Student Favorites - a growing list of awesome books!
(See the bottom of the page for links to summer library reading lists.)
Read the article in the Chicago Tribune above for 50 great book titles every child should read!
Here's the full list:
"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus," by Mo Willems
"Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site," by Sherri Duskey Rinker
"Goodnight Moon," by Margaret Wise Brown
"The Very Hungry Caterpillar," by Eric Carle
"Where the Wild Things Are," by Maurice Sendak
"Harold and the Purple Crayon," by Crockett Johnson
"The Tale of Peter Rabbit," by Beatrix Potter
"The Cat in the Hat," by Dr. Seuss
"Frog and Toad Are Friends," by Arnold Lobel
"Madeline," by Ludwig Bemelmans
"The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh," by A. A. Milne
"Mercy Watson to the Rescue," by Kate DiCamillo
"Ramona the Pest," by Beverly Cleary
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," by Roald Dahl
"Ivy + Bean: Book 1," by Annie Barrows
"Stuart Little," by E.B. White
"Where the Sidewalk Ends," by Shel Silverstein
"Charlotte's Web," by E.B. White
"Coraline," by Neil Gaiman
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
"The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1," by C.S. Lewis
"The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread," by Kate DiCamillo
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," by Lewis Carroll
"Anne of Green Gables," by L.M. Montgomery
"The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1" by Lemony Snicket
"Big Nate: In a Class by Himself: Big Nate, Book 1," by Lincoln Peirce
"Bridge to Terabithia," by Katherine Paterson
"Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid," by Jeff Kinney
"The Hobbit," by J.R.R. Tolkien
"The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1," by Rick Riordan
"Little House in the Big Woods," by Laura Ingalls Wilder
"Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing," by Judy Blume
"A Wrinkle in Time," by Madeleine L'Engle
"Esperanza Rising," by Pam Munoz Ryan
"Hold Fast," by Blue Balliett
"I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World," by Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick
"Inside Out and Back Again," by Thanhha Lai
"My Side of the Mountain," by Jean Craighead George
"Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party," by Ying Chang Compestine
"Walk Two Moons," by Sharon Creech
"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl," by Anne Frank
"Wonder," by R.J. Palacio
"Ender's Game," by Orson Scott Card
"The Fellowship of the Ring," by J.R.R. Tolkien
"The Hunger Games, Book 1," by Suzanne Collins
"Legend, Book 1," by Marie Lu
"March: Book One," by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin
"The Outsiders," by S.E. Hinton
"To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee
Twitter @heidistevens13
1. Crispin series by Avi: After being declared a "wolf's head" by his manor's corrupt steward for a crime he didn't commit (meaning that anyone can kill him like a common animal--and collect a reward), this timid boy has to flee a tiny village that's the only world he's ever known. (J Avi)
2. Magyk series by Angie Sage: Fantasy fans of Harry Potter will find a good jolt of action, mystery and humor in this magic-filled adventure. Infants switched at birth, spell casting, Brownies, boggarts, dastardly villains and wizards add up to an exciting series. (J Sag)
3. How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell: Young Hiccup may be the son of Stoick the Vast, chief of the Hairy Hooligans, but he isn't exactly heroic Viking material. When he and the other boys of his tribe are sent on a mission to catch dragons to train, Hiccup comes back with the scrawniest creature ever seen. Toothless, as Hiccup names him, is also rude, lazy, and greedy, but when the tribe is faced with horrible danger, Hiccup's unorthodox dragon-training techniques may be more valuable than they had seemed. Sprinkled throughout with funny sketches, scribbles, and ink blots, this is a goofy and exciting tale of an underdog who proves that brains can be just as important as brawn. (J Cow)
4. 39 Clues series by various authors: When their beloved Aunt Grace dies, Dan, 11, and Amy, 14—along with other Cahill descendants—are faced with an unusual choice: inherit one million dollars or participate in a perilous treasure hunt. Cahills have determined the course of history for centuries, and this quest's outcome will bring the victors immense power. Against the wishes of Aunt Beatrice, their reluctant guardian since their parents' deaths, Dan and Amy accept the challenge, convincing their college-age nanny to serve as designated adult. Pitted against other Cahill teams, who will stop at nothing to win, the siblings decipher the first of 39 clues and are soon hot on the historical trail of family member Ben Franklin to unearth the next secret. (J Thi)
5. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Newbery Award): Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard and was raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, and the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will come under attack from the man named Jack -- who has already killed Bod's family. . . . (J Gai)
6. The Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix: Haddix's latest science fiction series starts off with a bang in this nail-biter. A plane arrives at an airline gate unnoticed by radar and most personnel. There are no flight attendants, no pilot, in fact no adults at all, but there are 36 passengers—each seat is inhabited by an infant. Thirteen years later in Ohio, teenage adoptees Jonah and his friend Chip begin receiving ominous messages declaring that they are among "the missing" and that someone is coming to find them. Frightened yet intrigued, the boys begin a search for their real identities with the help of Jonah's younger sister. Their search leads them to a discovery that boggles the mind and leads them into danger greater than they ever imagined possible. (J Had)
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney: (Old School)
Life was better in the old days. Or was it?
