Would today's third graders enjoy hearing The Door in the Wall? It was one of my favorites growing up...
It's been many, many years since I've read it, and don't remember it well at all. Does it tie in with your social studies (our students learn about Medieval Times in grade 4)?
Man, I AM old! It is set in the late Middle Ages in England. The protagonist is a boy of noble birth (Robin) who on a journey away from London (to avoid the plague) becomes ill, loses the use of his legs, and is abandoned by his servants (fearing the plague). He is rescued by a monk who teaches him to walk with crutches and that life can go on even if he cannot be a knight like his father. Basically, by the end of the story, despite his "handicap," Robin actually ends up saving the town and the monastery where he has been staying. It's a Newberry and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award winner. Probably not the cup of tea for urban third graders, huh?
We do read alouds at home in the evenings. (it's a great way to 'test' books) Last year we read that and my 10 yr old didn't follow it and therefore was completely bored through it. We did finish but it'd never fly in my class.
