Top Five Chapter Book Read Alouds for Second Grade

Reading chapter books to my class was my favorite academic activity during my 14 years of teaching second grade (I say academic because nothing can top playing Kick the Ball Over the Fence with the kids at recess.) Those 14 years of reading gave me a chance to discover some great second grade chapter book read alouds.

Here are my top five chapter book read alouds for second graders:

5. Poppy by Avi

4. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

3. Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar

2. Holes by Louis Sachar

1. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Reading Where the Red Fern Grows to Second Graders

I finished reading Where the Red Fern Grows to my eight-year-old twin daughters last night. It was the 15th time I have read the book. The previous 14 times include once to myself and 13 times to my classes of second grade students.

In general terms, this is a great chapter book read aloud for second graders because it:

• builds a strong emotional bond between the reader (and listeners) and the characters.
• builds intense understanding of the relationships between the characters.
• has a number of moments that the reader (or listener) does not expect to happen.
• has many themes that eight-year-olds can understand, especially when presented in the masterful way Wilson Rawls presents them.
• is just a great story filled with fantastic writing.

What I'm Reading

To myself: Jim and Casper Go To Church - Everyone said this was really good, so I started reading it even though I haven't finished the other books I was reading. It's good so far, but I'm still in the introduction because it is so long.

Kylee and Makenna: Where the Red Fern Grows - We're about half way through it. Love it. It's fun for me to compare their comprehension to that of the top and struggling second graders I have had in class.

Landen: Charlotte's Web - This was the first chapter book I read to Kylee and Makenna when they were three years old. Landen is about the same age Kylee and Makenna were when I read it to them. We read the first chapter tonight.

What I Want To Read

I want to start reading Jim and Casper Go to Church: Frank Conversation About Faith, Churches, and Well-Meaning Christian.

What I'm Reading

I am currently reading The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google by Nicholas Carr. Shortly before starting The Big Switch I was reading a book on Google Books called The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It by Jonathan Zittrain. These books have quite a bit in common. They both discuss the history of the Internet and predict its future by looking at the history of other technological innovations. I like the topic and have found both of these books interesting. They are enough alike though, that I think I will mostly skim through the rest of The Big Switch. That way I can get to the book I really want to read.

Where the Red Fern Grows

I have a signed copy of Where the Red Fern Grows. I bought it on eBay for $50.

I'm reading my signed copy of Where the Red Fern Grows to Kylee and Makenna right now. I've been looking forward to reading it to the girls since the day they were born. I've read Red Fern to 13 classes of second graders. It's always the overwhelming favorite chapter book of the year. Just last week I asked an 8th grader who is a former student if she remembered any books I read to the class. The one she named? Where the Red Fern Grows.

I've read over 20 chapter books to Kylee and Makenna, but Red Fern had to wait for the girls to be in second grade. When we decided to let the girls be in T-1, the thought crossed my mind that it would mean having to wait an extra year to read it to them.

So, the time has finally arrived. The girls are enjoying the book and I am relishing the read aloud. And since I don't have a second grade class this year, it just sort of works out for me to read it to Kylee and Makenna this year.

I just might need to find a second grader I can read it to next year.

And if you have a second grader, you won't find a better chapter book read aloud for them than Where the Red Fern Grows.

What I've Been Reading

Here's a glimpse of what I've been reading lately.

Miles to Go by Miley Cyrus - I just finished reading this book, which I reviewed in May, to Kylee and Makenna. We seemed to be out of our bedtime reading routine during the summer. I think it took me three months to read this book to them. They did a lot more reading to themselves than me reading to them over the summer.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis - This book won the Newberry Award in 2000. I read it to myself about five years ago and thought it was great. I started reading it to Kylee and Makenna this week. They are enjoying it so far.

Closing the Achievement Gap: No Excuses by Patricia Davenport and Gerald Anderson - The school district I work for is using this book as a model for taking our district from a "good one to a great one." My take? It's a good book that describes an excellent school improvement system. I think my school system will implement the plan well.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer - This book was different. I missed the suspense that this type of book would usually have, but I did like it. Mainly, the book offers a glimpse into the mind of a vagabond.

Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx - After reading positive reviews by both Derry and Rob, I'm reading this book right now and enjoying it.

