Students in Ms. Tillett’s class were expected to read a minimum of 36 books this year across the genres. Students were encouraged to make their own choices about what they wanted to read and what books were right for them - be they holidays, just rights or challenges. Given the opportunity to consider, select and reconsider books within their own personal preference, students read more books than expected and strived for more challenges than could ever be assigned.

The Reading Zone in this class is not a place where students watch the clock with one eye, as they feel forced to read rather, it is a place in which students are taught for a lifetime of reading. Students were introduced to new books and old favorites, told about authors and genres, read aloud authors and genres, discussed reading rituals and plans, and taught elements of fiction, how poems work, how punctuation gives voice to reading, how to connect what they read to what they write, how to tell if a book is too hard, too easy, or just right, and why the only way to become a strong, fluent reader is to read often and a lot.

These fourth grade students, through careful deliberation, personal choice and knowledge of themselves as readers, compiled the following list of the books they believe all kids and adults should read. They are the books they love and they hope that you love them too.

Down The Rabbit Hole: an Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams
Ingrid Levin-Hill, a 13 year old talented soccer player with a flair for stage acting and a Sherlock Holmes aficionado– skills that come in handy when she finds herself caught in a police investigation following the murder of Cracked-Up Katie. Soon Ingrid discovers that the deceased was associated with the Prescott Players, a local theater group in which Ingrid lands the title role in a production of Alice in Wonderland. Taking courage from her crusty grandfather, Ingrid secretly undertakes a series of suspenseful adventures to try and track down the killer. Keeping the police at a bay proves challenging when she forms a friendship with the police chief's son, Joey Strade but how easily will she elude the killer? This fast paced mystery will keep your heart racing! Read all three in the series.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
Poor Mr. Popper isn't exactly unhappy; he just wishes he had seen something of the world before meeting Mrs. Popper and settling down. Most of all, he wishes he had seen the Poles, and spends his spare time between house-painting jobs reading all about polar explorations. Admiral Drake, in response to Mr. Popper's fan letter, sends him a penguin; life at the Poppers’ house is never the same again. From one penguin living in the icebox, the Popper family grows to include 12 penguins.

Thief Of Always by Clive Barker
Harvey, a little boy, is bored on a rainy day. A stranger with an unusually large grin appears and leads him to a house where he can have and do whatever he wants. Harvey enters the magical fantasy world of The Holiday House, which seemingly appears to have all that a child could ask for: presents, delicious foods, ever-changing seasons--Halloween and Christmas every night! But behind this pretty facade lurks a sinister plot that tests the fortitude of Harvey and his friends, challenging him to fight back for his very soul.

The Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
This is the first in a series of hilarious yarns. Peter feels like a fourth grade nothing. His little brother, Fudge is causing problems for him all the time. Fudge gets away with every temper tantrum and always messes up Peter's things including his homework. The last straw is when Fudge walks off with Peter's pet turtle, Dribble. It is now time for Peter to get his parents to pay attention to him for a change. Anyone with an annoying younger sibling will love this book.

Jennifer Murdley's Toad by Bruce Coville
Jennifer believes she is ugly and has trouble making friends. Wanting a pet, she buys Bufo, a toad hatched years before from the mouth of a witch who spewed out frogs, snakes, and other nasty items. He has spent his recent life looking for his lost love, another toad. He helps Jennifer see her inner self but in the process, she, her brother, and a school enemy are all turned into toads. The witch is out to find Bufo – will it all turn out for the best?

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell
Emmy Addison was perfectly happy as the daughter of bookstore owners—and then her parents inherited a lot of money and she suddenly became invisible. She can't understand why her formerly attentive and loving mother and father keep taking off for faraway places and leaving her in the hands of an incredibly controlling nanny named Miss Barmy. And no one at school seems to know she exists. Then, she is bitten by the classroom rat and discovers that she can understand every word he says, as can Joe, one of the cool kids in her class who was also bitten. At this point, events start to unfold and a fast-paced adventure begins. To Joe's chagrin, he discovers that a second bite makes a person shrink to the size of an action figure and Emmy discovers that Miss Barmy has been mixing animal essences together to control the Addisons' lives. With the aid of new animal friends, Emmy embarks upon a perilous path to undo the evil nanny's sinister plans.

Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson
Armand a homeless man returns to the bridge under which he usually sleeps and discovers that three children have made it their new home. Their mother is out working as they don’t have enough money to rent a place since their father died. Armand cares for them during the day, helping them find joy. He takes them to see Father Christmas and they ask him for a house. Armand takes them to a gypsy camp where they are given good food and a warm place to sleep. Armand eventually welcomes them into his heart and in the end gets a job, becomes part of the family, and most of all finds them a house. A heartwarming tale.

Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary
Ralph, a mouse, befriends a young boy named Ryan, the son of the inn's new maid. Forced by his parents to let numerous younger siblings and cousins ride his motorcycle, he asks Ryan to take him to school, where he plans to hide and live out the rest of his life. Ralph is discovered by Ryan's classmates, who adopt him as a class pet and decide to see how smart he is by building a maze for him to run through. All this time Ryan is having difficulties with an aggressive boy from his class. The bully accidentally breaks Ralph's motorcycle, and Ralph blames Ryan and runs away to hide in the school. Will Ryan get Ralph back and what will happen to the bully?

Frindle by Andrew Clement
Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not a frindle? Nick decides to try and get everyone using his new word to get it into the dictionary. Soon too many people are using it and the school is in an uproar.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Love That Dog is the story of Jack, his dog, his teacher, and words. The story develops through Jack's responses to his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, over the course of a school year. Jack hates poetry but as his teacher feeds him inspiration, he finds that he has a lot to say and he finds ways to say it.
All year long, he is trying to find a way to talk about his beloved dog, Sky, and the poems his teacher offers him eventually give him a way to do that.

Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech
Hate That Cat continues the story of Jack from Love That Dog. It is a new school year, and Jack learns that his previous year's teacher, Miss Stretchberry, has also moved up a grade along with him. " Once again, Miss Stretchberry introduces Jack and his classmates to poems that intrigue and entice Jack, allowing him to talk about things that are on his mind: mean cats, sound, silence, worry and joy. You don't really think Miss Stretchberry is going to let Jack hate a cat, do you?

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech
Sharon Creech cooks up another delightfully tender novel filled with warm words and secret recipes that proves nothing can break the bond between two lifelong pals.

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
Ruby Holler is a beautiful and mysterious place, deep in the country where an older couple, Tiller and Sairy, live and are looking for new adventures, each of them hoping to set off on a trip. When they invite the "trouble twins," Dallas and Florida, to join them, all of their lives take new turns.

The Twits by Roald Dahl
Mr. and Mrs. Twit are two of the most disgusting, nasty, and horrid characters you’ll ever meet. The only time they're nice to each other is when they're catching birds to make pies or training their monkeys for the first upside down Monkey Circus in world. Read this story to find out how these two ugly "twits" get what's coming to them from their monkeys and the birds. This story will make you roll over with laughter.

Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
This delightful fantasy recounts the adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo
This is a story about a vain and selfish china rabbit who learns the value (and price) of love. Edward's journey is difficult--and even horrifying. sinks to the ocean floor, only to get caught in a fisherman’s net, be used as a scarecrow and more. The reader follows Edward’s journey with a hope that everything will turn out all right in the end.

The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1) by Tony Di Terlizzi
When the Grace children go to stay at their Great Aunt Lucinda’s dilapidated Spiderwick Estate, they discover a field guide to fairies, and quickly find themselves sucked into a dark and fascinating world. Read the whole series!

The Giggler’s Treatment by Roddy Doyle
Mr. Mack, a biscuit tester in a biscuit factory sends his sons to their rooms without supper for breaking a window. This piece of unfairness naturally warrants the Treatment, and so the Gigglers immediately rush next door to collect a walloping great lump of poo from a neighboring Irish wolfhound. Unfortunately, they aren't present when Mr. Mack repents. When the children later find out their father is headed into deep doo-doo, it becomes a race against time to save him from poo on the shoe.

