Today, one of my students recommended a book to me that I had never heard of before. I always maintain the fact that no teacher is ever so knowledgable that they themselves cannot be a student from time to time. Hearing an eager, young reader fiercely insist that I read their current favorite book was encouraging. To hear any student advocating for a book fills me with pride as I, myself, was an avid reader at their age.

The books that I have listed below are ones that my students have recommended to me over the last few months. They are surprisingly varied and even come from different genres. I am very thankful for my students and more than anything, I am thankful that they are excited enough to share their favorites with me.

1. The Serpent's Secret

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I was recommended The Serpent's Secret today when one of my students and I connected over our shared Indian heritage. She excitedly told me that I "have" to read the book because it is one of her favorites. She specifically asked me to watch out for interesting references to Indian sweets and snacks that are present throughout the book.

2. Robinson Crusoe

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Although this is an older classic that I had heard of and read before, I was mostly recommended this book by a majority of my students. I concluded that it was because they had most recently read this book in class. Nevertheless, I was excited by their apparent interest in the classics.

3. Treasure Island

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Treasure Island was the same for me when it came to being shocked by my students' apparent interest in more classic tales. When I asked the class what their favorite books were, more than half had a favorite book that was written more than 50 years ago or older.

4. Wonder

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This book was also recently made into a film, and the combination of the two made my previous classroom of students, from last year, particularly excited.

These are some of the books that my kiddos have told me about over time. Hearing what they are reading keeps me relevant and I get to understand my students at a different level. Book choices reflect personalities and identities, along with their interests. Knowing what they're reading and the fact that they are willing to share that with me increases the trust between us and helps form stronger teacher-student relationships.

I will be reading these books as soon as possible, and they will be the very tippy top of my reading list. I have also been sharing some of my favorite books with my students. I even brought a complete collection of Shakespeare's works to class today, which they each took a turn looking at. Oh, and also, the books that they share are always really fun!