Second Grade Chapter Book Read Alouds - Ranked

Last week each student in my second grade class ranked their top five favorite chapter books that I read aloud during the school year. I totaled their rankings giving 5 points for a 1st place vote, 4 points for a 2nd place vote, etc.

Here are the results from their rankings. (Sorry for the blank space. Scroll down a ways to see the rankings.)

Rank	Title	Author	Poll Points
1	Where the Red Fern Grows	Wilson Rawls	60
2	Miles to Go	Miley Cyrus	57
3	Holes	Louis Sachar	38
4	The Tale of Despereaux	Kate DiCamillo	38
5	Shiloh	Phyllis Reynolds Naylor	28
6	Poppy	Avi	26
7	Summer of the Monkeys	Wilson Rawls	23
8	My Side of the Mountain	Jean George	18
9	The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane	Kate DiCamillo	15
10	Stone Fox	John Reynolds Gardiner	13
11	The Best Christmas Pageant Ever	Barbara Robinson	13
12	Wayside School (series)	Louis Sachar	12
13	Junie B. Jones books (series)	Barbara Park	9
14	Weird School books (series)	Dan Gutman	4
15	Flat Stanley	Jeff Brown	3
16	The Incredible Invention of Hugo Cabret	Brian Selznick	2
17	Scholastic Chapter Book Biographies	Peter Roop	2
18	Now You See Me . . . Now You Don't	Dan Greenburg	1
19	Ready Freddy – The Pumpkin Mystery	Abby Klein	0

In the many years that I have done these end-of-year polls, Where the Red Fern Grows has never finished anywhere but first. Although it was way closer this year than usual, probably in part because I just finished Miles to Go.

Edward Tulane should have finished higher, but I read it a LONG time ago and I think they kind of forget after a while. Also, many students really enjoyed the Wayside School series, but if I separate the three books it's hard to get consistent votes for them since students are only voting their top five overall books. I don't think lumping the three together gives perfect results though either - it sort of takes away from voting for a certain book.

I also read Holes last fall. It must have held up pretty well. It is REALLY good!

Relate post: Steve, Kylee and Makenna rate the chapter book read alouds

What I Am Reading

To Kylee and Makenna: We recently finished The Organic God by Margaret Feinberg. We have now resumed reading The Incredible Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

To My Class: I finished reading Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor last week. Today I started reading Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls to them. I let them choose between Monkeys and My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. The vote was 17 to 5 in favor of Monkeys.

To Myself: I'm still reading The Next 100 Years by George Friedman.

My Top 10 Favorite Novels of All Time

My top 10 favorite novels of all time list is filled with "children's" novels. That's most of what I read - some of these I've read over ten times.

10. Poppy by Avi
9. Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
8. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
7. Call of the Wild by Jock London
6. Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
5. Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar
4. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
3. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
2. Holes by Louis Sachar
1. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

When I read #1 and #3 aloud, I have to concentrate on breathing to be able keep on reading and not completely choke up. #2 is an amazingly woven story.

What I Am Reading - The Next 100 Years

I heard Michael Medved mention this book on his radio show. I thought it sounded interesting, so I bought it. It has definitely kept my interest.

I like forecasts. Whether they are preseason football polls, NBA draft predictions, weather outlooks, oil price prognostics or election results guesses - I like them all. So, The Next 100 Years - A Forecast for the 21st Century by George Friedman is right up my ally. It is the book I am reading right now. I have read through about two-thirds of it.

The book delves deeply into the history of geopolitical relations. Friedman uses this history to predict how future events may unfold. The book reads much like a history book for events that haven't happened.

Friedman does not claim to be a prophet.

"I have no crystal ball. I do, however have a method that has served me well, imperfect though it might be, in understanding the past and anticipating the future."

In the book, Friedman does, however make specific predictions for the 2100s.

• ". . . in 2030 advanced countries will be competing for immigrants."
• "And, by the mid-2040s the Turks will indeed be a major regional power."
• By 2015-2020, it (Russia) will have a military that will pose a challenge to any power trying to project force into the region, even the United States.

The forecasts presented in The Next 100 Years are well thought out and presented in a manner that is easy to understand. There isn't a hint of "fear the future" kookiness present.

