A favorite book of mine from 3rd grade to the present is Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. It's composed of many short stories that are not necessarily connected, which is nice because you can just pick it up and read a random chapter and be done with it for the moment. The stories are always silly and have some sort of message hidden in them. Wayside School was built with thirty stories, like the book. The students on the thirtieth floor, taught by the sweet Mrs. Jewl, are always involved in something weird. Stories include pulling pigtails, delivering a note to a floor that does not exist, and making student flavored ice cream. Yes, the stories are strange, but kids love them and they get them reading. I still pull it out occasionally and go into the sideways world, usually just one chapter in a sitting. Although the students could be quizzed on it or write book reports, I would personally let this book be a choice for silent reading and have the kids write in their journal after reading. It's important to me that they aren't worried about getting the write answer over all, this book is just about fun and silliness. I think they'd enjoy writing about it for fun. There are other books in the series, and I'd say they are just as good. Wayside School is Falling Down was another favorite.
