FRED: Families Read Every Day

14,500 Students - One Book 

F.R.E.D. (Families Read Every Day) is a community wide book club for K-5 students. The Olathe Public Schools Foundation funded this project thru a $60,000 grant to Olathe Public Schools. Every K-5 student and staff member in each of our 34 elementary schools was given Mason Dixon: Pet Disasters by Claudia Mills. Our goal was to engage our entire school community of students, families and teachers in a shared reading experience that we can all enjoy together!


 

Why did we launch the F.R.E.D. project?
Research has shown that children who have been read aloud to at home arrive at school better prepared to learn, become better readers, and generally have more success in school. Reading aloud enhances a child’s imagination, vocabulary, comprehension and fosters a life-long love of reading. It’s our honor and privilege at school to partner with you and your family at home to share the joy of reading the same book together as a community.


 

If you liked Pet Disasters by Claudia Mills you might like the following books:

Grades K-2:

Don’t Swap Your Sweater for a Dog by Katherine Applegate:
Determined to win a trophy of some kind, first-grader Roscoe swaps a hand-knitted sweater from his grandmother for the chance to enter his new neighbor's very clever dog in a trick contest.

The No Dogs Allowed Rule by Kashmira Sheth:
Third-grader Ishan Mehra wants his family to get a dog, but his efforts to convince his parents often get him into trouble.

The Best Trick: A Pet Club Story by Gwendolyn Hooks:
It's pet day at school, and Jake is really excited. His dog, Buddy, has so many cool tricks. But when it's time for Buddy to perform, not much happens.

Grades 3-5:

Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Clearly:
Henry's father promises to take him salmon fishing if he can keep Ribsy out of trouble for the next month. But that's no easy task, especially when Ramona gets into the act.

Julia Gillian (and the art of knowing) by Alison McGhee:
Nine-year-old Julia Gillian learns a lot about facing fear as she and her St. Bernard, Bigfoot, take long walks through their Minneapolis neighborhood one hot summer, and she seeks the courage to finish a book that could have an unhappy ending.

Dog Days by David Lubar:
Larry can't stop thinking about the growling dog in the alley. He already has three strays in his backyard. How can he afford to take care of another one? When his brother Paul points out a strange mark in the alley, Larry has a mystery to solve. What is the dog protecting? What is really going on in that dark alley?

Marvin Redpost: Alone in His Teacher’s House by Louis Sachar:
Marvin's friends think he's the luckiest boy in the world when his teacher asks him to dog-sit for a week. He gets to be alone in Mrs. North's house! But pretty soon it starts to look as if Marvin is not so lucky after all.

Letters to Leo by Amy Hest:
When Annie Rossi's father lets her get a dog, she loves spending time with her new pet Leo, especially reading him stories she writes about the people and events she encounters each day.

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods:
A budding musician named Saint, who earns money playing clarinet for the New Orleans tourists, refuses to leave the city after the hurricane until he can find his best friend Shadow.

Puppies in the Pantry by Ben Baglio:
Twelve-year-old Mandy and her veterinarian parents find themselves involved in the filming of a murder mystery in their village when the canine star of the film runs away.