The Next 100 Years is one of the more interesting books I have read in a long while. It should be read from the perspective that the book is simply the author's ideas of how events could unfold rather than his ideas of how events will certainly unfold. I am eager to finish The Next 100 Years and recommend it to anyone who enjoys world history, geopolitics or forecasts.

What I'm Reading to Kylee and Makenna - The Organic God

I posted a little over a month ago about reading The Organic God by Margaret Feinberg to Kylee and Makenna. We're still reading it and still enjoying it. We are on chapter 7, out of 10.

A few weeks back, I read this passage to them (which takes place on an airplane,)

"So where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going to get my daughters," he replied.

His sobriety and seriousness was striking. My interest was piqued by the sense of urgency that surrounded him. I gently asked him to explain. After his divorce, his ex-wife took custody of his girls. She had recently become unable to care for them, and the situation had become abusive. He was on a mission to save and protect his children.

I sat in silence. An uninvited thought popped into my mind. You need to pray with him.

The thought was fueled by a surge of energy. I knew it was God-thought.

But I didn't respond. . . .

Reading this passage was déjà vuish, because the same thing had happened to me. Right away, I told Kylee and Makenna about my similar experience. They were along when it happened.

We were at Home Depot in Mishawaka late one night in fall of 2005. Other than us, the store was almost completely empty. We pushed our cart to the check out at the lumber-end of the store. The clerk was on the phone and it quickly became clear that her conversation was disturbing. We waited (and couldn't help but listen) for maybe a minute. When she got off the phone, she looked distressed and said something about being sorry and how it had been a rough evening. She even offered a vague detail about the problem she was going through.

I felt the surge of energy. I heard the uninvited thought, "Ask her if you can pray for her."

I ignored it. I ignored the voice of God.

The clerk crosses my mind from time to time. I wonder, did my disobedience cause her additional hardship or worse, hinder her journey toward having a relationship with the Living God?

I guess I can take comfort in Margaret Feinberg's later words, "More and more I'm learning that recognizing God's voice is a process complete with highs and lows, successes and mistakes."

I might add, "and obeying" after the word 'recognizing.'

My blog offers a clue that listening for God's voice is something I am intrigued by, I've mentioned it in at least four other blog posts now.

• Life Action Family Camp - Tuesday
  
  
• More Barbarian Way Thoughts
  
  
• Daily Time Alone with God
  
  
• 25 Random Things About Me

What I'm Reading to My Class - Wayside School

I am in the middle of reading the Wayside School trilogy to my second grade class. I love these books. Out of all the chapter books I have read aloud to second graders over my fourteen year teaching career, the Wayside School books are the most fun. This year, there is one boy in my class in particular who has not paid very much attention to the chapter books I have read, but I can hear him laughing at every outrageous event that happens at Wayside School. The three books in the series by Louis Sachar are:

• Wayside Stories from Wayside School
• Wayside School is Falling Down
• Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger

All three books are a riot, but Wayside School is Falling Down is my favorite. Chapters 6, 9, 10 and 26 are especially fun. Chapter 9 is incredibly fun to read to second graders. There is a surprise in it, a "mushroom surprise" that is so shocking (to second graders) and funny that by the end of the chapter they are laughing so hard that they can barely even hear me reading anymore. It's a great time, and I think gives kids a huge glimpse of how much fun books can be.

The Wayside School books are terrific read alouds that most any school-age child would enjoy. I would recommend them for parents to read to their children, but since the stories are set in a school and much of the plot revolves around the interaction between students, their teacher and other school staff, they are especially fun to be read aloud at school. For this reason, I am planning on holding off on reading these books to my daughters for a few years, in hopes that one of their teachers will treat their class with these hilarious books.

Never read 'em? You're missing out! Read 'em!

Reading to My Class - Let's Dream . . .

I am reading Let's Dream, Martin Luther King Jr.! to my class right now. This book is part of an excellent series of Scholastic chapter book biographies written by Peter and Connie Roop. The books in this series are easy to understand and pretty short, yet very informative. I have read a few of these to my daughters too.

Here are some of the other books in the "Before I Made History" series:

• Let's Ride, Paul Revere!
• Sew What, Betsy Ross?
• Let's Play Soldier, George Washington!
• Let's Fly, Wilbur and Orville!
• Go Fly a Kite, Ben Franklin
• Turn on the Light, Thomas Edison!
• Thank You, Squanto!
• Give Me a Sign, Helen Keller!
• Take a Giant Leap, Neil Armstrong!
• Let's Drive, Henry Ford!
• Take a Stand, Rosa Parks!
• Lead Us to Freedom, Harriet Tubman!

