Books We Love
I talk a lot on my podcast about books and authors. So many times I’ve evaluated children’s literature and been disappointed. Many stories do not pass our criteria and the number of authors on the “naughty list” continues to grow. But still, there are MANY books we love.
So here is an incomplete list for two reasons:
First, that our family has a solid list of positive opinions (not just critical ones) about the world of literature. And secondly, I hope the list below inspires you to read something new and reclaim the world of children’s books as an adult zone. YOU have the ability to choose what our kids read, yes, even our teens.
Many of these titles you’ll have read or are already on your list. Hopefully this will encourage you that you have chosen well. For the books you do not recognize, “don’t take my word for it,” go to God’s Word and read it with His values in mind. See if it’s worth adding to your family list. And as always, comment below to share your experience. Any favorites on this list that we share? Any that you’d recommend we try?
Read Alouds We Have Loved (some are to the whole family, others are to my teens alone). And teens love to be read aloud to, so don’t assume that it’s a “baby book” or beneath them!:
Little Women
Little Men
Farmer Boy
Dr. Dolittle
Mr. Poppers Penguins
The Giver
Ender’s Game
Uglies
The Hunger Games
Tuck Everlasting
The Penderwicks
Outdoor Secrets
Story of the World (all volumes)
The Ology
The Radical Book for Kids
Trumpet of the Swan
Heidi
Shakespeare Sonnets
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Journey to the Center of the Earth
The Chronicles of Narnia (all 7 books)
James & the Giant Peach
The Twits
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Matilda
The Willoughbys
Number the Stars
A Wrinkle in Time
Mercy Watson books (they are all cute)
Beatrix Potter (all of her stories)
Pinnocchio
The Secret Garden
The Wind in the Willows
The City of Ember
Books my kids have loved to read on their own:
All Beverly Cleary chapter books
Little House books
Old Man and the Sea
Johnny Tremain
The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis
So What’s the Difference?
Charlotte’s Web
Phantom Tollbooth
The Caine Mutiny
The Hiding Place
Pretties, Specials, Extras (the rest of the Uglies series)
The rest of The Hunger Game series
Starship Troopers
The Martian Chronicles
The Metamorphosis by Kafka
Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hyde
The Time Machine
Frankenstein
All of Roald Dahl’s books
Where the Red Fern Grows
Sign of the Beaver
Call of the Wild
The Island of the Blue Dolphins
Sarah Plain and Tall
The Tale of Despereaux
Anne of Green Gables
The Hobbit
Crispin
To Kill A Mockingbird
Animal Farm
The Witch of Blackbird Pond (she’s not a witch - that’s the point)
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Jungle Book
Sherlock Holmes
This is, like I said, an incomplete list, but hopefully you’ll take some encouragement and/or inspiration from it. Enjoy reading and don’t feel pressure to read certain books “just because everyone reads them.” And allow yourself to put down a book if you dislike it. Not all books are meant to be finished. That being said, some of the books above challenged us to read a few chapters in before judging their loveliness. What is next on your list to read? Tell me in the comments!
