Read aloud book for 5th grade?

Ah, finally got a classroom of my own. I'd love to read to them, hope they're not too old for that, and I'm looking for suggestions -- anything you've done that keeps their attention even if it's only at most a chapter a day?

I have found the Shadow Children series to be very exciting for 4th and 5th graders! I even got into them and had to read all of them! They are written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. The chapters are short and make for good read alouds when you sometimes only have a few moments to fill and keep them captivated. They are great books for relaxing and enjoyable reading without need for interpretations. By the way, they are never too old for read alouds!

Who says you need to read a chapter book. Read Aloud for older students can be a great picture book. I read the Sandwich Swap to a group of older children and talked about people from different countries and different ethnic foods. Then we started talking about refugees and then that one little picture book became a full scale projects about refugees. It is an excellent book.

Great ideas, thanks. Haven't actually found/made time to read more than occasionally but it's a goal for after spring break. Thinking about Phantom Tollbooth or a recent Newbery winner.

I love the Andrew Clement books. The lesson that I read from them is that kids have power but that power has to be directed by an adult. The most well known of his books is Frindle.

Frindle would be a good choice, but some of my students just read it in a book club. I'm leaning towards Nicholas St. North over The Hobbit -- both with movies coming out this fall, both good adventures, but the Joyce book is probably accessible to more students. And it's shorter.

http://www.theguardiansofchildhoodbooks.com/north.php

I'm also drawn to books w/ cool websites.

>3 erich32: And erich32 I appreciate the picture book suggestion, I've been reading a couple each week as we discuss archetypes/fairy tales!

I also need something with a Revolutionary War theme that's not Johnny Tremain or My Brother Sam is Dead

I don't remember the series but they are written as a journal. I think they are Dear America series. There is one on a young boy in the Revolutionary War. A great way to expose children to the topic of journal writing and talk about the war.

Good idea, I already have a few of those in the class.

Ralph Fletcher's Flying Solo is an excellent book to start off the school year. Perfect for working with a reading workshop setting. Holes by Louis Sacher is another excellent, nearly perfect, book to read with this level. Both books focus on characters and how they change over the course of the book.
Ralph Flecther also has written some fantastic non-fiction books for kids that teach wirting strategies.

Too old? I still love to be read to, and I'm retired. My husband reads aloud to me once a week.

When my kids were that age, they liked listening to the Madeleine L'Engle books, as I recall.

My friend has just done Harry Potter with her fifth graders many who weren't great readers and they loved it! A lot of them have started reading more as a result. The next read aloud they're doing is Percy Jackson and the lightning thief. Good Luck!