What if your students could dive into a book and truly live the story instead of just reading it? Getting students to love reading and books can be a challenge. There’s an adage that says if someone doesn’t like reading, it’s just because they haven’t found the right book yet. I also want to add that they haven’t found the right creative project to go along with those books either.
I’ve watched self-proclaimed “anti-readers” fall in love with a captivating spy novel, a lyrical basketball book, and a thrilling fantasy about a ship flying in the clouds among many other examples. Picking the right book for the right child can be a task akin to Tetris, but I have found that students fall in love with books that have exciting, thought-provoking novels rich in hands-on project opportunities.
Most students learn better and even thrive best with hands-on activities, thus pairing novels that have endless opportunities for projects and active learning is a win/win. Students fall in love with reading when there’s a plethora of interactive learning opportunities paired with it. These learning opportunities are often cross-curricular, igniting passion for reading and learning. Through hands-on projects that tie directly to the novels, students dive deeper into the stories, making connections to real-world concepts and experiences. This approach not only sparks a passion for reading but also encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.
Here is a list of such novels that offer those rich rewarding experiences for students to dive into reading with hands-on, interactive learning opportunities.
#1 Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
What’s not thrilling about an airplane crash and a thirteen-year-old having to survive in the wild? The events of this book are the perfect backdrop for interactive learning. From the main character, Brian, building his own shelter to learning all about the setting to find just the right food to eat, from managing animal attacks to hunting, this book is chock full of engaged learning. Its exciting events leave students wanting more.
Summary: Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson, haunted by his secret knowledge of his mother’s infidelity, is traveling by single-engine plane to visit his father for the first time since the divorce. When the plane crashes, killing the pilot, the sole survivor is Brian. He is alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present.
Project Ideas:
- Investigate the biome of the Canadian forest.
- Construct a bush plane replica.
- Design a life-saving raft.
- Research wild animals.
- Design a fun survival board game.
Looking for even more project ideas? Grab our Project-Based Learning Unit for Hatchet. It has 12 projects and activities, including the above-listed.
#2 My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
This novel is similar to Hatchet, yet the main character, a young teen, chooses to live a life of isolation in the wild. Prepared with knowledge, minimum supplies, and an earnest desire to survive in the Catskill Mountains, My Side of the Mountain captivates students. It’s a classic novel with interesting events as Sam Gribley attempts to find happiness in the great outdoors by taming a wild falcon, building a cozy tree home, creating woodsy recipes from scratch, and learning hunting techniques. The novel’s events have wonderful possibilities for project-based interactive learning.
Summary: Sam Gribley is terribly unhappy living in New York City with his family, so he runs away to the Catskill Mountains to live in the woods—all by himself. With only a penknife, a ball of cord, forty dollars, and some flint and steel, he intends to survive on his own. Sam learns about courage, danger, and independence during his year in the wilderness, a year that changes his life forever.
Project Ideas:
- Design a Diorama of Sam’s Tree Home
- Cook a Meal Sam Describes in the Book
- Investigate the Catskill Mountains
- Design Clay Jam Jars
- Learn about Wild Plants and its Uses
Looking for even more project ideas? Grab our Project-Based Learning Unit for My Side of the Mountain. It has 15 projects and activities, including the above-listed.
#3 The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
It’s no coincidence that this is the third nature book on our list. Novels with a nature-type setting provide endless possibilities for practical, engaged, and exciting learning. This novel has a special twist: the juxtaposition of AI and nature. Roz encounters numerous elements of nature, including diverse forest animals, their homes, and their interesting behaviors, and uses her AI to figure it all out. This makes for a perfect backdrop for research-based, cross-curricular projects, merging science, STEM, and writing with reading.
Summary: Can a robot survive in the wilderness? When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is–but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants.
Project Ideas:
- Design a Robot (With or without actual robotic uses)
- Mystery Setting: Using the novel’s descriptions, figure out where the island is in the world. (It’s never actually mentioned in the book!)
- Research Animal Imprinting and Animal Migrating
- Research all the animals in the book and their behaviors.
- Build Roz’s Shelter
Looking for even more project ideas? Grab our Project-Based Learning Unit for The Wild Robot. It has 12 projects and activities, including the above-listed.
