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Hot Topics! Reading List of...
Classics and Fiction
For the Youngest Readers, or to Read Aloud...
-
Annie
Mouse Meets Her Guardian Angel by Anne Slanina (sometimes available from
Amazon)
- For all children who have ever felt that their mothers hated them
when they were yelling. Annie Mouse is a shy, quiet mouse with many brothers and
sisters. Mommy Mouse yells and screams at them as she works hard to keep house.
Annie believes her mother hates her until she has a visit from her Guardian
Angel, who helps her understand that her mother is having a hard time coping
with all of her duties as a mother of a large family. Annie begins to ask her
Guardian Angel for help when her mother yells. She also begins to help her
mother with the chores instead of running and hiding when her mother yells...
-
The Giving Tree by Shel
Silverstein
- "Once there was a tree ... and she loved a little boy." Every day the boy
would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down
her trunk ... and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want
more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave... (Warning: This story is
either loved or hated by gifted families - whether you see it as a story of
giving or a story of sacrifice.)
-
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
- Emerging from his home at Mole End one spring, Mole's whole world changes
when he hooks up with the good-natured, boat-loving Water Rat, the boastful Toad
of Toad Hall, the society-hating Badger who lives in the frightening Wild Wood,
and countless other mostly well-meaning creatures...
-
- Rudyard Kipling's...
- Just So Stories
- Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
- For one hundred years, these classic tales -- drawn from the oral
storytelling traditions of India and Africa and filled with mischievously clever
animals and people -- have entertained young and old alike
Best Ever, by the folks who brought you Horrible Histories. Visit Horribles! for the whole Horrible collection!
-
Terry
Deary's Best Ever Greek Legends (or from the Amazon.co.uk
Terry Deary's Best Ever Greek Legends) - From killer king Oedipus to
monstrous Medusa's horrible hair, the classic Greek legends are back ...with a
modern twist. Discover how Heroic Heracles sits his SATs and the wife of top god
Zeus spills the beans about her legendary husband. Discover foul fact about
furies, harpies and other killer creatures plus the evils of the Underworld
revealed. 100% horrible!
-
Terry
Deary's Best Ever Shakespeare Tales (or from the Amazon.co.uk
Terry Deary's Best Ever Shakespeare Tales)
- Tells you more than just what
happens in everyone's favourite Shakespeare plays - it tells you the stories
behind them. Find out about: A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear, Twelfth
Night, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, The
Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth and Hamlet. From how the plays were originally
staged to what Shakespeare himself might have thought of his work being taught
in schools - there's so much to find out!
-
Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry
- The ups and downs of a precocious ten-year-old girl... and the sequels:
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Although Anna Sewell's classic paints a clear picture of turn-of-the-century
London, its message is universal and timeless: animals will serve humans well if
they are treated with consideration and kindness
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Anyone who has ever entertained the notion of "little people" living
furtively among us will adore this artfully spun classic. Also,
The Borrowers Afloat,
The Borrowers Afield,
The Borrowers Avenged
The Borrowers Aloft
Call of the Wild by Jack London
Survival in the Arctic is brutal, at best, for both man
and dog... Also,
White Fang
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
George Selden's whimsical tale of a little Connecticut cricket named Chester,
whose entrapment in a wicker picnic basket leads to never-before-dreamed-of
adventures upon his arrival in Times Square...
The
Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
To Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother, the house in the
country promises a summer of freedom and play. But when they accidentally
uncover an accident Psammead--or Sand-fairy--who has the power to make wishes
come true, they find themselves having the holiday of a lifetime, sharing one
thrilling adventure after another...
The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall
The Minnipins' world is a colorful, well-detailed world full of adventures,
with no shortage of eccentric characters... And the sequel,
The Whisper of Glocken
The
Good Liar by Gregory Maguire
Three girls doing a school assignment on World War II write a letter
to an artist they've seen on TV when they learn he grew up in the Loire
Valley of France during the war. Marcel Delarue responds to their
questions by telling his family's story...
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
Gilly Hopkins is a determined-to-be-unpleasant 11-year-old foster kid who
the reader can't help but like by the end. Gilly has been in the foster system
all her life, and she dreams of getting back to her (as she imagines) wonderful
mother. But she soon learns about illusions--the hard way...
Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhugh
Unflinchingly honest portrayal of childhood problems and emotions changed
children's literature forever. ...remains one of the best children's novels ever
written. The fascinating story is about an intensely curious and intelligent
girl...
Heidi
by Johanna Spyri
The classic story of a young orphan sent to live with her grumpy grandfather
in the Swiss Alps, Heidi has charmed and intrigued readers since it's original
publication in 1880...
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Inspired by the real-life story
of a 12-year-old American Indian girl, Karana, a remarkable young
woman who, during the evacuation of Ghalas-at (an island off the coast of
California), jumped ship to stay with her young brother who had been abandoned
on the island. He died shortly thereafter, and Karana fended for herself on the
island for 18 years
The
Last Dog on Earth by Daniel Ehrenhaft (upper elementary and up)
In this boy-and-his-dog tale with a twist, Logan Moore, 14, doesn't
measure up to the expectations of his mom and stepdad, and is friendless
at school. His one interest, inventing electronic gadgets, only gives vent
to mischievous impulses. The teen lacks direction and self-esteem until he
adopts Jack, a wild and mangy mutt...
Leaping
Beauty: And Other Animal Fairy Tales by Gregory Maguire
Eight well-known fairy tales are recast, with the aid of animal
characters and outrageous puns...
Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder (9 Books, Boxed Set)
Pa Ingalls decides to sell the little log house, and the family sets out for
Indian country! They travel from Wisconsin to Kansas, and there, finally, Pa
builds their little house on the prairie. Sometimes farm life is difficult, even
dangerous, but Laura and her family are kept busy... Also available
separately, beginning with
Little House in the Big Woods
Little
Women by Louisa May Alcott
The classic story fo a family, still entrancing readers... Also
available in an
annotated version with margin notes on period clothing, customs, and more,
or an
illustrated version for read-aloud...
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
On an island off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland lives a centuries-old
band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom...
My
Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Every kid thinks about running away at one point or another; few get farther
than the end of the block. Young Sam Gribley gets to the end of the block and
keeps going... Also
On
the Far Side of the Mountain,
Frightful's Mountain
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Pippi is an irrepressible, irreverent, and irrefutably
delightful girl who lives alone (with a monkey) in her wacky house, Villa
Villekulla. Pippi's high-spirited, good-natured hijinks cause as much trouble as fun, but a
more generous child you won't find anywhere
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
A wonderfully symbolic story about children finding love and happiness
through their mutual delight in the magic of nature and in each other...
Swallows
and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (all
ages, from read aloud through young adult!)
Swallows and Amazons
Swallowdale
Peter Duck: A Treasure Hunt in the Caribbees
Winter Holiday
Coot Club
Pigeon Post
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea
Secret Water
The Big Six
Missee Lee: The Swallows and Amazons in the China Seas
The Picts & the Martyrs: Or Not Welcome at All (Godine Storyteller)
Great Northern?: A Scottish Adventure
The
Sword in the Stone by T. H. White
The Sword And The Stone recreates, against the background of magnificent
pageantry and dark magic that was medieval England, the education and training
of young King Arthur, who was to become the greatest of Britain's legendary
rulers...
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Climb aboard for the swashbuckling adventure of a lifetime. The names Long
John Silver and Jim Hawkins are destined to remain pieces of folklore for as
long as children want to read Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous book
The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofting
Chronicles of the delightful voyages of Doctor Dolittle...
Where
the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin
A young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. Her
father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the
Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired, Minli sets off
on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she
can change her family's fortune. An assorted cast of characters and magical
creatures grace her way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for
the ultimate answer...
Where the Sidewalk Ends: The Poems and Drawings of Shel Silverstein by Shel
Silverstein
Also
A Light in the Attic,
Falling Up,
A Giraffe and a Half,
Lafcadio, The Lion Who Shot Back,
The Missing Piece
Meets the Big O,
The Giving Tree,
Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Few fantasy lands have captured our hearts and imaginations as
has the marvelous land of Oz... Also (in order!)
beginning with The Royal Book of Oz,
books are written by Ruth Plumly Thompson; there are additional titles by other authors...
Roald Dahl's...
The BFG
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (the sequel)
James and the Giant Peach
Matilda
Danny
the Champion of the World
Eleanor Estes'...
The Moffats
The Middle Moffat
Rufus M.
The Moffat Museum
Ginger Pye
Pinky Pye
The Hundred Dresses
Rudyard Kipling's...
