Tag: heroes

I’m not really sure about the title for this post – because I certainly do not think these recommendations apply solely to children who have been identified as Gifted.  However, as a teacher of gifted kids, I know that parents often ask me for ideas on reading material.  After reading Wonder, and commenting about it on yesterday’s post, I thought I would share a few other resources for quality books to which you can direct parents.

NPR just posted a list on August 5th called, “The Ultimate Backseat Bookshelf:  100 Must-Reads for Kids 9-14.” The list was created with input from the NPR audience, and includes most of the classics I read as a child.  There are a few new ones, including Wonder, on the list.

For the younger set, the great host of “Not Just Child’s Play” has a couple of posts with lists of book recommendations that you might want to view – “Stories About Real People” and “Books That Celebrate Differences.”

Although it is certainly not comprehensive, I have a Pinterest Board of recommendations here.

One book that I would like to mention, in particular, is Heroes for My Daughter by Brad Meltzer.  I bought this book for my own daughter as a gift for her 5th grade graduation.  I took pictures of all of her elementary school teachers and made a collage that looked similar to the inside cover of the book.  Each teacher signed it.  I read a story from this book each night to my daughter before we move on to whatever current chapter book we are reading.  The biographies are short, and usually include a quote that we discuss.  The included heroes are a diverse group – from the Three Stooges to Julia Child, and we both are learning about history as well as admirable attributes that led to positive change in the world.  Meltzer has a similar book, Heroes for My Son, available, as well.

Google “books for gifted” and you will get a plethora of results.  I’ve tried to scale it down for you a bit here as it can be a bit overwhelming!  Hopefully, these links give you some good starting points.