What is Your Favorite Trade Book?

In Prince William County Public School, VA., we have particular required readings for each grade level with some extra readings for our Gifted and Talented students. Before reaching 8th grade language arts, I had spent several years reading aloud: The Hobbit and Tom Sawyer. I loved reading both books and had fun turning them into cliff hangers stopping at just the right moment to insure that my students would be begging for me to continue.  I continued to read aloud to my high school students - not whole books - but following the model of the Great Books series.

I think that students never outgrow the need for informal "book talks".  I always carried a novel or non-fiction book that was appropriate to share with my students and if things were dragging, I could spring into action becoming an advertisement for whatever material I was reading. I still carry a book so that I am never bored.

I encouraged students to share what they were reading as long as it was appropriate for school. As far as the trade books that teachers were required to teach at each grade level, we had ancillary materials, usually a film and I always turned to my support team - the school librarian and/or the public librarian and the buyer for Barnes and Noble to find additional works.  Plus, I sent home the fliers from Scholastic (even in high school) to earn points to "buy/select" books for my classroom library. We have a great used book store in town and Salvation Army has loads of inexpensive paperbacks. I was always handing students books that I thought might work for them.

But my question is what trade book do you enjoy teaching/reading to your students and why?  I love Call of the Wild by Jack London because it can be used to teach leadership skills - compare and contrast the styles of Spitz and Buck.  The narrative includes descriptions of the dogs in the team that can translate into the kind of people you may find in your place of employment - some are slackers, some are good, but have special needs, others must be prodded to do their jobs - but will surprise you when treated fairly and with respect. I found this a tremendous opportunity to teach the roles people play in groups or teams and how a leader can get the most out of a team with proper leadership and management skills.

Also, the setting, Alaska/Canada, the historical implications and the actual man against nature element of the story are a (excuse the pun) gold mine of research opportunities for student groups. There is plenty of primary source evidence - photos and newspaper articles, plus material from the Canadian Mounties that show just how harsh the environment was and how much people scarified for the slim chance of a fortune.

There is also the poetry of Robert W. Service to add a variety of genres to a unit of study and the biographical details of London's own life that may serve as an inspiration to students that live writers do become famous and rise above very difficult early childhoods.

Please let me know what you love to teach and why - I enjoy hearing what other teachers are passionate about and why it feeds their love of teaching. Hope you will share.