When a fifth grade boy you have known for years enthusiastically hands you a book at the school book fair and tells you your son just has to read it, you take notice. And that’s exactly how I came across Song For A Whale. This was the perfect book to read aloud with my now sixth grader, who in his early elementary years was a walking animal encyclopedia and who today is often drawn to stories about kids who not only accept their mental or physical challenges, but use them to make the world a better place.

In Song For A Whale, 12-year-old Iris is the only deaf person in her school. She often feels alone, isolated and frustrated with how difficult it is to communicate with teachers and peers. In her free time she loves to repair old radios, using the vibrations of sound waves to know if she’s been successful.

When Iris studies frequency in science class she learns about Blue 55, a whale that lives very isolated from other whales because his unique song is at a different frequency than other whales’ songs. She immediately feels a strong connection with Blue 55’s inability to connect with other whales and vows to find a way to reach out to him and let him know someone out there hears him and understands him.

This inspirational story has themes of love, empathy and perseverance. As expected, my son loved it and I will definitely keep it on the short list to read with my younger son in his middle years. And, like many of the books we read together, this is definitely a book kids this age could read independently.

My fifth grader recently read Because of Mr. Terupt for his nightly independent reading and raved about it. I decided to read it myself and review it.  He was right – it’s terrific!

The fifth graders in Mr. Terupt’s class thought they had it made when they got him as their teacher – after all, he was a rookie. But they didn’t know this would be the school year that would change their lives.

This book is written from the first-person perspectives of seven students as they recount the events of their extraordinary school year.

Their journal-like entries illustrate how Mr. Terupt gives them space to navigate challenges on their own, while teaching the principles of being positive, looking at things differently, always trying and, most importantly, forgiving.

When an accident involving their teacher leaves the students feeling helpless, blameful and shaken, they realize how much they need one another despite their differences, and they find themselves believing everything happens for a reason.

Buyea smoothly weaves the kids’ individual stories together in a way that keeps the plot moving forward. At the same time, he reveals details about each student that remind the reader that it’s easy to make assumptions about peers when you don’t really know them, but everyone has a story to tell.

Buyea wrote additional books, Mr. Terupt Falls Again and Saving Mr. Terupt, though we have not yet read them.  I anticipate they will be well worth reading.

“I like this book because it shows how people like Melody are really feeling.” This was my fifth grader’s observation when we were reading this book aloud and it’s the perfect testimonial for this New York Times bestseller. 

Melody is 11 years old and narrates her personal story about what it’s like to have cerebral palsy. She is extremely smart, but because she’s unable to speak she is schooled much below her grade level.  Melody feels very trapped and sometimes her frustrations lead to what she calls her “tornado explosions.” Her story takes a turn when her college-age aide, Catherine, helps her discover a life-changing device that gives her a voice. Equipped with this technology, she stuns her teachers and peers as she expresses her wealth of bottled-up knowledge and vies for a coveted spot on the school’s quiz competition team. 

Melody’s determination to overcome her obstacles is inspiring, and the first-person perspective is very eye opening.  Parents may find the book sparks some good family discussions about empathy.

Alex and Conner Bailey are typical modern-day sixth graders. They are twins, but while Alex is a bookworm, Conner is more the type to daydream in class. They have grown up listening to their world-traveler grandmother tell them amazing stories full of adventure in far-off places, and they relish the times when she would read fairy tales to them from her treasured Land of Stories book.

The first book in The Land of Stories series, The Wishing Spell, sets the stage when the twins’ grandmother gives them her Land of Stories book for their 12^thbirthday. They are in for the adventure of their lives – they just don’t know it yet.

Author Chris Colfer, of “Glee” fame, takes the reader on a fascinating journey behind the scenes with a wide variety of fairy tale characters. He cleverly intertwines the lives of the Bailey twins with famed personalities like Goldilocks, Jack and the Beanstalk and Snow White – to name a few.  As we travel with the twins we discover what happened in “happily ever after,” look inside magic mirrors, and get the backstory on why Snow White’s stepmother was so evil.

Whether your kids are very familiar – or vaguely familiar – with fairy tales, this series is a great one to read together. We have now read the entire collection, and the books consistently held our interest and left us eager to read the next.  I can genuinely say I found the premise so intriguing that I would have loved reading this series independently as an adult.  

I had the most amazing pair of fifth grade teachers – the kind that truly influence life choices, and the kind you want to write a letter to 30 years later and tell them so. One of those teachers read this treasure aloud to our fifth grade class, and ever since it’s felt like a rite of passage to have my boys experience it when wrapping up elementary school and embarking on the middle school years.  This year I pulled it off the shelf to read with my fifth grade son and this classic book did not disappoint. 

The story takes place in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression. Our narrator is an adult Billy Colman, who recalls a particularly poignant time in his youth.

We join young Billy’s story when he’s ten years old and desperate to own a pair of coon hounds for hunting. He finds a sportsman’s magazine advertising his coveted dogs for twenty-five dollars each and works for two years to save the money. 

Billy and his hounds, Little Ann and Old Dan, become inseparable and gain notoriety locally as the best hunting team around.  They brave the challenges of the wilderness, encounter spiteful bullies, and see their unbreakable bond put to the ultimate test when they come face to face with a ruthless mountain lion.   

While this book could definitely be read independently, I can’t imagine experiencing it any other way than as a read aloud. Get your tissues ready.

Set during World War II, this is the story of 10-year-old Ada, her younger brother, Jamie, and circumstances of war that proved lifesaving for both. Ada, who tells her story in a first-person perspective, was born with a clubfoot and suffered years of shame and neglect by her mother. She was frequently locked up in a small cabinet and was prohibited from going to school – or out in public at all. When the threat of bombings becomes imminent in London, local children are transported to the countryside for safety.  While her brother would likely go, Ada’s mom says she’s not worthy of leaving. Alongside her brother, Ada courageously and painfully escapes their dark and dirty apartment. The siblings find themselves living with Susan Smith, a single woman who coldly insists she knows nothing about taking care of children. As the book unfolds, we see the relationships grow between Ada, Jamie, Susan and other wonderful characters. And as Ada learns to love and trust Susan, she also begins to love herself.  

We enjoyed the book so much we also read The War I Finally Won, which picks up when Ada is 11.  In this equally touching sequel, a young Jewish girl from Germany moves into the house where Ada, Jamie and Susan are now living with a family we meet in the first book.   

I think it’s worth noting that although the main characters are female, my 10-year-old son was able to relate to the characters being his age.  I love bringing books into the mix that have strong female leads.