Book List Suggestions

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General Fiction
❏ Banks, Indian in the Cupboard (series)
A nine-year-old boy receives a plastic Indian, a cupboard, and a little key for his
birthday and finds himself involved in adventure when the Indian comes to life in
the cupboard and befriends him.
❏ Brink, Caddie Woodlawn (1936 Newbery Medal)
The adventures of an eleven-year-old tomboy growing up on the Wisconsin
frontier in the mid-1800’s.
❏ Brink, Magical Melons
More stories about Caddie Woodlawn.
❏ Burnford, The Incredible Journey
Two dogs and a cat cross several hundred kilometers of wild Canadian forests in
search of their beloved owners.
❏ Clark, Secret of the Andes (1953 Newbery Medal)
An Indian boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions
and secrets of his Inca ancestors.
❏ Cheng, Honeysuckle House
Two 10-year-old girls, one Chinese-American, the other a recent Chinese
immigrant gradually forge a friendship as they learn just how hard it can be to fit
in.
❏ Cleaver, Where the Lilies Bloom
Set in the Appalachian hills, the story—narrated by 14-year-old Mary Call—tells
of her sometimes humorous efforts to keep her family together and independent
after their sharecropper father dies.
❏ Conrad, Stonewords: A Ghost Story (Edgar Allan Poe Award)
Zoe discovers that her house is occupied by the ghost of an eleven-year-old girl,
who carries her back to the day of her death in 1870 to try to alter that tragic
event.
❏ Dahl, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr. Willy
Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the situation in his own
way.
❏ Dahl, James and the Giant Peach
The story of a boy who escapes two wicked and finds adventure by way of a
magical peach.
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❏ Dahl, The B.F.G.

❏ Taken from her orphanage by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who spends his life
blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie helps him save the world from nine
other man-gobbling cannybull giants.
❏ Declements, Nothing’s Fair in 5th Grade
Initially repelled by an overweight new student who has serious home problems,
the fifth grade class finally learns to accept her.
❏ Dicamillo, The Tale of Despereaux (2004 Newbery Honor)
The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the
princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious
rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
❏ du Bois, The Twenty-One Balloons (1948 Newbery Medal)
Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across the Pacific Ocean.
But through a twist of fate, he lands on Krakatoa, and discovers a world of
unimaginable wealth, eccentric inhabitants, and incredible balloon inventions.
❏ Enzensberger, The Number Devil
Annoyed with his math teacher who assigns word problems and won't let him use
a calculator, twelve-year-old Robert, who hates math, finds help from the number
devil in his dreams. If you like Alice in Wonderland or The Phantom Tollbooth, try
this.
❏ Farley, The Black Stallion
A boy is shipwrecked on a desert island with a horse destined to play an
important part in his life.
❏ Fenner, Yolanda’s Genius (1995 Newbery Honor)
A girl develops a plan to prove to the world that her little brother is a musical
genius.
❏ George, My Side of the Mountain (first of a trilogy) (1968 Newbery Honor)
Adventures of a boy who runs away to the Catskill Mountains and learns to live
off the land.
❏ Gipson, Old Yeller (1957 Newbery Honor)
A boy and his dog in Texas frontier days. Adventure, humor, and high emotion.
❏ Hamilton, Cousins
A girl learns about family love and forgiveness from two deaths in her family.
❏ Henry, Misty of Chincoteague (series) (1947 Newbery Honor)
Two children, Paul and Maureen, work together to bring the wild pony, Phantom,
and her newborn foal, Misty, to Chincoteague Island.
❏ Horvath, The Trolls (National Book Award Finalist)
Eccentric Aunt Sally comes to babysit the Anderson children while their parents
are on a trip, and every night the bedtime story gets a little weirder.
❏ Hunt, Up a Road Slowly (1967 Newbery Medal)
Traces the important moments in a girl’s life from 7 to 17. Beautifully written and
thoughtful; not action-packed.
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❏ Linklater, The Wind on the Moon

