6 Book Series for Reluctant Readers

Let's kick this post off with a quote that I wholeheartedly believe…

For me, finding books that students love, regardless of genre or topic, is probably my number one priority. I want my students to love reading and I try my best to model and encourage that every single day. When a student tells me they don't like reading, my standard response is:

Today's post was actually inspired by one of my students today. After months of being apathetic towards reading, he actually asked if he could take a book home for the weekend…I felt like I had won the lottery.

So if you are having a difficult time finding chapter books for some of your struggling readers, I've got a list of six book series that have been read and reread by my students over and over again during the past few years. Initially I was going to write this post about book series for reluctant BOY readers, but as I was composing my list of books, I realized that most of these books are enjoyed equally by all my students.

All images via Amazon

1) Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Did I really need to mention this series? I thought I had finally stopped hearing about "The Cheese Touch"…until a student mentioned it just the other day. This series has been going strong for years and will hopefully engage reluctant readers for many more.

2) Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce

I am constantly being asked by my students to find more books from this series. The boys and girls in my class are fully obsessed.

3) Stink by Megan McDonald

I've known about Judy Moody for a few years, but I just discovered the spin-off series for her brother Stink. The length and reading level of these books makes them perfect for struggling readers who want to move onto chapter books…and what kid can resist reading about a character named Stink! Bonus: they are illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, the author & illustrator of some of my favourite picture books.

4) Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Another no-brainer for this list. Rick Riordan now has a bunch of other similar or spin-off series, including the new Magnus Chase series. My students freaked when I told them about this new series before it was released in October.

Another great thing about the Percy Jackson series is that they are now available as graphic novels, a format that my students adore.

5) Bone by Jeff Smith

Like I said, my students adore graphic novels and I know they are not alone. Our school library has multiple copies of these books because they are always checked out.

6) Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi

What can I say? Another graphic novel favourite.

Do you have any other series that would make great additions to this list?

A Random Assortment of Books, Shoes & Reviews

Can you believe the end of the school year is just around the corner? No? Me neither. The school years keep passing faster and faster and I cannot believe it.

So, it's the end of the school year and I haven't blogged in over a month, of course there are a few random, unrelated things about which to talk.

Number one is new books. Lately I have been finding a ton of new books/authors that are "new-to-me." It doesn't matter to me if they came out a year ago or one month ago, it is great to find new classroom books to add to my classroom library. I may or may not have a bit of a book obsession. It doesn't matter what age/grade level the books are meant for, if I like them, I buy them. Here are two that have caught my eye lately.

The first one I found came out about a year ago. It's called Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light. If you teach preschool, kindergarten or even first grade, this one's for you. It's a great book for little learners who are practicing counting up to 20. The heavily detailed illustrations are in black and white *except* for the object that is being counted. Students will enjoy spending time counting the objects and searching for the dragon in each picture.

Click {HERE} to check it out on Amazon.

Another great book is Oh No, George! by Christ Haughton. This is a great book for students who are *trying* to make good choices, but may be struggling. George demonstrates how to make things better when his choices have negative repercussions (hello restitution!). **Spoiler alert** The unfinished ending provides a perfect opportunity for students to decide what the best decision would be, providing great practice for students who are struggling in that area.

Click {HERE} to check it out on Amazon.

Another thing I've been thinking about lately - shoes! I am not a huge shoe person, but I do love a great ballet flat. These new colors of Tieks have been calling my name. What's your go-to shoe?

And finally, I'm thinking about the end of the year - what teacher isn't? I don't know about you, but the next few weeks (still almost two months left) are full of assemblies, field trips, meetings and, oh yeah, curriculum. It is so important to make sure students are prepared for next year, so I have created a few reviews to help cover that. With an answer key provided for each packet, you just need to print and you are ready to go - a busy teacher's best friend at the end of the year!

You can click {HERE} or the picture to check them out.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend because you know Monday will be here before you know it!

Author Spotlight: Todd Parr

I was first introduced to the books of Todd Parr several years ago when I received The Earth Book as a gift. Since then, I just keep discovering more and more of his gems. Not only do I love the bright illustrations, but I adore the way that he can take heavy/serious topics (peace, being different, etc.) and make them approachable for students.

Some of my favourites:

The Earth Book - My first and favourite!

The Peace Book - Takes a general concept, and puts it into words that students understand.

The Family Book - Uses fun pictures to illustrate the point that families come in all different shapes and sizes.

The Feelings Book - Great for students who may have difficulty identifying emotions.

It's Okay to Be Different  - Great book to teach tolerance and acceptance.

The Thankful Book - Perfect to get students talking about being thankful around Thanksgiving.

The Underwear Book - C'mon, the kids will never be able to resist this book!

**All links via Amazon**

Let's Talk About Books (Again)!