I have read all of these except for the last three. My two favorites are Thank You, Squanto! and Take a Giant Leap, Neil Armstrong!, but would recommend all of the ones I have read. They provide a solid knowledge base in American history. Additionally, one of the themes that seems to run through so many of the books is that hard work pays off. It's a great series!

Reading to My Class

I am reading Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls to my class right now. Actually, I am hoping to finish it tomorrow. This is the 14th time I have read this book and the 13th time I have read it to a class of second graders. I read many chapter books to my class each year, but Red Fern is always the overwhelming class favorite. I know the book very well, but enjoy reading it every year.

Even students who do not ordinarily listen to the chapter books very closely can't resist sections of Red Fern like this one:

Again he pleaded, "Please, take it out of me." Turning around, I saw his hands were curled around the protruding blade as if he himself had tried to pull it from his stomach.

How I did it, I'll never know. Putting my hands over his and pressing down, I pulled the ax from the wound. The blood gushed. I felt the warm heat as it spread over my hands. Again the sickness came over me. I stumbled to my feet and stepped back a few paces.

Seeing movement from Rubin, I thought he was going to get up. With his hands, he pushed himself halfway up. His eye were wide open, staring straight at me. Stopping in his effort of getting up, still staring at me, his mouth opened as if to say something. Words never came. Instead, a large red bubble slowly worked its way out of his mouth and burst.

The Organic God

I am reading The Organic God by Margaret Feinberg to Kylee and Makenna right now. Becky Branch loaned this book to me after I commented on her review. I was reading the book to myself, but the girls quickly asked me why it is called the organic God. I read the portion of the book to them that explains the title. They wanted to hear more of the book after that, so we have put The Invention of Hugo Cabret aside for now and are currently in chapter four of Organic God.

Imagine if you will, as a dad slows his reading down and utters these words to his seven year old daughters:

In Jesus, God put his whole heart on display for the world to see. In Jesus, my love for God is renewed. In Jesus, the fullness of God's bigheartedness is revealed. I don't know what it is about him, but something about Jesus steadies me. His words breathe life. His actions impart hope. His life inspires action.

What I Am Reading

I removed "What I'm Reading" from this blog's sidebar. I don't think it was very noticeable there, and I would usually forget to update it anyway. Instead, I will just do an occasional post about what I am reading.

Right now I'm not reading anything to my class because it is Christmas break. Before Christmas break I read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Miss Holly is Too Jolly and Let's Split Logs Abe Lincoln to my class.

Searches for October Day - Chapter Books

In September, I posted about the chapter book read aloud rankings Kylee, Makenna and I did. That post has resulted in bunches of searches for chapter book information leading to this blog.

• age 7 kids favourite chapter books
• good favorite chapter books
• chapter book read alouds
• books to read aloud 6 year olds
• starter version the secret garden frances hodgson burnett ages 7 and up
• 5 year old chapter books
• chapter books to read to four year old children
• read chapters 3 and four of charlotte s web
• read alouds for the book secret garden
• list of good teacher read aloud chapter books
• beverly cleary socks chapter two
• a summary of 3 paragraph for ramona quimby age 8
• strang happenings read aloud
• read alouds 5 to 7 years old
• paragraph chapter 8 shiloh
• ramona chapter books
• 7 year old chapter books
• chapter 3 of poppy by avi
• edward tulane and coda (The coda really chokes me up.)
• read the story the lion the witch and the wardrobe chapters 7 and 8
• the book socks by beverly cleary information on chapter 3
• nine year old read aloud
• chapter books for read alouds
• best beverly cleary read alouds
• where the red fern grows chapter 13 page from the book
• read aloud chapter books for three
• winn dixie chapters book
• chapter books for 7 year olds
• practice quiz on line ramona the pest
• chapter three of socks by beverly cleary
• chapter 9-17 of holes by louis sachar
• first grade chapterbook read alouds
• read aloud to seven year old
• ramona and her father comprehension questions
• poppy avi chapter 16 read
• chapter books for 3 year old
• the book thank you squanto
• chapter books three to four years old

Chapter Book Read Alouds for Ages 3 to 7 - Ranked

I recently finished reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary to Kylee and Makenna. This was the 22nd chapter book that I have read to the girls. I started reading chapter books to the girls about four years ago when they were three years old. (Charlotte's Web was the first one.)

