Fifth Grade Read Aloud Suggestions for Teachers

I have read some AMAZING books lately and I'd love to share them with you. I get most of my ideas for read alouds from other's recommendations, so I'm hoping my recommendations might inspire some of you awesome teachers!

#1  2013 Newbery Award Winner - Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

My own son who does not enjoy reading actually picked this book up and finished it in 3 days. So to me, this book is a miracle.  And I promise you will love it also.

#2  Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

I read this book aloud as part of the 2013 Global Read Aloud project (so much fun) and we are still today talking about Melody and her struggle with cerebral palsy.  This book is also a great companion to Wonder by R.J. Palacio - I know you've all heard of this one.  It was my vote for the 2012 Newbery Award.  August and Melody have many similarities and you will have great conversations comparing and contrasting these two character's responses to the challenges they face.

#3  Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli

This book is confusing at first, and hard for my fifth graders to decipher on their own, but with support as a classroom read aloud - I think kids would hang on every word.  What kid wouldn't want to hear details about a magical world designed just for kids - no adults!  Snow cones, playgrounds, bounce houses, and riding bikes all day long are the kids' favorite past times in Hokey Pokey.  Secretly, I wouldn't mind living there for a day or two myself.  :)

#4  Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library  by Chris Grabenstein

Where can I begin? This story is a book lover's dream.  The plot line mirrors Charlie & the Chocolate Factory as kids win tickets to the new magical library opening in town.  Once they get in, they spend the rest of the story playing games, solving clues, and working together (or not) to be the first to escape from the library.  The whole book is a game! Who wouldn't love it?  And, the allusions to many of my favorite childhood books that are sprinkled throughout the text were so much fun too.

#5 The Fault in our Stars by John Green. 

If you're a high school teacher (or just love reading YA lit as much as I) than #5 is for you. I started this book on a Friday night and finished on Saturday afternoon if that tells you anything.  I absolutely couldn't put it down, and I know many others felt the same way.  It's a tear jerker as you live the life of a 17 year old girl who is dying from cancer.  I finished the book with a new appreciation for "living like you're dying."  What I wouldn't give to be able to read this aloud with a group of age appropriate kids.  We'd all be a crying mess.  Lastly, it's being made into a movie as I type so you must read it before the big screen ruins it.  Oops, that's not what I meant to say.  You must read it, before the big screen makes tons of money off of it.  There - that sounds better!