Good Books To Read For Kids

America’s public K-12 schools should be filled with nonfiction books, good books to read for kids, books that are based on truth and fact that promote diversity of thought, expand the minds of our children and pushes them to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the world as well as nonfiction that allows them to escape to worlds that feed their imagination and creativity. The goal of the public school library is to enhance the curricular needs of the school.

There is only so much room on a public school bookshelf. That is why it is vital that parents and teachers use wise discernment when selecting the choices they present to children. With thousands of books to choose from, it can be daunting to decipher which are worthwhile. We have compared lists from some of the most respected schools and organizations to create a short list of good books to read for kids for each age range. We also included links to more comprehensive lists. With so many great selections for children and young adults, there really isn’t the time or need for them to read poorly written or inappropriate books.

Image of girl reading from our good books to read for kids list

DREAM

All students in America are proficient in reading for their grade level.

REALITY

49 states are below 50% proficiency in reading.

Click here to read our position paper on America's failing reading scores.

REALITY

49 states are below 50% proficiency in reading.
Click here to read our position paper on America's failing reading scores.

SOLUTION

GOOD BOOK Literacy CHALLENGE IN AMERICA
Read more below...

Good Books to read for kids

America has seen a decline in reading proficiency over the last 30 years. Students graduating from high school are unable to read. School media centers are filled with poor-quality or inappropriate books. It is time to make literacy and quality books a priority in America's schools. Here is a list of some of our favorite good books to read for and to kids.

Pre-K and Early Elementary

The Children’s Book of Virtues by William Bennett
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes
Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen
Aesop’s Fables
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

Elementary

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Classic Myths to Read Aloud by William F. Russell
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
Stuart Little by E.B. White
The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Intermediate

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Misty of Chincoteague Island, Marguerite Henry
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Middle School

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
The Canterbury Tales by Geraldine McCaughrean

High School

All Quiet on the Western Front Erich Maria Remarque
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra
The Odyssey by Homer
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Links for more comprehensive lists

Recommended Book Fair Vendors

FIE BOOK FAIR VENDOR LIST
https://www.blueribbonbookfairs.com/
https://i55bookfairs.com/
https://www.bfbooks.com/
https://www.christianbookfair.org/
https://bravebooks.us/pages/brave-book-fairs
https://bedfordfallsusa.com

Recommended Publishers

Freedom in Education's Good Book Challenge

TAKE THE PLEDGE_Good Books

SAMPLE LETTER-THE GOOD BOOK CHALLENGE

Take the Good Book Pledge

Name(Required)

First Last

Take The Pledge

We invite parents, grandparents and community members to ask your school to make the following pledge to procure books from our Good Book list below in their media centers and classroom libraries.
I PLEDGE to take definite steps to:
Provide my local school’s media center staff with a physical list of the Freedom in Education Good Book list that is applicable to my school district’s elementary, middle or high school and respectfully request my local school’s media center staff secure as many of the books as possible to stock their shelves and display.
I will ask parents, grandparents, and community members to gather and donate our list of Good Books to schools.
Provide my school board and my school district Superintendent with the complete list of the Freedom in Education Good Books with a request for them to procure for each media center in the school district. (downloadable pdf list and sample letter available in the Good Books section of this website)
I will promote that the Good Books be visibly displayed in my school’s media center during banned books week! I will host a Liberty Story Hour where I read from a book on the Good Books list.
I will provide the list of alternative book fair vendors and recommended publishers to my school and school board. (downloadable pdfs available in the Good Books section of this website)

School District(Required)

School Name(Required)

State(Required)

Names of Verified Good Books found in your library or media center(Required)

Date when next Liberty Story Hour will be held(Required)

Location where Liberty Story Hour will be held(Required)

Get started bringing a Liberty Story Hour to your local library

Community story time with beautifully written books read to elementary & middle school aged children and a related activity provided. Great for parents, grandparents or organized groups to read to children at the public library, school library, churches or community centers and parks. Use our list of good books to read for kids and the resources below to get started bringing a Liberty Story Hour to your library.