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Top 50 Recommended Books for Children
This page is intended to provide you with information about high
quality books for young readers. Children who read do better in
school, so a child can never have access to too many books. We
agonized over a list of the best 50 books to recommend because there
are so many good books to consider and it was very difficult to rank
them. What criteria should be used in the selecting and the
ranking? We highly recommend that you take a look at each book on
our list and see if it meets your own criteria before recommending it
or buying it for a child. Better yet, ask either your child or
another child!
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1937. Bilbo is an
upstanding and model hobbit until he meets up with a wizard and a troop
of dwarves and goes on an adventure of a lifetime. He meets
creatures both good and evil, discovers and answers many riddles, finds
treasures beyond understanding, restores a king to his throne, and
becomes the bravest little hobbit of them all. Over 100 million
sold making this book one of the best selling of all time.
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain,
1884. The classic tale of a boy who travels down the Mississippi
River with the slave of the adoptive widow who is trying to civilize
him. It is a humorous coming of age and adventure story that like all good
books is much much more. This book has numerous publications including ISBN-13: 9780486280615 and ISBN-13: 978-1441413161.
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, 1876. Tom
Sawyer is a creative twelve-year-old boy full of mischief. He
likes nothing better than skipping school, messing on the Mississippi
river with Huckleberry Finn or wooing the beautiful Becky Thatcher. This book has numerous publications including ISBN-13: 9780486291567
and ISBN-13: 978-1936041251.
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1943. A
downed pilot in the middle of the Sahara Desert without hope of
rescue is frantically trying to repair his wrecked plane when he
is interrupted by the Little Prince who appears from out of
nowhere. After the two get to know each other, the Little Prince describes his
traveling from planet to planet, with each world he visits being
populated by a single adult. The pilot is amused but does
not know what to think, as the child could not have survived
alone in the desert. The Little Prince has sold about 80 million copies, making this one of the best selling
children's books after the Hobbit. ISBN-13: 978-1607963028.
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis,
1950. Two brothers and their two sisters discover a passageway to
a magical world where fantastic creatures exist and animals talk.
But this world is enslaved by the spell of an evil witch who realizes
that the four human children are a threat to her power. Can the
four children free this newfound world before the witch catches
them? Around 85 million copies sold.
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis,
1950-1954. These books continue the story of Narnia, the world
introduced in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first book in
the set.
- Oliver Twist by Charles
Dickens, 1838. The orphan Oliver Twist who is not really wanted escapes from a
cruel workhouse and travels to London where he meets a gang of juvenile
pickpockets and their trainer Fagin. Largely because of
the kindness of one boy, the Artful Dodger, and because he is unaware of their unlawful
activities, he moves in with them. After that, his
adventures become boundless. This book is Charles Dickens
second and has had numerous publications including ISBN-13: 978-0486424538 and ISBN-13: 9781402754258.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl,
1968. Charlie discovers an invitation to visit Willy Wonka's Chocolate
Factory and discovers that it is even more wonderful than even he had
thought. Yet will he be able to pass the test designed for him? The
book has numerous publications including ISBN-13: 9780142401088 and
ISBN-13: 978-0142410318.
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, 1843. The story tells
how Ebenezer Scrooge changed from being an uncaring, mean, and stingy
man to a generous and warm hearted individual after being
visited by the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come.
This story is a Christmas classic and has had numerous publications including ISBN-13: 9781402766909 and ISBN-13: 978-1936594122.
- The (Merry) Adventures of Robin Hood (of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire)
by
Howard Pyle, 1883. (Some publications truncate the title, deleting some or
all of the words in parenthesis.) Howard Pyle wrote a book
for children about the ancient ballads of Robin Hood, but he
changed the story to make Robin a hero who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.
This book has had numerous publications including ISBN-13: 978-1446033944 and ISBN-13: 9781402712579.
- The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford, 1961.
Follow the heartwarming adventure of three lost pets (two dogs and one
cat) as they attempt make their way home to their family.
Working together, they stand a chance to succeed. ISBN-13:
978-0440413240.
- The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare, 1983. During the
colonization of America, a boy is left alone to look after the family
farm and house. After several mishaps, he is rescued by an Indian
chief and his grandson. The two boys become friends and teach
each other about their different ways of life. This book is meant
to be both entertaining and educational. ISBN-13:
978-0440479000.
- Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, 1945.
Pippi is a 9-year-old Swedish girl who befriends her neighbors Tommy
and Annika and together have numerous wacky adventures. This is
the first book in a series. This book also has had numerous
publications including ISBN-13: 978-0142402498 and ISBN-13:
9780140309577.
- Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, 1934. Mary
Poppins is the first book in the Mary Poppins series of books.
