Read, read, read.
Read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it.
Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master.
Read!
···
William Faulkner
NB: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING PARENTS CAN DO IS READ
It doesn’t particularly matter what you read, but a regular habit of reading for yourself will inspire a love of reading in your children.
—
Suggestions will be added to the site and refined continuously.
| Age | Title | Author(s) | Genre(s) | Notes |
| 2+ | Where the Wild Things Are | Maurice Sendak | Picture Books, Fiction, Classics, Fantasy, Adventure, Young Adult, Animals, Kids, Monsters | |
| 4+ | Jumanji | Chris Van Allsburg | Picture-Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, Classics, Animals | |
| 4+ | The Giving Tree | Shel Silverstein | Fiction, Picture-Books, Classics, Poetry, Young-Adult, Fantasy | |
| 4+ | The Lorax | Dr. Seuss | Picture-Books, Fiction, Classics, Poetry, Fantasy, Environment | |
| 6+ | A Light in the Attic | Shel Silverstein | Poetry, Classics, Fiction, Humor, Young-Adult, Picture-Books | |
| 6+ | Charlie & the Chocolate Factory | Roald Dahl | Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Humor | |
| 6+ | Just So Stories | Rudyard Kipling | Classics, Fiction, Short-Stories, Fantasy, Animals, Young-Adult | |
| 6+ | Where the Sidewalk Ends | Shel Silverstein | Poetry, Classics, Fiction, Humor, Young-Adult, Picture-Books | |
| 7+ | Charlotte’s Web | E.B. White | Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Animals | |
| 7+ | Pippi Longstocking | Astrid Lindgren | Classics, Fiction, Middle-Grade, Young-Adult, Fantasy, Humor | |
| 7+ | The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane | Kate DiCamillo | Fantasy, Fiction, Middle-Grade, Young-Adult, Adventure, Animals | This is incredible |
| 7+ | The Wind in the Willows | Kenneth Grahame | Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Animals, Young-Adult, Adventure | |
| 8+ | Coraline | Neil Gaiman | Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade | Kind of dark |
| 8+ | Harry Potter | J.K. Rowling | Fantasy, Fiction, Young-Adult, Magic, Middle-Grade, Classics | |
| 8+ | James & the Giant Peach | Roald Dahl | Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Adventure | |
| 8+ | Matilda | Roald Dahl | Fiction, Classics, Fantasy, Middle-Grade, Young-Adult, Humor | |
| 8+ | The Chronicles of Narnia | C.S. Lewis | Fantasy, Classics, Fiction, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Adventure | |
| 8+ | The Invention of Hugo Cabret | Brian Selznick | Historical-Fiction, Fiction, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Graphic-Novels, Fantasy | Mostly illustrations, but some long textual passages |
| 8+ | The Jungle Book | Rudyard Kipling | Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Short-Stories, Animals | |
| 8+ | The Land of Stories | Chris Colfer | Fantasy, Middle-Grade, Fiction, Young-Adult, Fairy-Tales, Adventure | |
| 8+ | The One & Only Ivan | Patricia Castelao | Middle-Grade, Fiction, Animals, Young-Adult, Fantasy, Juvenile | |
| 8+ | The Phantom Tollbooth | Norton Juster | Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Adventure | |
| 8+ | The Tale of Despereaux | Kate DiCamillo | Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Animals, Adventure, Classics, Juvenile, Chapter Books | |
| 8+ | The Wild Robot | Peter Brown | Middle-Grade, Science-Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Animals | |
| 8+ | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | L. Frank Baum | Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Young-Adult, Adventure, Middle-Grade | |
| 9+ | Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland | Lewis Carroll | Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Young-Adult, Literature, Adventure | |
| 9+ | Anne of Green Gables | L.M. Montgomery | Classics, Fiction, Young-Adult, Historical-Fiction, Middle-Grade | |
| 9+ | Because of Winn-Dixie | Kate DiCamillo | Fiction, Middle-Grade, Realistic-Fiction, Young-Adult, Classics, Animals | About a dog |
| 9+ | Bridge to Terabithia | Katherine Paterson | Fiction, Young-Adult, Classics, Fantasy, Middle-Grade, Realistic-Fiction | |
| 9+ | Inkheart | Cornelia Funke | Fantasy, Young-Adult, Fiction, Middle-Grade, Adventure, Magic | A bit long |
| 9+ | Odd & the Frost Giants | Neil Gaiman | Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade | Norse mythology |
| 9+ | Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great | Judy Blume | Fiction, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Realistic-Fiction, Humor, Classics | |
| 9+ | Percy Jackson & the Olympians | Rick Riordan | Fantasy, Young-Adult, Mythology, Fiction, Middle-Grade, Adventure | Greek mythology |
