As Charlottesville City Schools expands study of novels, students are building skills and finding joy by reading and discussing works of literature with their classmates. 

Love of the written word begins, of course, with our youngest learners, who read dozens of short books a week with their teachers. These experiences help pre-K through second-grade students develop foundational reading skills, from decoding to building vocabulary. 

The big books begin in third. The first full novel that all Charlottesville students read is Full of Beans, by Jennifer L. Holm, a 195-page book about a child in Depression-era Key West published in 2016. Third graders discuss the tale in book clubs with their peers in class. Some schools, like Summit Elementary, also offer extra, volunteer-led book clubs during lunch or after school. 

Successfully tackling this full-length text sets the stage for fourth and fifth grade, when students begin to read at least two novels each year.

“We’re building kids’ stamina for reading,” said Superintendent Dr. Royal Gurley. “As they grow, they increase their ability to read longer texts, which is an essential part of being a successful student.”

Fifth graders also get the opportunity to select from a menu of fantasy books. They are then assigned to one book club with classmates who’d chosen the same book and a separate book club with those reading different books in order to discuss the general themes of the fantasy genre.

At Charlottesville Middle School, students continue to build that reading stamina while also gaining a deeper level of comprehension and connection with books – for example, Ghost by Jason Reynolds (2016), Refugee by Alan Gratz (2017), and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (2021). Students are also able to connect the novels they are reading with their science curriculum and the work of the UVA Innovation Hub at CMS. 

At Charlottesville High School, students read one novel (or in a few cases, a play) each quarter, for a total of at least four each year. During one of those quarters, students get to select from a list of books for student-run, in-class book clubs or classes select a book for an entire class read book club. For instance, 10th graders could choose between One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (1962), Bluebird by Sharon Cameron (2021), Vicious by V.E. Schwab (2013), Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958), and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (2018).

As Charlottesville City Schools expands its use of novel studies, it has asked for community input about fresh titles that would ensure our reading lists remain engaging and relevant for all students. Thanks to those suggestions, The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera (2021) is now on the list for 7th graders and Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly (2019) is on the list for 4th graders.

“Being able to sustain your interaction with a book across days and weeks requires deep analytical and critical reasoning,” said Stacy Reedal, the division’s literacy coordinator. “It also teaches delayed gratification — part of reading novels is working toward something steadily, and the payoff comes at the end. That’s how you create a book-lover.”

To help students build their home libraries and encourage reading outside of school and over breaks, our schools facilitate many ways for students to connect with books, including