The Banks family was in need of a nanny when Mary Poppins was blown in
by a stiff eastern wind. She accepts the job and life at the
Banks family was never the same. This is because their new nanny
is stern, a bit vain, sometimes cross, but also magical. Soon the
children are doing all kinds of wonderful stuff that they never even
knew was possible. This book has had several publications
including ISBN-13: 978-0152017170 and ISBN-13: 9788426134110.
- The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White, 1938. A boy
named Wart is befriended by a wizard named Merlyn who prepares the boy
to become the future King Arthur. This book has numerous
publications
including ISBN-13: 9780399225024 and ISBN-13: 978-0006713050.
- Little House on the Prarie by Laura Ingalls Wilder,
1935. Laura and her family move from Wisconsin to Kansas to build
a house on the prairie in the late 1800's. This book is the most
popular of the series though it is the third book. ISBN-13:
978-0064435260 and ISBN-13: 9780060581817. The other Little
House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, year varies by book. (Little House
in the Big Woods, 1932.) More stories about Laura and her family
living in Kansas in the late 1800's. ISBN-13:
978-0064400404.
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett,
1911. A young girl discovers a secret garden and uses it with the
help of a friend to heal a boy who thinks he is dieing and his
distraught father. This book has had numerous publications
including. ISBN-13: 9780486280240 and ISBN-13: 978-1441405265.
- Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes and Lynd Ward, 1943. A children's novel about a boy coming of age in
Boston just prior to and during the American Revolution. The
novel discusses both historical and fictional characters and is meant
to be both entertaining and educational. Ages 11 and up.
ISBN-13: 9780440442509.
- Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning by Johanna
Spyri, 1880. This is the classic story of a young orphan girl
sent to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. However, her
newfound peace and tranquility is lost when she has to tend to a sick
cousin in the city. This book has a number of different
publications, some of which are intended for different age ranges,
including ISBN-13: 978-0517189672 and ISBN-13: 9781117340760.
- Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, 1952. This
classic tells the story of a spider named Charlotte and a pig named
Wilbur who become friends and learn together about life and farm
life. This book has had numerous publications including ISBN-13:
9780064400558 and ISBN-13: 978-0064410939.
- Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, 1964.
Wanting to be a writer, Harriet carefully observes others and writes
her observations and thoughts in a notebook as practice for her future
career when she grows up. She discovers that this habit can
dangerous when she looses the notebook. ISBN-13: 978-0440418191.
- Tom Corbett -Space Cadet (#1, Stand By For Mars) by Carey Rockwell, 1952.
This is the first book in a series. The story follows the adventures of three young cadets, Tom Corbett, Astro, and Roger Manning at the Space Academy as they train to become members of
an elite guard unit protecting humanity. They start out as any three raw cadets at the academy, but through their
many trials become like brothers. The science is a little out of date but their adventures are timeless, ISBN-13: 9781450700146 and ISBN-13: 2940011920424.
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883. This
is a coming-of-age story about cabin boy anmed, Jim Hawkins.
Jim Hawkins to sea as he encounters the adventure of a life
time. He will discover heart-pounding thrills, danger,
pirates, and a secret treasure map along with the grandest pirate of all
Captain Long John Silver. This book has different publications, some of which are intended for different age ranges.
The original story was for ages around 9-14 (ISBN-13: 9780099511298)
but some truncations are for ages 4-8 (ISBN-13: 978-1402713187).Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis,
2004. During the depression in America, a 10-year-old orphan boy
escapes a terrible foster home to search for his father. His
journey is an adventure, his father and his past are a mystery, and his
life story is a guide for helping yourself in life. ISBN-13:
978-0553494105 and ISBN-13: 9780440413288.
- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery,
1908. This is the first book in a series. Eleven-year-old
Anne is an orphan who is mistakenly sent to live on a farm run by a
middle-aged brother and sister. Anne realizes that she has found
her home, but she must convince the owners to let her stay even though
they were hoping for a boy to help work the farm. ISBN-13:
978-0812979039 and ISBN-13: 9780553213133.
- Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions: The
autobiography of a horse (some publications truncate this to Black Beauty) by Anna Sewell, 1877.
This is the story of a horse as he grows and matures from the
point of view of the horse. This story was originally
written for about ages 9-12 (ISBN-13: 9781440049255 and ISBN-13:
9780141321035),
but some publications have truncated the story for younger ages
(ISBN-13: 9781402711442).
- Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, 1992?. This is
the first book in the Shiloh series.
This is a story of a young boy named Marty who finds an abused beagle
pup named Shiloh. Marty knows that the pup should be
returned to his rightful owner, but if he does, the pup's
mistreatment will continue. Marty must decide what to do,
what is the meaning of morally right, and what his relationship
with Shiloh will be. This is a heartwarming story with an
emphasis on family and religious values. ISBN-13: 9780689835827.
