These are books I would read again to my children, most are living books and I hope none of it can be called twaddle. As I am a book addict, I will be adding to this list frequently as we find more books we like. I am leaving off reading age as I believe most books can be read aloud, but for a few I have suggested you read only to older children. Note that since I have a particular enjoyment in older books many can be found as free e-books on Google Play, Project Guttenburg or other such sites.
Fiction General
- Milly Molly Mandy by Brisley (Sweet RA for young girl)
- Soar by Joan Bauer (Baseball; Character)
- My Side of the Mountain and On the Far Side of the Mountain by J. C. George
- King of the Mound: My Summer with Satchel Paige by Wes Tooke
- Cat in the City by Judy Salamon
- Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson (Delightful personification of wildlife)
- Gone Away Lake by Enright (Simple wholesome summer adventures)
- Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald (Older; Art, WW2)
- Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty Birney (skip one chapter)
- Hans Brinker by Mary Dodge (Netherlands, some romantic elements)
- A Little Princess by Frances Burnett (British; make sure its not abridged)
- Little Lord Flauntleroy by Frances Burnett (English/American; Great RA)
- The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett (India/England)
- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery (Canada)
- Heidi by Johanna Spryi (Switzerland; make sure its unabridged)
- Understood Betsy by Fisher
- Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms by Wiggins
- Wheel on the School by DeJong (Holland)
- Captain Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (Older b/c difficult to read dialect)
- Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince (Lamplighter Book)
- Little Sir Galahad by Holmes
- Teddy Buttons (great moral about fighting our negative selves)
- Homer Price by McCloskey
- Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
- Swallows and Amazons by Ransome
- Trumpet of the Swan and Stuart Little by E.B. White
- Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight (Scotland)
- Follow My Leader by Garfield (Boy Blinded by Firecraker gets Seeing Eye Dog)
- Kavik by Morey (PacNW/Alaska)
- Little Men, Eight Cousins and Inheritance by Louisa May Alcott (My favorites)
- Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms by Wiggins
- Jane Austen Books (Young Adult b/c or romantic overtones)
- Paddle to the Sea by Hollings (Great Living Geography Author) Link 2 Link 3
- Shakespeare Can be Fun Series by Lois Burdett (Best way to Intro Shakes)
- Stories From Shakespeare by Geraldine McCaughrean (Has Henry V & Julius)
- Jigsaw Jones Mysteries by James Preller (Early Readers)
- Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery (Books 1 & 2 good through MS, then rest HS)
- You Wouldn't Want to.... Series (timeline of series; caution I have not read all)
- G.A. Henty Series of Books (Reading all his historical fiction books would be a great way to learn history for Middle to Young Adults)
- A History of English Speaking People by Winston Churchill (4 Volumes at a high reading level but well worth the effort)
- In the Days of Noah by Snellenberger
- The Secret of the Royal Mounds: Henry Layard and the First Cities of Assyria by Cynthia Jameso (Biography, Archeology)
- Cat of Bubastes by G.A. Henty (This his first book chronologically)
- Boy of the Pyramids by Ruth Fosdick Jones (Great RA)
- The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley (Ancient Mesopotamia)
- The Silk Princess by Charles Santore (Ancient China)
- The Pet Dragon by Christoph Niemann (China, folklore)
- How the Rooster Got his Crown by Amy Lowry Poole (China, folklore)
- How the Sphinx got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland (Hatshepsut)
- King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba by Blu Greenberg
- Solomon and the Ant by Sheldon Oberman (Jewish Folktales)
- Casting the Gods Adrift by Geraldine McCaughrean (Amenhotep IV)
- The Egyptian Cinderella by Climo (Pharoah Amasis)
- Aesop's Fables Illustrated by Milo Winter
- D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
- Children of the Fox by Jill Paton Walsh (Themistokles of Greece)