| 9+ | Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing | Judy Blume | Fiction, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Realistic-Fiction, Humor, Classics | |
| 9+ | The Arrival | Shaun Tan | Graphic-Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Picture-Books, Fiction, Young-Adult, Art | |
| 9+ | The Bad Beginning | Lemony Snicket | Fiction, Young-Adult, Fantasy, Middle-Grade, Mystery, Adventure | |
| 9+ | The BFG | Roald Dahl | Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Middle-Grade, Young-Adult, Humor | |
| 9+ | The Graveyard Book | Neil Gaiman | Fantasy, Young-Adult, Fiction, Horror, Middle-Grade, Paranormal | Kind of dark |
| 9+ | The Hobbit | J.R.R. Tolkien | Fantasy, Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Young-Adult, Science-Fiction-Fantasy, High-Fantasy | |
| 9+ | The Mysteries of Harris Burdick | Chris Van Allsburg | Picture-Books, Mystery, Fantasy, Fiction, Art, Writing | |
| 9+ | The Mysterious Benedict Society | Trenton Lee Stewart | Mystery, Fiction, Middle-Grade, Young-Adult, Fantasy, Adventure | |
| 9+ | The Secret Garden | Frances Hodgson Burnett | Classics, Fiction, Young-Adult, Historical-Fiction, Middle-Grade, Fantasy | |
| 9+ | The Witches | Roald Dahl | Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Middle-Grade, Young-Adult, Witches | |
| 9+ | Where the Red Fern Grows | Wilson Rawls | Classics, Fiction, Young-Adult, Historical-Fiction, Middle-Grade, Animals | |
| 10+ | A Wizard of Earthsea | Ursula K. Le Guin | Fantasy, Fiction, Young-Adult, Classics, Science-Fiction-Fantasy, Magic, High-Fantasy | Fantastic fantasy |
| 10+ | Brotherband | John Flanagan | Fantasy, Young-Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Middle-Grade, Historical-Fiction, Action | Great for boys |
| 10+ | Holes | Louis Sachar | Young-Adult, Fiction, Middle-Grade, Classics | Popular movie |
| 10+ | I Am Malala | Malala Yousafzai | Non-Fiction, Biography, Memoir, Feminism, Autobiography, Middle-Grade, Biography-Memoir | |
| 10+ | Out of My Mind | Sharon M. Draper | Realistic-Fiction, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Fiction, Contemporary, Disability | Inclusivity |
| 10+ | Redwall | Brian Jacques | Fantasy, Fiction, Young-Adult, Animals, Adventure, Middle-Grade | Personified animals |
| 10+ | Tales from Outer Suburbia | Shaun Tan | Graphic-Novels, Short-Stories, Fantasy, Fiction, Young-Adult, Picture-Books, Comics | |
| 10+ | The Kane Chronicles | Rick Riordan | Fantasy, Mythology, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Fiction, Adventure | Egyptian mythology |
| 10+ | The Little Prince | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, France, Philosophy, Young-Adult | |
| 10+ | The Sword in the Stone / The Once & Future King | T.H. White | Fantasy, Classics, Fiction, Historical-Fiction, Arthurian, Young-Adult | King Arthur as a boy |
| 10+ | Treasure Island | Robert Louis Stevenson | Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Historical-Fiction, Young-Adult, Pirates | |
| 10+ | War Horse | Michael Morpurgo | Historical-Fiction, Fiction, War, Animals, Young-Adult, Historical | Australian, some violence |
| 10+ | Wonder | R.J. Palacio | Young-Adult, Fiction, Middle-Grade, Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction | |
| 11+ | The Giver | Lois Lowry | Young-Adult, Fiction, Classics, Dystopia, Science-Fiction, Fantasy | |
| 11+ | The Ranger’s Apprentice | John Flanagan | Fantasy, Young-Adult, Fiction, Medieval | Great for boys |
| 11+ | Young Samurai | Chris Bradford | Historical-Fiction, Young-Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Historical, Fiction, Japan | Karate |
| 12+ | A Monster Calls | Patrick Ness | Fantasy, Young-Adult, Fiction, Horror, Middle-Grade, Contemporary, Magical-Realism | |
| 12+ | Ender’s Game | Orson Scott Card | Science-Fiction, Young-Adult, Fantasy, Classics, Science-Fiction-Fantasy, Dystopia, War | Some violence |
| 12+ | Eragon | Christopher Paolini | Fantasy, Young-Adult, Fiction, Dragons, Adventure, Magic, High-Fantasy | Dragons |
| 12+ | His Dark Materials | Philip Pullman | Fantasy, Young-Adult, Fiction, Adventure, Middle-Grade, Science-Fiction | |
| 12+ | Momo | Michael Ende | Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, German-Literature, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade | |
| 12+ | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Mark Twain | Classics, Fiction, Historical-Fiction, Literature, Young-Adult, Adventure | |
| 12+ | The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Mark Twain | Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Literature, Young-Adult, Historical-Fiction | |
| 12+ | The Call of the Wild | Jack London | Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Young-Adult, Animals, Historical-Fiction, Literature | |
