The Treasury of Read-Alouds

SHORT NOVELS page 1 of 3

These books represent a brief portion of the hundreds
cited in the print edition of The-Read-Aloud Handbook.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

by Barbara Robinson      Gr. 2–6      80 pages      Harper, 1972

What happens when the worst-behaved family of kids in town comes to Sunday school and muscles into all the parts for the Christmas pageant? The results are zany and heartwarming; a most unusual Christmas story. Sequels: The Best School Year Ever and The Best Halloween Ever. There is also an excellent CD recording of the three novels, narrated by Broadway's Elaine Stritch: "The Best Barbara Robinson CD Audio Collection Ever."

A Blue-Eyed Daisy

by Cynthia Rylant      Gr. 4–8      99 pages      Simon & Schuster, 1985

This is the warm yet bittersweet year in the life of an eleven-year-old girl and her family in the hills of West Virginia as she experiences her first kiss, has a brush with death, comes to understand her good but hard-drinking father, and begins to grow into the person you’d love to have as a relative. Related books: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Di Camillo; and Ida Early Comes Over the Mountain by Robert Burch.

Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House series)

by Mary Pope Osborne      K–2      76 pages      Random House, 1992

In this first book of the popular time-travel series (with three- to four-page chapters), young Annie and Jack discover a treehouse that transports them back in time to the age of dinosaurs. The journey is filled with fantasy adventure while exploring scientific, cultural, or historic places and events.

The Friendship

by Mildred Taylor      Gr. 4 and up      53 pages      Dial, 1987

The Logan children (from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry) witness the searing cruelty of bigotry during this story set in 1933 in rural Mississippi, where two men (one white, one black) see their one-time friendship destroyed by violence when the black man dares to call the other by his first name. Readers should be aware of racial epithets in the context of the story. For other books by this highly-honored author and related titles, see listing with Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry in the novels section here.

Frindle

by Andrew Clements      Gr. 3–6      105 pages      Simon & Schuster, 1996

This book will have you laughing out loud by paragraph five and wanting to adopt the main character (a fifth-grade boy) by the end of the first chapter, nodding in affirmation of its wisdom throughout, and wiping the tears away at its end. The story is what education, family, and relationships are supposed to be about, never mind what a good book can do for the reading appetite. And—it’s fall-down funny. Oh, yes, it’s about the dictionary, too. It was overlooked for the Newbery Award but it keeps winning kids’ votes in the state awards. No author rivals Clements in capturing the soul of the American classroom. Also by the author: The Jacket; The Janitor’s Boy; The Landry News; The Last Holiday Concert ; Lunch Money; The Report Card; and A Week in the Woods.

Hoofbeats: Katie and the Mustang (series)

by Kathleen Duey      Gr. 3-5      134 pages      Dutton, 2004

When 9-year-old Katie loses her parents and sister to fever in 1844, it looks as though no one will take her in—until Mr. and Mrs. Stevens do. The unsmiling childless couple wasn’t looking for a daughter as much as they wanted live-in help for their Iowa farm, so Katie became their servant-girl. Her lone friend is a beautiful mustang Mr. Stevens has bought but cannot tame. As the Stevenses sour on farm life and Katie, she overhears their plans to travel West, shoot the mustang, and deposit Katie at an orphanage. But that’s not Katie’s plan and hers will carry her away and into the night. The following three books in the “Mustang” series focus on her own journey with the mustang toward Oregon and the only relative she thinks she has. The pages are small and compact, making for a short novel experience and one packed with believable characters and a rich historic setting. The series begins with of four books and then moves to a new series, time period, and setting. The second series begins with Hoofbeats: Lara and the Gray Mare, set in medieval times in Ireland; Duey's third book in the series is Silence and Lily: 1773. Also by Kathleen Duey is a popular short novel series called Time Soldiers: Rex #1; Rex 2 #2; Patch #3; Arthur #4; Mummy #5; Samurai #6; and Pony Express #7. Related books: A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon; and Riding Freedom by Pam Muñoz Ryan.

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (series)

by Barbara Park      K–1      70 pages      Random House, 1992

Don’t be put off by the title of this book, part of a wonderfully funny series (more than 30 books to date). Junie B. is Ramona, Little Lulu, and Lucy all rolled into one determined kindergartner. No one in children’s publishing approaches Barbara Park when it comes to children’s humor, and her 40 million sales with the Junie series is prove positive. Park’s other books, like Mick Harte Was Here and Skinnybones, are aimed at older students and demonstrate why she’s consistently a state award–winner with children. For an exploration of the controversies surrounding the Junie B. series, see Censoring Junie B. For those looking for the nest step up from Junie B.but with a sofyer edge than Junie, check out Lois Lowry's Gooney Bird Greene.

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