Top 10 Tried and True Chapter Book Read-Alouds to Start the School Year
Ah, the first week of school. The air hums with excitement, expectations, and nervous energy. Starting the year off with a chapter-book read aloud is a stellar way to start building your classroom community and reading culture. It sets the tone that reading aloud is important and something we do every day.
And let’s not forget that diving headfirst into a chapter book read aloud is a total sanity saver during a week of complete chaos.
When it comes to beginning of the year chapter books I highly recommend reading books that fall under The Three S’s:
Ahem. Beginning-of-the-year books must:
Be short (chapters or book-length),
Be silly OR sweet,
and…
Suck you in from the first page.
Keep these in mind and you’ll be golden. Remember, we want to form positive reading experiences right out the gate! The year is short and our time to forge meaningful connections with reading is fleeting!
Want a list of chapter book read alouds that are either short, silly, sweet, or suck you in?! Look no further, friend!
Without further ado, here’s a list of my Top 10 Chapter Book Read Alouds to Start the Year:
{Side note: You can’t go wrong starting with Roald Dahl on Day 1. The first two picks are perennial first week faves but I also adore Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Fantastic Mr. Fox.}
*As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small amount through qualified purchases.
#1: George’s Marvelous Medicine
George’s grandma is the meanest, grizzliest, most horrid grandma around. Inspired by the goopy, brown medicine that George serves her twice a day he comes up with an outrageous idea: he’ll invent a new medicine. “A medicine so fantastic, so outrageous that if it didn’t actually cure Grandma, then it would cause some exciting results. It would be worth watching.” A perfect chapter book read aloud for making/revising predictions.
#2: The Twits
Like George’s grandma, Mr. and Mr. Twit are the absolute worst. Kids will revel in the dreadful and hilarious pranks they play on one another (i.e. glass eyeballs and wormy spaghetti) and will be delighted that the mistreated animals finally get their revenge upon the abominable duo. *I promise that Mr. Twit’s dirty beard will be a point of renewed discussion for the entire year. It’s PERFECT for a think-aloud on visualization!
#3: Fortunately, the Milk
What happens when Mom is away? The unthinkable, that’s what. Dad leaves to get some milk and returns hours later with stories of pirates, piranhas, aliens, and all things random and ridiculous. It’s a wild roller-coaster of a read aloud–but be forewarned–there are no chapters which means no predetermined stopping points. Keep an eye on the clock or you might just miss your lunch time.
#4: Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat
Klawde is not a normal cat: He’s an evil emperor alien cat from planet Lyttyrboks. The Galactic Supreme Court sentences him to exile on planet Earth (“a vast wasteland of a planet, inhabited by a race of carnivorous ogres”). He arrives on Raj’s doorstep, who promptly takes him in as a pet. It doesn’t take long for Raj to realize that although Klawde is cruel, brilliant, and hilarious, he is definitely not a standard stray. Your class will howl at Klawde’s antics and love making inferences for his strangely spot-on terminology for human behavior.
#5: Wishtree
It’s not action-packed, nor particularly funny, but one of Katherine Applegate’s finest, IMO. Red is a centuries-old oak tree, a wise sage, a friend to all, and home to many. Every May Day, folks come from all around to adorn their wishes on Red’s sturdy boughs. But not all come in peace. When Red is at risk of being cut down her many friends–animal and people alike—must work together to come to her rescue. This beautifully written tale seamlessly lends itself into a rich discussion of inclusion and the positive effects of diversity within a community.
#6: The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary
Fans of Louis Sachar’s Wayside School series will delight in this weird and wacky chapter book. Similar to Wayside, each chapter features a story about a specific student in the class. But unlike Wayside, each chapter ends with a moral, or as my students like to say, a “life hack”. A perfect transition into a fable/folktale unit or just a fun, silly romp to start the year off on a lighthearted note.
*To keep reading motivation high, be sure to have a copy of The Fabled Fifth Graders available for independent reading!
#7: Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is the neighbor you desperately wished lived right down the street. She resides in an upside-down house, she always has freshly baked sugar cookies on hand, and since she knows everything there is to know about children she is an expert at solving problems. Her madcap cures for never wanting to go to bed or not picking up toys will have both you and your listeners in stitches.
#8: The Wild Robot
Oh, Roz. The friendliest, most sincere robot around. Roz must learn to adapt to living in the wild after she washes ashore on an island of animals. After careful observation, she is able to communicate and befriend the animals, gaining their trust and respect. Peter Brown weaves beautiful language, social issues, and science seamlessly together in a perennial class fave.
*You can always follow up with the sequel, The Wild Robot Escapes, as an end-of-year send-off! They’ll also be clamoring to read the newest installment, The Wild Robot Protects.
#9: Saving Winslow
Who wouldn’t want a teeny tiny newborn donkey to care for as a pet? Louie doesn’t have the best luck in nurturing small animals, but he is downright determined to raise Winslow, a sickly baby donkey whose chances are stacked against him. We cheered for both Louie and Winslow in this sweet tale of unlikely friendship.
#10: The 13 Story Treehouse
If you could design the most amazing treehouse in the world, what would you put inside of it? Chances are Andy and Terry have already included it in their magnificent 13-story treehouse. It has a secret underground laboratory, a bowling alley, and a man-eating shark tank, among myriad other mayhem-inducing things. Kids LOVE this series and it’s great fun to read aloud.
Tip: Read this one close to the document camera so students can spend time poring over the illustrations. Also, be ready to have The 26-Story Treehouse and others in the series available because they will be in high demand as soon as you finish.
Which chapters book read alouds do you use to kick off the year? I’d love to hear your tried and trues! And if you’re looking for beginning-of-the-year picture books that help to build a community of readers, be sure to check out this post!