The Jungle Book
Louis Sachar's...
Wayside School Boxed Set: Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger, Wayside School
is Falling Down, Sideway Stories from Wayside School
Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School
More Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School
Some Day Angeline
There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom
Dogs Don't Tell Jokes
 Holes
Full of humor and absurdity, but also a deep understanding of friendship and a
searing compassion for society's underdogs...
Small Steps the sequel to Holes, focuses on Armpit. It's two years after his
release, and the 16-year-old is still digging holes, although now getting paid for it, working for a landscaper in his hometown ...
E. B. White's...
Charlotte's Web
classic farmyard tale, now also available as a movie
Charlotte's Web
Stuart Little
The Trumpet of the Swan
For Older Readers...
- 1984 by George Orwell
- The year is 1984; the scene is London. In a grim
city and a terrifying country, where Big Brother is always Watching You and the
Thought Police can practically read your mind, Winston is a man in grave danger
for the simple reason that his memory still functions
-
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
- Verne's classic novel about Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus -
classic science fiction still today!
-
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
- An amusing, nostalgic look at boyhood on the Mississippi River in the
mid-19th century, and is based on Mark Twain's memories of his youth in the
river town of Hannibal, Missouri. Also,
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
-
Animal Farm by George Orwell
- George Orwell's anthropomorphic fable of a
workers' revolution gone wrong...
-
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- "Community, Identity,
Stability" is the motto of Aldous Huxley's utopian World State. Here everyone
consumes daily grams of soma, to fight depression, babies are born in
laboratories, and the most popular form of entertainment is a "Feelie," a movie
that stimulates the senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Though there is no
violence and everyone is provided for...
-
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Jess Aarons is eager to start fifth grade. He's been practicing his sprints
all summer, determined to become the fastest runner at school. All seems to be
on track, until the new girl in class leaves all the boys in the dust, including
Jess... Now available as a movie
Bridge to Terabithia
-
Catch-22 by Joseph L. Heller
- Classic satire on the murderous insanity of war...
-
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- The coming-of-age story against which all others are judged. Read and
cherished by generations, the story of Holden Caulfield is truly one of
America's literary treasures...
-
A
Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- Set in a dismal dystopia, it is the first-person account
of a juvenile delinquent who undergoes state-sponsored psychological
rehabilitation for his aberrant behavior. The novel satirizes extreme political
systems that are based on opposing models of the perfectibility or
incorrigibility of humanity...
-
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
- One of the greatest thrillers
of all time, The Count of Monte Cristo tells the tale of young Edmond Dantes,
who, falsely accused of treason and arrested on his wedding day, escapes from
prison to seek revenge on his enemies
-
Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller
- Described by Miller as "the tragedy of a man who gave
his life, or sold it" in pursuit of the American Dream. After many years on the
road as a traveling salesman, Willy Loman realizes he has been a failure as a
father and husband...
-
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- Classic, frightening vision of the future, where firemen
don't put out fires--they start them in order to burn books. This vividly
painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal--a
place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad...
-
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
- The domineering matriarch of the Wingfield family tries to find a "gentleman caller" for her fragile daughter.
This is a "memory play"; the narrator/character, Tom, continually shifts from
narration to his "in scene" character...
-
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- What this cautionary tale of a young man raised high
above his station by a mysterious benefactor lacks in length, it more than makes
up for in its remarkable characters and compelling stories...
-
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
- Gulliver's Travels describes the four fantastic voyages of Lemuel Gulliver,
a kindly ship's surgeon. Swift portrays him as an observer, a reporter, and a
victim of circumstance
-
The Island of Dr. Moreau
by H. G. Wells
- A shipwreck in the South Seas, a palm-tree paradise where a mad doctor
conducts vile experiments, animals that become human and then "beastly" in ways
they never were before--it's the stuff of high adventure. It's also a parable
about Darwinian theory, a social satire in the vein of Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's
Travels), and a bloody tale of horror...
-
The Invisible Man
by H. G. Wells
- This masterpiece of science fiction is the fascinating story of Griffin, a
scientist who creates a serum to render himself invisible, and his descent into
madness that follows...
