Last week I shared a bit about how my whole YouTube journey began as well as a few things I’ve learned along the way. This week I’m going to delve a bit deeper and share the top 10, most popular, First Chapter Friday Videos on my channel.

If you are a teacher and need to good stuff (aka: books your students will be clamoring to read) scroll on to the countdown. But if you’ve got a minute, stick with me.

For one semester, I taught part time at both Western Technical College and the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. (Side note: I wouldn’t recommend working part time at two places to anyone — part time pay and no benefits for full time work.) It was through my time at UWL that the seeds for my channel, Learning with the Word Nerd, were planted.

I taught in the Foundations of Education string of classes, primarily focused on reading and reading instruction. I was floored when my students began turning in lesson plans based on books that were written decades ago - Caps for Sale and books by Dr. Seuss. A Bad Case of the Stripes, which is a great book, but I’m pretty sure I did a student teaching lesson on it, more than 20 years go!

I asked my students how they had chosen their books and why, when living in a GOLDEN AGE of KIDLIT, did they pick these old, old books! Sometimes they told me they were just replicating what had been read to them. Or that they didn’t have time go to the library and search out something new. That these were the books with lesson ideas on Pinterest. Some said they didn’t even really like reading, but as an elementary education major, they would have to teach it. Needless to say, I was distraught. We had a beautiful campus library with a section dedicated just for education majors full of beautifully displayed and thoughtfully curated titles. (The librarian is my friend… so I might be a touch biased… but really, it’s pretty great!). We also have a Barnes and Noble and a historic used bookshop (Pearl Street Books) in town. It broke my heart that some of these students either a) didn’t care about books or b) have the time to explore them.

My channel is an attempt to fix that.

Okay, so you don’t like reading, but you have to teach it. You don’t read books personally, but need to know what’s being published so you can recommend good books to your students. You don’t have time, but want to do the best you can. Okay. I can help.

I do love reading. I have been a middle grade and YA reader for the past 3 decades. I do spend time (and money!) in bookstores. I am connected to the publishing industry and authors through writing groups and organizations. Let me the bridge. Thus, Learning with the Word Nerd was born.

On my channel I share books that I think kids will LOVE. Books that will lead them to other books. Books that will introduce them to incredible authors. Books in which they can see themselves, their classmates, and the world. Books that will mend their heart and stretch their minds. Books that are funny and books that will make them sit on the edge of their seat. Books they didn’t know they’d love and ones they’ll arm wrestle the kid next to them to get first. There are thousands of amazing books in this world and I’m making it my mission to get them into the hands of readers, one book recommendation video at a time.

So far I’m up to 95 and I have no plans of stopping.

Here are the Top 10, most viewed and most popular, First Chapter Friday Read Alouds on my YouTube channel.

** Links to purchase books can be found in each video description box.

10. Rules

(12:44) REALISTIC FICTION - A middle schooler just wants to have a normal summer and befriend the new neighbor girl, but her brother with Autism is making things… difficult.

9. Doll Bones

(20:02) A MODERN DAY GHOST STORY - 3 Friends set out on a quest to lay a troubled spirit to rest, but not all of them are convinced that what’s happening is real.

8. The Limit

(16:48) REALISTIC FICTION in the NEAR FUTURE - When a family overspends their “limit” their children must work off their debt… only, things aren’t really as they seem.

7. The False Prince

(26:35) ACTION ADVENTURE FANTASY - To unify a divided kingdom, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. INCLUDES AUTHOR INTERVIEW!

6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

(28:46) FANTASY - Harry discovers that he is a wizard and heads off to Hogwarts, a magical school, where adventure and danger await him!

5. Starfish

(31:13) REALISTIC FICTION NOVEL IN VERSE - Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant debut. INCLUDES AUTHOR INTERVIEW!

4. When You Trap a Tiger

(11:18) FANTASY - NEWBERY AWARD WINNER - When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.

3. A Wrinkle in Time

(26:59) SCIENCE FICTION - NEWBERY AWARD WINNER - When a girl’s father goes missing, she travels out into the universe to find him and attempt to bring him home.

2. A Long Walk to Water

(15:35) NARRATIVE NONFICTION/MEMOIR - Told from the perspective of two children living in Sudan and two different time periods (1985/2008) this story highlights the damage of civil war and the importance of water.

1.Ghost

(10:35) REALISTIC FICTION - Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying novel of the acclaimed Trackseries.

A Few Reflections

I know I was a bit soap-boxy about the whole “old book thing” and yet, here on my list, are a few books that could be qualified as old. A Wrinkle in Time certainly can be. It was published in 1967 and the author has been dead for over a decade. And Harry Potter has been out since 1997. My thoughts? There will still be classics that continue to have relevance and ensnare readers. Award winners will likely stand that test of time, simply because they are award winning. However, even though I too taught A Wrinkle in Time 8 years in a row, and I love this story of good vs. evil, I will agree that perhaps there is a story with modern day situations and current vocabulary that will instill these lessons just as well, if maybe not better than, Madeline L’Engle’s story. Every teacher will need to make that decision for their students in their classroom.

I was not surprised to see A Long Walk to Water on the list since I know it is a part of many middle school curriculums. The book is a wonderful way to connect social studies and ELA content as well as introduce students to a world that is likely vastly different from their own.

I was also not surprised to see Ghost on the list. Jason Reynolds is an A-List book world celebrity, meeting readers where they are and bringing real life stories with him. He is kind (I’ve met him in real life) and generous, inspiring and talented. This story is all of those things too. If you don’t have a copy for your classroom library, get one, ASAP.

I was surprised to see The Limit on here. I love this book and KNOW that kids love it, but it just isn’t one I hear being discussed and shared frequently. This book is timely and makes readers think. There are parts that are straight up fun and others that are downright suspenseful. It puts kids in charge of solving adult problems and it is masterfully told. I am thrilled that so many readers are finding this book through my channel! If you are looking for a classroom read aloud that will appeal to a wide variety of students, this is your book!

My interview for The False Prince with Jennifer A. Nielsen was one of my favorites I’ve ever done. If you are looking for a book to pull readers in with an unreliable narrator you’d follow anywhere and an introduction to an author that will supply you with dozens of great books, play The False Prince video in class.

One Last Shameless Plug

If you’d like educational content to go with a few of these videos, check out the items below.

Rules by Cynthia Lord Comprehension Journal Writes

Okay! That’s it for today. Thanks for sticking with me ‘til the end. Happy reading!

- Amanda

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