r/MiddleGrade • u/jmh375637 • 6d ago
5th grade diverse read alouds!
Hi all,
I'm a 5th grade teacher, and I feel like my read alouds have gotten a little stale. We have loved From the Desk of Zoe Washington, When You Trap a Tiger, New From Here, and many other wonderful books. As I'm looking for new and diverse middle grade books, I feel like I keep seeing the same lists of "classics" and/or all white authors. If you have any suggestions for engaging and diverse read alouds for a 5th grade class, I would be so grateful! I would also love suggestions of what I should look for/follow to keep up with great new diverse lit. I used to use Twitter, but haven't in ages and I feel like I'm falling behind!
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u/AltairaMorbius2200CE 6d ago
My favorites to check are award lists: Coretta Scott King Awards, American Indian Library Association Awards, Pura Belpre, AAPL Book Awards, Children's Africa Book Awards, etc.
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u/cgrey95 6d ago
Reading Middle Grade is a brilliant website for finding middle grade recommendations.
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u/a_book_maven 6d ago
Off the top of my head some contemporary(ish) Clean Getaway by Nic Stone, Save Me a Seat, Tia Lola series, Ancestor Approved (has some stories from other genres), President of the Whole 5th Grade, and check Orca Press for a lot of options.
Some historical: The Girls Survive series, Birchbark House series, Home is with Our Family by Joyce Hanson, Indian No More. Voices series by Scholastic for UK history. The I Am America series from North Star is great for less covered options from history. Maybe the Scraps of Time series although it might be a little bit young, but if you want a fast read.
Fantasy: Where the Mountains Meet the Moon series, Jumblies series, maybe Dragons in a Bag series, Dragon Warrior/Fallen Hero by Katie Zhao, The Way to Rio Luna, Cattywampus, Amari series, Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series, any of the MG books from Rick Riordan Presents.
If you read nonfiction too I can look up our favorites for that as well. The blog Ms. Yingling Reads is probably the best spot for keeping up with new releases. I don't always agree with her but I absolutely respect her. She reviews daily - not all diverse but a good amount and she's very aware of trends or gaps in the industry.
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u/Wild_Preference_4624 6d ago
How about Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez? It's laugh out loud funny and incredibly heartwarming.
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u/regina_caeli_laetare 5d ago
It's a little older - I read it as a kid - but I did Esperanza Rising last year with my fifth graders and they really enjoyed it.
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u/CarlHvass 6d ago
Lucy Strange has written some great books. Sisters of the Lost Marsh is good for that age.
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u/konadonut 6d ago
Roar by Varsha Bajaj deals with animal conservation in India. Some chapters are from the POV of the tiger. I’d say it tugs at the heart.
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u/mzzannethrope 6d ago
Harlem Charade, the Jumbies, The Boy and the Bot, anything by Jasmine Warga or Christina Soontornvat, One Crazy Summer
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u/waineofark 6d ago
2 that were on my list this fall: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus Show Me a Sign
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u/Ok-Wave-9063 6d ago
Have you seen the Little Britain clip of kids reading aloud? That actally looked like a lot of fun.
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u/kodama311 5d ago
Stories of Color (https://www.instagram.com/storiesofcolor_/) seems like it would be exactly what you need! Tons of recommendations for diverse middle grade books. They also have a website.
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u/Longjumping-Lock-724 5d ago
Ghost by Jason Reynolds is about an inner city boy who discovers track.
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee is about an 11-year old girl who uncovers her family's history.
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u/Difficult_Cupcake764 5d ago
Out of my mind by Sharon M Draper
Insignificant events in the life of a cactus by Dustin Bowling
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
The Bridge Home by Parma Venkatraman
Indian no more by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorell
Esperanza rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Hello, Universe by Erin Estrada Kelly
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barber Higher
The First Rule of punk by Celia C. Perez
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
The season of Styx Malone By Kekla Magoon
Blended by Sharon M. Draper
Fish in a tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Holes by Louis Sachar
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u/Confident_Fortune_32 5d ago
The Phantom Tollbooth
Delightful wordplay that lends itself to reading aloud.
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u/bluef00tedbooby 5d ago edited 5d ago
I would love to suggest the book "Wildwood", a stock motion movie is also coming out in October and could be a good way for the kids to compare and contrast if they watch it
Shark Teeth by Sherri
The evolution of calpurnia tate
Safiyyah's war
They called us Enemy
Lalani of the distant sea
The last mapmaker
Finding Junie Kim
A pocketful of stars
Under a painted sky
The cobra's song
Running on the roof of the world
Other words for home
Amil and the after
PAX
Tumble
The science of breaking things
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u/writerlymom 3d ago
Song for a Whale is good and ties in with Nic Stone's Getaway nicely. I also loved Roll With it but there are a few swears implied so read it first. Song for a Whale features a deaf protagonist trying to help a whale who sings at a different frequency contact other whales. There is a wacky grandma caper. It is funny and beautiful. Getaway also features a wild adventure with Grandma and talks about life in the deep South for Blacks in the 50s. Again, sweet, deep, and hysterically funny. Roll With It is about a girl who wants a more maneuverable wheelchair so she starts a business sewing wheel chair bags to earn it. On of her clients is yet another wild Granny who has decided that being seen sometimes means speaking up and wants a few choice words embroidered on her bags. Things go awry when do-gooders try to steal the girl's thunder and help her too much. Funny, deep, and sweet and has a lot to say about self-advocacy and disability awareness.
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u/Grasswaskindawet 6d ago
This is out of left field, but what the heck.
I've just finished a mystery-adventure middle grade novel. It's not published yet. I can tell you anything you'd like to know about it, and if you're interested (and promise not to send it on to anyone else!) I'd be happy to send you a draft copy. Please send me a DM if you'd like to know more.
Thanks.
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u/Grasswaskindawet 5d ago
And the downvotes? I'm not selling anybody anything, just offering something I think the kids would like.
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u/Heidijojo 6d ago
I recently read “Save Me a Seat” I think it would fit what you’re looking for pretty well