Meanwhile Adventures by Roddy Doyle
Doyle brings back pretty much the same cast of characters from The Giggler’s Treatment, although without the Gigglers, for another adventure in high silliness and postmodern storytelling. The story centers around the false arrest of Mr. Mack and efforts by his children and dog to free him, while his wife tries to be the first Irish woman to run around the world without telling anyone. Short chapters keep the multiple story lines moving, with occasional interruptions for the writer to get a cup of coffee and the dog to take over the word processor and attempt to send the plot in different directions. Silly and fun, this book will deliver laughs.

A Prairie as Wide as the Sea by Sarah Ellis
Ivy Weatherall is just 11 years old when her family leaves England for the promised riches of Canada’s expanding West. But in Milorie, Saskatchewan, their dreams of a new life crumble into dust when they reach Uncle Alf’s small sod hut and discover that jobs are scarce, and that they can barely make ends meet. Ivy’s relatives pack up and head back to England, but to Ivy, Canada is full of wonder and beginning to feel like home. There are challenges in her new life, but Ivy’s feisty character and her sense of wonder for a prairie as wide as the sea make her adventure one that readers won’t easily forget.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Meggie lives a quiet life alone with her father, a bookbinder. But her father has a deep secret – he possesses an extraordinary magical power. When a mysterious stranger arrives, Meggie suddenly finds herself involved in a breathless game of escape and intrigue as her father’s life is put in danger. Will she be able to save him in time?

Scat by Carl Hiaasen
Mrs. Bunny Starch, the most feared biology teacher ever, was last seen during a field trip to Black Vine Swamp. The school’s headmaster and the police seem to have accepted the sketchy, unsigned note explaining that her absence is due to a “family emergency.” There’s no real evidence of foul play. But still, Nick and Marta don’t buy it. Something weird is definitely going on. Beware - you may just bust a gut reading this one!

Indigo by Alice Hoffman
13 year-old Martha Glimmer is convinced this is the worst time of her life. Her mother died, she grew 7 inches, and she has to put up with a woman who feeds Martha's lonely father with food and opinions about how 13 year-old girls should behave. Martha longs to leave Oak Grove and travel. Martha's best friends nicknamed Trout and Eel because of the thin webbing between their fingers and toes. They venture to the ocean and find the true meaning of home -- in very unexpected places.

Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye
Hermux is a mouse who fixes watches by day and spends quiet evenings at home with his pet ladybug. Then his life is forever changed by the appearance of Linka Perflinger, daredevil, aviatrix and adventuress. When she suddenly disappears, Hermux sets out to find her. What has happened to Ms. Perflinger? Who is the mysterious Dr. Mennus, and how is he connected with Tucka Mertslin, the eccentric cosmetics tycoon? Hermux must be daring and vigilant - tall orders for a small mouse! But he rises to the occasion and nearly breaks our hearts in the process. Read the whole series!

Night John by Gary Paulsen
This is a story narrated by Sarny, a twelve year-old slave girl who lives on the Waller plantation sometime in the 19th century. Her story tells of the abuse suffered by her people on the plantation at the hands of their master.  One day a slave named Nightjohn comes to the plantation with Mr. Waller. In exchange for tobacco, Nightjohn begins teaching Sarny the alphabet. Soon, she learns that Nightjohn has given up his chance for freedom and is brave enough to risk torture in order to teach slaves how to read and write. So when Mr. Waller catches Sarny writing a word in the dirt, he looks for someone to blame. Fiendishly, he chooses to punish Sarny’s adopted mommy and Nightjohn confesses. Will they survive?

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
After his pilot dies of a heart attack, 13 year-old Brian has to crash land in the forest of a Canadian wilderness. Forced to survive with only a hatchet, he waits to be rescued. This is an incredible page turning adventure.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Haddix
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family’s farm, until another “third” convinces him that the government is wrong. Read the whole series!

