First Chapter Fridays area great way to introduce students to new books, authors and genres by helping to give a good book a chance and check it out.
What is First Chapter Friday?
First Chapter Friday sets the stage for the students to preview a variety of books throughout the year. The premise is basic enough, when you have time, read the first chapter (or first few chapters or pages) of a book aloud for your students.
When students take the time to start book, they usually get hooked. First Chapter Friday is kind of like an extended sneak peek of a text.
Can this only happen on Fridays?
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Nope.
Call it whatever you want whatever day of the week works for you. You don’t even have to do it on a weekly basis.
Check out my post, First Chapter Friday for Fifth Grade.
I started ‘First Chapter Friday’ the entire week before Winter Break. That week is always nuts and I didn’t want to get started with a new unit, having a little extra time on my hands, I read aloud the first chapter (or so) of a book each school day that week. The kids loved it and I loved that the kids loved it because they were slightly less . . . energized in an insane kind of birthday party energy that kids tend to bring throughout the month of December in elementary school.
First Chapter Friday is the perfect activity to fit into those odd chunks of time at school. It certainly is nice if you have a regular schedule as the kids look forward to the routine, but anything is better than nothing.
Spark Creativity had some great suggestions for cute names of this activity if you do it a different day of the week.
Meet a Book Monday, We Love Reading Wednesday etc.
The name doesn’t really matter, it’s the activity. . . whenever you do it it that is important.
First Chapter Friday and Executive Functioning
Reading the start of a book aloud to the class helps to take away the extra cognitive effort that is involved in the beginning of reading for students. It’s the same reason that the beginning of a book usually takes longer to get through than the end. A reader’s brain is working much harder to make meaning and build the world up in the brain as the reader starts a book.
When the teacher introduces the beginning of the book, providing a quick summary of the story, crucial background and pronouncing character’s names, the student doesn’t have to use extra brain power to figure those things out on their own.
Check out my post on Executive Functioning and readers here and here.
Book Suggestions for First Chapter Friday
Pick a variety of books that have a captivating start. Try to share a variety of genres and authors.
The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter- Aaron Reynolds
Author Aaron Reynolds, the same author of the well loved picture book Creepy Carrots, is a master of capturing the completely aloof, oblivious and hysterical mind of a middle school boy, Rex Dexter.
Reynolds came to my elementary school years ago and did a fantastically engaging author visit. He has such a great message for the students on the power of resilience (but used kid friendly language). He received over 300 rejection letters for his first picture book!
Rex Dexter, the first in a trilogy, is a middle school aged boy who just wants a dog, preferably a chocolate Labrador Retriever. At this point he would be willing to take any dog though. He calls his best friend Darvish a pet hoarder because he has five pets.
This delightfully oddball book uses the tone and possible magic of the Tom Hanks 1988 movie classic Big, to set up the story. On Rex’s birthday he has such high hopes that this is the year he will finally get his puppy. He is gifted a box with holes and hears scratching noises . .. only to be disappointed by the living chicken in the box!
Unfortunately the chicken dies in a steam roller accident, yes a steam roller accident, one hour and fourteen minutes later. Reynolds does such a great job piling on the absolute bonkers story set up that no one is saddened by this chicken’s passing.
By the end of Rex’s birthday he has a dead chicken, no dog and has also possibly been cursed by the Grim Reaper (think of the Zoltar game from the movie big).
All of the above happens in the first few chapters of the book. Rex Dexter makes for a great read aloud, but if you don’t have the time to commit, please share this with your students. They will love, love, love Rex, Darvish, the ghost of the chicken and the mystery they try to solve throughout the book.
Reynold’s hysterical author’s voice absolutely shines throughout this book. I have read it to my class a few times over the years and absolutely crack up and read with a giant smile on my face as I utter the words of Rex Dexter’s thoughts and dialogue, even demanding that his teacher call him “The Petless Rex Dexter” when taking attendance.
Hidden Talents- David Lubar
My 5th graders always love a story about a student who gets in trouble. Hidden Talents is the perfect fit for students looking for someone who breaks the rules. Martin has had trouble getting expelled from a variety of schools and has found himself at an alternative school. At Edgeview Alternative Academy he meets other students who also struggle and just may have some special powers like telekinesis and psychic powers. Each student has their very own hidden talent.
The beginning of Hidden Talents is great to read aloud because Martin talks to the principal in a very disrespectful manner. We, the reader, learn very quickly that Martin is an interesting character that can tap into the feelings many students have about not liking school.
