Devon Trevarrow Flaherty / May 26, 2015
Yes, I absolutely had to combine the three into one post. It was just too hard to find lists that accurately distinguished between children's, middle grades, and young adult reads. In fact, there may be no accurately distinguishing between them. See post HERE to get an idea of what I mean. And on top of whatever I said in that post about having lots of gray area, people just read differently, and no less so when they are developing. So there will always be arguments about which category a book falls in to–YA, MG or Children's–but the truth is, many authors don't write for the category (or even predate the categories), so the book is what it is. Also, there is great variation in human development and maturity in any of these categories because, well, think of the difference between a first grader and fifth grader, or a thirteen-year-old and an eighteen-year-old.
I did, however, attempt to split them into the three categories, myself, anyways. I am sure there are some utter fails. And there are most definitely repeats between the lists, for (I think) obvious reasons. I did my best. Also, this seems to be the Best Books area where there are more arguments about what makes all these root lists. Ah well! I embraced all the major lists I found, so there are sure to be a dozen or so stinkers mixed in with the real gems.
This list, as well as all my Best Books lists, is a mish-mash of several best books lists from around and about. They are in no particular order. Please excuse spelling, style, and repeating mistakes. It takes a lot of time to pull these things together, and the object is to create just a starting point for our own adventures in reading (and reviewing). Middle Grades is the shortest list because most of the time readers here can go up or down based on their abilities and maturity (despite subject and tone differences. Oi). I also stuck to chapter books, only, meant for at least upper elementary; no picture books here.
We can all enjoy a great book, right? Even if it's meant for a fourth grader or a sixteen-year-old.
NOTE: I am NOT recommending any of these books for your child of whatever particular age! I have read only a small fraction of them and I can not speak to their content unless I have already reviewed them HERE. *Please educate yourself on the books that your child will be reading (just like TV shows or movies), or read with them.* Books make great parent-child discussion starters.
For reviews of all books already read and reviewed for this blog, see HERE. For reading recommendations, including Children's/MG/YA and many books that are not on the following list, see HERE.
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
Zen Shorts, Jon J. Muth
Matilda, Roald Dahl
Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia Maclachlan
Maze of Bones (39 Clues series), Rick Riordan
Ivy + Bean (series), Annie Barrows
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Judy Blume
The Adventures of Captain Underpants (series), Dav Pilkey
All-of-a-Kind Family, Sydney Taylor
The Arrival, Shaun Tan
Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo
The Birchbark House, Louise Erdrich
The Book of Three, Lloyd Alexander
The Borrowers, Mary Norton
Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
Chains, Laurie Halse Anderson
D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, the D'Aulaires
Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan
Frog and Toad Are Friends, Arnold Lobel
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh
Locomotion, Jacqueline Woodson
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert C. O'Brien
One Crazy Summer, Rita Williams-Garcia
The People Could Fly, Virginia Hamilton
Pierre, Maurice Sendak
Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren
Ramona the Pest, Beverly Cleary
Starry River of the Sky, Grace Lin
The Stories Julian Tells, Ann Cameron
Tales of Uncle Remus, Julius Lester
The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963, Christopher Paul Curtis
When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh, A. A. Milne
Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parrish
Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The Boxcar Children, Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Indian in the Cupboard, Lynne Reid Banks
Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell
Maniac Magee, Jerry Spinelli
The BFG, Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor
Stone Fox, John Reynolds Gardiner
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Beverly Cleary
The Trumpet of the Swan, E. B. White
The Chronicles of Narnia (series), C. S. Lewis
The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson
Little House (series), Laura Ingalls Wilder
Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Louis Sachar
A Light in the Attic, Shel Silverstein
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
My Father's Dragon, Ruth Stiles Gannett
Stuart Little, E. B. White
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Christopher Paul Curtis
Beezus and Ramona, Beverly Cleary
The Wheel on the School, Meindert DeJong
Caddie Woodlawn, Carol Ryrie Brink
MIDDLE GRADES:
Harry Potter (series; first half), J.K. Rowling
The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis
The Giver, Lois Lowry
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Judy Blume
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney
Chronicles of Narnia (series), C.S. Lewis
Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
Through My Eyes, Ruby Bridges
A Series of Unfortunate Events (series), Lemony Snickett
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick
Holes, Louis Sachar
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert O'Brien
Rules, Cynthia Lord
A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park
A Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, Paul Fleischman
Charlotte's Web, E.B. White
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Kate De Camillo
Harriet the Spy, Lewis Fitzhugh
Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers
Percy Jackson (series), Rick Riordan
Frindle, Andrew Clements
Secret (series), Psuedonymous Bosch
The Yearling, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkein
The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech
The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare
Anastasia Krupnik, Lois Lowry
Danny the Champion of the World, Roald Dahl
The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate
I Am the Messenger, Markus Zusak
Miracle's Boys, Jacqueline Woodson
Uglies, Scott Westerfield
Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
(You) Set Me On Fire, Mariko Tamaki
The Raven Boys, Maggie Steifvater
Grasshopper Jungle, Drew Smith
The Catcher In the Rye, J. D. Salinger
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz
How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff
Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls (MG?)
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkein
Summer of the Monkeys, Wilson Rawls
The Cat, Theodore Taylor
The Sign of the Beaver, Elizabeth George Speare (MG?)