-
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
- Cooper's famous adventure brings the wilds of the American frontier and the
drama of the French-Indian war to vivid life. Featuring the classic character
Natty Bumppo, it is a moving, memorable depiction of courage, passion, and
forbearance, and a precursor to the Western genre
-
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- The March family, with its four spirited daughters,
succeeds in any circumstances. Alcott's themes of love, kindness and faith
endure through the centuries
-
Listen!
by Stephanie Tolan

- Award-winning story about a girl who loses her mom, and finds herself,
with the help of a wild dog... Christopher Award, for media that “salutes
the highest values of the human spiritˮ (all readers)
-
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
- From "Rocket Summer" to "The Million-Year Picnic," Ray
Bradbury's stories of the colonization of Mars form an eerie mesh of past and
future...
-
Of
Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- The tragic story, given poignancy by its objective narrative, is about the
complex bond between two migrant laborers
-
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
- Oliver's stark request, "Please, sir, I want some more,"
will thrill kids today as it always has, and the story of the street boy on the
run, who lives with outlaws and then finds a safe home...
-
No
More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman
- Tired of school-assigned novels where the dog always dies, Wallace tells the
teacher how he feels... and ends up kicked off the football team and into
detention, along with an English teacher doing a dramatic production of the
novel Wallace hates. By the end of the production, the tables are turned
and the dog pulls through... Great for our sensitive readers!
-
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
- The tragic tale of how a priceless pearl brings greed,
treachery and loss to a poor Mexican pearl diver, his wife and their infant
son...
-
A
Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
- An African-American family is united in love and pride as they struggle to
overcome poverty and harsh living conditions...
-
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
- Classic tale of a young man's coming-of-age during the American Civil War...
-
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
- Crusoe has become an emblem of human survival in a lonely and hostile world...
-
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- In the early days of Puritan Boston, Hester Prynne braves the stigma of
adultery by wearing the embroidered scarlet "A" on her clothing...
-
A
Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
This classic story of feuding families set against a backdrop of London and
Paris during the French Revolution reveals the author's belief that from the
ashes of the past can come the birth of a more enlightened age...
-
Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas
- Timeless tale of swashbuckling adventure and heroic deeds...
-
The Time Machine
by H. G. Wells
- First novel by H.G. Wells, published in book form in 1895. The novel is
considered one of the earliest works of science fiction and the progenitor of
the "time travel" subgenre. Wells advanced his social and political ideas in
this narrative of a nameless Time Traveller who is hurtled into the year 802,701
by his elaborate ivory, crystal, and brass contraption. The world he finds is
peopled by two races: the decadent Eloi, fluttery and useless, are dependent for
food, clothing, and shelter on the simian subterranean Morlocks, who prey on
them...
-
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression,
To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch,
her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the
arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman.
Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the
eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice,
and the pain of growing up...
-
The War of the Worlds
by H. G. Wells
- This is the granddaddy of all alien invasion stories, first published by H.G.
Wells in 1898. The novel begins ominously, as the lone voice of a narrator tells
readers that "No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth
century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences
greater than man's..."
-
By Gary Blackwood
-
The Shakespeare Stealer tale of a 14-year-old Yorkshire orphan sent
by a rival theater manager to steal the as-yet-unpublished Hamlet in
1601 London "excels in the lively depictions of Elizabethan stagecraft
and street life"
-
Shakespeare's Scribe
-
Shakespeare's Spy
-
By L. M.
Montgomery
-
Anne of Green Gables (complete set) tale of a 14-year-old Yorkshire orphan sent
by a rival theater manager to steal the as-yet-unpublished Hamlet in
1601 London "excels in the lively depictions of Elizabethan stagecraft
and street life" Or read
The Annotated Anne of Green Gables
-
World of
Adventure series, by Gary Paulsen (chapter books to pre-teen, mostly out of
stock but available used)
-
Brian Robeson is at home in the Canadian wilderness. He has stood up to the
challenge of surviving alone in the woods. He prefers being on his own in the
natural world to civilization...
Other titles by
Gary Paulsen
Harris and Me post-WWII story of an 11-year-old boy sent to spend the summer
on his relatives' farm...
Dogsong A fourteen-year-old Eskimo boy who feels at odds with aspects of
modern life takes a 1400-mile journey by dog sled across ice, tundra, and
mountains seeking his own "song" of himself
Canyons
An Apache boy, takes part in his first raid--the one
that will usher him into manhood. More
than a hundred years later, while camping near Dog Canyon, fifteen-year-old
Brennan Cole becomes obsessed with a skull that he finds, pierced by a bullet...