Two English sisters have magical adventures while their father is away.
❏ MacGrory, Secret of the Ruby Ring
When she makes a wish on a special ring, eleven-year-old Lucy is transported
from her pampered present to a somewhat turbulent time in Ireland in 1885,
where she must work as a servant for a wealthy family until she can find a way
back home.
❏ MacLachlan, Sarah Plain and Tall
Two children experience the apprehensions and joys of the possibility of a new
mother. Set in 19th century midwest.
❏ Martin, A Corner of the Universe (2003 Newbery Honor)
A 12-year-old girl’s mentally ill uncle comes to live with her family, causing
problems but also opening her eyes to a larger world.
❏ McEwan, Daydreamer
Adventures of a 10-year-old boy with a spectacular imagination.
❏ McGraw, Moccasin Trail (1953 Newbery Honor)
A pioneer boy, brought up by Crow Indians, is reunited with his family and
attempts to orient himself in the white man's culture.
❏ Neville, It’s Like This, Cat (1964 Newbery Medal)
An adolescent boy and his cranky tomcat, living in 1960’s New York City, meets
interesting characters and works out conflict with his father.
❏ North, Rascal (1964 Newbery Honor)
Stories of a truly amazing raccoon.
❏ O’Brien, Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of Nimh (hardback) or The Secret of Nimh
(paperback) (1978 Newbery Medal)
❏ O’Dell, A Black Pearl (1968 Newbery Honor)
A 16-year-old boy does battle with an enormous devilfish that guards a rare,
black pearl.
❏ O’Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins (1961 Newbery Medal)
A beautiful Indian girl stranded on an island off California makes her home with
her brother while she awaits a rescue which will take 18 years.
❏ Park, A Single Shard (2002 Newbery Medal)
Tree-ear, a 12th century Korean orphan finds his future through his intuitive
interest in the potter's trade.
❏ Paterson, Bridge to Terabithia (1978 Newbery Medal)
Jesse's colorless rural world expands when he becomes friends with Leslie, the
new girl in school. When Leslie meets a tragic end, Jesse learns what true
friendship is.
❏ Paulsen, Hatchet (1988 Newbery Honor)
Dramatic story of a boy who, following a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness,
must learn to survive with only a hatchet and his own wits.
❏ Paulsen, The River
Sequel to Hatchet.
❏ Peck, Soup (series)
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The adventures and misadventures of two boys growing up in a small Vermont

town. Lots of laughs.
❏ Pinkwater, Five Novels
A collection of five very funny stories by Daniel Pinkwater, including the
humorous classic Slaves of Spiegel.
❏ Pitts, Racing the Sun
A middle-class, suburban 12-year-old boy’s Navajo grandfather comes to live
with him, turning his world upside down and changing his life forever.
❏ Raskin, The Westing Game (1979 Newbery Medal)
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together heirs who must
uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
❏ Rawls, Summer of the Monkeys
In the late 1800s, a fourteen-year-old Ozark mountain boy spends the summer
trying to recapture monkeys escaped from a traveling circus.
❏ Rawls, Where the Red Fern Grows
A boy and his beloved coonhound pups romp through the Ozarks, hunting
raccoons. A tragic ending leads to personal growth and hope.
❏ Sachar, Sideways Stories From Wayside School (series)
Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School.
❏ Selden, The Cricket in Times Square (1991 Newbery Medal runner-up)
The adventures of a country cricket who accidentally arrives in New York City
and is befriended by Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat.
❏ Sobol, Encyclopedia Brown (series)
Boy detective Encyclopedia Brown, fifth-grade mastermind solves mysteries.
Each book is set up so that readers can try to solve the case along with the boy
genius, and the answers to all the mysteries are found in the back.
❏ Speare, Sign of the Beaver (Newbery Honor)
A 12-year-old pioneer boy befriends an Indian boy and must choose between his
family’s way of life and that of his new friend.
❏ Stratton-Porter, Girl of the Limberlost
Wounded by her embittered mother's lack of sympathy, Elnora finds comfort in
the nearby Limberlost Swamp.
❏ Taylor, The Cay
Dramatic events in wartime bring a white boy to confront his own racial prejudice
as he is marooned on a desert island with a black man and a cat.
❏ Taylor, Timothy of the Cay
❏ Voigt, Homecoming (Tillerman series)
Abandoned and alone, four brave children begin a search for a home and an
identity.
❏ White, Charlotte’s Web (1953 Newbery Honor)
Wilbur, the pig, discovers that he is to be the farmer's Christmas dinner; his
spider friend, Charlotte decides to help him.
❏ White, Trumpet of the Swan
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Louis, a voiceless Trumpeter swan, finds himself far from his wilderness home
when he determines to communicate by learning to play a stolen trumpet. By the
author of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little.

