Read Aloud List -1st grade & 3rd grade

I am going to read at least one book a month aloud to my kids at the start of each day. While I read the kids can draw, play with magna-tiles, or legos. I think this helps ease my kids into the school day.  I then ask some follow up questions after I read a chapter or two. Here is my list for this school year.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

There was a terrible mistake – Wayside School was built with one classroom on top of another, thirty stories high (The builder said he was sorry.) Maybe that’s why all kinds of funny things happened at Wayside-especially on the thirteenth floor. Via Goodreads

I always loved this book when I was a child. It is funny and silly and I thought it would be a great book to start the new school year with.

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Captured by a giant! The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It’s lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, the Fleshlumpeater, the Bonecruncher, or any of the other giants-rather than the BFG-she would have soon become breakfast. Via Goodreads

I have never read this book myself, but seeing previews for the movie intrigued me.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Beneath the kitchen floor is the world of the Borrowers — Pod and Homily Clock and their daughter, Arrietty. In their tiny home, matchboxes double as roomy dressers and postage stamps hang on the walls like paintings. Whatever the Clocks need they simply “borrow” from the “human beans” who live above them. Via Goodreads

My kids saw this movie years ago and loved it. We love to compare the differences between movies and books.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamilo

In a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost.  Via Goodreads

I have heard really good things about this book, and I am excited to read it to my kids!

Island of the Blue Dolphin by Scott O’Dell

In the Pacific there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it, blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea elephants and sea birds abound. Once, Indians also lived on the island. And when they left and sailed to the east, one young girl was left behind. — This is the story of Karana, the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Via Goodreads

I have not read many of the books on this list. These books are for their enjoyment and for mine. We can experience new books together!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant. Via Goodreads

This book was suggested to me by my aunt who taught second grade for years. She said her students loved this book!

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. Via Goodreads

This is a pretty new book, but I have heard nothing but great things about it.

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

Because of a bet, Billy is in the uncomfortable position of having to eat fifteen worms in fifteen days. The worms are supplied by his opponent, whose motto is “The bigger and juicier, the better!” Via Goodreads

 My kids love silly books that make them laugh. This one will definitely do that!

Wonder by R.J Palacio

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He’s about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances? Via Goodreads

This is another new book that has received a lot of praise.

A Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon

One night, the sounds of New York City–the rumbling of subway trains, thrumming of automobile tires, hooting of horns, howling of brakes, and the babbling of voices–is interrupted by a sound that even Tucker Mouse, a jaded inhabitant of Times Square, has never heard before. Via Goodreads

A friend of mine suggested this book to me and said it was excellent.

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brian

Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma. Via Goodreads

 I loved reading this book as a kid too!

Have you read any of these? What are some other must read books? Let me know in the comments!