Today I made a form for Kylee, Makenna and I to each rank these 22 books in order from favorite to least favorite. (1st through 22nd)

I quickly read the list of books to them and we briefly discussed the plot of a few of the books to jog our memories. Then I walked us through the rankings by telling them to mark a 1 by their favorite book, a 2 by their second favorite book and so on. I also reminded them to remember to carefully look over the whole list before the next book was chosen. We didn't look at each other's sheets at all and didn't discuss where we were ranking the books.

I then tabulated the results, football poll style.

So, here are the chapter books that I have read aloud to Kylee and Makenna during their three year old, four year old, five year old, six year old and seven year old years, ranked. (And if you are looking for chapter books to read aloud to your children, hopefully this paragraph will help you with your search results.)

The Rankings:

1 Holes by Louis Sachar
2 Shiloh by Phyliss Reynolds Naylor
3 Thank You Squanto by Peter and Connie Roop
4 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
5 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
6 Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo
7 The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett
8 Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
9 Turn on the Light Thomas Edison by Peter and Connie Roop
10 The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
11 Miss Holly is Too Jolly by Dan Gutman
12 Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
13 Ragweed by Avi
14 Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
15 Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
16 Socks by Beverly Cleary
17 Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
18 Mr. Klutz in Nuts by Dan Gutman
19 The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
20 Mrs. Roopy is Loopy by Dan Gutman
21 Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo
22 Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation by Avi

My thoughts on the rankings:

• I wasn't surprised Holes is ranked first. I am a little surprised all three of us ranked it first though.
  
• Thank You Squanto being ranked third is sort of like what it would be like for East Carolina to make a run at this year's BCS national title game.
  
• All three of us liked The Magician's Nephew better than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
  
• I haven't read them my three favorite chapter books to read aloud yet: Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, Poppy by Avi and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.
  
• Kylee and Makenna's teacher did read Edward Tulane to their class last year. I'm going to read it to them again at some point anyway.
  
• There was quite a bit of consitency between all three of our rankings. The rankings Kylee and I did are especially similar.

Click the chart for a larger, more readable view of the ranking chart.

How Kylee Ranked Them:

1 Holes by Louis Sachar
2 The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett
3 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
4 Thank You Squanto by Peter and Connie Roop
5 Turn on the Light Thomas Edison by Peter and Connie Roop
6 Shiloh by Phyliss Reynolds Naylor
7 Miss Holly is Too Jolly by Dan Gutman
8 Mrs. Roopy is Loopy by Dan Gutman
9 Mr. Klutz in Nuts by Dan Gutman
10 Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
11 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
12 Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
13 Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
14 Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
15 Socks by Beverly Cleary
16 Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo
17 Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
18 The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
19 The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
20 Ragweed by Avi
21 Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo
22 Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation by Avi


How Makenna Ranked Them:

1 Holes by Louis Sachar
2 Ragweed by Avi
3 Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo
4 Shiloh by Phyliss Reynolds Naylor
5 The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
6 Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
7 The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
8 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
9 Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo
10 Thank You Squanto by Peter and Connie Roop
11 The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett
12 Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
13 Socks by Beverly Cleary
14 Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
15 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
16 Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
17 Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
18 Miss Holly is Too Jolly by Dan Gutman
19 Turn on the Light Thomas Edison by Peter and Connie Roop
20 Mr. Klutz in Nuts by Dan Gutman
21 Mrs. Roopy is Loopy by Dan Gutman
22 Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation by Avi


How I Ranked Them:

1 Holes by Louis Sachar
2 Shiloh by Phyliss Reynolds Naylor
3 Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
4 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
5 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
6 Thank You Squanto by Peter and Connie Roop
7 Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo
8 Turn on the Light Thomas Edison by Peter and Connie Roop
9 Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
10 Miss Holly is Too Jolly by Dan Gutman
11 The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
12 Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
13 The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett
14 Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
15 Socks by Beverly Cleary
16 Ragweed by Avi
17 Mr. Klutz in Nuts by Dan Gutman
18 Mrs. Roopy is Loopy by Dan Gutman
19 Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
20 The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
21 Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation by Avi
22 Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo

Donald Miller

I started reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller today. I'm just into the first chapter, so I don't know much about the book yet other than I've enjoyed the first few pages.

