book, all I wanted to do was eat tomato sandwiches and carry a spy notebook. Love it.

5) James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Another Roald Dahl. I'm sure I could have filled this entire list with his books but I limited myself to three. This one makes the list because it was the first novel read-aloud I heard while in school. One of my favorite teachers read it to my class in first grade and it sparked my interest in novels. Before that I had been a voracious reader, but I had only ever seen picture books for kids - I thought novels were limited to adults! The thought that there were novels - amazing, long, intricate stories - for kids, opened a new world of reading for me.

4) Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

This is another book that has stuck with me since childhood. Novels can be powerful way to introduce tough historical topics to students, and this novel does just that.

3) The Breadwinner Trilogy by Deborah Ellis

This book came out when I was in university and by the time I started student teaching it was SO popular among students. The school library could not keep it on the shelves and boys and girls alike were devouring it. It brings current news and issues into the classroom and sends a powerful message.

2) The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

This series came out when I was a kid, but for some reason I didn't discover it until adulthood. I heard about it over and over again, but for some reason, I resisted reading it - big mistake! As soon as I picked up the first book, I couldn't put it down. It was a stay-up-until-2a.m. read for me and I continue to re-read the series all the time. I always feel that the hallmark of a great children's book is that adults love it too, and this series is a perfect example.

1) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Hands down, this is my favorite chapter book for kids. It's great as a class read-aloud, to inspire struggling readers or for students to re-read over and over again. This book has stuck with me since childhood. When I was in elementary school, as soon as my teacher finished reading it to the class, I immediately went to the local library and checked it out. I have read it countless times over the years and it will always hold a special place in my literary heart.

So those are my favorites, what are some of yours? Even as I was going through the list, I know I've left off a bunch, so I might have to make a 2.0 list!

I've seen a lot of students that struggle with reading & responding to chapter books. If you're interested in something to help your students with their comprehension, I have a bunch of prinables just for that . . .

You can click {HERE} or the above pictures if you'd like a closer look.

If you're interested in similar printables designed for use with picture books, you can check out a blog post I wrote {HERE} about using picture books to make predictions.

Reading Comprehension Printables for any Chapter Book

Recently I posted about my Reading Comprehension Printables for any Picture Book . . .

. . . but then I completely fell off the blog train and never mentioned my Reading Comprehension Printables for any Chapter Book (I know, another completely long and unoriginal title!).

My favourite printable from this pack is the double-entry journal page, which comes in two formats. The first comes with two long columns - one column for students to record events & details from the text, and the second column for students to record their thinking voice (thoughts, opinions and questions):

The second version splits the long columns into three distinct sections:

I did this because I found that for some readers, when they worked with the one long column format, their recording of the text details ran on and when they went to record their thinking voice, they couldn't quite match it up. By having three distinct parts, rather than one long column, students can record one event or detail from the text and their thinking voice directly across from it, therefore cementing that correlation in their minds. I think it helps visual learners make that one to one connection between a detail from the text, and a detail from their thinking voice.

What are your thoughts on double-entry journals? I'd love to hear them!

Have a great rest of the week, it's almost Friday!

Making Predictions with Picture Books

I recently created a new unit of reading comprehension printables. It covers topics such as connecting, visualizing, inferring, and predicting and is meant to be used with picture books.

I cannot stop talking about how much I LOVE picture books. I think picture books are so essential to not only primary classrooms, but intermediate ones too. I blogged {HERE} about how I used picture books to teach genres and I'm back today to talk a little about predicting with picture books.

**Fonts by KG Fonts and Rowdy in Room 300

During read-alouds, stopping a book and asking several students to predict can be very enlightening. You'll find that some students make great predictions and some students may be a bit (or very far) off the mark. I think before you get to this stage, you have to model predicting to students. Stop the book and use your thinking voice out loud to tell students what is your prediction and what clues you are using to make that prediction.

When predicting, remind the students to use the clues in the text and pictures. I often use far-off ridiculous examples as a way to remind students that we need to predict from the evidence provided to us. If I'm reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears, would it be a good idea to predict that suddenly a dinosaur will come along and step on the bears' home? Not unless I'm reading Mo Willems' Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs (which, by the way, would make a great story to compare to Goldilocks and the Three Bears during a fairy tale unit!).

If you're reading a book that has a semi-unpredictable ending, such as Mo Willems' That is Not a Good Idea (can you tell I'm a Mo Willems fan?), re-read the story with students, looking for possible clues to predict the ending.

So now onto a short list of some predicting favourites:

1) What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins - One of my favourite non-fiction authors, Steve Jenkins' books are always fantastic. Use this book to have students predict what each body part is used for, using appearance clues.

Via Amazon

2) Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch - Your students will love the hilarious hairstyles as all the students (and teachers) try to copy Stephanie. Will Stephanie really shave her hear, or will your students be able to predict an appropriate alternative?

Via Amazon

3) If You Give a . . . series by Laura Numeroff - You could do a book study on this series by Laura Numeroff, with students predicting the crazy shenanigans of the various animals.

Via Amazon

4) Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems - Of course it wouldn't be a picture book list of mine if I didn't throw in a Mo Willems book! Have students predict whether Trixie will find Knuffle Bunny and what might she do with him if she does find him.

Via Amazon

4) Enemy Pie by Derek Munson - Not only is this a great book to talk about friendships and bullying, but take the time to have your students predict the outcome of the enemy pie.

Via Amazon

These are just a few of the many picture books that are great for teaching predicting. What are some of your favourites?

A New Year & Some New Units

Well, it is 2014! Hope everyone had a happy, safe holiday, but now it is *almost* time to go back to the classroom. Hopefully everyone is refreshed and ready to head back!

I took full advantage of my break by doing lots of reading, tons of sleeping, a bit of baking, and of course, a little working. I've finished up a few new units:

My New Year's Write the Room

My New Year's Word Problem a Day packets for 3rd & 4th

as well as Valentine's Day for 3rd

Alphabet Mini-Books

and finally, my Winter Printable Pack (10 Differentiated Math Printables) for 2nd Grade.

Click on the pictures if you're interested in any of the packets, and enjoy the little bit of holiday (or weekend for those of us not on holiday) left!