- The First Marathon: Legend of Pheidippides by Susan Reynolds (Battle of Marathon)
- Pythagoras and the Ratios by Julie Ellis (Math)
- The Librarian who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky (Eratosthenes)
- Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick (Biography)
- Detectives in Togas by Henry Winterfield
- Cleopatra by Diane Stanley
- Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (Young Adult b/c depth of thought)
- Valley of the Kings by Stuart Tyson Smith
- Story of the World by M.B. Synge (better than modern version by same name)
- The Puzzle of Ancient Man: Adv. Tech in Past Civil? by Chittick (Must Read)
- Unwrapping the Pharoahs and Unveiling Kings by Downs (Older; MS or Above)
- White Stag by Seredy (Attila the Hun from a fascinating perspective)
- Black Horses for the King by Anne McCaffrey (King Arthur)
- The Saracen Steed by Arthur Anthony Gladd (c. 732)
- Black Fox of Lorne by Marguerite De Angeli (c.900)
- The Squire and the Scroll (Illus. favorite of my five year old)
- The Little Duke by Yonge (Duke of Normandy btw Charlamagne and William)
- Lief the Lucky by Berry ( I prefer this over the Beautiful Feet story); Leif Ericson by Steele (for upper elem./MS)
- Wulf the Saxon by G.A. Henty (Harold and William the Conqueror)
- King's Shadow by Alder (Older b/c content; Harold II and William the Conqueror)
- Red Falcons of Tremoine by Peart (time of King Richard c1191)
- Big John's Secret (Kings of Hospiller) by Jewett (Crusades; St. Francis c 1217)
- Marco Polo by Olive Price (Great RA 1254-1324)
- Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray (80 years post Magna Carta 1215)
- Otto of the Silver Hand by Pyle (fills a gap in history, not a favorite 1273)
- Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli (Bubonic Plague, 1348-1375)
- Apple and the Arrow by Buff (Swiss history c. 1400)
- Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley (some caution b/c of treatment 1431)
- The Apprentice by Pilar LLorente (Incredible character story)
- Trumpeter of Krakow by Kelly (1461 Poland; Older b/c ref to black magic)
- The Last Knight by Will Eisner (If you must read Don Quioxte this will do)
- Gabriel and the Hour Book by Stein (c. 1498; great to read around Christmas)
- Michelangelo, Leonardo DaVinci, Bard of Avon by Diane Stanley
- Nicolaus: The Earth is a Planet by Fradin (Copernicus)
- My Escape From Auto De Fe (1559 Autobiography about surviving Inquisition)
- Good Queen Bess by Malkus; Queen Bess by Diane Stanley
- Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal by Reilly (Irish under Queen Elizabeth's rule)
- The Loyal Grenvilles by Hendry Peart (Puritans under Cromwell's England)
- Peter the Great by Diane Stanley
- Along Came Galileo by Bendick (Not a favorite but best I've found)
- Johannes Kepler by Tiner (Wonderful story and life)
- A Piece of the Mountain by McPherson (Bio of Pascal with heavy focus on his faith)
- Robert Boyle by Tiner (Bio of Father of Chemistry)
- Issac Newton: Mastermind of Modern Science by David C. Knight
- Huguenot Garden by Jones (I haven't read this yet)
- King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry (biography, 1740s)
- First Book of Indians by Brewster Watts
- Our Constitution Rocks! by Juliette Turner
- Pedro's Journal by Conrad (Columbus)
- Animals Columbus Saw by Sandra Markle
- Squanto: Friend of Pilgrims by Bulla (Pilgrims)
- Sign of the Beaver by Speare (Pre-Revolution America NE)
- Courage of Sarah Noble by Dalgliesh (Pre-revolution, America NE)
- Amos Fortune - Free Man by Yates (Bio, Slavery 1725-1801)
- The Minute Boys of Lexington (and sequel Bunker Hill) by Stratemeyer
- The Hatmaker's Sign: A Story of Benjamin Franklin (Illus.)
- Revolutionary Friends by Castrovilla (Washington & Lafayette; Illus.)
- Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes (Older b/c depth of ideas)
- True to the Flag by Henty (Older; Rev. War from British Perspective)
- The Three Gold Doubloons by Edith Thacher Hurd
- The Story of Lafayette by Hazel Wilson (Important person worth reading about)
- The Age of Revolution by Churchill (Older b/c of depth of delivery)
- Phoebe the Spy by Griffin
- The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz (Post Rev.)
