What are One Chapter Readings?

I was once subbing in a 8th grade classroom, and the teacher was doing something she called ¨One Chapter¨ Readings. Every Morning she would read the first chapter of different books to spark interest in books for her students.  I thought this was a great way to introduce books to her students. I adapted this for my fourth graders, and then my second graders once I had my own classroom. 

Now as the Creative Literacy teacher, I feel it is important for me to be able to suggest books to students. In order to do that I need to read. I´ve always made staying up to date on good literature important, however recently I´ve been reading much more than usual. 

Here are some of my One Chapter Book Readings: 

Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol by Andres Miedoso 

Ling and Ting by Grace Lin 

Barkus by Patricia Maclachlan 

King and Kayla by Dori Hillestad Butler 

Franny K Stein: Mad Scientist by Jim Benton 

Bink and Gollie by Kate Dicamillo

  

Mighty Meg and the Magical Ring by Sammy Griffin

 

Book 1 is an action packed introduction to this series. It would be hard to read Book 1 without getting hooked and wanting more of Mighty Meg. Meg is turning eight and things are about to get interesting. She receives a magical ring from her aunt that gives Meg superpowers. 

Here are a couple things I like about the book:

1. This series has a relatable main character. I really like the contrast the author creates in Meg´s personality. She is shy, yet brave. This first book is about how she gets her super powers, and decides to use them. I feel like there will be a lot of growth through the series as she becomes who she is meant to be.   

2. The reading level is a little higher than some of the other books I have suggested so far, however with a bit of a higher level comes some really great vocabulary. There are some words you may have to define for your young reader, for example relented. Also with a bit of a higher level comes more figurative language. Sammy Griffin uses metaphor and simile to begin this character and story to life. 

3. Another chapter book full of awesome illustrations to not only add to the exciting story, but also help readers with comprehension and decoding. 

4. I love a book that opens a door to something students may not have had experience with. For example, Aunt Nikki´s adventure. In the book, Meg´s aunt Nikki is recently back from a scientific dig in Sweden. She tells Meg about finding an ancient viking burial ground, and uncovering a female viking warrior. 

I would recommend this series for students who like superhero books/comics and action. I´m actually excited to read about Meg´s next adventure.      

       

Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol

Moving along with my Summer Reading, I read the first book in the series: Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol. I really like this series. Here are a few reasons I think it makes a great summer reading series:

1. Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol appears as a full grown chapter book from the outside. However inside, it is an easy to read book with high interest content. This book is written in easy to understand language, perfect for a chapter book beginner. 

2. It´s a ghost story, but a silly one. Andres Miedoso (the author and one of the main characters, we will get to that later) does an awesome job making the book both funny and suspenseful.

3. The book is full of great illustrations that help the reader understand the story. Along with illustrations on each page, the print is nice and big. I love big-ish print in a chapter book. It feels good as a reader to keep flipping those pages. It also helps with tracking the words for students who are easily distracted or dyslexic. 

4. Andres Miedoso is the author and stars in the book. I love the idea of a book written from childhood experience. There is even a note about Andres still being scared of everything and how he remains friends with Desmond.

I definitely give this book all the thumbs up for your struggling- not interested reader. Picking up this book and devouring the pages will give your reader confidences and hopefully light a fire for reading.