[LM_NET] HIT: Great books for "Voice"

[Jennie <jennieteacher@GMAIL.COM>]

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful ideas!

BOOKS WITH GREAT VOICE


Orwell's Luck by Richard Jennings
Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt

Picture books would be good, even for older students:
The Relatives Came or The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
Dear Mrs. Larue by Mark Teague

I would use J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye-Holden Caulfield is
unforgettable!

One of my favorite books with great voice is Catherine Called Birdy.

http://cfbstaff.cfbisd.edu/baarg/picture_books_for_teaching_six_t.htm#Voicelists
picture books for voice as well as other elements.

Some that my teachers like to use are *Skippyjonjones* and *Fancy Nancy.

*Picture books:  David Shannon's *No, David!* books
Chapter Book/Novel:  *Ida B.* by Katherine Harrigan or *Because of Winn
Dixie

*I am currently reading *Every Soul a Star *by Wendy Mass.  It is told in 3
voices...Ally who lives with her family on a campground in an area which is
about to be center of a total eclipse of the sun...Bree who is a total
model-want-a-be whose family is coming from the city to take the place of
Ally's family...Jack who is a big guy who is going on the eclipse-chasing
adventure instead of taking summer school.  His science teacher actually
goes to all total eclipse events.  Can't wait to finish the last 30 pages
this evening.

I like Gary Paulsen for voice.  I would recommend Harris and Me or My life
In Dog Years.  Dog years has shorter chapters and so maybe easier for a
teacher to use.

what grade level?  MS/HS Sherman Alexie's 2008 National Book Award Book , T*he
Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* is EXCELLENT.

I don't know what grade level you're looking for, but I just read "The
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian", which was great, but
definitely for HS age. Another good HS one is "Someday This Pain Will Be
Useful to You" by Peter Cameron.

When I taught 8th grade language arts, I often used Dave Barry pieces as
great examples of voice.  However, then all of my students thought "voice" =
"funny", so I added excerpts from *Ellen Foster* by Kaye Gibbons.  This
combo seemed to make the concept clear to my students.

Don't know what grade you are talking about, but I love "Airmail to the
Moon" by GeorgeElla Lyon and "That Book Woman" by Heather Henson.  I used
these with 1st  - 4th grades as examples of voice.

Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne - same story from 4 viewpoints.

Street Love by Walter Dean Myers

For middle or high, the Georgia Nicholson books by Louise Rennison are
perfect for demonstrating voice.

I love The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Cushman!

A great VOICE is Notes from Underground by Dostoevsky.
It begins, "I am a sick man. I am an angry man. There is something wrong
with my liver but I refuse to go to the doctor."
It continues on like this and is GREAT!

Atlantic by Karas

Orwell's Luck by Richard Jennings
Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt

*Train to Somewhere* by Eve Bunting ***

*The Frog Principal* by Stephanie Calmenson ***

*Little Yau: A Fuzzhead Tale* ***

*Diary of a Worm* Doreen Cronin ***

*Ice Bear: In The Steps of the Polar Bear* by Nicola Davies

*Surprising Sharks* by Nicola Davies ***

*Always and Forever* by Alan Durant

*Yesterday I Had the Blues* Jeron Ashford Frame ***

*Edward and the Pirates* David McPhail ***

*Steal Back the Mona Lisa!* By Meghan McCarthy

*Straight to the Pole* by Kevin O'Malley ***

*Earthquack!* by Margie Palatini ***

*The Mighty Asparagus* by V. Radunsky ***

*Red Rubber Boot Day* by Mary Lyn Ray ***

*Ish* by Peter H. Reynolds ***

*Grody's Not So Golden Rules* by Nicole Rubel

*In November* by Cynthia Rylant ***

*The Relatives Came* by Cynthia Rylant ***

*Beverly Billingsly Takes a Bow* by Alexander Stadler

*The Snow Bear* by Liliana Stafford ***

*My Big Dog* by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel ***

*The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza)* by Philemon Sturges ***

*Touchdown Mars!* By Peggy Wethered and Ken Edgett

*Dumpy La Rue* by Elizabeth Winthrop ***

Word Choice

*Max's Words* by Kate Banks ***

*Things That are Most in the World* by Judi Barrett

*My Teacher Likes to Say* by Denis Brennan-Nelson ***

*I Lost My Tooth in Africa* by Penda Diakite ***

*Dear Fish* by Chris Gall

*A Story for Bear* by Dennis Haseley ***

*Armadillo Tattletale* by Helen Ketteman

*Rain Romp: Stopming Away a Grouchy Day* by Jane Kurtz

*The Night I Followed the Dog* by Nina Laden ***

*Suddenly!* by Colin McNaughton

*Karate Hour* by Carol Nevius ***

*Lauren McGill's Pickle Museum* by Jerdine Nolen

*Fancy Nancy* by Jane O'Connor ***

*Piggie Pie* by Margie Palatini

*These Hands* by Hope Lynne Price

*Epossumondus* by Coleen Salley ***

*Food Fight!* By Carol Diggory Shields

*Mud* by Mary Lyn Ray ***

*Hello Ocean* by Pam Munoz Ryan

*The Old Woman Who Named Things* by Cynthia Rylant ***

*An Island Grows* by Lola M. Schaefer

*Bullfrog Pops!* By Rick Walton

*Once There Was a Bull….(frog)* by Rick Walton
*Henny-Penny* by Jane Wattenberg


Jennie Scott-McKenzie
EY-12 Library Media Specialist
International School of Belgrade, Serbia
IB World School
jennieteacher@gmail.com
jmckenzie@isb.rs

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
  You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings
  by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET  2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
 3) SET LM_NET MAIL  4) SET LM_NET DIGEST  * Allow for confirmation.
 * LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
 * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
 * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/
 * LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
 * LM_NET Wiki: http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------