Mysterious Benedict Society
This book requires a commitment to reading aloud, as it is quite a thick book at over 500 pages! I usually have to leave about 3-4 months to read this one, but from page 1 the kids are hooked. It follows 4 kids who are gifted in their own ways, and must become secret agents to take down a crazy guy set on ruling the world.
Hatchet
Hatchet is a great book for my reluctant boys, although the girls get just as sucked-in as the boys. It follows a teenage boy, Brian, who gets standed in the Canadian wilderness with just his hatchet that he got from his mom for his birthday (and thought was hokey at the time). The reader really feels what Brian is feeling, the sensory details are in this book are excellent!
Indian in the Cupboard
Both Hatchet and Indian in the Cupboard are books that I read in late elementary school, and the kids love that they're reading the same books I was read-aloud when I was their age! This book is a great introduction to the fantasy genre for those kids who aren't Harry Potter fans and think that fantasy = magic, wands, and spells. Indian in the Cupboard does involve magic in that the little plastic Indian, Little Bear, comes to life and Omri, his "owner" must face several gut-wrenching decisions for the good of Little Bear.
Stay tuned for Read-Alouds Part 3: Teaching key skills using read-alouds
I love the Mysterious Benedict Society! The rest of the books in the series are on my "to read" list!
ReplyDeleteBethany
FabandFunin4th!
My next favorite is actually the prequel, "The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict"! The other 2 sequels are good too, don't get me wrong, but it's so neat learning about Mr. Benedict as a kid!!
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