Miraculous Journey of A Read Aloud

As a teacher, one of my favorite things to do is read stories. I can pull so much out of them when we have a shared reading experience. I also love that with a read aloud I can expose them to higher levels of books and questions. Plus, the bonus of having the shared experience of reading a book together is just so powerful. It unifies our class. When we get to the tough parts, we've got each other to lean on for emotional support. We just found a book powerful enough to do this in such an amazing and beautiful way.

We just finished reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. What a fabulous story! It had the kids hooked and begging for more. 

If you read it with your class, beware. It is not a happy, fluffy bunny story. It is a story about a journey. A hard journey, but... by the end of the book the kids were cheering! I just love when that happens.

We're going to be reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory next...with a little twist.  

What books do you love to read with your students?