Grow-a-Reader BookList

11 - 12 Year-Olds

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Language and
Literacy Development:
These students are on their way to using reading and writing effectively to meet their school and real-world needs.  Many children in this age group have favorite authors and series that they read voraciously.  Children in this age group often pursue their hobbies and interests with enthusiasm and energy.   Eleven- and twelve-year-olds also enjoy keeping diaries--private diaries.   Many children in this age group start becoming interested in current events and watching the news.  They are developing opinions about issues and arguing their views.  At school, they are expected to do more research, use more references, and write more.  They are continuing to develop their comprehension monitoring strategies and fix-up strategies when reading becomes difficult.  They have the ability to ask good questions to guide their reading, research, and writing.  They are also expected to read longer portions of textbook material silently.   Some will soon be expected to take notes from "lecture-style" lessons.  Study strategies are imperative for this age group.  Tests are becoming more difficult.  They continue to use their writing experiences to enrich and strengthen their reading!  And they use their reading to enrich and strengthen their writing!

Reading Interests:
  • exploring who they are as people
  • reading books about kids their age
  • reading realistic fiction
  • reading about famous people (heroes, athletes, etc.)

Children's Books: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson;  Audio cassette;   Spanish edition:   Un puente hasta Therabithia

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt; Audio cassette.  Spanish edition:  Tuck para siempre

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle; Audio cassette

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder; Spanish edition:  La Casa de la Pradera

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Audio cassette

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan, Audio cassette; Spanish edition:  Spanish Sencilla y Alta

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, Audio cassette; Spanish edition:  La Isla de los Delfinas Azules

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

The BFG by Roald Dahl; Spanish edition:  El Gran Gigante Bonachon

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech; Audio cassette

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen; Audio cassette.  Spanish edition:  El Hacha

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Audio cassette, Audio CD.   Spanish edition:  El Leion, La Burga, y El Armario

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor, Audiocassette

Stone  Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry; Spanish edition:  Quien Cuenta Las Estrellas

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien; Spanish edition:  La Senora Frisby y Las Ratas de Nimh

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, Audio cassette

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater.

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

If You're Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand: Poems about School by Kalli Dakos

Stuart Little by E.B. White, Audiocassette; Spanish Edition

Matilda by Roald Dahl, Audiocassette

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume; Audio cassette; Spanish edition:  Estás ahí Dios? Soy yo, Margaret

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson;  Audio cassette  

Many Thousand Gone:   African Americans from Slavery to Freedom by Virginia Hamilton and Leo Dillon/Diane Dillon (illustrators)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle; Audio cassette

A Fire in My Hands: A Book of Poems by Gary Soto

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Popular series:

Dear America

Books of Marguerite Henry

Animorphs by K.A. Applegate

Informational Books:

Books written by Seymour Simon

Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries

Scholastic Voyages of Discovery Science and Technology Series

Reference Books:

Scholastic Children's Dictionary
Roget's Student Thesaurus
The Kingfisher Young People's Atlas of the World
The Kingfisher Children's Encyclopedia
The Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary

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