Classic Fiction
❏ Alcott, Little Men The sequel to Little Women.
A houseful of orphaned boys and how they grow up.
❏ Alcott, Little Women
In the middle of the Civil War, four sisters mature and explore the world, with the
help of their mischievous male neighbor.
❏ Appolonius, Jason and the Golden Fleece
The dramatic story of Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece and his relations with
the dangerous princess Medea. Written by Appolonius of Rhodes in the 3rd
century B.C.
❏ Austen, Pride and Prejudice
First published in 1813, this social satire is Jane Austen’s most famous book. It
describes the relationship of a young English man and woman as it slowly turns
from mutual dislike (complete with lots of great insults) to love.
❏ Barrie, Peter Pan
Peter, the boy who didn’t want to grow up …
❏ Bronte, Jane Eyre
An English woman's passionate search for a richer life than that traditionally
allowed women in Victorian society.
❏ Burnett, A Little Princess
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1905 story about a pampered little rich girl who
suddenly finds herself poor and fatherless.
❏ Burnett, The Secret Garden
The story of Mary Lennox's transformation from impudent orphan to
compassionate friend in the forbidden garden of Misselthwaite Manor.
❏ Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
❏ Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
Lewis Carroll’s further adventures of Alice. Here’s where you will find
“Jabberwocky.”
❏ Cather, My Antonia
Set in Nebraska in the late 19th century, this is the story of the spirited daughter
of a Bohemian immigrant family and their life on the frontier.
❏ Collodi, Pinocchio
The adventures of a talking wooden puppet whose nose grew longer if he told a
lie.
❏ Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
The tale of an English sailor marooned on a desert island for nearly thirty years.
❏ Doyle, Sherlock Holmes (collected stories)
The world’s most famous detective stories.
❏ Dumas, The Three Musketeers
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Classic story of adventure and romance in 17th century France.

❏ Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
The adventures of four animal friends who live along a river in the English
countryside – Toad, Mole, Rat, and Badger.
❏ Homer, The Iliad
Ancient Greek tale of the Trojan War and its heroes.
❏ Homer, The Odyssey
On his way home from the Trojan War, Odysseus has some amazing adventures
…
❏ Kipling, The Jungle Book
Imaginative tales of India during British colonial times. Be sure to get the original
version, not a cartoon edition for little children.
❏ London, Call of the Wild
1903 classic of a kidnapped dog and Yukon gold
❏ London, White Fang
The story of a wolf-dog who endures great cruelty before he comes to know
human kindness.
❏ Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
An orphan girl comes to live with a farm family and makes their lives a lot more
… interesting. Wonderful stories about a wonderful character.
❏ Sewell, Black Beauty
Perhaps the world’s most famous horse story – and an early protest against the
mistreatment of animals.
❏ Stevenson, Treasure Island
Pirates! Treasure! Danger! Oh, no, it’s … the … Black … Spot!
❏ Tolkien, Lord of the Rings (Fellowship of the Ring trilogy)
The classic saga of Frodo, Gandolf, Sauron and the Rings of Power.
❏ Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
One of the greatest of American novels. Huck befriends a runaway slave named
Jim and eventually risks his life to help Jim gain his freedom.
❏ Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Classic story about an orphan growing up on the Mississippi River. Both humor
and adventure.
❏ White, The Once and Future King
A retelling of the Arthurian legend, from King Arthur's birth to the end of his reign.
❏ Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
A ten-year-old girl’s adventures in Maine. Rebecca is one of the great, spirited
girl characters of English fiction.