The Car 14-year-old Terry Anders is a 1990s Huck Finn, with parents as
neglectful as Pap. Like Huck, he escapes, not on a raft but by constructing a
kit car. Besides evoking a type of independence and tough-mindedness that will
appeal to teens, this provocative novel introduces and explores some interesting
philosophies of life...
The Island The island is in the middle of a small lake in northern
Wisconsin, uninhabited until the summer Wilstet, 15, arrives. Wil is at first
drawn by the simplicity of the place, but as his concentration sharpens the
island unfolds its matrix of life and death, mirroring the unfolding layers of
Wil's self-consciousness...
The Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket (chapter books and up)
"Make no mistake. The Bad
Beginning begins badly for the three Baudelaire children, and then gets worse."
A bit dark, but tons of fun, and full of great vocabulary (always explained in
the text), these are the latest craze among kids from early chapter book readers
to teens. Don't miss
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography
Pre-Teen and Teens
-
The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
(pre-teen and
up)
- A murder mystery of sorts -- told by an autistic boy. Fifteen-year-old
Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless,
raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with their
child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value,
and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers...
- Alex Rider
Adventure, by Anthony Horowitz (pre-teen to teen)
-
Stormbreaker
-
Point Blank
-
Skeleton Key
-
Eagle Strike
-
Scorpia coming March 17, 2005
- Working as a secret agent for Britains
most exclusive agency, M16, Alex Rider has seen it all. Hes been shot at by
international terrorists, stood face-to-face with pure evil, and saved the
worldtwice. But fifteen-year-old Alex is about to face something more
dangerous than he can imagine...
- Brian, by Gary
Paulsen (pre-teen and up)
-
Hatchet
-
The River
-
Brian's Winter
-
Brian's Return
-
Brian's Hunt
-
Guts - the real stories. stories of the adventures that inspired Paulsen to
write Brian Robeson's story
- Brian Robeson is at home in the Canadian wilderness. He has stood up to the
challenge of surviving alone in the woods. He prefers being on his own in the
natural world to civilization...
-
The Boy, by Gary
Paulson (chapter books, pre-teen and up)
-
The Cookcamp Short, lyrical novel concerns a five-year-old boy who is sent
to the north woods of Minnesota to live with his grandmother, a cook for a
rough-and-tumble road-building crew...
-
The Quilt Spend another summer with "the boy" and his grandmother, Alida.
World War II is being fought in Europe, and the boys mother, working in a
munitions factory in Chicago, sends her six-year-old son to stay with his
grandmother in Minnesota
-
Alida's Song The wonderful grandmother seen through the eyes of a young boy
in The Cookcamp reaches out to him at 14, offering him a haven...
-
Surviving
the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan (chapter books to adult) - Newbery Honor title! When Jake
Semple is kicked out of yet another school, the Applewhites, an eccentric family
of artists, offer to let him live with them and attend their unstructured
Creative Academy...

Classics from Other Cultures
Also read
Windows and Mirrors: Reading Diverse Children's Literature by Sarah
Park Dahlen, for lots more suggestions on diverse cultural literature.
China
-
The
Analects of Confucius by Confucius, translated by Simon Leys
- In this terse, brilliant translation, Simon Leys restores the human
dimension to Confucius. He emerges a full-blooded character with a
passion for politics and a devotion to the ideals of a civilization he
saw in decline. Leys's Notes draw Confucius into conversation with the
great thinkers of the Western tradition...
-
The
Art of War by Sun-Tzu
- The ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu is universally recognized as the
greatest military strategist in history, a master of warfare
interpretation. This condensed version of his influential classic
imparts the knowledge and skills to overcome every adversary in war, at
the office, or in everyday life...
-
The
I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm
- More than just a translation, Richard Wilhelm's I Ching is a
profound introduction to the Chinese world-view. The I Ching (Yi
Jing) is recognized by both Confucians and Taoists as a foundational
work, and Wilhelm shows why. He separates his work into three books. The
first book is about the hexagrams...
-
Journey
to the West Wu Cheng'en, translated by W.J.F. Jenner
- Journey to the West is a classic Chinese mythological novel.
It was written during the Ming Dynasty based on traditional folktales.
