The War with Grandpa: one of my favorite books!
Third grade is my favorite grade to teach. Yes, I have taught it the longest so its bound to grow on me. However, in all honesty, its my sweet spot. The kids are at the perfect age where they still love school and want to impress the teacher but also are growing in maturity each day that you can give them more responsibility and joke around together.
My second love, besides teaching third grade, is teaching Literacy. I love to read myself, anything from educational topics to sappy love novels. I have a few chapter books on my classroom desk that I read with students each year. One book title I had avoided for a long time is entitled “The War with Grandpa” by Robert Kimmel Smith. I am not a history buff or even remotely interested in war so I pushed by this book every year.
Then one day, the illustration on the book caught my eye. It was a picture of a boy and an elderly gentleman sitting on a suitcase in front of a bedroom door. It didn’t look like feuding countries using heavy artillery, like I would have thought. So I turned the book over to read the back. That’s when my life as a third grade teacher changed!
The book is about a young boy named Peter who is forced to give up his room for his Grandfather that is moving in with the family. It’s an ideal story of conflict with an emphasis on the importance of communication. Its entertaining for children and adults as readers watch the battle unfold and undeniably pick a side- Pro Peter or Pro Grandpa? They play lots of tricks on each other during the war, but the end of the story leaves the reader with a life lesson worth learning.
If you haven’t read this yourself, DO IT NOW! If you haven’t read it with your class, check out my resource guide on Teachers Pay Teachers to help you bring the story to life (and meet those Common Core Standards in the process!). Hope you enjoy 🙂
What resources would you like created for this novel?
About the author, Gretchen
I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.
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