Historical Fiction
❏ Avi, Crispin: the Cross of Lead (2003 Newbery Medal)
Adventures of a 13-year-old boy set around the time of the 14th-century Peasant
Rebellion in England.
❏ Bruchac, A Boy Called Slow
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The story of a Lakota Sioux boy who grew up to be one their most famous chiefs,
Sitting Bull.
❏ Buff, The Apple and the Arrow. (1952 Newbery Honor)
The story of William Tell, the 13th century Swiss freedom fighter, as told by his
eleven-year-old son – from whose head Tell is forced to shoot an apple.
❏ Cheripko, Ceasar Rodney’s Ride (2004 Parent’s Choice Recommended)
To tell the larger story of the Second Continental Congress and the signing of the
Declaration of Independence, Jan Cheripko takes up the story of Caesar
Rodney-a largely unknown delegate from Delaware who rode some 80 miles by
horseback to attend the meeting at the last minute and vote.
❏ Collier, My Brother Sam is Dead (1975 Newbery Honor)
❏ Cowley, Dar and the Spear Thrower
Adventures of a Cro-Magnon (prehistoric) boy about to become a man of the
tribe.
❏ Cushman, Catherine Called Birdy (1995 Newbery Honor)
Witty fictional diary of the daughter of a 13th century English knight.
❏ Cushman, The Midwife’s Apprentice (1996 Newbery Medal)
In medieval England, a nameless, homeless girl is taken in by a sharp-tempered
midwife, and in spite of obstacles and hardship, eventually gains the three things
she most wants: a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world.
❏ Dalgleish, The Courage of Sarah Noble
In 1707, an 8-year-old girl finds courage to go alone with her father to build a new
home in the Connecticut wilderness, and to stay with the Indians when her father
goes back to bring the rest of the family.
❏ De Angeli, The Door in the Wall (1950 Newbery Medal)
In medieval times, a boy learns his own strength when he saves the castle and
discovers there is more than one way to serve his king.
❏ Forbes, Johnny Tremain (1944 Newbery Medal)
The story of a tragically injured young Boston silversmith who ends up deeply
involved in the American Revolution i
❏ Hamilton, The People Could Fly
Collection of Afro-American folktales of animals, fantasy, the supernatural, and
desire for freedom.
❏ Hesse, The Cats in Krasinski Square (2004 Parents’ Choice Gold)
Cats, the Warsaw Ghetto and the Jewish Resistance against the Nazis in Poland.
❏ Konigsburg, A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver
Stories from the medieval life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England and
mother of Richard the Lionheart.
❏ Latham, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (1956 Newbery Medal)
A boy in Salem, Massachusetts, in the days of sailing ships grows up to be the
author of the most famous book on navigating.
❏ Little House on the Prairie (series)
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A family travels from the big woods of Wisconsin to a new home on the prairie,
where they build a house, meet neighboring Indians, build a well, and fight a
prairie fire.
❏ Lowry, Number the Stars (1990 Newbery Medal)
Story of a ten-year-old Danish girl and her family's courageous efforts to smuggle
Jews out of their Nazi-occupied homeland to safety in Sweden
❏ Lunn, Root Cellar
A lonely girl finds an old root cellar and is magically transported back to the time
of the American Civil War.
❏ Nixon, A Family Apart (Orphan Train Quartet series)
Children from a poor New York family are adopted by abolitionists in the midwest
and find themselves involved with the Underground Railroad.
❏ O’Dell, Sarah Bishop
Left alone after the deaths of her father and brother who take opposite sides in
the War for Independence, and fleeing from the British who seek to arrest her,
Sarah Bishop struggles to shape a new life for herself in the wilderness.
❏ O’Dell, Streams to the River, River to the Sea
Sacajawea, a young Indian woman, accompanied by her infant and cruel
husband, experiences joy and heartbreak when she joins the Lewis and Clark
Expedition seeking a way to the Pacific.
❏ Paterson, Jip: His Story (1999 Parents' Choice Silver Honor)
Orphaned Jip grows up on a poor farm in Vermont. He develops a deep
friendship with a mentally ill man who is brought to the farm for safe-keeping.
Setting is 1850’s conflict between abolitionists and pro-slavery forces.
❏ Reiss, The Upstairs Room (1973 Newbery Honor)
A Dutch Jewish girl describes the two-and-one-half years she spent in hiding in
the upstairs bedroom of a farmer's house during World War II.
❏ Sutcliff, The Eagle of the Ninth
In a.d. 125, a young Roman centurion in Britain must recover the infamous Ninth
Legion's missing symbol of honor, the eagle standard.
❏ Sutcliff, The Silver Branch
More than a century after The Eagle of the Ninth leaves off, two cousins join the
Roman side in the fight against a tyrannical British emperor.
❏ Taylor, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry (1977 Newbery Medal), Road to Memphis
(Coretta Scott King Award), Let the Circle Be Unbroken (Coretta Scott King Award)
Trilogy follows a black American family through the Depression and into World
War II, as they confront racism, loss, and joyful triumphs.
❏ Woodruff, George Washington’s Socks
Five children find themselves transported back into the time of George
Washington and the American Revolution, where they begin to live out American
history firsthand and learn the sober realities of war.
❏ Yep, Dragon’s Gate (1994 Newbery Honor)
A prequel to Dragonwings; tells of 14-year-old Otter's 1865 emigration from
China and subsequent troubles in California.
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❏ Yep, Dragonwings (1976 Newbery Honor)