Found (The Missing Book 1)- Margaret Peterson Haddix
The first chapter of this book was designed to be read for First Chapter Friday! Found sets up the eight book series The Missing by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
Found is the story of a government conspiracy to cover up the sudden appearance of an airplane full of babies in the first chapter.
The first chapter focuses on a woman who has found herself the newest employee of an airline working at the airport. She isn’t quite sure what to do when an unscheduled airplane suddenly shows up at the gate. The tense mood throughout the first chapter increases significantly as she is the first to greet the airplane, walks on board to a darkened aircraft to find no one on board. Only when she takes a closer look does she find that each seat has someone sitting in it, a tiny baby!
Found is the perfect book to read the first chapter and hook your student’s interests. I love that it leads into a multiple book series.
Small Spaces- Katherine Arden
Small Spaces would be the perfect book for a Halloween or spooky themed First Chapter Friday. Make sure to read the first two chapters. The first chapter is a nice introduction to our main character, Ollie, and her disinterested attitude with school and the various clubs and activities that she has quit over the past year.
The second chapter is where readers really dive into the creepy mood of the story. Ollie happens to find herself near a river with a woman trying to throw a book into the river.
Ollie intervenes and is given an ominous warning by the odd woman, “Avoid large places at night,” the woman said. “Keep to small.”
“Small?” Ollie was torn between wanting to run and wanting to understand. “That’s it?”
“Small!” shrieked the woman.” “Small spaces! Keep to small spaces or see what happens to you! Just See!“
Fast Pitch- Nic Stone
Fast Pitch is a great book for so many students! It is a heartwarming tale of Shaniece, the captain of her all-black softball team, The Firebirds. Within the first two chapters readers learn about Shaniece’s softball team, her goals for the team and her fun and loving family. Fast Pitch would be a great class read aloud as well.
The Great Treehouse War- Lisa Graff
The Great Treehouse War is a delightfully wacky realistic-ish fiction story about fifth-grader Winnie as she adjusts to her parents divorce. The reason that it is kind of wacky and makes for a great First Chapter Friday read is because her parents cannot find a way to compromise, have bought homes next to one another and decided that since there are seven days in a week that they cannot possibly divide evenly, they decided that Winnie will spend the seventh night on her own in the treehouse that straddles between her parent’s houses.
The first few pages are a great set up to read aloud as your students will find that this is one bizarre situation (living alone in a treehouse) that many of the students may connect with, especially if their own parents are divorced.
The Lightning Thief- Rick Riordan
The Lightning Thief is one of those books that has a great action packed first chapter. While some teachers may initially hesitate to include this in their reading aloud since the book seems so popular, has a few movies and a brand new TV show to its name, The Lightning Thief is still a good consideration to share with your class.
I have found over the years that not as many kids have read the book version of a movie or TV show that is super popular. It’s a nice incentive to get those on the fence interested in reading a book.
The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman
The Graveyard Book has, in my opinion, one of the best first sentences & openings of any book ever written for middle school students.
“There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.”
This illustrated picture that follows it shows that this knife is a murderous knife. I don’t think a teacher could capture the interest of their students any faster.
The Graveyard Book is a dark-ish book- Bod, the main character’s family has been murdered at the beginning of the book. It is not described, but it is referred to on the first page. You can read the first few pages as a sample on Amazon to see how descriptive the darkness of this part of the story gets.
This book is perfect for your students who love scary stories and other dark and creepy tales.
A Tale Dark and Grimm- Adam Gidwitz
I love to read the introduction and the first story, Faithful Johannes, when sharing this book. It is delightfully goofy, engaging and kind of gross. Adam Gidwitz does a fantastic job as the narrator stopping to check in with the reader. He starts off by sharing that, “Once upon a time fairy tales used to be awesome.” He certainly does a great job bringing to awesomeness back into the fairy tale stories.
If you choose to read Faithful Johannes aloud be prepared to spend a little bit more time on the passage. I think it took me at least 20 minutes to read. The payoff was worth it though. A Tale Dark and Grimm is the first in a three book series.
This is another book that is great for students who may struggle with executive functioning challenges as each chapter is a new fairy tale story that students may be familiar with, which helps them comprehend the story.
Disgusting Science: A Look at What Makes Things Gross- Glenn Murphy
This is a highly engaging scientific book that dives into what grosses people out and why they get grossed out by those things. The book has a fantastic beginning that lists, with a few pictures, of the top ten most disgusting foods in the world.
If you have any budding scientists or kids that you know that are fascinated by the weirdest things, this is the book for them.