Harry Potter (series), J. K. Rowling
The Hunger Games (trilogy), Suzanne Collins
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
The Fault In Our Stars, John Green
The Lord of the Rings (trilogy), J.R.R. Tolkein
Farenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Looking for Alaska, John Green
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
The Giver (series), Lois Lowry
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series), Douglas Adams
The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton
Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery
His Dark Materials (series), Philip Pullman
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Divergent (series), Veronica Roth
Paper Towns, John Green
The Mortal Instruments (series), Cassandra Clare
An Abundance of Katherines, John Green
Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes
Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
Twilight Saga (series), Stephenie Meyer
Infernal Devices (series), Cassandra Clare
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ann Brashares
The Call of the Wild, Jack London
Will Grayson, Will Grayson, John Green
Go Ask Alice, Anonymous
Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
A Separate Peace, John Knowles
Vampire Academy (series), Richelle Mead
Abhorsen (trilogy), Garth Nix
Dune, Frank Herbert
Discworld/Tiffany Aching (series), Terry Pratchett
My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult
The Dark is Rising (sequence), Susan Cooper
Graceling (series), Kristin Cashore
Forever…, Judy Bloom
Earthsea (series), Ursula K. Le Guin
Inheritance (cycle), Christopher Paolini
The Princess Diaries (series), Meg Cabot
Song of the Lioness (series), Tamora Pierce
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
Delirium (series), Lauren Oliver
Anna and the French Kiss, Stephanie Perkins
Hush, Hush (saga), Becca Fitzpatrick
13 Little Blue Envelopes, Maureen Johnson
It's Kind of a Funny Story, Ned Vizzini
A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury
The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
Just Listen, Sarah Dessen
A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L'Engle
The Truth About Forever, Sarah Dessen
Bartimaeus (trilogy), Jonathan Stroud
Bloodlines (series), Richelle Mead
Fallen (series), Lauren Kate
House of Night (series), P.C. Cast
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, Rachel Cohn
Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver
Unwind, Neal Shusterman
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
The Maze Runner (series), James Dashner
If I Stay, Gayle Forman
The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley
Crank, Ellen Hopkins
Matched (series), Ally Condie
Gallagher Girls (series), Ally Carter
The Goose Girl, Shannon Hale
Daughter of the Lioness/Tricksters (series), Tamora Pierce
The Immortals (series), Tamora Pierce
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Patricia C. Wrede
Chaos Walking (series), Patrick Ness
Circle of Magic (series), Tamora Pierce
Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Laini Taylor
Feed, M.T. Anderson
Weetzie Bat (series), Francesca Lia Block
Along for the Ride, Sarah Dessen
Confessions of Georgia Nicholson (series), Louise Rennison
Leviathan (series), Scott Westerfield
The House of the Scorpion, Nancy Farmer
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Diana Wynne Jones
This Lullaby, Sarah Dessen
Gone (series), Michael Grant
Shiver (trilogy), Maggie Stiefvater
The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson
Betsy-Tacy (books), Maud Hart Lovelace
Monster, Walter Dean Myers
The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
Wonder, R.J. Palacio
The Sword in the Stone, T.H. White
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
The Wonderful World of Oz, L. Frank Baum
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Jacob Have I Loved, Katherine Paterson
The Alchemyst, Michael Scott
Tarzan of the Apes, Edgar R. Burroughs
Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes
A Northern Light, Jennifer Donnelly
For Freedom, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
The Wall, Peter Cis
A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness
The Illustrated Man, Ray Bradbury
A Wreath for Emmett Till, Marilyn Nelson
Every Day, David Levithan
Where Things Come Back, John Corey Whaley
Blankets, Craig Thompson
Private Peaceful, Michael Morpurgo
Boxers and Saints, Gene Luan Yang
City of the Beasts, Isabel Allende
American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang
The Lost Conspiracy, Frances Hardinge
The Pigman, Paul Zindel
The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness
Boyproof, Cecil Castellucci
Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Myers
A High Wind in Jamaica, Richard Hughes
The Tiger Rising, Kate DiCamillo
The Grey King, Susan Cooper
The Thief Lord, Cornelia Funke
The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
Sabriel, Garth Nix
Tiger Lilly, Jodi Lynn Anderson
Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Edgar Allen Poe
Whale Talk, Chris Crutcher
The Chosen, Chaim Potok
Out of My Mind, Sharon Draper
Ender's Game, Orson Scott
Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card
Shade's Children, Gareth Nix
The Song of the Lioness, Tamora Pierce
So Yesterday, Scott Westerfield
Eleanor and Park, Rainbow Rowell
Dogsbody, Dianna Wynne Jones
Alabama Moon, Watt Key
Saffy's Angel, Hilary McKay
The Chronicles of Prydain (series), Lloyd Alexander
Under the Never Sky, Veronica Rossi
Shatter Me, Tehereh Mafi
Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson
To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Jenny Han
The Immortal Rules, Julie Kagawa
I'll Give You The Sun, Jandy Nelson
Eleanor & Park, Randy Rowell
Legend, Marie Lu
Red Rising, Pierce Brown
All the Bright Places, Jennifer Niven
Angelfall, Susan Ee
Since You've Been Gone, Morgan Matson
The Demon King, Cinda Williams Chima
The False Prince, Jennifer A. Nielson
Obsidian, Jennifer L. Armentrout
Alanna, Tamora Pierce
An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir
Impulse, Ellen Hopkins
The Darkest Minds, Alexandra Bracken
A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas
Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare
Hopeless, Colleen Hoover
May 26, 2015 in Book Reviews, Books, Literature, Reading. Tags: best books, best books list, book reviews, books, children, childrens books, MG, middle grades, reading, YA, young adult
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