Read-Aloud Suggestions

 

Use this link to check our library catalog for availability of titles.

 

As one of the ways of developing a life-long enjoyment of reading for pleasure, reading high quality literature to children is encouraged in the library, the classroom, and at home. The following is a list of titles suggested as Family Read Alouds:
 
Be A Perfect Person In Just Three Days by Stephen Manes

A humorous book for any family that thinks it wants "perfect" children. Milo, the book's main character, thought he liked the idea of being perfect - no parents nagging, no blame for his sister's tricks, the easy life. We supply the book, you supply the broccoli.
 

Attaboy, Sam by Lois Lowry

What is the best birthday present a little boy can give his mother? Sam thinks that perfume that combines all the aromas his mom enjoys would be perfect. The fun increases as the smell from the "secret" in the bedroom does, too. The wonderful Krupnik family is one your family will enjoy.
 

Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman

Suspense will keep them asking you to "keep on reading" as you enter the dangerous world of two young boys responsible for a baby when a tornado hits their home. You won't want to get any closer to a tornado than than the one you experience from the safety of your home through the pages of this book.
 

Tornado by Betsy Byars

 

What better name for a dog blown into a family's life by a storm than "Tornado?" This short, humorous, warmhearted book is perfect for animal lovers.
 

Babe, the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith

 

Have you seen the movie? Of course, the book is better. Dick King-Smith does his usual wonder job of making animals friends of the family. If you enjoyed the movie and think your children might not be ready for the same story again, try another Dick King-Smith book. The online catalog lists many.
 

Fat Men From Space by Daniel Pinkwater

 

Science fiction? Can a tooth filling actually pick up radio stations, signals from space? William saves Earth's junk food.
 

Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary

 

Does your family have someone faced with learning cursive writing? Maggie resists when it is her turn.
 
The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbit

A novel sure to spark family discussions and also make you hungry. When the Prime Minister starts to compile a dictionary, no one can agree on the meaning of delicious.
 
Sharing Susan by Eve Bunting

This is one to share with older children. Taken out of newspaper headlines, two families find that they both want to claim Susan, switched at birth.
 

The Well by Mildred Taylor

Another one for older children. Historical fiction, set in the early 1900's in Mississippi, explores race relations. This warm, wonderful family can also be found in other books by Mildred Taylor.
 
Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Older readers or listeners will hang on suspense. Ever been to visit Williamsburg, Virginia ? What if the "reality" portrayed there where taken to another level? What if the inhabitants of an 1840's village, hit with a diphtheria epidemic, were really a tourist attraction under secret observation? Will time run out?

Monkey Island by Paula Fox

For fifth-grade or older. Eleven-year-old Clay is abandoned by his family on the streets of New York City where he learns to live as a homeless person.