11 Birthdays- Wendy Mass
11 Birthdays is like the movie Groundhog Day, where Amanda has to relive the day of her 11th birthday over and over again until she gets it just right.
Amanda has had a falling out with her best friend Leo, with whom she shares the same birthdate. For the past ten years they celebrated one another’s birthday together. Unfortunately they have had a falling out and this birthday, Amanda’s 11th birthday will be the first one she shares without Leo.
I read the first three chapters of 11 Birthdays to my class- enough to set up the premise. Each chapter is pretty short, just a few pages, so the reading went quickly. By the end of the third chapter the reader understands why Amanda is no longer friendly with Leo. It makes a perfect stopping point for First Chapter Friday.
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
This is the first of a five book series and would be perfect for First Chapter Friday or a read aloud.
Mr. Lemoncello’s Library tells the story of an eccentric game designer’s new library, and the twelve kids chosen to spend the night there. They’re competing in a contest to see who can escape the library before time runs out. Kyle, the main character, is a kid who loves games but not reading.
This book is perfect for First Chapter Friday because the first chapter is a delightful insight into the competitive nature of siblings. Kyle went to great lengths to beat his two older brothers in a made up game and unfortunately he ended up grounded in the first chapter.
This was a fun read and the kids in my class were captivated by the engaging and relatable writing and characters int he story. I love it for First Chapter Friday because when I read the entire book aloud to the class, it kind of dragged. There are so many characters to keep track of throughout the story, I had a hard time doing different voices for the entire cast of characters.
The first chapter of this book is the perfect hook to grab a reader’s attention.
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library gave me Willy Wonka vibes . . . but in a library.
Ban This Book
Alan Gratz is the author of this book. Most students will know him from one of his other books, Refuge.
Ban This Book was a great First Chapter Friday read. The back of the paperback was a perfect hook for the students as it listed some of the more well known children’s books that have been banned- Matilda, Junie B. Jones, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Captain Underpants to name a few.
The first chapter is quick and gets to the point. Amy Anne, a voracious reader and fourth grade student, goes to the library to check out her favorite book (From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg) only to find that the book has been removed from the shelves of the library because it is under consideration for being banned.
This is a good book on banning books and is sure to capture the interest of book lovers in your classroom.
Red: The (Fairly) True Tale of Red Riding Hood
I think it would be a great idea for a teacher to incorporate at least one fairly tale retelling into their First Chapter Friday readings. These stories, from Ella Enchanted to School for Good and Evil to Cinder to Whatever After, are all captivating stories that are somewhat familiar to the students. The familiarity is a good thing because they have a general idea of the structure of the story and what to expect while reading, making their comprehension flow much easier than when they are reading a completely new to them story.
Liesl Shurtliff has written four of these retellings- Red Riding Hood, Rump (Rumpelstiltskin), Jack ( Jack and the Beanstalk) and Grump (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs).
I thought sharing the first chapter of Red with the class would be worthwhile because it could possibly introduce the student to a series of the books.
The first chapter hooks students as it starts off with Red making a silly magical mistake- an attempt to grow roses goes wrong as they grow out of her nose. We then learn that Red is actually apprehensive about magic because on her last attempt she worried that she came close to significantly hurting her granny.
Why is Snot Green?
First Chapter Friday doesn’t have to only be about fictional chapter books. It’s a great time to highlight some interesting informational text as well. Why is Snot Green? is one of Glenn Murphy’s many fascinating and fun non-fiction texts about why stuff works.
Murphy’s books are a great continuation for kids who are stuck in the more basic, I Survived . . . and Who/What is? books. They are written with a funny, light-hearted manner which many kids enjoy. Sometimes non-fiction can feel so serious, it can be hard to pull in all readers.
When doing this ‘chapter’, I read aloud the titled question section, Why is snot green? It’s about halfway through the book. The follow up questions and responses are perfect to a fifth grade student’s thought process and my class was pretty engaged. There are sections on space, animals and the human body.
If you are looking for more informational text to bring into your First Chapter Friday reads, I highly suggest How They Croaked. This book contains all the gory details of how some of history’s most famous individuals died. I actually use this one as a read aloud and read the entire book, because it is wonderful.
If you don’t have the time or just want to try out How They Croaked, read about the deaths of James A. Garfield or Edgar Allen Poe. James A. Garfield’s section makes you appreciative of things like soap and the telephone while Edgar Allen Poe’s section lets you know he was, unfortunately, quite the disaster magnet as everyone he loved died from tuberculosis. You really understand why Poe was able to write such dark tales of woe. Needless to say, the kids love it and truly begged me to read more.