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
A classic! Milo is SO bored he can’t see the point to anything until the sudden and curious appearance of a tollbooth in his bedroom, Since Milo has absolutely nothing better to do, he dusts off his toy car, pays the toll, and drives through, embarking on a journey during which he encounters countless odd characters who are anything but dull.

Dragon Keepers #1: The Dragon in the Sock Drawer by Kate Klimo
Jesse and Daisy are 10 year old cousins who have always wanted something magical to happen to them. So it’s a wish come true when Jesse’s newly found thunder egg hatches, and a helpless, tiny but very loud baby dragon pops out. Soon the two kids are at the dragon’s beck-and-call, trying to figure out what to feed her. An Internet search leads them to the library, which leads them back to the Internet, where they find a very strange Web site called “foundadragon.org.” It is here that the cousins discover that the dragon’s hatching has designated them “Dragon Keepers” and that not only do they have to feed her, but they have to keep her safe from the villainous Saint George who has kept himself alive over centuries by drinking dragons’ blood.

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright
Twelve-year-old Amy is having difficulties at home being responsible for her brain-damaged sister, Louann. While visiting her Aunt Clare at the old family home, she discovers an eerily-haunted dollhouse in the attic-an exact replica of the family home. Whenever she sees it, the dolls, representing her relatives, have moved. Her aunt won't listen to Amy's claims that the dolls are trying to tell her something. This leads Amy to research old news reports where she discovers a family secret-the murder of her grandparents. The two sisters unravel the mystery. Amy grows to accept her sister and to understand that Louann is more capable than she had first thought.

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
This is the story of a boy determined to win a dog sled race to save his grandfather's farm. No one has ever beaten Stone Fox, an imposing and silent Native American, but little Willy trains daily for the race with his beloved dog, Searchlight. It seems like Willy might even win the race until heartbreaking tragedy strikes.

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell
Ottoline lives in a stylish apartment in Big City with a small hairy creature called Mr Munroe. Together they look after the Brown family's eclectic collections - and dabble in a spot of detective work. So they are the first to the scene of the crime when a string of high society dog-nappings and jewel thefts hits Big City. Ottoline, an exceptionally inquisitive Mistress of Disguise, and Mr Munroe go undercover - and expose an ingenious scam masterminded by furry feline crook, the Yellow Cat.

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
Chester, a cricket, ventures into New York City. He soon finds three different friends including a boy named Mario, a mouse named Tucker and his pal, Harry the cat. Soon they discover that Chester has an incredible gift and the adventures begin…

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Twelve-year-old orphan Hugo lives alone in the walls of a Paris train station where he tends to the clocks and steals what he needs to survive. Hugo's deceased father, a clockmaker discovered mechanical man. Now Hugo is obsessed with getting the automaton to function hoping it will reveal a secret message. Hugo’s life gets interconnected with a young girl and the bitter old man who runs the train station’s toy booth and soon his precious secret and undercover life are put at risk. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message are only some of the ingredients of this incredibly illustrated mystery.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
From the day she arrives at quiet Mica high in a burst of colour and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. Then they turn on her, and Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different.

Sam the Cat Detective by Linda Stewart
When a beautiful, blue-eyed penthouse kitten learns her family was robbed of a rare jade necklace, she runs to find Sam. The result is a hair-raising mystery-adventure in which Sam tracks and traps a human "cat burglar" and clears an innocent man. This rollicking mystery will have you at the edge of your seat.

Porcupine by Meg Tilly
Jack Cooper’s (or Jacqueline, as her mother insists on calling her) life is changed forever when her father is killed in Afghanistan. Her mother becomes depressed and crumbles under the sadness. Jack and her younger sister and brother, Tessa and Simon, end up across the country, living on a run-down farm in a small town on the Prairies with a great-grandmother they didn’t know existed. Worried that they will be abandoned again if Gran moves into a retirement home, Jack encourages Tessa and Simon to take on the challenges of their new life. In the process, she learns that families can build a home anywhere.