From the Classroom

From the Classroom – Revolutionary War Reads

By on April 27, 2026   /   books, For Teachers, From the Classroom   /   Leave a comment

On July Fourth, 2026, the United States will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There has already been a number of events celebrating the 250th with many more to come. What better way to get your students engaged in learning about this time period than by reading some books!

Revolutionary War Texts

Each of the books below can stand alone or you might consider forming text sets around the books, their themes, their topics, etc. Many of these books already have teaching guides that accompany them for immediate use in the classroom as you finish off the year or as a great back-to-school reading in the fall.

cover of sophia's war with outline of character with a noose down the center of the cover

 

Award-winning Author Avi presents this story of treason, revenge, and thrilling real historical events. His website contains teaching resources, reading group guides, and much more. What’s interesting about this particular story is that it contains a British perspective concerning their occupation in the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

 


cover to Susanna's midnight ride featuring a girl on a horse at night with british army in the background

Almost five years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution hung in the balance. In late May 1781, General Cornwallis invaded City Point, VA, and quartered his army there. As 16-year-old Susanna Bolling served the British general and his officers dinner, she overheard their plans to capture General Lafayette and crush the American rebellion once and for all. Under the cover of darkness, she snuck out of her house through a secret underground tunnel and canoed downriver. Then she grabbed a neighbor’s horse and rode ten miles to warn Lafayette.  But would she make it back home by sunrise without detection?

Make sure you check out the author’s website to see other Revolutionary War books she has written!

 

 

 

cover of answer the cry for freedom featuring silhouettes of African Americans

This engaging book provides a chance for young readers to learn about the death-defying attempts of black Americans to gain the inalienable rights promised in the Declaration of Independence. By stepping into the shoes of thirteen men and women—stand-ins for the fifth of the population left out of most textbooks—readers can appreciate how the American Revolution rattled the chains of slavery and expanded the boundaries of freedom beyond the Founding Fathers’ intentions.

There is a wonderful teacher’s guide that accompanies this book on the author’s website. 

 

 

 

cover of history smasher's american revolution with paul revere on a horse

 

Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth behind the Revolutionary War with beloved educator/author Kate Messner. The fun mix of sidebars, illustrations, photos, and graphic panels make this perfect for fans of I Survived! and Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales.

You might already be a fan of the History Smashers series and this one is no different. There are so many misconceptions about what really happened in 1776, and the endless facts in this book really helps clarify what really happened. Kate Messner has also been known to be available for author visits, both in-person and virtually.

 

What are your plans to celebration the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution? Leave your ideas in the comments below!

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From the Classroom – It’s Mock Award Season!

By on December 22, 2025   /   books, For Teachers, From the Classroom  

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and I’m not talking about the holiday season. It’s almost time for the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual youth media awards! Held on Monday, January 26th, 2026, the youth media awards include the most prestigious awards for children’s literature, including the John Newbery Medal for excellence in American Children’s Literature, the Randolph Caldecott Medal for excellence in children’s literature illustration, the Coretta Scott King Award for excellence in African-American literature and illustration, and a slew of other awards. You might already have this on your radar, and when you get back in the classroom in January, there is plenty of time to partake in mock award activities before the big event!

MOCK CALDECOTT AWARD

Image of Caldecott Medal from ALA Youth Media Awards

Feeling short on time in January? Then the Mock Caldecott Award is for you! You’ll have plenty of time to read one-two picture books a week and judge them based on pre-existing criteria. Not sure where to begin? Check out Mr. Schu’s list of picture books to consider. He and Colby Sharp also have short videos attached to the list that discuss each book and also feature some chats with the illustrators and authors. Principal Brain Samson also created a unit packet that’s ready to go! It includes the official Caldecott criteria for you and your students to discuss in class as you make your final selection. Then, watch the live event to see if you picked the winner! Don’t forget – middle graders love picture books too!

MOCK NEWBERY AWARD

picture of newbery award medal

Working with older students or want to dive into longer texts? Then look no further than the mock newbery award. The Heavy Medal blog, sponsored by School Library Journal, has already selected fifteen possible contenders. What’s even better is that a panel of librarians, students, and other experts will be discussing each of the fifteen books all January! There is also a discussion guide you can use, and ALA also provides a mock Newbery toolkit that’s classroom friendly. Feeling like it’s not possible to read multiple novels with your students in January? Have every kid pick a different book to read for the month and then do a report-out on their individual book using the criteria in the discussion guide to try and persuade their classmates that their book will win! It’s a great way to cover lots of ground in a short amount of time.

 

The New York Times just wrote an article (note: behind paywall) about how kids don’t read whole novels anymore in school, especially in English class. These mock award activities are a great way to get kids reading with a payoff they can get invested in at the end of January. Celebrate with the winners on January 26th, and celebrate books all the time! Who do you think is going to win the Caldecott and Newbery award?  Leave a comment below!

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From the Classroom: If You Like…

By on October 27, 2025   /   For Teachers, From the Classroom  
If you like the Lightning Thief then read Hugo Cabret, with images of both book covers
If you like Funjungle books, read Spy School

Middle grade readers often have strong opinions. In earlier From the Classroom articles we shared how to Build Reflective Readers and reasons why we Don’t Pigeon-Hole Middle Grade Readers. This time I’d like to share a sure-fire way to get kids interested in new books: “If you like…” posters and recommendations.

If You Like … Posters

Every Friday is First Chapter Friday in my fifth grade classroom. Most weeks I read aloud the first chapter of an enticing middle grade book, and students have the chance to sign up to be the first readers. It’s a great way to expose kids to new authors, genres, topics, and formats of books than they might usually read.

If you like scary stories, then try ... with a list of 8 books

But some weeks, I share a group of books related by a theme. This Friday, being Halloween, our theme is “If you like… Scary Stories!” Not only will I share several of the titles above with my students (blurbs this time, not every first chapter), but I will also hang the poster up above our classroom library. This year I went the extra step of adding a basket specifically for “scary books,” to help readers find them easily.

If you like survival stories, with a list of 8 books

Some other popular topics for “If you like…” include survival stories, magical school stories, graphic novels, you name it! I’ve also done versions for genres, as a goal of fifth grade is introducing students to books in various genres (realistic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, and fantasy).

Have Students Make Their Own “If You Like…”

Another strategy is to have students make their own book recommendations using the “If you like…” format. It’s a great way for them to think about what kind of reader would like a certain book, and what other books that same reader might enjoy. Some of them come up with pretty straightforward recommendations, like the one at the top of the article: If you like the Funjungle series by Stuart Gibbs, then you might like The Spy School series also by Stuart Gibbs.

If you like the Lightning Thief then read Hugo Cabret, with images of both book covers

But students also come up with combinations that might seem more unexpected. One students suggested The Invention of Hugo Cabret if you liked The Lightning Thief. She said that “These books are adventurous, and exciting! I recommend these books to readers who like mysteries and fantasy.”

So there you go!

How do you use book talks or book recommendations to inspire readers in your life or classroom?

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