Some of my best friends are books cover

Some of my best friends are books

by Judith Wynn Halsted

This book contains an annotated bibliography of more than 300 books recommended for gifted students, as well as some good advice about the importance of reading and how to encourage it in children and adolescents. Because gifted students often intensely identify with characters in books, it is important for them to read well-written books with complex characters and plots. When the characters in the books face some of the same issues and concerns that the gifted reader is facing, the child gains new insights into his or her own problems or worries, as well as potential ways of handling them. In this way, good books can provide bridges to new insights, better communication of feelings and values, and more thoughtful decision making. Well-selected books also can help gifted children learn new social and emotional skills, while at the same time fostering intellectual and creative development.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?