Read Aloud Books discussion

I am a 6th grade teacher always looking for more great read-alouds. What are your favorites?

I teach fifth grade so I think the reading level would be pretty similar. I like to start the year with Gary Paulsen's Hatchet because it is one that draws the boys in and there are fewer books geared towards the male population. Other popular titles I've read to my students include: Al Capone Does My Shirts, Lois Lowry's Us and Uncle Fraud, and a rather obscure title that was the year's most popular, Peppermints in The Parlor. There is a sequel to Peppermints in The Parlor and though the kids enjoyed it I thought it was basically the same story as the first.

If you like Hatchet for fifth grade, you should try Gary Paulsen's Harris and Me. It is hilarious and great for boy and girl alike.

My fourth graders' favorite read aloud last year was The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It was actually more of a shared reading -- I borrowed a bunch of copies of the book and they read along in pairs. We spent lots of time with the pictures and the conversations were AMAZING.

Harris and Me is a Paulsen book I've never heard of. Thanks for the suggestion.

I read Rules by Cynthia Lord last year with my sixth grade and they loved it. There was a lot of discussion. This year I have a split 5/6 class and I am thinking of reading Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. The nice thing about this book is it its the first in a series and if they enjoy it, they will be encouraged to read the rest. If you are doing ancient civilizations in social studies Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver might be a good start to the year or any Rosemary Sutcliffe books. There are lots of good books with mythological characters right now that would also fit in with the curriculum eg The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I like to go to my local bookstore and check out what is new so that I don't have five hands going up saying, "I already read that!". For some reason, my sixth graders all rolled their eyes whenever I mentioned a Paulsen book. Trying a book that doesn't fit the normal fiction genre like Mary Lee's suggestion of Hugo Cabaret can be a good awy of getting the year started talking about what fiction is.
I have lots of books reviewed for this age level at my blog destinedtobecomeaclassic

I did Hugo with a group, but a friend did it as a read aloud with the projector. It is a wonderful story.

They rolled their eyes because they have never heard Harris and Me ;)
Trust me, it is never a miss. Who doesn't love a story where the main character pees on an electric fence for a dare. You just gotta try it.

I LOVED Rules. Such wonderful characters and a realistic, wholesome story.

I've taught fifth grade for 17 years. My favorite read alouds include:

Summer of the Monkeys (long, but they love it)
Shiloh (read with a southern accent)
Holes (fun to discuss even if they've seen the movie)
Scared Stiff (really fun, lots of cliffhangers)
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (read with English accent. Slow at first but gets really good!)

This next year I am moving to third grade and I'm bummed because most of my favorite read alouds are not appropriate for this age group. Any ideas for the younger crowd?

My third grade class loved Despereaux. You should try it.

I definitely will. Thank you! I was also thinking about Tuck Everlasting. I read it a long time ago and didn't really like it, but a friend of mine says the kids love it.