In the early twentieth century, a young Chinese boy joins his father in San
Francisco and helps him realize his dream of making a flying machine. Part of
Yep’s “Golden Mountain Chronicles” series.

Science Fiction
❏ Asimov, I, Robot
A collection of stories that explore the questions that arise when humans make
robots superior to themselves in strength and intelligence.
❏ Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
In the future it’s illegal to own books or think for yourself. A fireman in charge of
burning books slowly changes his mind and joins the underground movement to
save them.
❏ Brin, Brightness Reef
While defying a galactic prohibition on settling the planet Jijo, six alien races -
squatters on a forbidden world - have developed a common civilization. Although
they are united by the respect they have for themselves and for their home, they
fear the day their presence is discovered. First book of a trilogy.
❏ Burroughs, A Princess of Mars
First of the 11-book series featuring John Carter of Mars. Burroughs is most
famous for inventing Tarzan, but John Carter is his best character. Classic
old-school sci fi.
❏ Christopher, The Tripods Trilogy
Young Will Parker and his companions work to liberate Earth from the ruling
Tripods, who capture mature human beings and make them docile, obedient
servants.
❏ Duprau, The City of Ember
The city of Ember was built deep underground as a last refuge for the human
race. Two young people must find the way out of the aging city before all the
lights go out forever.
❏ Farmer, The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. (1995 Newbery Honor)
In Zimbabwe in the year 2194, the military ruler's 13-year-old son and his
younger siblings leave their technologically overcontrolled home and find
themselves on a series of perilous adventures.
❏ Jones, A Tale of Time City
A young evacuee from the London blitz is captured and taken to Time City, a
place that exists in space and time outside history
❏ Lowry, The Giver (1992 Newbery Medal)
A boy with special powers escapes a future society that has given up its
humanity to achieve peace and stability.
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Fantasy
❏ Alexander, The Arkadians
Lucian is about to be put to death, but he escapes and meets a girl with mystical
powers and a poet who has been enchanted and turned into a donkey.
❏ Alexander, The Book of Three; The Black Cauldron (1966 Newbery Honor); The High
King (1969 Newbery Medal)
The chronicles of Prydain, one of Alexander’s most successful fantasy series.
❏ Cooper, The Dark is Rising (series) (1974 Newbery Honor)
❏ Farmer, The Sea of Trolls (2004 Parents’ Choice Gold)
Magic, trolls, Vikings, dragons, medieval England, lots of adventure.
❏ Fletcher, Dragon’s Milk
Kaeldra, an outsider adopted by an Elythian family as a baby, possesses the
power to understand dragons and uses this power to try to save her younger
sister, who needs dragon's milk to recover from an illness.
❏ Funke, Dragon Rider
A young dragon and a runaway boy quest for the Rim of Heaven, pursued by an
evil dragon out to destroy them.
❏ Furlong, Wise Child / Juniper
Medieval setting, black magic vs. white magic, strong female characters. Juniper
is the “prequel” to Wise Child.
❏ Juster, The Phantom Toolbooth
A journey through a land of fantasy where Milo learns the importance of words
and numbers and finds a cure for his boredom.
❏ L’Engle, Wrinkle in Time (series) (1963 Newbery Medal)
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a
search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret time travel
work for the government.
❏ LeGuin, A Wizard of EarthSea (series)
A tale about a reckless, awkward boy named Sparrowhawk who becomes a
wizard's apprentice after the wizard reveals Sparrowhawk's true name. The boy
comes to realize that his fate may be far more important than he ever dreamed
possible. First of 4 books in the EarthSea Cycle.
❏ Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia (series)
❏ Lisle, Afternoon of the Elves