Consisting of 100 chapters, this fantasy relates the adventures of a
Tang Dynasty (618-907) priest Sanzang and his three disciples, Monkey,
Pig and Friar Sand, as they travel west in search of Buddhist Sutra...
India
-
Ramayana
retold by William Buck
Mahabharata
retold by William Buck
- Few works in world literature have inspired so vast an audience, in
nations with radically different languages and cultures, as the Ramayana
and Mahabharata, two Sanskrit verse epics written some 2,000 years ago...
Japan
-
A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy by Miyamoto
Musashi
- To learn a Japanese martial art is to learn Zen, and although you
can't do so simply by reading a book, it sure does help--especially if
that book is The Book of Five Rings. One of Japan's great samurai sword
masters penned in decisive, unfaltering terms this certain path to
victory...
-
The
Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura (an explanation for Westerners)
- To many foreigners, nothing is so quintessentially Japanese as the
tea ceremony--more properly, "the way of tea"--with its austerity, its
extravagantly minimalist stylization, and its concentration of extreme
subtleties of meaning into the simplest of actions. The Book of Tea is
something of a curiosity: written in English by a Japanese scholar (and
issued here in bilingual form), it was first published in 1906, in the
wake of the naval victory over Russia with which Japan asserted its
rapidly acquired status as a world-class military power...
-
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Edward G.
Seidensticker
- Not only the world's first real novel, but one of its greatest...
-
Zen
in the Art of Flower Arrangement by Gustie L. Herrigel, translated
by R. F. C. Hull
- Not only the world's first real novel, but one of its greatest...
Mexico
-
The
Labyrinth of Solitude by Octavio Paz
- First published in 1950, The Labyrinth of Solitude addresses
issues that are both seemingly eternal and resoundingly contemporary:
the nature of political power in post-conquest Mexico, the relation of
Native Americans to Europeans, the ubiquity of official corruption.
Noting these matters earned Paz no small amount of trouble from the
Mexican leadership, but it also brought him renown as a social critic...
-
The
Collected Poems of Octavio Paz
- Paz, a cosmopolitan poet, is also intensely Mexican. In his
lines--whether long and flowing or spare and chiseled--sorrow and
solitude are measured against the strength of his people and refracted
through the prism of his gentle romanticism ("The world is born when two
people kiss"). From India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and France, the
poet-diplomat pens updates on the fragile state of the world. Yet if
death is an ever-present reality in his poetry, so is hope...
Middle East
-
By Naguib Mahfouz...
-
Children
of the Alley
-
Midag
Alley
- Originally published in Arabic in 1959, Mahfouz's multigenerational
saga presents an allegorical look at spirituality...
-
The
Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street
- The novels of The Cairo Trilogy trace three generations of
the family of tyrannical patriarch Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad, who
rules his household with a strict hand while living a secret life of
self-indulgence
-
The
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyaim by Omar Khayyaim, translated by Edmund J.
Sullivan
- In the eleventh century, in Persia, there lived a mathematician
named Ghiyathuddin Abulfath Omar bin Ibrahim al-Khayyami--or, Omar, son
of Abraham, the tent-maker. Omar wrote poetry, and while his rhymes
received little attention in their day, they were rediscovered and
translated into beautiful English--more than seven centuries later--by a
gentleman and scholar named Edward FitzGerald. It was a meeting of
minds, a great collaboration of the past and the present...
South America
-
One
Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- The story follows 100 years in the life of Macondo, a village
founded by José Arcadio Buendía and occupied by descendants all sporting
variations on their progenitor's name: his sons, José Arcadio and
Aureliano, and grandsons, Aureliano José, Aureliano Segundo, and José
Arcadio Segundo. With One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel
García Márquez introduced Latin American literature to a world-wide
readership...
-
Pablo
Neruda: Selected Poems
- In his long life as a poet, Pablo Neruda succeeded in becoming what
many poets have aspired to but never achieved: a public voice, a voice
not just for the people of his country but for his entire continent.
Widely translated, he probably reached more readers than any poet in
history; justly so, for, as he often said, his "poet's obligation" was
to become a voice for all those who had no voice, an aspiration that
stemmed from his long-time commitment to the communist faith...
United Kingdom
-
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
-
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
- Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling
- For one hundred years, these classic tales -- drawn from the oral
storytelling traditions of India and Africa and filled with mischievously clever
animals and people -- have entertained young and old alike
-
The
Man Who Would Be King and Other Stories by Rudyard Kipling
- Arranged in the order of their original publication and written
during Kipling's time as a journalist in India, these seventeen short
stories explore the themes of isolation and abandonment and the effects
of the Indian caste system on society...