New From Here
From the author of Front Desk, comes this 2022 novel about a family uprooted from Hong Kong to Northern California as Covid-19 starts to take effect in early 2020. This is the story of Knox and his family that relocates, except his dad who has to stay in Hong Kong for work.
The first chapter is quick and the book may be particularly interesting for your students to read about life events your students have experienced in the global pandemic.
Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens: The Secrets About Money That You Don’t Learn in School!
I really like sharing this informational text with my class. I feel like it speaks to all of the budding entrepreneurs in my classroom!
Author Robert Kiyosaki has built a business empire over the years and has reached many adult readers with the original, Rich Dad, Poor Dad book. I have heard many adults share that this was the first book they read independently on their own outside of school.
I skip the forward and read the first two chapters to my class. These chapters give a nice overview on what to expect from this financial management book. The book also speaks nicely to the students who may not be the best students in the world and highlights the various strengths that everyone could bring to the table.
King George: What Was His Problem? Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn’t Tell You About the American Revolution
I love sharing this book with my class because it reviews key ideas that the students have learned in Social Studies during the American Revolution. (Check out my American Revolution TPT product here). The first chapter is titled, How to Start a Revolution, is perfect for a non-fiction focus of a First Chapter Friday read.
The book goes a little deeper into some of the events of the road to the revolution including how some unfortunate tax collectors were tarred and feathered. This book is great to share with some of your history lovers and informational text readers.
The School for Good and Evil (Book 1)
Introducing students to a series is a great bang for your buck because if a student jumps into the series, they have more books to enjoy. School for Good and Evil is a great series to introduce to your middle school students.
Do not discount this book because there is a Netflix movie (came out in 2022). I shared this book with my fifth graders in the spring of 2024 and the majority of my class had not heard of the book or the movie.
The first few pages are lovely to read aloud to your class because they dive into the perspective of Sophie, the blonde on the cover who thinks she is a shoe in to attend The School for Good and will learn all about becoming a princess. Unfortunately when she is chosen to attend the school with her friend Agatha, Sophie finds that she has been dropped off at the School for Evil.
My students love reading about a good villain and they learn quickly how not nice Sophie can be within the first few pages of the book.
The first chapter is 17 pages. If you don’t think you can commit to the entire first chapter, your students will be captivated by learning about Sophie’s motivations from page 1-10. Main characters are often good, kind people and Sophie is not really a good, kind person. These first few pages would be a great mentor text for protagonists that are less than honorable. She says she is doing good deeds, but the reader needs to infer that she has selfish reasons for her good deeds.
Sharing pages 10-13 with the class is where the reader learns the guidelines and expectations for how exactly ‘going’ to the School for Good and Evil works. It sets the stage for building the fairy tale world in this book, while also reminding us how fairy tales usually work.
If you finish the entire first chapter, the last remains pages go over Sophie and Agatha’s friendship as well as Agatha’s likeliness for fitting in to the School for Evil. If you are pressed for time, you can skip p.13-17.
Overall, The School for Good and Evil makes for a fantastic First Chapter Friday as well as a nice mini lesson on characterization.
Resources for First Chapter Friday
Here are a few resources and book suggestions to get you started with diving into First Chapter Friday.
First Chapter Fridays: What You Need to Know
First Chapter Fridays– Author’s Reading the first chapter of their books.
A Newbie’s Guide to First Chapter Friday
In order for First Chapter Friday to be a success you need to build a list of books that have an engaging beginning. Sometimes you might pick a stinker and that’s okay. You can keep a running list and edit which books you choose for future years.
First Chapter Friday Bulletin Board
If you have the wall space, keep a visual record of the books that you have read for First Chapter Friday. Some students forget the title but have a great visual memory and can refer back to the bulletin board for easy reference. This is another way to build their love and interest in reading.
Any time we read the first chapter of the book, I make a color copy of the cover, laminate it to reuse multiple years and hang it up for the class to enjoy.
Laminating and keeping the copy of the cover from year to year also helps me keep a record of which books I have actually read to my class for First Chapter Friday.
Your Turn . . .
Have you tried First Chapter Fridays? Any books that were great to read? Any that we should avoid? I would love to hear about it.
Check out my post, First Chapter Friday for Fifth Grade.
Looking For More Resources for Teaching Reading?
Great Books for Struggling Readers in Upper Elementary
How to Find Good Independent Reading Books for Students
Teach Students to Abandon Books They Don’t Enjoy
Executive Functioning and Teaching Reading in the Classroom