- Matilda by Roald Dahl, 1988. Matilda is much
smarter than her parents and she enjoys driving them nuts. Yet,
at school things are different as the school's headmistress hates
children. Can Matilda improve the situation. ISBN-13:
9780142402535
- Stuart Little by E. B. White, 1945. A mouse is
born into a human family and the world discovers Stuart Little.
He experiences many adventures, some of them are mishaps, some are
triumphs. It is his spirit and charm that make this heroic little
mouse such a success. In the end, there is no stopping him.
This book has had numerous publications including: ISBN-13:
9780064400565 and ISBN-13: 978-9991205557.
- Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary, 1955 (and other
books by Beverly Cleary). This is the story about two sisters who
have trouble getting along with each other. Beezus is the older
sister and she tries to look out for Ramona, but Ramona has a knack for
causing trouble. Not that she means to, she just has too much
imagination. This book has had several publications
including: ISBN-13: 9780061914614 and ISBN-13: 978-0380709182.
- Jackie and Me by Dan Gutman, 2000. A young boy uses
his baseball cards to travel in space and time to meet, talk, and live
with famous baseball
players from the past. The magical baseball cards even change a
Polish American boy into an African American boy, presenting some
interesting perspectives on race issues and helping the boy with a
homework assignment in school! ISBN-13: 978-0380800841.
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach,
1970. Most seagulls are only interested in flying as a means to
get a meal. But one gull decides to do what he wants to do
against the wishes of his family and the other gulls and learn how to
fly as if it were
an art form. ISBN-13: 978-0743278904.
- The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks,
1890. A young boy discovers that when he locks a plastic Indian
in a cupboard with a key that belonged to his great-grandmother, the
Indian comes to life. This book has had numerous publications
over the years including ISBN-13: 9780307576248 and ISBN-13:
978-0375847530.
- James and the Giant Peach, 1961 by Roald Dahl.
A strange little man gives James a sack of magical glowing-green
crocodile tongues that will bring him happiness and great
adventures. But, the young boy trips and spills the sack onto the
peach tree causing unexpected results. ISBN-13: 9780140374247.
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C.
O'Brien, 1971. This is a charming book about a bunch of animals
who have attained incredible intelligence through human
experimentation. They cooperate with
each other to help hide themselves in a human dominated world.
ISBN-13: 978-0689710681.
- Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye, 1999.
An American teenage girl moves to a new land and
discovers it is not the end of her life, but rather the beginning of a
discovery of her heritage,
her
family,
and
her
inner
peace
and
hope
despite tragedies she
encounters in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict she experiences
first-hand. ISBN-13: 978-0689825231.
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame,
1908. This book is one that most animal lovers love because its characters
are animals including Toad, Mole and Ratty. Each has a
unique personality and an adventure to share. This book
has a number of publications including ISBN-13: 9780141321134
and ISBN-13: 978-0451530141.
- A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein,
1981. A Light in the Attic is a collection of poems for children that are accompanied by delightful illustrations also by Shel Silverstein.
This book is controversial in that some have tried to ban it from school libraries because they claim it corrupts youth, particularly the poem "How Not To Have To Dry The Dishes."
ISBN 0060256737 and ISBN-13: 9780060256739.
- Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet.by Eleanor Cameron, 1954.
This is the first book in a series. It is a science fiction/fantasy novel
about two boy's wonderful adventure as they travel to the planet Basidium.
They quickly befriend the inhabitants and discover that the
planet is dieing. Can they and their alien knowledge save
the planet?
- The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies, 2007. A
brother and
sister tended to get along and have a special bond, until they discover
that they will be in the same class and make
competing lemonade stands to earn money for the summer. This book explores brother-sister
relationships and how arguments can
escalate beyond anyone's original intent. ISBN-13:
978-0547237657.
- Dolley Madison Saves George Washington by Don Brown,
2007. A story from history about Dolley Madison, the First Lady,
saving a portrait of George Washington from the British army that
marched on Washington D.C. and burnt the White House during the war of
1812. ISBN-13: 9780618411993.
- Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told
Through Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm, 2007. This is
the story of one girl, Ginny, and her worst school year ever as told
through her possessions. It looks like everything is going to go
wrong for her in seventh grade. ISBN-13:
9780689852817.
- The
Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. A
delightful tale of
a boy, a sleigh bell, and the boy's lifelong belief in Santa Claus. The
book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story
for young children. ISBN-13: 978-0618477951.
