Billy's Books

Billy Smyser's books: "Hatchet" and "The Wish Giver"

"Hatchet" is still one of my favorite books which I have read several times. I shared this book previously as part of our class's first assignment, but I wanted to reiterate how excellent I think this book is because of the impact it had on me personally. This book is excellent for interacting with students. Brian, the main character, is the lone survivor of a plane crash that lands him in the Canadian wilderness. Therefore, the teacher and students can discuss what they personally would have done in Brian's position. Also, this book is great for asking students to make predictions. This book is a classic that is suitable for third grade and above.

"The Wish Giver" was another personal favorite of mine as a young student. This book qualifies as "unputdownable" in my personal opinion. There is an intriguing, spooky tone throughout the book that keeps one on edge as the story unfolds. There are some excellent moral lessons that can be learned through this book as well. My first encounter with "The Wish Giver" was when my fourth grade teacher read it aloud to the class after recess. I can remember looking forward to him reading the book as much, if not more than recess. I highly recommend this book for a classroom or simply for pleasure reading.