Book List

Schickler Elementary’s Monthly Reading Assemblies

Looking for inspiration on how to use these books? At Schickler Elementary in Lapeer, Michigan, the whole school gathers each month for P2 Reading Assemblies built around a single story — and every book is chosen to spotlight a specific character strength, like teamwork, integrity, or gratitude. As Learning Coach Amy Duncan shares, these assemblies do double duty: they model expressive, fluent reading, anchor rich new vocabulary to a character’s actions, and build a common language for character across all 340 students. It is a powerful example of how one well-chosen book can strengthen both literacy and character for an entire community.

Why Books Belong in Character Education

Reading and character education are natural partners. When students meet characters who wrestle with honesty, forgiveness, or self-regulation, they build empathy and language for their own experiences. Research in positive psychology — the foundation of The Positivity Project’s approach — shows that people grow their character strengths through reflection and practice. A well-chosen book offers both. It gives a class a shared story to return to, and it opens the door to the kind of discussion that helps the Other People Mindset take root. It reminds students of a simple truth at the heart of our work: other people matter.

How to Use This List

Every book on this list is tagged so you can find what you need quickly. Sort by grade level to match titles to your readers, from PreK picture books to young-adult novels. Sort by character strength to align a read-aloud or mentor text with the strength you are focused on that week — whether it is curiosity, teamwork, optimism, or any of the 24 character strengths that P2 schools explore throughout the year. Those strengths fall under six broad virtues — wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence — giving you a rich range of texts for every unit.

Many of our partner schools weave these books directly into their literacy instruction. A teacher might launch a reading unit with one of these titles on Monday, return to it during the week’s comprehension and vocabulary work, and close with a short writing prompt that asks students to connect the character’s choices to their own. Families can extend the learning at home — reading together and asking simple questions like, “Which character strength did you see today?”

When Good Character Earns a Good Book

Some partner schools have found a creative way to celebrate positive behavior: the book vending machine. Instead of snacks, these machines dispense stories. Schools like Sargent Elementary, Maplewood Elementary, and Hagan Elementary use book vending machines to reward students who demonstrate their strengths throughout the week, turning a moment of good character into a brand-new book to take home.

At Spackenkill School District, it is one more way character strengths are reinforced beyond the classroom. When a student is noticed using the shared language of the 24 character strengths, that moment is recognized in real time with a coin for their book vending machine. It is simple, yet effective — and a great way to encourage even more reading. Does your school have a book vending machine?