Sara-Kate, the poorest, least reputable girl in school, invites Hillary home to see
what the village elves have built in her yard. Story of friendship.
❏ Lunn, Doublespell (Originally published as Twin Spell)
A set of twins tries to unwind the mysteries that surround their new house.
❏ McKinley, The Blue Sword Sequel to The Hero and the Crown.
❏ McKinley, The Hero and the Crown
Story of a girl who finds her own strength as she battles a dragon no man could
defeat.
❏ Nesbit, The Enchanted Castle.
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Classic story of magic and enchantment. Written in 1907, it’s the inspiraton
behind Lewis’s Narnia series and Rowland’s Harry Potter.
❏ Pullman, The Golden Compass
Epic novel (first in a trilogy) about missing children, a golden, truth-divining
compass and a young girl and her "daemon" who are catapulted into a
life-and-death struggle against dark forces. For older readers.
❏ Tolkien, The Hobbit
Background for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Introduces Bilbo, Gollum, Gandalf,
and the Ring.
❏ Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, The Return of the King
The 1950’s trilogy that essentially created fantasy as a genre (and is still its best
example). For older, advanced readers.
❏ Wrede, Dealing with Dragons (First of a trilogy)
A young princess becomes bored with her life and ends up the willing prisoner of
an aging dragon.
❏ Yolen, Mightier Than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys
Collection of fourteen familiar and little-known tales of sons, brothers, kings, and
trolls – men and boys united by a common heroism that comes from strength of
character, wisdom, and compassion.
❏ Yolen, Wizard’s Hall
A bumbling young apprentice wizard saves the wizards’ training hall from forces
of evil by trusting and believing in himself. (Sounds like Harry Potter, but Yolen
had the idea first …)

Biography
❏ Dahl, Boy
Author Roald Dahl’s recollections of his childhood.
❏ Eaton, Gandhi, Fighter Without a Sword (1951 Newbery Honor)
The story of the man who led India to independence from Britain and taught the
world the power of non-violence.
❏ Frank, Diary of Anne Frank
Tells the true story of the Jewish Frank family as they hide from the Nazis during
World War II.
❏ Freedman, Lincoln: a Photobiography. (1988 Newbery Medal)
Best children’s book on Abraham Lincoln.
❏ Freedman, The Life and Death of Crazy Horse
Dramatic story of one of the last great Lakota Sioux chiefs, a leader in the Lakota
victory at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
❏ Freedman, The Voice That Challenged a Nation (2005 Newbery Honor)
Story of Marian Anderson, the Afro-American opera star who broke the barrier of
segregation in the arts.
❏ Freedman, The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane. (1992 Newbery
Honor)
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Follows the lives of the Wright brothers and describes how they developed the
first airplane. Great photos.
❏ Kuklin, Iqbal Massih and the Crusaders Against Child Slavery
An account of the former Pakistani child labor activist whose life and unexplained
murder has brought to the attention of the world the evil of child slave labor.
Ages 11 and up.
❏ McMullan, The Story of Harriet Tubman : Conductor of the Underground Railroad
How Harriet Tubman helped free over 300 slaves as a "conductor" for the
Underground Railroad and how she became a nurse, a scout and spy for the
Union Forces during the Civil War.
❏ Reich, Clara Schumann: Piano Virtuoso
The life of a great pianist and composer, the wife of composer Robert Schumann,
mother of eight, and friend of many famous composers and musicians.
❏ Stanley, Joan of Arc
A biography of the fifteenth-century peasant girl who led a French army to victory
against the English and was burned at the stake for witchcraft.
❏ Stanley, Leonardo da Vinci
The best children’s book on the Italian Renaissance artist and inventor.
❏ Stanley, Shaka: King of Zulus
A biography of the nineteenth-century military genius and African Zulu chief.

