the next great read aloud?
Last week, we finished our read aloud of Jasmine Warga’s The Unlikely Tale of Chase & Finnegan. When I read the book a couple of months ago, I was curious about its read aloud potential. I had no idea it would be such a home run.
My fifth graders were captivated from the start. The loved that the story was told from both Chase and Finnegan’s points of view, in alternating chapters. My fifth grade son is in my class, and he would get visibly upset each day when I stopped reading. The kids just could not get enough of this book.
During the last fifteen years we ahve been blessed with some all-time great read alouds like: The Wild Robot, Wonder, and The One and Only Ivan. I hope that Chase & Finn can enter that stratosphere. It is such a special book, and it is so darn fun to read aloud.
In the video below, I talk about a few of my favorite new middle grade novels!
Thank you for reading and subscribing to my newsletter. I’m on spring break right now, and I hope I get to read some great books that I’ll get to share with you.
As a K-5 librarian, I've stumbled across a few books that my 5th graders are disappointed when our read aloud time is over. Two specific books this year are, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise and I Am Rebel. My 4th graders also hang on every word of Coyote Sunrise. Thank you for sharing your experiences...useful information as so many kids have discovered new books because I've followed your advice and purchased, or at the very least, shared the books you've recommended. I appreciate what you do!