| 12+ | The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy | Douglas Adams | Science-Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Classics, Fantasy, Comedy, Science-Fiction-Fantasy | |
| 12+ | The Lord of the Rings | J.R.R. Tolkien | Fantasy, Classics, Fiction, Adventure, High-Fantasy, Science-Fiction-Fantasy, Epic-Fantasy | Harder than I remembered |
| 12+ | The Outsiders | S.E. Hinton | Classics, Young-Adult, Fiction, Realistic-Fiction, Coming-of-Age | Written by a 16 year old |
| 12+ | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Classics, Fiction, Historical-Fiction, Literature, Young-Adult, Historical | |
| 13+ | Nimona | N.D. Stevenson | Graphic-Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Young-Adult, Fiction, Lgbt, Graphic-Novels-Comics | |
| 13+ | Norse Mythology | Neil Gaiman | Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction, Short-Stories, Historical-Fiction, Classics | |
| 14+ | The Fault in Our Stars | John Green | Young-Adult, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction, Teen, Coming-Of-Age | Implied sex scene |
| 16+ | Life of Pi | Yann Martel | Fiction, Fantasy, Classics, Adventure, Contemporary, Magical-Realism, Novels | |
| A Vagabond for Beauty | Everett Ruess | Non-Fiction, Travel, Biography, Nature, Adventure, Memoir, Environment | 16 year-old boy (non-fiction) | |
| Danny the Champion of the World | Roald Dahl | Fiction, Classics, Young-Adult, Fantasy, Middle-Grade, Adventure | ||
| Dear Mr. Henshaw | Beverly Cleary | Fiction, Middle-Grade, Realistic-Fiction, Young-Adult, Classics, Juvenile | ||
| Endurance, Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage | Alfred Lansing | Non-Fiction, History, Adventure, Biography, Travel, Survival | ||
| Exploration Fawcett | Percy Harrison Fawcett | Non-Fiction, History, Biography, Travel, Adventure, Historical, Biography-Memoir | Non-fiction | |
| Fantastic Mr. Fox | Roald Dahl | Fiction, Fantasy, Classics, Middle-Grade, Animals, Young-Adult | ||
| Flowers for Algernon | Daniel Keyes | Fiction, Science-Fiction, Young-Adult, Psychology, Literature | ||
| Grimms’ Fairy Tales | Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm | Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Fairy-Tales, Short-Stories, Horror | ||
| Gulliver’s Travels | Jonathan Swift | Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Literature, Novels, 18th-Century | ||
| Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales | Hans Christian Andersen | Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Fairy-Tales, Short-Stories, Literature | ||
| Hope for the Flowers | Trina Paulus | Fiction, Inspirational, Philosophy, Classics, Picture-Books, Spirituality | ||
| Robinson Crusoe | Jessica Holland | Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Literature, Historical Fiction, Novels, 18th Century, Classic Literature, British Literature | ||
| Skulduggery Pleasant | Derek Landy | Fantasy, Young-Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Urban-Fantasy, Middle-Grade, Magic | Kind of dark | |
| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | F. Scott Fitzgerald | Classics, Fiction, Short-Stories, Fantasy, American, Literature | ||
| The Girl Who Brought Mischief | Katrina Nannestad | Historical-Fiction, Middle-Grade, Humor, Family, Juvenile, Fiction | Scandinavian | |
| The Hero With a Thousand Faces | Joseph Campbell | Non-Fiction, Mythology, Philosophy, Psychology, Writing, History, Religion | Non-fiction | |
| The Key to Rondo | Emily Rodda | Fantasy, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Adventure, Magic, Fiction | ||
| The Mouse & the Motorcycle | Beverly Cleary | Fiction, Fantasy, Middle-Grade, Animals, Classics, Young-Adult | ||
| The Neverending Story | Michael Ende | Fantasy, Classics, Fiction, Young-Adult, Adventure, German-Literature | ||
| The Red Tree | Shaun Tan | Picture-Books, Graphic-Novels, Fiction, Art, Mental-Health, Fantasy | ||
| The Story of Philosophy | Will Durant | Philosophy, Non-Fiction, History, Biography, Classics, Psychology | Non-fiction | |
| The Twits | Roald Dahl | Fiction, Fantasy, Classics, Middle-Grade, Humor, Young-Adult | ||
| True Grit | Charles Portis | Fiction, Westerns, Historical-Fiction, Classics, Adventure, Historical | American west | |
| Value Tales | Dr. Spencer Johnson, Ann Donegan Johnson, Stephen Pileggi | Biography, History, Picture Books, Inspirational | ||
| White Fang | Jack London | Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Animals, Young-Adult, Historical-Fiction, Literature | ||
| Wilderness | Roddy Doyle | Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Action, Animals, Irish Literature | ||
| Winnie-the-Pooh | A.A. Milne | Classics, Fiction, Poetry, Fantasy, Picture-Books, Short-Stories |