Science, History, and Other Non-fiction

❏ Armstrong, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
True survival story of English explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men trapped
in an Antarctic winter in 1914.
❏ Blumberg, The Incredible Journey of Lewis & Clark
❏ Couper & Henbest, Big Bang
Explores the Big Bang theory of how the universe may have begun.
❏ Curlee, Brooklyn Bridge
This stunning visual history tells the dramatic story of the history and construction
of the "Eighth Wonder of the World."
❏ Curlee, Parthenon (2004 Parents’ Choice Recommended)
Beautifully illustrated story of the Parthenon, the ancient temple of Athena, patron
goddess of Athens in ancient Greece – one of the world’s most famous buildings.
❏ Filipovic, Zlata’s Diary
Originally published in Croat by UNICEF, this is the wartime diary of an
11-year-old Sarajevo girl who describes her experience of the war in Bosnia.
❏ Holling, Minn of the Mississippi (1952 Newbery Honor)
The history of the Mississippi River Valley is told in text and pictures through the
adventures of Minn, a snapping turtle, as she travels downstream.
❏ Holling, Paddle-to-the-Sea (Caldecott Honor)
A young Indian boy carves a little canoe with a figure inside and names him
Paddle-to-the-Sea. Paddle's journey, in text and pictures, through the Great
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Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean provides an excellent geographic and historical

picture of the region.
❏ Holling, Pagoo
An intricate study of tide pool life is presented in text and pictures through the
(fictional) story of Pagoo, a hermit crab.
❏ Hoose, The Race to Save the Lord God Bird (2004 Parent’s Choice Gold Award)
The tragedy of extinction is explained through the dramatic story of a legendary
bird, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and of those who tried to possess it, paint it,
shoot it, sell it, and, in a last-ditch effort, save it.
❏ Jackson, The Bone Detectives: How Forensic Anthropologists Solve Crimes and
Uncover Mysteries of the Dead
Excellent treatment of the subject for ages 11 and up.
❏ Jackson, Twin Tales
This comprehensive look at multiple birth answers questions about such issues
as identical and fraternal twins, conjoined twins, legendary pairs, and twin
telepathy. Great photos.
❏ Mowat, Never Cry Wolf
A scientist is dropped alone onto the frozen Canadian tundra, where he begins
his mission to live among the howling wolf packs and study their ways.
❏ Rahn, How Plants Travel
Beautifully describes the many ways plants are dispersed by wind, water,
animals, and people.
❏ Sattler & Maestro, Our Patchwork Planet
One of the best books on tectonic plates, continental drift, volcanoes, and
earthquakes.
❏ Stanley, Big Annie of Calumet: A True Story of the Industrial Revolution
A fascinating look at U. S. labor history and conditions (around 1913) and a
glimpse of one of its long-ignored heroines.
❏ Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Famous novelist travels across 1960 America with his poodle, Charley, in one of
the first mobile homes ever made.
❏ Ward, My Friend's Beliefs
Young people from different religious traditions describe their beliefs and
customs.

Recommended Books on Human Sexuality

Age 9-10:
❏ Girls are Girls and Boys are Boys Sol Gordon

Age 11-12:
❏ My Body Myself for Boys Lynda Madaras
❏ My Body Myself for Girls Lynda Madaras
❏ The What’s Happening to My Body Book for Boys/Girls Lynda Madaras