quality pieces of literature for elementary students?

I am a senior at Michigan State University, majoring in Elementary Education. I was just curious as to what other people think are quality pieces of literature for elementary-age students. What were your favorites as a child? What are you reading to your children, if you have any? If you do have children, what are they reading in school? Thank you!

A long time ago, I read the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, http://www.librarything.com/author/wilderlauraingalls , and could recommend them. But I don't have children.

There is a teachers group: http://www.librarything.com/groups/teachers , but it doesn't look very active.

When my kids were in elementary school, I loved to read to them at night. Some of the books that were my favorite reads were Charlotte's Web, The Little Prince, The Secret Garden, The Yearling, Huckleberry Finn, and Winnie the Pooh.

When I myself was a kid, my favorite book was Lad: A Dog by Albert Payson Terhune.

I was introduced to Charlotte's Web when I was in third grade. A teacher read it aloud to us. Even though, I can't remember what the teacher looked like or even her name, I still remember being completely enchanted by E.B. White's story.

I also loved Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus as well as a huge (falling-apart and secured with a rubber band) book of fairy tales by Hans Christian Anderson.

I've been asking the same question, both due to having kids and going to start teaching kids... there are quite a few threads on LT with tons of suggestions, like Group:Children's Fiction Topic:Books YOU loved as a young child! and Group: Newbery Challenge... here are a few I've checked out: http://teacherdadbooks.blogspot.com/

have fun!

There is a subsite of Book Talk where people discuss their favorite books as a child: http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=15323#268935

I would argue the wrinkle in time series is a nice one. It lets kids think a little outside the box, and is a good series. It ties in some basic science, although of course fictionalizes it some. Thats my vote

In addition to the classics,Wrinkle in Time, Little Women,Secret Garden, anything by Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Suzy Kline and so on, I think there are many fine books for elementary age children that have been written in the last few years.

Here are some that I find I recommend more than others:he Clementine series, the Artemis Fowl series, Gregor the Overlander, The Agony of Alice and its sequels, Regarding the Fountain and its sequels and The Inkdrinker and its sequels.

All these are new and fresh and a good read for kids and grown-ups alike, for reading out loud or for the child to read on her own.

And don't forget there are many many wonderful picture books and easy readers that are certainly what I would call "quality literature" for the elementary school child.

as a child i loved the goosebumps series they were simple and exciting. The Babysitters club was awesome and made me want to start one

Tuck Everlasting and The Witch of Blackbird Pond and the only two books I remember enjoying that I read for class in elementary school. I thought Island of the Blue Dolphins was the most boring book ever, incidentally.

I am trying to begin reading more middle-grade fiction again. I loved Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.

I second Tuck Everlasting and A Wrinkle in Time, definitely. Hank the Cowdog is a good light read for all ages. For read-alouds I'd recommend Redwall and its sequels, but they might be confusing for an elementary student to read alone.

The dog who wouldn't be by Farley Mowat I reead this in the 5th grade and loved it. In fact I just bought a copy of it and re-read it. And I still loved it.

My boys and their friends are currently devouring books by Rick Riordan. I have not read these myself, but they are asking me rather intelligent questions about mythology. I may have to crack one open myself.

anything by Dick King-Smith. I read all of his books when I was younger.

Anything by Madeleine L'Engle, definitely! Besides that, I read Sing down the moon in fourth or fifth grade, and it was great. I seem to remember a lot of Gary Paulsen and Roald Dahl, too.

Aside from a lot of the ones already suggested, I'd say Harriet the Spy, The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and Lewis Carroll in general. The Anne of Green Gables books. And Daniel Pinkwater.
Also Gordon Korman, but his books might be outdated for "today's kids."

They've actually significantly rewritten and updated a lot of the MacDonald Hall books. I'm not sure I agree with that, but it does mean they're still available in stores.

This one is for the younger elementary grades, but it's one I like almost as much as my sons do: The Big Orange Splot. Daniel Pinkwater is recommended in message 15, too, but this specific title is the only one by him that I know really well.

#16 Wow, I had no idea! Do you know what changes they made?

The books that made the world exciting for me as a kid were books that took me out of my immediate world. For instance, Island of the Blue Dolphins or Secret of the Andes. They get the mind turning, and make a kid excited about the globe.

And Charlotte's Web is terrific, too.

The books that made the world exciting for me as a kid were books that took me out of my immediate world. For instance, Island of the Blue Dolphins or Secret of the Andes. They get the mind turning, and make a kid excited about the globe.

And Charlotte's Web is terrific, too.

>18 SJaneDoe: His Bruno and Boots series they pretty well modernized everything and got rid of outdated details, from This Can't Be Happening At Macdonald Hall alone they got rid of or changed: old styles of cars, watches, belts, tvs; unmetric milk and scotch measures; the mention of records; the teletype machine of George's; revised some science Elmer is spouting; they added references cell phones and the internet rather than handwritten letters home; and they changed all money amounts to make them more realistic costs today. (Not to mention getting rid of "at Macdonald Hall" from the title)

The most horrible changes though were in The War With Mr Wizzle because that revolves around the introduction of a computer that they changed to a new computer program, which doesn't really make as much sense at all. And they changed the name to The Wizzle War.

His other books like No Coins, Please and I Want to Go Home also have changes to do with dollar amounts, technology, and so on.

Edited to add: But I'd never hesitate to recommend any of Gordon Korman's books! The revisionary edits I don't agree with, but if that's all you can get a hold of it's better than not reading them at all!

There's nothing wrong with a dose of the classics,

Treasure Island by stevenson
Tales Of the North by London
Captains courageous, Wee Willie Winkie and Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White