Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick is a must-read. Philbrick combines heart, adventure, suspense, drama, and heartbreak to make this an instant classic that all your students will love. This is a great book to use in your classroom or homeschool for a whole class novel study, small book groups, or individual book studies.
Freak the Mighty was first published in 1993. The tale is timeless. Max is an outcast. He feels stupid, too large, hated for the crimes of his father, basically unloved and all alone in the world. Kevin is smart and adventurous but has a disease that prevents him from doing all he wants to do. When Max and Kevin form an unlikely friendship they fill each other’s weaknesses with their own strengths to create Freak the Mighty. Together there’s no stopping them!
From the Book Jacket:
Max. Freak. Best Friends. Forever.
“I never had a brain until Freak came along…”
That’s what Max thought. All his life he’d been called stupid. Dumb. Slow. It didn’t help that his body seemed to be growing faster than his mind. It didn’t help that people were afraid of him. So Max learned how to be alone. At least until Freak came along.
Freak was weird, too. He had a little body-and a really big brain. Together Max and Freak were unstoppable.
Together, they were Freak the Mighty.
I offer a complete novel study to accompany Freak the Mighty for use in the classroom or homeschool. The unit includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom.
Freak the Mighty touches on so many topics: learning disabilities, family issues, low self-esteem, physical disabilities, adventure, heroics, and loss. It is a tale that just about every upper elementary to middle school student can relate to or empathize with. It will help them look differently at those that have been deemed the outcasts to help them unleash the gems that are hiding in plain sight.
Until 9/30/19, you can find Freak the Mighty in the Scholastic TAB Book Order for only $1. It’s a great time to stock up on this novel for your classroom!
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
Where do we draw the line between doing what we’re told to do and doing what we know is right? The main characters Lina and Doon, in Jeanne DuPrau’s dystopian scientific novel, The City of Ember are forced to make this choice.
The City of Ember was first published in 2003 and made into a movie in 2008. It is the story of 12-year-old protagonists, Lina and Doon, who are forced to disobey the rules when they discover a way to potentially save the people of the failing city of Ember.
From the Book Jacket:
The city of Ember was created by the Builders to contain everything needed for human survival. It worked…but now the storerooms are almost out of food, crops are blighted, corruption is spreading through the city and worst of all—the lights are failing. Soon Ember could be engulfed by darkness…
But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?
I offer a complete novel study to accompany The City of Ember for use in the classroom or homeschool. The unit includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom. it is a great book to use in your classroom or homeschool for a whole class novel study, small book groups, or individual book studies.
The City of Ember is a fascinating book that really makes you wonder and think. It is suspenseful and engages the reader to want to continue. This is the first book in DuPrau’s series and it ends with the reader wanting more. It is a great book to hook your reluctant readers to choose to continue the series on their own.
There are a lot of STEAM ideas that can be correlated with this novel and it will lead your students to examine what we may be doing to our Earth that may cause catastrophe down the line. It’s a great thought-provoking novel to use in the classroom, small groups, or in a homeschool setting.
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
“We all have disabilities. What’s yours?” This is one of the most profound and truthful quotes from the amazing Out of My Mind novel by Sharon M. Draper. I loved this book so much. It made me cry with joy and also broke my heart with how cruel humans can be. I also loved how the author brought it to a close in an unexpected way. I think your students will love it just as much and also make them take the time to think about how they are treating one another, especially those that may be different from them. This is a great book to use in the classroom and I can’t recommend it enough!
Out of My Mind was first published in 2010, by the award-winning, Sharon M. Draper. It is the story of Melody, a fifth-grader who has Cerebral Palsy. Melody has always felt that she is trapped in her own mind without a door or a key because she is not able to talk and communicate all that is in her genius, photographic mind.
As Melody is “let out of her mind” with the help of an electric wheelchair, technology, and school aides, she shows everyone just how much has been trapped there for all these years. It is an inspiring story while staying true to the realities of just how cruel fifth-graders (and older ignorant people) can be when faced with someone they don’t have experience with or understanding for.
I offer a complete novel study to accompany Out of My Mind for use in the classroom or homeschool. The unit includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom. it is a great book to use in your classroom or homeschool for a whole class novel study, small book groups, or individual book studies.
Out of My Mind should be a must-read for every fifth-grader to help enhance empathy and understanding for those that are different from us. We should all be asked to face the question, “We all have disabilities. What’s yours?”
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days is a clever and humorous novel by Stephen Manes. It begs the question, what lengths would you go to in order to be “perfect”? Is there even such a thing? It is a great book to use in your classroom or homeschool for a whole class novel study, small book groups, or individual book studies.
When a library book falls on Milo’s head he’s left wondering, “Is it possible to be perfect? Does this book really work? This story can lead to some great discussions about what is perfection? Is it possible in a human? What is “too good to be true” and just how gullible should we be?
From the Book Jacket:
In search of perfection, Milo Crinkley earnestly tries to follow the loony instructions he finds in a library book–and learns that there are more important things in life than being perfect.
I offer a complete novel study to accompany Be a Perfect in Just Three Days for use in the classroom or homeschool. The unit includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom.
The book’s lesson ties into a growth-mindset discussion with an emphasis on overcoming our fears and getting through the tough stuff with perseverance. Nothing in life that’s worth having is easy!
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
The Magic Finger is a clever and creative novel by Roald Dahl. True to the Roald Dahl style, it is quirky, funny, and absolutely absurd. Students will be left thinking of all the things they might do if they too, had the Magic Finger! It is a great book to use in your classroom or homeschool for a whole class novel study, small book groups, or individual book studies.
Roald Dahl is the expert at writing fantastical stories that grab the reader’s attention in a clever and creative way. The Magic Finger, published in 1966, will have you cheering and rooting for the underdog.
From the Book Jacket:
What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted?
To the Gregg family, hunting is just plain fun. To the girl who lives next door, it’s just plain horrible. She tries to be polite. She tries to talk them out of it, but the Greggs only laugh at her. Then one day the Greggs go too far, and the little girl turns her Magic Finger on them. When she’s very, very angry, the little girl’s Magic Finger takes over. She really can’t control it, and now it’s turned the Greggs into birds! Before they know it, the Greggs are living in a nest, and that’s just the beginning of their problems…
I offer a complete novel study to accompany The Magic Finger for use in the classroom or homeschool. The unit includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom.
Your students will love this creative and humorous book while at the same time thinking about just how much power is too much. It’s a good lesson in self-control and when to use power for the greater good instead of just for selfish reasons.
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
Before authoring the classic novel, Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White wrote of a mischievous mouse, Stuart Little. White’s premise for the story came to him in a dream as a young boy and through his prolific gift of storytelling brought it to life. It is a great book to use in your classroom or homeschool for a whole class novel study, small book groups, or individual book studies.
Stuart Little was first published in 1945 and set E.B. White on the path to writing one of the most beloved stories of all time, Charlotte’s Web. The book has also been made into an animated series and a movie series.
From the Book Jacket:
Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans, he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat. Though he’s shy and thoughtful, he’s also a true lover of adventure.
Stuart’s greatest adventure comes when his best friend, a beautiful little bird named Margalo, disappears from her nest. Determined to track her down, Stuart ventures away from home for the very first time in his life. He finds adventure aplenty. But will he find his friend?
I offer a complete novel study to accompany Stuart Little for use in the classroom or homeschool. The unit includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom.
Your students will be enchanted by all the adventures of Stuart Little. It is a charming and bittersweet story written in a beautiful way.
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
