Is it March Already? Time to Read Across America and BookBreak has a resource for you that is free and ready to use.
Don’t start scrambling around on the last day of February. You can start using BookBreak’s free 50 States Book List at any point in the school year to promote reading and celebrate with energy and excitement. Our list takes the celebration away from just a single day and turns it into a reading journey that can last all year.
The month of February was a busy one! We found out how much more winter we would have, celebrated reading all month long, exchanged Valentines, and celebrated Lunar New Year!
Just when you see the light at the end of the February tunnel, BOOM! How are you going to fit in all the states when you only have two days to really get it ready?! We’ve got you covered!
Bring Read Across America into the Classroom
BookBreak’s 50 States Book List is a free resource that is thoughtfully created and classroom ready. It offers geographic representation so students can explore stories from across the country while also seeing how places shape perspectives.
The list spans grade levels and reading interests. You’ll find books that spark curiosity, invite discussion, and most importantly, books that make students want to read. It is designed to make sure that students encounter voices and experiences that reflect the richness of the communities they know and the ones they have yet to experience.
When students feel excited about what’s on the page and the purposeful task of reading across America, engagement will follow naturally.
What is the 50 States Book List?
The 50 States Book List is a curated reading guide that helps teachers and librarians bring culture, geography, and literacy together. It includes all 50 states, making it easy to create connections across regions without adding extra searching and planning for you.
Inside the list you’ll find both picture books and middle grade selections. This gives you what you need to meet readers where they are. The collection also balances historical and contemporary titles, connecting students to both the past and the present through stories.
How to use the 50 States Book List
BookBreak’s 50 States Book List has endless possibilities for celebrating Read Across America and beyond! It is set apart from other lists, or your own Google searching, because it wasn’t generated quickly or thoughtlessly. The BookBreak team, made up of teachers, librarians, and literacy advocates, handpicked each title. Here are a few ideas to get you started using our list:
- A hallway or library display that encourages students to share their trave” through the states by reading the books
- Individual tracking of a journey across the states by printing out the maps and having students read at school and at home to fill in a route across
- Cross curricular units with social studies, writing units, or research projects
- A school-wide event to fill in all 50 states; this approach could be turned into a grade level competition
Over time, the list can become a simple framework for year-long reading engagement. This year, start small. Just pick what feels manageable and you’ll have something started. Then next year is a great time to build on the activities and create anticipation around introducing the new states or challenges that culminate during Read Across America in March.
BookBreak’s Full Read Across America Toolkit
While the 50 States book list is a strong stand-alone resource, it is a small piece of a larger toolkit that BookBreak has put together.
The free list is a great starting point, which is why we are giving it to you! However, BookBreak subscribers have access to a ready-to-use, fully prepped and planned toolkit that goes even further. The full toolkit includes themed dress-up ideas, sample communications for staff, students, and families, and lessons and activities for your classroom or library.
You’ll spend very little time planning and prepping, so you can focus on connecting students with stories and being present in the culture of reading you are building at your school. When resources are this easy to implement, sustaining enthusiasm for reading becomes more realistic beyond a single day, event, or week.
Bring Reading to Every Corner of the Map
We are giving you more than a collection of titles. The 50 States Book list is a completely free resource that is perfect to get students excited about Read Across America. It is also a practical way to spark curiosity, build connections with text, and keep reading conversations going all year long. You will love the books on this list!
Download BookBreak’s 50 States Book List: HERE
Download a Map too! HERE
If you’re ready to go deeper, explore all that BookBreak has to offer to see how author talks, lessons, and additional toolkits can support a growing culture of reading in your school community, schedule your demo HERE.