I was reading Jeff Bell's blog tonight. Jeff is the pastor of the soon-to-open Elkhart campus of Granger Community Church. Jeff had a post with a video of Donald Miller delivering a prayer to close an evening at the Democratic National Convention.

So, how does a follower of Christ end a prayer in front of a large group of people, some of whom are sure to not be Christians and not make it nonsectarian? I thought Donald found words that were especially eloquent and appropriate.

Here's how Donald ended his prayer at the DNC.

"I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice. Let Him be our example, Amen."

There is a spot in the middle of the video in which the audio cuts out, but it only lasts a few seconds.

Chapter Book Update

Kylee, Makenna and I decided that I had not actually read Ramona Quimby, Age 8 to them. So I am reading that now.

To follow up our reading of Holes, we watched the Holes movie last night. The movie follows the book very closely and I recommend both. It would definitely be better to read the book first though.

Chapter Books Read Aloud

I finished reading Holes by Louis Sachar to Kylee and Makenna this week. I hadn't read this book in quite a while and had forgotten how great it is. Both of the girls liked it too. Makenna wrote a brief review on her blog (before we had finished it.)

After we finished Holes, the girls and I worked on making a list of all the chapter books I have read to them. I think we came up with a pretty complete list. We may have forgotten a few and there is some dispute about whether or not I read Ramona Quimby, Age 8 or not. (We read a number of Cleary books and it's hard for me to remember because I read books to my class too.)

Here is the list of all the chapter books I have read aloud to the girls. (I started reading the girls chapter books when they were about four. They are seven now.)

• Shiloh by Phyliss Reynolds Naylor
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• Miss Holly is Too Jolly by Dan Gutman
• Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo
• The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
• Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation by Avi
• Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
• Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
• Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
• Socks by Beverly Cleary
• Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo
• Ragweed by Avi
• Thank You Squanto by Peter and Connie Roop
• Turn on the Light Thomas Edison by Peter and Connie Roop
• Mr. Klutz in Nuts by Dan Gutman
• Mrs. Roopy is Loopy by Dan Gutman
• Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus

Summer Reading & More Free Chicken

My summer reading order from Amazon arrived in the mail today. My goal for the summer is to finish The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, then read the books that came in the mail today . . .

• The Shack by William P. Young
• Uprising - A Revolution of the Soul by Erwin McManus
• Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

Oh, and the coolest thing about this Amazon order was that it came with a McDonald's coupon for a free Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. I think I will go to McDonald's, use the coupon, get out my panther gold card and ask for a free pop to go along with my free sandwich.

His Mighty Warrior

When I was doing a little research for my book review on His Little Princess, I discovered that Sheri Rose Shepherd has also written a comparable book for boys entitled His Mighty Warrior. We ordered it from Amazon and it arrived today (along with our craisins.) I read a couple of the letters and prayers and they were just as well done as the Princess book. Here's a review on another blog.

Kate DiCamillo

Kate DiCamillo is one of my favorite authors. I've read three of her four novels. Here's how they rank.

1. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - This is one of my favorite books period. Mrs. Kelley (the girls teacher this year) mentioned how much she enjoyed reading it to her T1 class last year. So, I read it to my class last fall. They loved it like little else I have ever read to a class. My class even wanted me to read it to them again, so I did in March. I've had have to swallow the lump in my throat both times to get through the coda, and still barely make it. I hope Mrs. Kelley doesn't read it this year, because I really want to read it to the girls.
   
   
2. Because of Winn Dixie - I read this to the girls three years ago, right before the movie came out. They were pretty little, but they liked it. I've also read it to a number of my classes. You know how India Opal's mom isn't around, well the other two books on this list have missing mothers as well. Made me wonder if DiCamillo's mom was missing. I found the answer here. I enjoy this book every time I read it.
   
   
3. The Tale of Desperaux - I have read this twice now; just finished reading it to the girls tonight. I also read it to my class a few years ago. It was better the second time. I may read it to a class (or Landen) again sometime, but I wouldn't consider it a must.