As you know, mentor texts are a great way to allow your students to practice reading skills quickly and in an engaging way. This month, I share a few great October themed (or just fun!) books to get your students working on plot, theme, synthesis, and prepositions. 
If you don’t have any of the books listed below, you can click each picture to find them on Amazon!

Using Mentor texts is fun way to teach or review reading comprehension to upper elementary students. These digital and printable graphic organizers are a fun way to engage , whether you utilize mentor texts in centers, small groups or the whole class. October means fall themes and of course Halloween. These mentor texts are sure to fit in to your classroom for fall fun. {3rd, 4th, 5th, reading comprehension

How to Knit a Monster

This story is super odd and a little random, but it is also perfect for showing a clear problem, solution, and parts of a plot. It also fits in with a fun October-y theme without being over the top with Halloween.
Using Mentor texts is fun way to teach or review reading comprehension to upper elementary students. These digital and printable graphic organizers are a fun way to engage , whether you utilize mentor texts in centers, small groups or the whole class. October means fall themes and of course Halloween. These mentor texts are sure to fit in to your classroom for fall fun. {3rd, 4th, 5th, reading comprehension

The Cat from Hunger Mountain

This book reminded me of a Halloween at first, but it really isn’t. It just looks interesting and spooky. In this book, the Cat from Hunger Mountain is rich and has many people who serve him every day. After an unfortunate turn of events, the cat finds himself starving and going down from the mountain to find food. What he finds it a lesson and a change of mindset. It’s perfect for teaching your students to see a synthesis and change in thinking. 
Using Mentor texts is fun way to teach or review reading comprehension to upper elementary students. These digital and printable graphic organizers are a fun way to engage , whether you utilize mentor texts in centers, small groups or the whole class. October means fall themes and of course Halloween. These mentor texts are sure to fit in to your classroom for fall fun. {3rd, 4th, 5th, reading comprehension

Pumpkin Fiesta

We couldn’t go the entire month of October and not read a pumpkin themed book, right?! In this book, Old Juana winds the pumpkin growing contest every day. Her pumpkins are the biggest, roundest, and orangest pumpkins in all of San Miguel. Foolish Fernando watches her and learns all he can in order to beat her in this year’s pumpkin contest. The lesson that he learns, in the end, is amazing. 
Using Mentor texts is fun way to teach or review reading comprehension to upper elementary students. These digital and printable graphic organizers are a fun way to engage , whether you utilize mentor texts in centers, small groups or the whole class. October means fall themes and of course Halloween. These mentor texts are sure to fit in to your classroom for fall fun. {3rd, 4th, 5th, reading comprehension

There’s a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake

Notice how there isn’t a graphic organizer in the picture? Well, this book doesn’t really have a great reading skill to share, but it does serve as an excellent opportunity to discuss prepositions and making sentences LONGER! It has a sing-song style that would allow you to model fluency, while searching for prepositional phrases. 
Using Mentor texts is fun way to teach or review reading comprehension to upper elementary students. These digital and printable graphic organizers are a fun way to engage , whether you utilize mentor texts in centers, small groups or the whole class. October means fall themes and of course Halloween. These mentor texts are sure to fit in to your classroom for fall fun. {3rd, 4th, 5th, reading comprehension

A Place for Pluto

Although this is a fictional book, it would be the perfect addition to any space unit! It utilizes facts and science history to tell how Pluto felt when he discovered he was no longer a planet. This book has a great plot that would allow students to recognize the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. 

Using Mentor texts is fun way to teach or review reading comprehension to upper elementary students. These digital and printable graphic organizers are a fun way to engage , whether you utilize mentor texts in centers, small groups or the whole class. October means fall themes and of course Halloween. These mentor texts are sure to fit in to your classroom for fall fun. {3rd, 4th, 5th, reading comprehension
If you are interested in the graphic organizers that I used in the pictures for this post, you can find them in my TpT store. Included in the file, you find both digital and printable versions of each graphic organizer.

Image Map