I'm back again to link up with Deanna over at Mrs. Jump's Class, but it is going to be quick because I am more than exhausted. My eyelids are getting heavy just writing this . . . is it summer vacation yet?

I'm sure I've talked about this book before, as well as Peter H. Reynolds' other books, but anywhoo, I'm still going to mention it this week: The Dot:

Via Amazon

This book is a sweet tale about Vashti, a girl who thinks she cannot draw. With an encouraging art teacher, she discovers that not only can she draw, she can create amazing, creative art. Vashti not only learns a great lesson, but takes the time to pass that lesson along!

I love this book as an inspiration to all those reluctant artists in the classroom. How many times have you heard a student say, "I can't draw. It's too hard!"? Students need to learn that they are all artists, they just need a little confidence and a lot of effort.

In addition to the great message passed along in this book, there is also great artwork to be inspired. Use this book at the beginning of the year to remind students that they can draw (and paint etc.) or at the beginning of a great "dot" inspired art lesson.

Via Art Projects for Kids

Via Art Projects for Kids

Via Art Projects for Kids

OK, I think I better go before I fall asleep on my computer!

Let's Talk About Books! Linky

When I stumbled on a new link-up with Deanna over at Mrs. Jump's Class, I couldn't resist! I love books and can never resist talking about them, so of course I had to link up and share my two cents.

Have your students been singing Pharrell's Happy on repeat? Well not only is it the name of a great song, but it is also the name of a great book.

Via Amazon

Happy by Mies Van Hout not only has amazing artwork, but it allows students to discuss emotions. Each page is simple - it has a fish representing a different emotion - but powerful. There are so many different ways that this book can be used in the classroom and I especially like it to introduce to kids who are having a difficult time reading emotional cues.

Have students use black construction paper and bright pastels to create their own inspired artwork. Not only is it a great art lesson, but students will really need to think about how to represent the emotion they have chosen.

And come on, doesn't that bright title page just make you happy?

St. Patrick's Day Freebie!

Well, once again it's been a little while since my presence has graced this blog, but this time I come with gifts - a little St. Patrick's Day freebie to be exact! I'm also linking up with Manic Monday at Classroom Freebies, so make sure to head over there and see what other freebies are up for grabs.

This year, St. Patrick's Day is on Spring Break (which reminds me, one more week until Spring Break, wahoo!) so we will be celebrating in green this Friday. You might find this little freebie useful if you plan on doing any St. Patrick's Day reading or writing this week:

It contains one story elements printable:

4 writing papers:

and nine vocabulary cards:

You can click any of the picture to check it out on TpT or {HERE} to download.

I also recently finished a new unit that I have been working on forever - Reading Comprehension Printables. These 20 printables work for any picture book and can be used repeatedly through the year to assess student comprehension and reading strategies.

Most of the printables come in three versions - unlined, primary-lined and regular-lined - and cover connecting, visualizing, predicting, re-telling, responding, inferring & more. Click the picture or {HERE} to check it out if you are interested!

What are your plans for St. Patrick's Day? More importantly, when is your Spring Break?

Manic Monday with The Little Old Lady

Is it Sunday night already? That weekend sure flew past.

How was that for an intro sentence? I must be exhausted! I'm back to link up with Manic Monday at Classroom Freebies. I have a simple Halloween freebie to share. I used it last year and I might have to pull it out again this year.

Click {HERE} or the picture to check it out (I'm not sure why the picture looks gray, the freebie isn't though!). I used this with the story The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. I read the story and had the kids retell by writing/drawing the order that the objects followed the lady.

If you don't have the book, there are various read alouds available on Youtube, including a song version.

In completely unrelated news, I'm still trucking along with my new Word Problem a Day series. I'm slightly ahead of the game as I just finished the Thanksgiving packet for 3rd grade. Click {HERE} or the picture to check it out.

Head on over to Classroom Freebies to see what other goodies are available and have a wonderful week!

**Graphic from KPM Doodles and Melonheadz**
**Fonts from KG Fonts and Rowdy in Room 300**

Happy Fish & Crayons That Quit

Can you believe that it is almost Friday? This week sure went by fast. The weather has been great here, in that nice autumn spot between the hot sun of summer and super rainy fall, but we'll see how long this lasts.

I wanted to stop by and talk about two new books I've found recently. I can never resist talking about books and I love finding new ones.

First up, Happy by Mies Van Hout. I am a sucker for amazing illustrations and this book fits that. The illustrations show different fish portraying various emotions.

Happy is perfect for teaching kids about emotions and would make for a fantastic art lesson (bright pastels on black paper would be so striking).

Next up, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. When I first saw this book I thought it looked familiar and I quickly realized that Oliver Jeffers illustrated it.

This books consists of letters from the various crayons explaining why they quit. There are so many options for this book. It would be fantastic for a colour unit, to introduce letter writing or to start a discussion about using out of the box colours in artwork.This book is just plain cute!