- Trolls,
Go Home! by Mark Alan Beech MacDonald, 2007. A
family of Trolls moves into the suburb of Biddlesden, changing the
quiet neighborhood. Things might get ugly and possibly hairy and
smelly as trolls have a number of obnoxious habits. This is a
problem for their neighbors, the Priddle family. ISBN-13:
9781599900773.
- Billy Creekmore by Tracey Porter, 2007.
Billy Creekmore is searching for his mother and his mysterious father,
but all he has is a a tin box that containing a few precious
mementos. In the early 1900s, he travels from the coal mines of
West Virginia to the traveling circus, in search of his family and his
future. ISBN-13: 9780060775728.
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, 2007.
This is
the first book in a series. Greg
Heffley begins middle school, where undersized weaklings share the
hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The
hazards of come alive in the words and drawings of Greg's diary.
ISBN-13: 978-0810988217.
- Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Elbrick Funke,
2007. The story is about Igraine, a girl whose twelfth birthday
is
tomorrow. She lives in a castle in the middle ages and dreams of
becoming a famous knight. Her life is rather boring until her
parents misspeak a spell and turn themselves into pigs, and the nephew
of the baroness-next-door shows up with a plan to take the family's
castle and singing magic books. Can she make her dream come true
and save the day? ISBN-13: 978-1905294657.
- The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, 1924.
This is the first book in a series. This is the story of four orphaned children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny.
Desiring to stay together, they create a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar in the forest.
They enjoy their life together in the boxcar, but encounter many
hardships and problems. One day, they encounter their
grandfather and discover that he is a kind and wealthy man who
has been searching for them. They agree to live with their
grandfather and he moves their boxcar to his backyard for a playhouse.
ISBN-13: 978-0807508527.
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, 1989. The story
takes place in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943. Two 10-year-old
girls are best friends, but one of them has to undertake a dangerous
mission in order to save the other. ISBN-13:
9780440227533.
- Cat Crafts by Linda Hendry, 2002. A book
containing a
collection of craft ideas to entertain both your cat and your
child! Most crafts are suitable for young children with adult
supervision. ISBN-13: 978-1550749212.
- Dog Crafts by Linda
Hendry, 2002. A book containing a collection of 17 craft ideas to
entertain both your dog and your child! Most crafts are suitable
for young
children with adult supervision. ISBN-13:
9781550749625.
Note an ISBN number is a number that uniquely identifies a book.
Each book, each republishing and each printing format has a unique
ISBN number which is why each book has more than one. For the
children's books listed here, the ISBN numbers provided are
generally to paperback copies of the book.
Look into:
A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens English 1859 teens
A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a novel by Charles Dickens,
set
in
London
and Paris
before and during the French Revolution.
With
well
over
200 million copies sold, it is among the most famous works of
fiction.[2]
The novel depicts the plight of the French peasantry
demoralized by the French aristocracy
in the years leading up to the revolution, the corresponding brutality
demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats
in the early years of the revolution, and many unflattering social
parallels with life in London during the same time period. It follows
the lives of several protagonists
through these events. The most notable are Charles Darnay
and Sydney Carton.
Darnay is a French once-aristocrat who falls victim to the
indiscriminate wrath of the revolution despite his virtuous nature, and
Carton is a dissipated British barrister who
endeavours to redeem his ill-spent life out of his unrequited love
for Darnay's wife, Lucie Manette.
The novel was published in weekly installments instead
of monthly, as with most of his other novels. The first ran in the
first issue of Dickens' literary periodical All the Year
Round on 30 April 1859. The last ran thirty-one weeks later, on
25 November.[1
The first book of the novel takes place in 1775. Jarvis
Lorry, an employee of Tellson's Bank, is travelling from England to
France to bring Dr. Alexandre Manette
to London on his return trip. Before crossing into France, he meets
17-year-old Lucie Manette at Dover, and reveals to
her that her father, Dr. Manette, is not dead, as she had been told;
instead, he was a prisoner in the Bastille for eighteen
years.
Lorry and Lucie travel to Saint Antoine, a suburb of
Paris and meet Monsieur Ernest and Madame Therese Defarge.
The Defarges operate a wine shop they use to lead a clandestine
band of revolutionaries; they refer to each other by the codename
"Jacques", which Dickens drew from the Jacobins,
an
actual
French
revolutionary
group.
Monsieur Defarge was Dr. Manette's servant before
Manette's imprisonment and now has care of him, and he takes them to
see the doctor. Because of his long imprisonment, Dr. Manette entered a
form of psychosis and has
become obsessed
with making shoes, a trade he had learned whilst imprisoned. At first,
he does not recognize his daughter; but he eventually compares her long
golden hair with her mother's, which he found on his sleeve when he was
imprisoned and kept, and notices their identical blue eye color. Lorry
and Lucie then take him back to England.
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