With the beautiful weather reminding me of summer I felt the urge to share the incredible final contenders with the world.  So this weekend all finalists have been selected and put up for voting for the chapter book choices for Global Read Aloud 2015.  I cannot gush enough about the final books, they are those types of books that you will always remember reading.  Those types of books that become an experience.  Those types of books that will inspire us all.  So please vote, it will be open until April 20th or so.  And while you are at it, have your students vote as well, after all, it is the children that will listen to the incredible winners be read aloud.

To vote for our early readers choice, go here

To vote for our younger middle grade choice, go here

To vote for our upper middle grade choice, go here

And finally to vote for our YA (high school and up probably) choice, go here

This means that with our incredible picture book author study, this year will have 5 different choices again.  I hope that there is something here for everybody to love.

With April beckoning us all in it is time to think about the official selections for Global Read Aloud 2015.  While the picture book author has already been selected, (to see who it is, go here!), I now set my sights on the incredible chapter books that will be molding our connections as we kick off October 5th.  Please take a moment to read about the choices and then cast your vote.  If your favorite book is not on the list, please submit it under other, who know’s, it may just end up being a contender any way!

This is the final category to have its short list released.  I love this category because it tends to be one of the two choices I read to my own students, so a lot of thought goes into the incredible books that may become the official book.  Any of these books are worthy of the title, I hope you agree, so here they are in no particular order.

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she’s not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn’t know he’s gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there’s Charlie: three years old, a “surprise” baby, the center of everyone’s world. He’s devoted to Fern, but he’s annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn’t for Ran, Fern’s calm and positive best friend, there’d be nowhere to turn. Ran’s mantra, “All will be well,” is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it’s true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same.

“”With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering, “” announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he’s got mad beats, too, that tell his family’s story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander (“He Said, She Said” 2013).

Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story’s heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.

“My story starts the day that my parents told me we must leave our adopted home forever. Because of the soldiers and the drought we barely had enough to eat and we could no longer stay to help the people in our village.
Right before we were leaving I saw a fish in a small brown puddle and I knew I had to take it with me. The journey would be hard to get across the mountains–to the safety of the border and the people there who could help” us.” Yet when I put the fish in the pot I never realized what we would have to face. It never occurred to me to leave Fish behind.

There you have them; 3 incredible books that are sure to make us think, discuss, and connect.  Vote for your favorite here.

With April beckoning us all in it is time to think about the official selections for Global Read Aloud 2015.  While the picture book author has already been selected, (to see who it is, go here!), I now set my sights on the incredible chapter books that will be molding our connections as we kick off October 5th.  Please take a moment to read about the choices and then cast your vote.  If your favorite book is not on the list, please submit it under other, who know’s, it may just end up being a contender any way!

This category is one of the larger categories every year and the choice is read in thousands of classrooms around the world.  It therefore never gets any easier to pick the book because there are such incredible books out there to be read and shared.  Once again they are presented in no particular order.

Albie has never been the smartest kid in his class. He has never been the tallest. Or the best at gym. Or the greatest artist. Or the most musical. In fact, Albie has a long list of the things he’s not very good at. But then Albie gets a new babysitter, Calista, who helps him figure out all of the things he is good at and how he can take pride in himself.

Do you believe in magic?
Micah Tuttle does.

Even though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn’t approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other—the Man Who Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real. And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather.

The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn’t want to keep his promise. And now it’s up to Micah to get the miracle he came for.

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions.  She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.

I hope you love these contenders as much as I have!  Happy voting.

With April beckoning us all in it is time to think about the official selections for Global Read Aloud 2015.  While the picture book author has already been selected, (to see who it is, go here!), I now set my sights on the incredible chapter books that will be molding our connections as we kick off October 5th.  Please take a moment to read about the choices and then cast your vote.  If your favorite book is not on the list, please submit it under other, who know’s, it may just end up being a contender any way!

I think the list of books for our young adults/high school level offer incredible choices this year.  So without further ado, here they are in no particular order.

When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white.
In the aftermath of Tariq’s death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth.
Tariq’s friends, family, and community struggle to make sense of the tragedy, and to cope with the hole left behind when a life is cut short. In their own words, they grapple for a way to say with certainty: This is how it went down.

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away?

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

A powerful novel in verse captures the voices of three teens as they struggle against hardscrabble realities — and move toward their dreams.

Luke spends his days hanging out at the beach, working shifts at the local supermarket, and trying to stay out of trouble at school. His mate Bongo gets wasted, blocking out memories of the little brother that social services took away from his addict mom and avoiding the stepdad who hits him. And Casey, the girl they both love, longs to get away from her strict, controlling father and start anew in a place where she can be free. But even after they each find a way to move on and lead very different lives, can they outrun their family stories — and will they ever be able to come together again? Set in Australia and narrated in alternating points of view, here is an affecting look at the evolving lives of three friends from talented new author Emma Cameron.

With April beckoning us all in it is time to think about the official selections for Global Read Aloud 2015.  While the picture book author has already been selected, (to see who it is, go here!), I now set my sights on the incredible chapter books that will be molding our connections as we kick off October 5th.  Please take a moment to read about the choices and then cast your vote.  If your favorite book is not on the list, please submit it under other, who know’s, it may just end up being a contender any way!

It never gets any easier but here are the top contenders for our early readers choice for Global Read Aloud 2015 in no particular order.

It’s not easy being the middle child, especially when your dad is a Navy Chief. Meet Piper Reed, a spunky nine-year-old who has moved more times than she can count on one hand. From Texas to Guam, wherever Piper goes, adventure follows, inspired by her active imagination, free-wheeling spirit, and a bit of sister magic. Unlike her older sister, Tori, Piper loves being part of a Navy family, and unlike her little sister, Sam, Piper is no prodigy genius. Piper is Piper–fearless and full of life.

Clementine is having not so good of a week.

• On Monday she’s sent to the principal’s office for cutting off Margaret’s hair.
• Tuesday, Margaret’s mother is mad at her.
• Wednesday, she’s sent to the principal again.
• Thursday, Margaret stops speaking to her.
• Friday starts with yucky eggs and gets worse.
• And by Saturday, even her mother is mad at her.