Marty McGuire is the story of a girl named Marty who is a bit of a tomboy. She prefers catching frogs, digging in dirt and pretending to be Jane Goodall. When she starts 3rd grade her teacher announces that the class will be putting on the play The Frog Prince. Marty is not too keen on the idea, especially when her teacher asks her to be the princess. Marty does not do tiaras and frilly dresses. Marty does not do princesses. However, despite her unwillingness Marty's mom makes her participate in the play and Marty does her best job acting, "princessy," until her and the boy acting as the prince get an idea. They decide to switch out the stuffed animal frog for a real, live, frog and encourage improvisation in the play.
I really like this choice for the Global Read Aloud project not just because of the story line but also because the book really leans itself to being cross curricular. While reading this for Global Read Aloud you could also be hitting on biographies, especially ones about Jane Goodall. In science you could work on your animal unit (whether it be classification, food chains, anatomy, whatever the life science standards are in your grade). Lastly, there is a lot of drama specific vocabulary (improve, scenery) so take this opportunity to meet some of the drama standards.
Another reason I like this choice is because it is part of a series. Kate Messner has written two other books about Marty McGuire so if your class falls in love with Marty you already have your next two read alouds!
Don't forget that the Global Read Aloud starts at the end of THIS month. Sign up here and be thinking about how you will connect with other classrooms across the globe. Will you use twitter, skype, a blog? Let me know your plans!
Happy Reading!
Laura
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