That’s the question Greg Heffley is asking as his town voluntarily unplugs and goes electronics-free. But modern life has its conveniences, and Greg isn’t cut out for an old-fashioned world.
With tension building inside and outside the Heffley home, will Greg find a way to survive? Or is going “old school” just too hard for a kid like Greg? (J Kin)
8. Redwall (series) by Brian Jacques - Only the lost sword of Martin the Warrior can save Redwall Abbey from the evil rat Cluny and his greedy horde. The young mouse Matthias (formerly Redwall's most awkward novice) vows to recover the legendary weapon. In the course of his quest, Matthias forges strong ties with various local animals. There is a powerful badger named Constance, a mute squirrel named Silent Sam, who knows the forest better than anyone, as well as his mother Jess, a champion climber who leads a splendid rescue of a piece of the abbey's tapestry. This epic adventure contains elements of all grand quests, with heroic archetypes that will keep fans of Tolkein and King Arthur tales engaged to the final battle. The book is violent, and at some times downright gruesome, but the quality of the writing, the rich cast of characters, the detailed accounts of medieval warfare, and Jacques' ability to tell a good story and make readers think all earn Redwall a place on library shelves. (J Jac)
9. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson (Newbery Honor Award) - Orphaned at age 16, Hattie longs for a place where folks will welcome her and become her family. When an uncle leaves her a claim of 320 acres in Montana, she quickly journeys to make a home of her own, unprepared for life on the prairie in the brutal winter of 1918. With considerable humor, Larson employs a variety of old-fashioned Western accents to differentiate the cast of colorful characters. Larson excels at conveying the emotions that run high as Hattie faces the challenges of homestead life, including the bigotry of neighbors against the German-American friends who have helped her in every way. Meticulous research in archives and family materials gives this saga an authenticity that will captivate readers. (J Lar)
10. Gordon Korman's Island trilogy - 6 kids. 1 shipwreck. 1 desert island. (J Kor)
No food. No shelter. No rules. They're on their own. Or are they?
11. Maniac Magee - Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats. (J Spi)
12. Harry Potter series - Harry, an orphan, lives with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley.
One day just before his eleventh birthday, an owl tries to deliver a mysterious letter the first of a sequence of events that end in Harry meeting a giant man named Hagrid. Hagrid explains Harry's history to him: When he was a baby, the Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, attacked and killed his parents in an attempt to kill Harry; but the only mark on Harry was a mysterious lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.
Now he has been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the headmaster is the great wizard Albus Dumbledore. Harry visits Diagon Alley to get his school supplies, especially his very own wand. To get to school, he takes the Hogwarts Express from platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station. On the train, he meets two fellow students who will become his closest friends: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Harry is assigned to Gryffindor House at Hogwarts, and soon becomes the youngest-ever Seeker on the House Quidditch team. He also studies Potions with Professor Severus Snape, who displays a deep and abiding dislike for Harry, and Defense Against the Dark Arts with nervous Professor Quirrell; he and his friends defeat a mountain troll, help Hagrid raise a dragon, and explore the wonderful, fascinating world of Hogwarts.
But all events lead irrevocably toward a second encounter with Lord Voldemort, who seeks an object of legend known as the Sorcerer's Stone.
Sample Summer Reading Lists
American Library Association - Children Young Adult
Collection of summer reading lists (Georgia)
Dade Schools (2014)
Dade Schools (2015)
Central Bucks School District (PA)
Fairfax County (Older Students)