- Capital for the Nation by Hoig (Planning/building of DC)
- Napoleon: The Story of the Little Corporal by Burleigh (Illus. w/ great quotes)
- Salt by Helen Frost (War 1812; Done in prose btw Amer. and Indian boy)
- Once on This Island by Gloria Whelan (War of 1812; some romantic overtones)
- Carry On Mr. Bowditch (Awesome Math/Science Bio; Post Rev)
- Samuel F. B. Morse - Artist with a Message by John Hudson Tiner (Sower Series)
- Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Frontier America, biography)
- Journey to the Bottomless Pit: Story of Bishop and Mammoth Cave by Mitchell
- Thee, Hannah! by Marquerite de Angeli (Bio,Underground Railroad)
- Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Brink (Frontier, Civil War, biography)
- Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith (Well researched historical fiction, Western CW)
- Turn Homeward, Hannalee by Beatty (Older b/c some implied bad behavior; Diff. perspective than most Civil War books)
- Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder (Best Civil War book; takes place post war)
- Katerina's Wish by Mobley (Coal Mines, 1901)
- Girl in the Torch by Sharenow (Immigration, Older content ie. Vio and Alch)
- We'll Race You, Henry: A story about Henry Ford by Mitchell
- I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 - Lauren Tarshis
- The Good Master and The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy (NF; Hungary; WWI)
- War Horse by Morpurgo (WWI, great alternative to All Quiet Western Front)
- Falcons of France by Nordhoff (WWI, Incredible true story (one GD pg247))
- Ten True Tales World War I Heros by Zullo
- The Great Molasses Flood: Boston 1919 (NF) by Deborah Kops
- A Tree for Peter by Kate Seredy (Depression Era; RA b/c explanation of life)
- House of Sixty Fathers by DeJong (Young Adult b/c war content; China War '30s)
- The Boys in the Boat by Brown (NF; Story of 1936 Olympic Rowing Team; incl depression/Hitler)
- October '45: Childhood Memories of War by Jean-Louis Besson (Illustrated; WW2 Read Aloud to explain) Buttery, The Bracelet and Passage to Freedom
- Number the Stars by Lowry (smuggling Jews to safety in Sweden, WW2); Snow Treasure is another WW2 alternative safe for kids.
- I am David/North to Freedom by Anne Holm (Young Adult b/c depth of ideas, WW2)
- Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World by Wood (WW2; Illust.)
- The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert (Great RA, Germany post WW2 reconstruction)
- God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew (Fight against Communism post WW2, HS to Adult)
- Through the Wall by Alida Sims Malkus (Berlin and the Wall Post WW2)
- An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Col. Hadfield (YA; depth of ideas/content)
- Who Moved by Cheese by Spencer Johnson (YA;Self-help on dealing with change)
- Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometry by Cindy Neuschwander (All of her living math books are great, my boys read them over and over.)
- Farm and Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman
- Quest to Digest by Mary Corcoran
- Circulatory Story by Mary Corcoran
- Building Blocks of Science (careful of evolution overtones in some)
- Tiner Series (Classical/CM Christian Science Series)
- I, Vivialdi by Shefelman
- The Farwell Symphony by Celenza (Illus. Haydn w/ CD)
- The Story of Haydn by Kaufmann
- Mozart by Mike Venezia (Venezia has entire series on Artists and Composers)
- Beethoven Lives Upstairs by Barbara Nichol (Best to get Audio CD bc incl music)
- Tchaikovsky by Venezia (only book I found that avoided inappropriate issues)
- When Stravinsky met Nijinsky by Lauren Stringer (Composer)
- What Makes a.... a ....? (Degas, Monet, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Bruegel)
- Rembrandt and Titus by Loeker
- Monet by Mike Venezia (lots of great artist books by this author)
- Degas and the Dance by Devonyar; Meet Edgar Degas by Newlands (has a nude)
- My Brother Vincent Van Gogh by Cecil de Bie (One of few bright books on him)
- Klee for Children by Vry; The Cat Bird by Eischner (Illus. for younger kids)
- Hokusai: The Man who painted a Mountain by Ray
- Noisy Paint Box: Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky by Rosenstock
- Art Fraud Detective by Nilsen
- The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson
- The Lion in the Box by Marguerite de Angeli
- Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck (teaches the joy of giving)
- An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco (You might want to skip Epilogue)
- The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (a little on the sad side but happy ending)
- Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry (funny prose)
- The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean
- Handel's Messiah - Family Advent Reader
- A Tree for Peter by Kate Seredy (Very deep in thoughts)
- Make Way for McCloskey: A Robert McCloskey Treasury (RA, Early Elem)
- The Story of Ping (One of the many great books found in Five in a Row)
- Patricia Polacco books
- Bill Beet books, sometimes dark but generally funny
- Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by James Marshall
- Amazing Cows by Sandra Boynton (my kids laugh out loud to all her books)
- Out of the Woods by Rebecca Bond (NF)
- Team Moon by Catherine Thimmesh (Apollo 11)
- God Speed John Glenn by Hilliard
- The Man Who Went to the Other Side of the Moon (Mike Collins Bio)
- Find the Constellations by H.A. Rey
- Books by Mike Venezia (Artists and Composers)
- Miracle Mud: Lean Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball by Kelly
- Dubs Goes to Washington by Morris (Illustrated)
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