As I'm reading, I'm always taking note of books that I'd like to add to my booktalking roster. These are books I'm super excited to share with kids and know I will enjoy booktalking. If we can, I like to order multiple copies of these titles so that we ensure we have enough copies when we share them with, say, hundreds of middle schoolers or if we have three third grade teachers who all want the books checked out to their classroom.
Here are some 2015 books I'm adding to my booktalking roster for the 2015-2016 school year:
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose (Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux, 2015).
Read my booktalk for The Boys Who Challenged Hitler here.
I'll booktalk it to grades: 7 and up.
Why it's awesome: This is an edge-of-your-seat true adventure story about kids who resisted the Nazi regime in Denmark. World War II stories are perennially popular and this is one that our kids may not be familiar with.
Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015).
Read my booktalk for Enchanted Air here.
I'll booktalk it to grades: 4-6.
Why it's awesome: I'm on a quest to booktalk memoirs to one of our middle schools because the kids last year said they didn't like memoirs. I think they just need to know about the great memoirs that are out there! This is a beautifully written book, reminiscent of last year's Brown Girl Dreaming, which was a booktalking hit with last year's students.
Harriet the Invincible (Hamster Princess #1) by Ursula Vernon (Dial Books, 2015).
Booktalk coming soon!
I'll booktalk it to grades: 3-6.
Why it's awesome: This highly illustrated story will appeal to young comics fans, it's super funny, and it features a kick-butt princess heroine.
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (Algonquin Young Readers, 2015).
Read my booktalk for The Jumbies here.
I'll booktalk it to grades: 4-6.
Why it's awesome: Our kids can't get enough scary stories and this one fits the bill nicely. It's a great readalike for The Doll Bones by Holly Black, which has already been a hit with our upper elementary students.
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm (Scholastic, 2015).
Booktalk coming soon!
I'll booktalk it to grades 4-6.
Why it's awesome: Jenni Holm has a built-in fan base, comic books are always a hit, and I think this newest book will be an especially big hit with Raina Telgemeier's many fans.
Terrible Typhoid Mary by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015).
Read my booktalk for Terrible Typhoid Mary here.
I'll booktalk it to grades 5-8.
Why it's awesome: This is gripping nonfiction that reads like fiction and will keep readers on the edge of their seat. I'm always looking for nonfiction to booktalk and this is a great choice for middle schoolers.
Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins (Charlesbridge, 2015).
Read my booktalk for Tiger Boy here.
I'll booktalk it to grades: 4-6.
Why it's awesome: This book is a great choice for young animal lovers, and it's a shorter chapter book that will still appeal to our younger middle school students. I feel like I always bring these BIG THICK books, so it'll be nice to have a slimmer book in my repertoire for the upper elementary set.
The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang (Scholastic, 2015).
Read my booktalk for The Way Home Looks Now here.
I'll booktalk it to grades: 4-6.
Why it's awesome: This is a story with plenty of sports action that will please our many baseball fans. It's also a touching family story and parts of it are based on events from the author's childhood.
I'd like to make this a regular feature and share books I'm excited to booktalk, so look for more posts like this soon!
How about you? Any books you're super excited to booktalk or share with kids this school year??
ETA: More posts in this series:
Added to the Booktalking Roster #2 (January 2016)