#4 Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
I’ve found that novels that contain scientific information provide endless opportunities for project-based possibilities. Song for a Whale is one such book. It’s also quite interesting as it combines the technology of radios with the science of whales and communication. Kelly merges it all beautifully in this intensely heartwarming book that has become one of my favorite recent reads. The themes present in this book such as radio technology, marine science, American Sign Language, and even travel all spark interactive learning.
Summary: From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. But she’s the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she’s not very smart. If you’ve ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be.
When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Then she has an idea: she should invent a way to “sing” to him! But he’s three thousand miles away. How will she play her song for him? Full of heart and poignancy, this affecting story by sign language interpreter Lynne Kelly shows how a little determination can make big waves.
The really neat part about this book is that it centers around Iris’ project-based invention, the whale song she writes and records for Blue 55. Iris’ ingenuity can spark project-based learning experiences and creativity for students.
Project Ideas:
- Whale Research
- Create a Whale Art Project
- Write a Lyrical Song
- Write Musical Composition
- Build a Radio and Learn the History of Radios
Looking for even more project ideas? Grab our Project-Based Learning Unit for Song for a Whale. It has 16 projects and activities, including the above-listed.
#5 Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Science and nature within novels aren’t the only ways to provide interactive learning experiences within reading. Historical fictional books provide a cross-curricular approach that authentically engages readers. Students can delve into the various historical elements of The Mexican Revolution, The Dust Bowl, The Great Depression, and Repatriation among other topics in Esperanza Rising. The rich Mexican culture in the book also provides countless opportunities for hands-on learning. Esperanza Rising also has such symbolic elements and rich literary components that it provides interesting ideas for projects.
Summary: Esperanza thought she’d always live a privileged life on her family’s ranch in Mexico. She’d always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn’t ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances–because Mama’s life, and her own, depend on it.
Project Ideas:
- Historical Setting Research Project
- Cook Esperanza’s Favorite Recipes
- Salt Dough Map of Esperanza’s Travels from Mexico to California
- Mountains and Valleys Metaphor Project
- Artistic Metaphor Illustrations
Looking for even more project ideas? Grab our Project-Based Learning Unit for Esperanza Rising. It has 14 total projects, including the above-listed.
#6 The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Bradley
This historical setting of The War That Saved My Life provides opportunities for interactive learning. Set during WWII in England, this novel contains real-life historical events woven into the bittersweet story of Ada and her journey through emotional healing of neglect and trauma at the hands of her mother. Ada learns how to heal by befriending a pony named Butter, trusting her caretaker, and partaking in the WWII efforts. Living in quite possibly one of the most stressful times in history, Ada not only survives but thrives. This heartwarming story provides ample opportunities for interactive learning.
Summary: Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him. So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?
Project Ideas:
- WWII Research Project
- Design a WWII Propaganda Poster
- Create a Bomb Shelter in a Shoebox
- Design a Victory Garden
- Create a Newsreel
Looking for even more project ideas? Grab our Project-Based Learning Unit for The War That Saved My Life. It has 13 total projects, including the above-listed.
Project-Based Learning Literature for a Whole School Year!
Interactive learning and project-based learning opportunities in these six novels foster deep engagement, critical thinking, and hands-on experiences. Combine all six books into a full year of project-based literature.
These novels offer rich contexts for students to explore survival skills, nature, environmental science, technology, communication, and historical events through immersive projects. By connecting the novels’ themes with interactive activities, students develop problem-solving skills, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the real-world issues the characters face, all while actively participating in their learning in authentic ways.
Grab our full Project-Based Learning Year-Long Literature Curriculum. It includes all six of the above novels and its project-based learning units.
Conclusion
Incorporating project-based learning into literature helps students engage with books on a deeper level by connecting stories to hands-on experiences and real-world applications. As students build, research, create, and explore through these immersive projects, they not only foster a love of reading but also strengthen critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. By choosing the right novels and providing rich, cross-curricular activities, we empower students to fall in love with reading while developing essential life skills. With a full year of interactive literature learning, students will not just read these stories—they will live them.
