Resources

This is the **most important information** in the entire site. As parents, we need to identify books that will appeal to our children. After all, reading a little every day should be pleasurable and half the battle to get children reading deals with savvy book selection. (The importance of parents’ roles in this cannot be overemphasized—see the 2008 Scholastic Reading Report @ [|**http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/news/readingreport.htm**] for some sobering statistics).

Below you will find book lists sorted by gender and genre. For complete reviews of each work see []  Book Lists

For Boys or Girls somewhat dark in tone. ||
 * **__Title__** || **__Author__** || **__Aloud__** || **__Alone__** || **__Genre__** || **__Topics/Notes__** ||
 * Charlotte's Web || White, E.B. || 5 || 8 || Fantasy || Animals, Growing Up ||
 * A Wrinkle in Time || L'engle, M. || 10 || 12 || Fantasy || Supernatural ||
 * Tuck Everlasting || L'engle, M. || 12 || 12 || Fantasy || The choice of whether to live forever,
 * Coraline || Gaiman, Neil || 10 || 12 || Fantasy || Well written, gripping, downright **SCARY** ||
 * Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH ||  || 7 || 11 || Fantasy || Rats, ||
 * The BFG || Dahl, R || 8 || 10 || Fantasy ||  ||
 * The Tale of Desperuax || DiCamillo, K. || 7 || 9 || Fantasy || Animals, Princesses, Rats ||
 * Bunnicula ||  || 6 || 8 || Fantasy || Vampires, animals ||
 * Inkheart || Funke, C. || 9 || 11 || Fantasy || book characters come to life ||
 * The Thief Lord || Funke, C. || 8 || 10 || Fantasy || Venice, adventure, orphans ||
 * Walter, The Story of a Rat ||  || 9 || 10 || Fantasy || Rat, Loneliness, Friendship ||
 * Mr. Popper's Penguins ||  || 5 || 8 || Fantasy || Penguins ||
 * The Cricket in Times Square || Seldon, G. || 6 || 8 || Fantasy || Friendship, NY city, animals ||
 * Binky, the Space Cat ||  || 5 || 7 || Graphic || Cat, comic ||
 * Adventures in Cartooning ||  || 6 || 6 || Graphic || How to and a fun story; quick ||
 * Bull Run || Fleishman, P. || 12 || 12 || Historical || Civil War ||
 * Out of the Dust || Hesse, K || 11 || 11 || Historical || Depression, Dust Bowl ||
 * The Wastons Go to Birmingham ||  || 9 || 10 || Historical || Growing up, Racism, ||
 * Solidier's Heart ||  || 12 || 12 || Historical || Civil War ||
 * Island of the Blue Dolphins || O'Dell, S. || 10 || 12 || Historical || Native americans, animals, island life ||
 * Shiloh || Naylor || 8 || 10 || R. Fiction || dogs, bravery, ||
 * My Side of the Mountain || Craighead George, J. || 8 || 10 || R. Fiction || Nature, survival, wildlife, hawks ||
 * Charlie's Raven || Craighead George, J. || 8 || 10 || R. Fiction || Ravens, Nature, Family ||
 * The Wheel on the School ||  || 7 || 10 || R. Fiction || Storks, Holland, ||
 * The Well ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Witness || Hesse, K ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

For Girls Great black, white & pink illustrations Series || First of a triology ||
 * ||  || **Read** || **Read** ||   ||   ||
 * **__Title__** || **__Author__** || **__Aloud__** || **__Alone__** || **__Genre__** || **__Topics/Notes__** ||
 * Ella Enchanted ||  || 8 || 10 || Fantasy || Cinderella reworked ||
 * The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane || DiCamillo, K. || 8 || 10 || Fantasy || Lyrical, ||
 * Beauty ||  || 8 || 10 || Fantasy || Beauty and the beast grows up ||
 * Baby Mouse, Queen of the World ||  || 8 || 8 || Graphic || Experiences of a mouse as she grows.
 * Sarah Plain and Tall || M || 7 || 8 || Historical || Prairie life, mail order bride
 * A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal ||  || 10 || 12 || Historical || Colonial life, New Hampshire ||
 * The Midwife's Apprentice ||  || 10 || 10 || Historical || medeival life, midwifery, ||
 * The Secret Garden ||  || 8 || 10 || R. Fiction || orphan, friendship ||
 * The Great Gilly Hopkins ||  || 8 || 10 || R. Fiction || foster care, transformation ||
 * WalkTwo Moons || Creech, S. || 10 || 12 || R. Fiction || Native americans, mother/daughter, loss ||
 * Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret || Blume, J. || 11 || 12 || R. Fiction || girls, friendship, religion, puberty ||
 * Because of Winn Dixie || DiCamillo, K. || 9 || 11 || R. Fiction || dogs, mother/daughter ||
 * The Window || Doris, M. || 12 || 12 || R. Fiction || abandonment, race, family ||

 For Boys


 * **__Title__** || **__Author__** || **__Aloud__** || **__Alone__** || **__Genre__** || **__Topics/Notes__** ||
 * The Janitor's Boy || Clemments, S. || 10 || 12 || R. Fiction || Father/son conflict, middle school ||
 * The Chocolate War || Cormier, R || NA || 14 || R. Fiction || High school boys, sexually explicit ||