Donalyn Miller, a sixth-grade teacher also known as The Book Whisperer on her blog, couldn't get her eager readers to settle down this week because of all the holiday excitement, so she got them talking about their favorite books. For those with last-minute purchases to make for children, consider this list from the experts in Room 1217.
You might have predicted that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and "The Golden Compass" would make this year's hot read list, but investigate some of these new, old, and classic books.* "Peak" by Roland Smith
* "The Terrorist" by Caroline Cooney (This one is out of print, but used copies are available.)
* "Full Tilt" by Neal Shusterman
* "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
* "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
* "Uglies" (the whole series) by Scott Westerfeld
* "Midnighters" (the whole series) by Scott Westerfeld (Hey Scott, can we get a fourth book here? You left Jessica, and all of us, hanging...)
* "Fairest" by Gail Carson Levine
* "The Last Dog on Earth" by Daniel Ehrenhaft
* "The Lightning Thief"(the whole series) by Rick Riordan
* "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
* "Kensuke’s Kingdom" by Michael Morpugo
* "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
I am reminded again and again that my students want to talk about the books they are reading, share their love of books, and make recommendations to other readers. Their comments, spontaneously and freely given, do more to promote reading in my classroom than any book report could ever do.
**If you would like to swap out your own books, there are many Web sites which provide book swap services such as Book Mooch and PaperBackSwap.
A book is a great gift especially if it is something they will actually read. They are much more beneficial than video games and can help their reading skills as well as their comprehension. If you as parents don't know what they will like get them a gift card for a bookstore and take them to pick out a book. Since they are out of school for winter break you can take them to the library to pick out a book and it won't cost you anything if you return the book when it is due.
hey, where's the Oz series? frank l. baum is the bomb.!