-
Rudyard
Kipling: Complete Verse
- Witty, profound, wildly funny, acerbic and occasionally savage,
Rudyard Kipling's poems continue to delight readers of all ages.
Included are both the familiar favorites and Kipling's lesser-known
works...

Mystery Maniacs!
Solving Mysterious Crimes...
-
Fingerprints and Talking Bones: How Real-Life Crimes Are
Solved by Charlotte Foltz Jones
For the Young Mystery Lover...
-
Buck Wilder's Adventures, by Timothy R. Smith
-
Who
Stole the Animal Poop?
- The
Work Bees Go On Strike
- The
Ants Dig to China
- The
Owls Don't Give a Hoot
- Buck Wilder, everyone's favorite outdoorsman, and his animal friends go on
grand adventures through the animal kingdom. Each story leads to an
important natural world message, plus a secret message in each book, and
flip-book animation on the edge of the pages...
- Also read
Buck Wilder's Animal Wisdom
- Buck Wilder and his animal friends show us the how nature and life are
interconnected - great lessons, and great fun! A picture book, but perfect
for older kids, too
-
PaleoJoe's Dinosaur Detective Club by Joseph P. Kchodl and Wendy Caszatt-Allen
- This new series brings Joe, a dinosaur expert from the Field Museum,
together with Shelly, a kid who loves dinosaurs, to solve mysteries surrounding
the dinosaurs of our past! Flip-page animation on the corner of each page,
too...
Einstein
Anderson, Science Detective, by Seymour Simon and S. D. Schindler
(out of print, but available used)
The On-Line Spaceman: And Other Cases
The Mysterious Lights and Other Cases
The Invisible Man and Other Cases
The Halloween Horror and Other Cases
The Gigantic Ants and Other Cases
Wings of Darkness
Einstein Anderson Tells a Comet's Tale
The Wings of Darkness and Other Cases
The Time Machine: And Other Cases
Encyclopedia
Brown, Boy Detective, by Donald J. Sobol
Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious
Handprints
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping
Dog
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Disgusting Sneakers
Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Cake!
Encyclopedia Brown Solves Them All
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Treasure
Hunt
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery
Salamander
Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues
Encyclopedia Brown Sets The Pace
Encyclopedia Brown's Book Of Strange But True
Crimes
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping
Frogs
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret Pitch
and lots more!
For the Growing Mystery Lover...
-
The
Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
- Sherlock Holmes takes on a teen female apprentice in this delightful and
well-wrought addition to the master detective's casework...
-
The
Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick
- Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris
train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his
world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man
who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most
precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a
stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father
create a spellbinding mystery... even more amazing are the author's
illustrations! Visit the
author's site
-
Lost
in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers by Penny Noyce
- When Aunt Adelaide sends thirteen-year-old cousins Ivan and Daphne on
a treasure hunt in the rain, they never expect to stumble into a whole
new world--an enchanting land where words and numbers run wild. They are
surprised again when the first people they meet beg them to find
Lexicon's missing children, who have wandered off, bewitched by lights
in the sky. Trekking between villages in search of clues, the cousins
encounter a plague of punctuation, a curious creature, a fog of
forgetting, the Mistress of Metaphor, a panel of poets, and the
illogical mathematicians of Irrationality... Visit
Lost in Lexicon for more
fun!
-

-
-
The
Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
- After Reynie Muldoon responds to an advertisement recruiting "gifted
children looking for special opportunities," he finds himself in a world
of mystery and adventure... Read the first pages at
The Curiosity Chronicle
-
The
Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
by Trenton Lee Stewart
- A new adventure, full of brain teasers and adventures...
-
The
Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma
by Trenton Lee Stewart
- A daring new adventure threatens to force the kids apart from their
friends, families, and even each other...
-
The
Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict
by Trenton Lee Stewart
- Now Nicholas Benedict is being sent to a new orphanage, where he will
encounter vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances--and a
mystery that could change his life forever. On his quest to solve the
mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner, but also friends in
unexpected places -- and discovers along the way that the greatest
puzzle of all is himself...
