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Read-Aloud Suggestions
By the TBA Activities Sub-committee: Lori Alexander, Dorcas Hand, and Bethe Lehman
Auch, Mary Jane. One-Handed Catch.
To hook readers into the story and leave them wondering what will happen next, read Chapters 1 and 2, pp. 1-11, where we discover how Norm loses his hand.
Carman, Patrick. Atherton: The House of Power.
Read pp. 2-3 as a mysterious introduction to a strange new world. Then read Chapter 1, pp. 6-11, A Boy with a Secret, which hints at the impending disaster that befalls Atherton and sets the stage for Edgar’s quest for a treasure that haunts his memory.
Cheaney, J. B. The Middle of Somewhere.
How could anyone resist the tantalizing first sentence? “ None of this I’m about to tell you would have happened if my mother hadn’t found that squirrel in the toilet.” Continue reading the first chapter, stopping on page 6 after the sentence: “So our squirrel problem was solved, but now we had a Mama problem.”
Day, Kern. Tall Tales.
To introduce Meg and her family read Chapter 2, pp. 6-8. To describe Meg and Abby’s first meeting read Chapter 3, pp. 9-10.
Florian, Douglas. Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings.
To give readers a quick taste of classic Florian, read “A Galaxy”, “Solar System”, and “Venus”.
Graff, Lisa. The Thing About Georgie..
As an introduction to the book, read Chapter 1, pp. 1-6, where we meet Georgie, Jeanie the Meanie, and Andy. Then, to grab the reader’s interest, read pp. 21-25 starting with paragraph 3 where Georgie’s mom asks, “So, how was school today?” and ending with “Georgie’s chin dropped.”
Harper, Charise Mericle. Just Grace.
Get your readers interested by reading aloud pp. 6-9. Start with “There are four girls named Grace” on page 6 and stop at “Boy Things” on page 9. Here we learn why Grace is called ‘Just Grace’. Then read pp. 47-48, “Superhero Morning” to find out how Grace feels about Sammy.
Hart, Alison. Gabriel’s Horses.
To gets the students’ hearts pumping read where a rebel raider tries to take a racehorse by force in Chapter 2, pp. 10-18.
Jenkins, Emily. Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Tough Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic.
Plastic wonders about the truth in books and what Plastics are anyway in Chapter Two, pp. 13-33, “The Serious Problem of Plastic-ness.”
Lauber, Patricia. What You Never Knew About Beds, Bedrooms, and Pajamas.
To get readers interested in this book, try showing them some of the zany illustrations found throughout the book and reading pp. 28-29 “Great Moments in Bed History” and/or pp. 26-27 “Great Moments in Nightclothes.”
O’Connor, Barbara. How to Steal a Dog.
To introduce the characters and the setting for the story, read pp. 3-5 starting at the beginning and ending with “I knew she’d keep on till she found out the truth.” Then read pp. 11-12 starting with “Mama pulled the car into the alley beside Bill’s Auto Parts” and ending with “I was gonna steal me a dog.” Here we learn about Georgina’s plan to help her mother make money by stealing a dog.
Patterson, Nancy Ruth. The Winner’s Walk.
To introduce listeners to Case’s overachieving, competitive family, read pp. 5-11 starting with “There was more applause than Case had ever heard”. Case searches for his own special talent throughout the book, read pp. 14-21 starting with Mrs. Wright said everybody was talented in some way” to see if he can add a trophy of his own to the Callahan family mantle.
Paulsen, Gary. Lawn Boy.
A gift with remarkable consequences is described in Chapter 1, pp.3-8, “The Principles of Economic Expansion.” The beginning of Lawn Boy’s amazing summer is found in Chapter 2, pp. 9-12, “The Growth of Capitalism. Students will laugh and be enticed to finish this story after they hear these two chapters read aloud.
Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures.
This book opens with remarkable illustrations: guide the listeners to notice that as the setting gets more localized, the size of the illustrations are getting bigger. The text of Chapter 1, pp. 46-61, “The Thief” will introduce the three main characters and the main conflict of the story.
Thimmesh, Catherine. Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon.
For most of today’s students, the launch of the space shuttle is a non-event. But 40 years ago space travel was a mind-boggling thought. Read pp. 4-7 to introduce readers to a magical time when the world came together to see the fruits of labor of 400,000 dedicated scientists and dreamers.
White, Ruth. Way Down Deep.
Chapter 2, pp. 13-17, explains the mysterious arrival of Ruby June in the small West Virginia town of Way Down Deep. Continue reading pp. 27-30, starting with “Before turning out the light, Ruby always stood before the window and gazed at the hills against the night sky.” This brief, ghostly passage gives a hint to Ruby June’s lost family.