A couple of days ago, a reader emailed me to ask for suggestions for First Chapter Fridays. This is where librarians or teachers read-aloud the first chapter of a book in order to “hook” less-than-enthusiastic readers. I know a former student of mine is now also a teacher, and she also does First Chapter Fridays.
I thought I would share my emailed suggestions with the rest of the world! I selected the titles based on:
- Action begins quickly
- Strong narrative voice
- The entire book is exciting, not just the first chapter
- Diverse characters
- Dialogue that moves the story along
- First chapter is <10 pages.
DON’T HAVE THE BOOK?
There are a few ways you can read First Chapter Fridays without the actual book. The obvious choice is your local public library to see if they have a physical or e-book copy via OverDrive.
Amazon is another great resource since they frequently include a sample of the Kindle edition.
Don’t forget the audiobook samples! These are often available on Amazon or on OverDrive, even if the book itself is checked out.
First Chapter Fridays continues! Today we have Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs. Chapter 1 is only pages long, and the entire first chapter is available free
First Chapter Fridays continues Unwind by Neal Shusterman! I read Unwind way back in 2009, and it is still one of my favorite books to recommend to MS and HS
First Chapter Fridays continues with Stamped by Jason Reynolds! Sore throat today? Lost your voice? This one has an EXCELLENT audiobook read by Jason Reynolds, one of the authors. I’m
Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios is our next First Chapter Fridays! I’m going to start by saying that there is some profanity in this first chapter. The profanity 100% adds
This was the first book that came to my mind when thinking about First Chapter Fridays.