-
The
Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles,
Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums
by Trenton Lee Stewart
- Companion book to the Mysterious Benedict Society series, a
mind-bending collection that will put YOU to the test! With full-color
artwork throughout, features ingenious new puzzles, riddles, and
brainteasers compiled by Mr. Benedict himself, with the help of Reynie,
Kate, Sticky, Constance, and other Society associates...
-
The
Mysterious Benedict Society Complete Collection
by Trenton Lee Stewart
- New to The Mysterious Benedict Society? Get all five!
-
Rinny
and The Trail of Clues by Robyn Leslie (teacher's manual available at
Sugar Ducky Books)
- also (out of print)
Miss President and the Trail of Clues
-
-
You're
the Detective!: Twenty-Four Solve-Them-Yourself Picture Mysteries by
Lawrence Treat
- The clues are in the picture; it's up to you, the young detective, to
size up the situation and solve the mystery...
-
-
- Diamond Brothers
Mysteries, by Anthony Horowitz (chapter books to pre-teen)
-
The Falcon's Malteser
-
Public Enemy Number Two
-
The French Confection (from Amazon.co.uk)
-
I
Know What You Did Last Wednesday (from Amazon.co.uk)
-
South by South East (from Amazon.co.uk)
- Nick Simple's life is anything but
simple. His parents have moved to Australia, leaving him in the care of his
incompetent older brother who is trying to make a living as a private
detective and changes the family name. Set in England and filled with a
variety of colorful characters, the plot reads like a 1940s P.I. movie...
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes:
-
The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes
-
The Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
-
The Mysterious Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
For the Master Mystery-ian...
- Agatha Christie (murder mysteries):
-
The A.B.C. Murders
-
And Then There Were None
-
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
-
Murder on the Orient Express
- and lots more...
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (murder mysteries):
-
The Hound of the Baskervilles
-
A Study in Scarlet

Mythology
Myth-O-Mania, by Kate McMullan!
- Have a Hot Time, Hades!
-
Phone Home, Persephone!
-
Say Cheese, Medusa!
-
Nice Shot, Cupid!
-
Stop That Bull, Theseus!
-
Keep a Lid on It, Pandora!
-
Get to Work, Hercules!
-
Go for the Gold Atlanta!

Poetry!
For Early Poets...
-
by Shel Silverstein
-
Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition :
Poems and Drawings
Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook
A Light in the Attic
Falling Up
A Giraffe and a Half
-
FEG:
Ridiculous Stupid Poems for Intelligent Children by Robin Hirsch
- An unusual book that is sure to inspire wordplay in language-loving
readers. The first poem, "F*E*G," is a variant of the ABC rhyme every
child learns: "Abie's seedy effigy-." Puns, palindromes, acrostics, and
literary references of all sorts abound...
-
Poetry
for Young People (click left for MindWare, or below for Amazon
links)
- Illustrated editions of the classic poems of many great poets...
-
Frankenstein
Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex
This hilarious collection of illustrated poems describes the lives
of well-known monsters. There's Frankenstein, who tries to borrow food
from townsfolk, the Phantom of the Opera bemoans the fact that he can no
longer compose arias because he cant get catchy tunes out of his head,
the Creature from the Black Lagoon ignores his mothers advice, Count
Dracula who walks around with spinach in his teeth because no one dares
tell him about it...
Technically,
It's Not My Fault: Concrete Poems by John Grandits
Uses inventive shapes and typefaces to hilarious effect. Each
selection is loosely tied to Robert, a kid with ordinary concerns:
homework is boring; he would like a new pet; he is crushed when he
misses his lay-up in basketball. Grandits finds wild humor in such
things, and the resulting poems will make most kids howl with
recognition...
For Advanced Poets...
-
Letters to a Young Poet
by Rainer Maria Rilke
- "This slender book holds everything a student of the century could want: the
unedited thoughts of (arguably) the most important European poet of the modern
age..."
-
Favorite Poems, Old And New selected by Helen Ferris
- collection of about 1000 peoms by authors like A.A.Milne, Emily Dickinson, Carl Sandburg, John Drinkwater, Robert Frost, Elizabeth Barrett Browing, The Bible, Edgar Allen Poe, William Shakespeare, Alfred Tennyson, William Wordsworth, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and on and on

Purchases made through Amazon links benefit Hoagies' Gifted Education Page -
thanks!
Last updated
December 01, 2020
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