Top Full-Length Read Alouds
Suggested by Cathy Belben, Librarian, Burlington-Edison High School
Updated November 2006
*=these books are suitable (in my opinion) for 7-8 grade audiences.

Disclaimer:  This probably goes without saying, but I'm recommending these materials as my personal favorites, and as pieces that I feel comfortable reading aloud--you might feel differently, and your school or classroom may not be the same as mine. I am not recommending these as books that are "appropriate," (whatever that means), but as read-aloud that I like and think have something to offer young people. Read the entire book to yourself before reading it aloud to a class so you're prepared for potentially offensive language and/or situations.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak.
A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year in high school, rendering her speechless and an outcast among her peers, none of whom know what happened to her.

Anderson, M.T. Feed.
Titus lives in a futuristic America, one where advertisers now have direct access to the minds over 75% of the citizens through computer feeds which are installed in children's minds when they are young. Ads now target individuals right in their own minds, selecting products and telling people where they can get them.  You can even order items with your own brain. No longer are people troubled by bothersome worries, decision-making, thinking, or reading. Education is all about being a better consumer.  Then Titus meets Violet...

*Avi.  The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.
Charlotte travels alone to America on a ship owned by her father, and while aboard, the crew mutinies and Charlotte is forced to take on a non-traditional role as a helper on the ship and eventually, as a leader. I read this aloud to several groups of ninth graders when it was first published, and they loved it.  Now that's it been a few years since its publication and popularity, it would be a good one to re-introduce as a read aloud.

Barry, Dave.  Dave Barry Slept Here.
Ever-hilarious Dave Barry tells the story of America.  I read this several times to juniors in an American Literature class...I could always tell who the true history students were, because they were the only ones laughing.

Berg, Elizabeth. Durable Goods.
Following her mother's death, Kate struggles to grow up and understand her sometimes violent father on the Texas army base that is their home. Some scenes may be considered inappropriate, so read this one aloud yourself first.

Cormier, Robert. The Rag and Bone Shop.
Trent, an ace interrogator from Vermont, works to procure a confession from an introverted twelve-year-old accused of murdering his seven-year-old friend in Monument, Massachusetts. Another librarian wrote about this book, "I *have* to echo what Daria said about the power of reading aloud THE RAG AND BONE SHOP.  I too had ninth graders begging to hear more.  Our discussions were rich and provocative, and I never felt I held my audience quite as well as when reading aloud from that book.  It gave me the chills, it was so powerful."

*Creech, Sharon. Love That Dog.
When his teacher asks him to write poetry based on those they've read in class, Jack resists. But then he begins reading poems he likes and writing some that others enjoy reading, and he realizes that words have power. He is finally able to write about his dog, Skye, and what happened to Skye.

*Creech, Sharon.  Walk Two Moons.
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left. Winner of the 1995 Newbery Award.

Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes.
The daily class discussions about the nature of man, the existence of God, abortion, organized religion, suicide and other comtemporary issues serve as a backdrop for a high-school senior's attempt to answer a friend's dramatic cry for help.
Read Ms. Belben's article about Crutcher's visit to BEHS!

*Curtis, Christopher Paul.  The Watsons Go to Birmingham.
The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.

*DiCamillo, Kate. Because of  Winn-Dixie.
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.

*Goldman, William.  The Princess Bride.
One of my most successful read-alouds, students appreciate the "extras" in the book that were left out of the movie, including the background stories of the main characters. I skipped the parts in which the author interrupts the story to speak directly to the reader.  They are funny in a silent read, but don't translate as well to reading aloud.

*Hite, Sid.  A Hole in the World.
Paul Shackleford thinks he is going to have the worst summer of his life when he is sent to live with relatives as a punishment for lying.  While on their farm, he meets a mysterious girl, learns about a beloved dead farmhand who may be haunting the place, and becomes attached to a surly but lovable dog.

*Konigsburg, E.L. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler.
Having run away with her younger brother to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, twelve-year-old Claudia strives to keep things in order in their new home and to become a changed person and a heroine to herself. The 1968 winner of the Newbery Award.

Konigsburg, E.L. Silent to the Bone.
When he is wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half sister, thirteen-year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend Connor is able to reach him and uncover the truth about what really happened.

*Lowry, Lois.  The Giver.
Quickly becoming a modern classic, this story of Jonah, who lives in a futuristic society devoid of controversy and individuality, is a terrific read aloud. Although  many students have already read it by high school, my students voted to hear it again, and they enjoyed it the second time.

Marsden, John. So Much to Tell You.
Marina is sent to a boarding school after problems in her family. Although her journal entries make it clear that something horrible has happened to her--something that has left unwilling to speak and physically scarred--the story only reveals what has happened to her gradually. An intense, gripping story.

Marsden, John. Tomorrow, When the War Began.
A group of Australian teens leave on a camping trip, only to return to find that their homes are empty, their families missing, and their animals starving or dead.
Their town has been taken over by unknown forces, and they must struggle to survive, and to find their families. The first in a series of seven novels.

Myers, Walter Dean. Slam!
Sixteen-year-old "Slam" Harris is counting on his noteworthy basketball talents to get him out of the inner city and give him a chance to succeed in life, but his coach sees things differently.

Nelson, Pete. Left for Dead:  A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis.
A teenager discovers that the navy court-martialed a WWII captain after his ship was sunk, killing 880 men, some of whom died after spending days in the water, being attacked by sharks.  A fascinating adventure story, as well as an inspirational story about the power of one person. The large cast of people involved may require a list on the whiteboard, but it's worth the effort.

*Sachar, Louis. Holes.
Stanley Yelnats is sent to Camp Green Lake with a bunch of other alleged juvenile delinquents. When they arrive, they learn it is not a camp, there is no lack, and there is nothing green in sight. On top of that, their punishment consists of digging 5x5 holes every day for no logical reason. When Stanley finds a strange object in his holes, the sinister plot of the camp director becomes clear, and Stanley and his campmates must decide how to escape her evil plans. A strange, intriguing, and fascinating read.

Strasser, Todd. Can't Get There from Here.
Tired of being hungry, cold, and dirty from living on the streets of New York City with a tribe of other homeless teenagers who are dying, one by one, a girl named Maybe ponders her future and longs for someone to care about her. One librarian wrote about this book, "I read [this book] last year to a group of 9th graders. It is a gritty story of runaways in NYC, but there is no offensive language. The students were engrossed in the story. I highly recommend it."

Strasser, Todd. The Wave.
I read this one a few years back and kids were intrigued. Based on a true story, it follows an experiment conducted by a high school teacher trying to show his students how the Holocaust could have happened by demonstrating, step by step, how people can be sucked into a system of beliefs and actions as the Nazis were.

Thomas, Rob.  Slave Day.
A traditional fundraiser at a Texas high school becomes a controversy one year when an African-American student objects and causes his schoolmates to reconsider the impact of the event on their lives. Told from eight different viewpoints, including a teenager who is purchased by her boyfriend and a teacher who becomes the slave of one of his least liked students.

White, Robb.  Deathwatch.
A college student hired to help a wealthy man hunt a bighorn sheep becomes the prey after he witnesses a murder, and he is chased, naked, through the desert.

*White, Ruth.  Belle Prater's Boy.
When Woodrow's mother suddenly disappears, he moves to his grandparents' home in a small Virginia town where he befriends his cousin and together they find the strength to face the terrible losses and fears in their lives.