Wrap-up Read Across America Week with Our Current Reading List

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A glimpse into our team's top book picks

Schools across the nation celebrated Read Across America Week, which promotes reading amongst our youth while also celebrating beloved children’s author, Dr. Suess.

We asked our team at Classworks to share what’s at the top of their reading list, and we’re sharing their favorites with you to add to yours!

Here’s the list of our current reads:

Verity by Colleen Hoover
“I make it a point to read every book by Colleen Hoover and can honestly say this is my favorite! 10/10 recommend – a great beach read.”

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
“Published in 2021, this is a historical fiction novel that chronicles three young men and their experiences over just 10 days in 1954. Towles is known for historical fiction, and so far this book doesn't disappoint.

It is fast-paced and the characters totally come alive, without a ton of flowery language or over explanations.

So far, I love this book. I've read Rules of Civility and loved that -- but never read his first book, A Gentleman in Moscow. If this is as good as it appears, that will be next on my list.”

Mother Hunger by Claire Smith
“A fateful car accident took my mother's life from us 20 years ago. Navigating life without her has been challenging; at times, it felt futile. Becoming a mother, especially of a teen daughter, forces one to uncover and heal to be a better mom. It's been a great book with lots of aha moments.”

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
“Finding true inner beauty and life purpose regardless of one's past!”

Let’s Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World by Danielle Friedman
“It's a look at exercise through time, all the different fads, and how exercise evolved from a beauty tool pitched only about losing weight into one that focuses more on mental, emotional, and physical well-being.”

The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd
“The history of indigo as a weed and the extraction of dye is very scientific and challenging. This book takes place during the plantation era in Charleston, S.C., and discusses how enslaved people knew the secret to indigo. It was a very lucrative endeavor if successful.”

Gentrifier: A Memoir by Elizabeth Ann Moore
“This book has been a great read so far. It is a memoir of the author receiving a free house in Detroit. You hear stories of the neighbors, how they reacted to her, and how the area undergoes a housing crisis amid community solidarity. It is amusing while at the same time poignant”

Tiamat's Wrath by James S. A. Corey
“Last book of the Expanse series. If you want to know what happens after the final season of the TV show, read the books!”

Black Cake: A Novel by Charmaine Wilkerson
“Multigenerational story shares choices and impacts on a family”

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
“My eight-year-old and I read this series together. We love Greek mythology, and it's been fun noticing the little twists Riordan does to modernize the old stories. I also love that Riordan's diverse characters work to break past negative stigmas. Percy has ADHD and Dyslexia and struggles in school, but that doesn't stop him from making friends and saving the world (several times)!”

Circe by Madeline Miller
“This book is about various Greek myths written from the perspective of Circe, the infamous witch who turns Odysseus’ men into pigs in the Odyssey. Written by a woman who has extensively studied Greek mythology, the book has an effect of a more modern-day Epic, and it’s full of character building. The read is dense and not my usual go-to. I do need a few family trees outlined to keep up! 😅”

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
“Reading it with my five-year-old. He LOVES it. He thinks it's the funniest thing ever.”

Go Tell the Bees I am Gone by Diana Gabaldon
“I've been reading this dynamic series since the first book was published in the 1990s. Diana writes complex historical fiction/science fiction with such rich characters that I find it easy to get lost in the world she creates. She brings her extensive research skills to fiction in such a way that I feel as if I were in the world she makes. This volume builds on this world-building and had me going from laughter to sobs and back again.”

The Lisle Letters (1st Viscount Lisle) by Arthur Plantagenet
“This is a collection of primary source letters written by Arthur Plantagenet, who was Governor of Calais during the reign of Henry VIII. Arthur was a ‘kind-of’ relative - he was a half-brother of Henry's mother. This is a fascinating snapshot of the reality of life in an uncertain time, and I appreciate the unvarnished opinions of a historical person.”

The Bucolic Plague. An Unconventional Memoir by Josh Kilmer-Purcell
“This is a hilarious book! Josh and his partner Dr. Brent Ridge lived in NYC and went to upstate New York to pick some apples one autumn. The short version is they found a historic home they loved, bought it, and then had to figure out how to ‘Make it Work!’ They were the winners of the Amazing Race in 2012 and expanded their lifestyle brand ‘Beekman 1802’. This memoir has some fantastic scenes; sick goats, Martha Stewart, and zombie flies. When I need a short uplifting read, this is still one of my go-to's”

The Classworks team consists of teachers, engineers, educators, sales, and marketing professionals - so our picks spread across the board, but one message is clear: we love reading! What book are you currently reading? Share with us on social media so we can see what other blog readers are reading!  

Speaking of Reading
Classworks reading includes grades 1-8 activities that inspire a love for reading and build reading stamina. Advance reading, writing, critical thinking, and listening skills with informational and literary passages designed to help students reach higher reading achievement levels. Feel free to chat with us on the bottom right of your screen to get the conversation started.