Click on Shop Hoagies' Page before you visit your favorite on-line stores including Amazon and many more of your favorite stores.  Thanks for making Hoagies' Gifted community possible!

Donations
Your donations help keep Hoagies' Gifted Education Page on-line.

Support Hoagies' Page!

Books for Children, Featuring Gifted Children

by Linda Silverman, Ph.D.

Note: many of these classic books are out-of-print, but are available used, or through your local library or inter-library loan. For newer fiction and non-fiction titles for gifted kids, visit Hot Topics Reading List: On Being Gifted
 

Auel, Jean M. (1980-2011). The Clan of the Cave Bear. New York: Crown. (Young Adults). (First of a three now six part series, adult topics, also The Valley of the Horses, The Mammoth Hunters, The Plains of Passage, The Shelters of Stone and The Land of Painted Caves)

Bell, William. (1986). Crabbe's Journey. Boston: Little, Brown. (Young Adults).

Blume, Judy. (1970). Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. New York: Bradbury.

Blume, Judy. (1972). Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great. New York: Dutton.

Blume, Judy. (1972). Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. New York: Dutton.

Cauvin, Patrick. (1979). A Little Romance. New York: Dell. (Young Adults). (also, film/video from Warner Bros., 1979).

Conford, Ellen. (1977). And This is Laura. Boston: Little, Brown.

Corcoran, Barbara. (1986). I Am the Universe. New York: Atheneum.

Cresswell, Helen. (1977). Ordinary Jack. New York: Macmillan. ("The Bagthorpe Saga," Book 1)

Cresswell, Helen. (1978). Absolute Zero. New York: Macmillan. ("The Bagthorpe Saga," Book 2)

Cresswell, Helen. (1978). Bagthorpes Unlimited. New York: Macmillan.

Cresswell, Helen. (1979). Bagthorpes vs. The World. New York: Macmillan.

Cresswell, Helen. (1984). Bagthorpes Abroad. New York: Macmillan.

Cresswell, Helen. (1986). Bagthorpes Haunted. New York: Macmillan.

Cresswell, Helen. (1989). Bagthorpes Liberated. New York: Macmillan.

Cunningham, J. (1965). Dorp Dead. New York: Pantheon Books.

Dahl, Roald. (1982). George's Marvelous Medicine. New York: Bantam.

Danziger, Paula. (1974). The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. New York: Delacorte Press.

Duncan, Lois. (1971). A Gift of Magic. Boston: Little, Brown.

Fitzgerald, John D. (1967). The Great Brain. New York: Dial. (The first of an extensive series, including More Adventures of the Great Brain, Me and My Little Brain, Great Brain at the Academy, Great Brain Reforms, Return of the Great Brain, The Great Brain Does It Again).

Fitzhugh, Louise. (1964). Harriet, the Spy. New York: Dell Yearling.

Fitzhugh, Louise. (1965). The Long Secret: The Further Adventures of Harriet, the Spy. New York: Dell Yearling.

Greene, Constance. (1969). A Girl Called Al. New York: Viking.

Greene, Constance. (1975). I Know You, Al. New York: Viking.

Greene, Constance. (1979). Your Old Pal, Al. New York: Viking.

Greene, Constance. (1982). Al(exandra) the Great. New York: Viking Press.

Greene, Constance. (1986). Isabelle and Little Orphan Frannie. New York: Viking Kestrel.

Greenwald, Sheila. (1983). Will the Real Gertrude Hollings Please Stand Up? Boston: Little, Brown. (About Dyslexia.)

Greenwald, Sheila. (1987). Alvin Webster's Surefire Plan for Success (And How it Failed). Boston: Little, Brown.

Gripe, Maria. (1969). Hugo and Josephine. New York: Dell.

Gripe, Maria. (1976). In the Time of the Bells. New York: Delacorte.

Hamilton, Virginia. (1971). The Planet of Junior Brown. New York: Macmillan.

Hamilton, Virginia. (1976). Arilla Sun Down. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Hamilton, Virginia. (1979). Justice and Her Brothers. New York: Wm. Morrow. ("The Justice Cycle," Book 1.)

Hamilton, Virginia. (1980). Dustland. New York: Wm. Morrow. ("The Justice Cycle," Book 2.)

Hamilton, Virginia. (1981). The Gathering. New York: Wm. Morrow. ("The Justice Cycle," Book 3.)

Holmann, Felice. (1974). Slake's Limbo. New York: Scribner's.

Howker, Janni. (1989). Badger on the Barge and Other Stories. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Hunt, Irene. (1978). The Lottery Rose. New York: Scribner's.

Hunter, Mollie. (1972). A Sound of Chariots. New York: Harper & Row.

Jarrell, Randall. (1963). The Bat Poet. New York: Macmillan.

Konigsburg, E. L. (1968). Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. New York: Atheneum.

Konigsburg, E. L. (1972). (George). New York: Atheneum.

Konigsburg, E. L. (1976). Father's Arcane Daughter. New York: Atheneum.

Konigsburg, E. L. (1986). Up from Jericho Tel. New York: Atheneum.

Krumgold, Joseph. (1967). Henry 3. New York: Atheneum.

LeGuin, Ursula. (1968). The Wizard of Earthsea. Berkeley, CA: Parnassus Press. (Volume 1 in The Earthsea Trilogy.)

LeGuin, Ursula. (1971). The Tombs of Atuan. New York: Atheneum. (Volume 2 in The Earthsea Trilogy.)

LeGuin, Ursula. (1971). The Farthest Shore. New York: Atheneum. (Volume 3 in The Earthsea Trilogy.)

LeGuin, Ursula. (1990). Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea. New York: Atheneum.

LeGuin, Ursula. (1976). Very Far Away From Anywhere Else. New York: Bantam. (Young Adults).

L'Engle, Madeleine. (1962). A Wrinkle in Time. New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. (Book 1 in series.)

L'Engle, Madeleine. (1973). A Wind in the Door. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. (Book 2 in series.)

L'Engle, Madeleine. (1978). A Swiftly Tilting Planet. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. (Book 3 in series.)

L'Engle, Madeleine. (1986). Many Waters. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. (Book 4 in series.)

L'Engle, Madeleine. (1989). An Acceptable Time. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. (Book 5 in series.)

L'Engle, Madeleine. (1968). The Young Unicorns. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

L'Engle, Madeleine. (1969). Prelude. New York: Vanguard Press.

L'Engle, Madeleine. (1983). And Both Were Young. New York: Delacorte Press.

Levitin, Sonia. (1977). Beyond Another Door. New York: Atheneum.

Lowry, Lois. (1979). Anastasia Krupnik. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Lowry, Lois. (1981). Anastasia Again. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Lowry, Lois. (1982). Anastasia At Your Service. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Lowry, Lois. (1984). Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Lowry, Lois. (1985). Anastasia on Her Own. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Lowry, Lois. (1986). Anastasia Has the Answers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Lowry, Lois. (1987). Anastasia's Chosen Career. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Lowry, Lois. (1988). All About Sam. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Mahy, Margaret. (1986). The Catalogue of the Universe. New York: Atheneum. (Young Adults).

Martin, Anne M. (1988). Very Truly, Shirley. New York: Holiday House. (About Giftedness and Dyslexia.)

Newman, Robert. (1967). The Boy Who Could Fly. New York: Atheneum.

O'Neal, Zibby. (1980). The Language of Goldfish. New York: Viking.

O'Neal, Zibby. (1985). In Summer Light. New York: Viking Kestrel. (Young Adults).

Paterson, Katherine. (1974). Of Nightingales that Weep. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell.

Paterson, Katherine. (1976). The Master Puppeteer. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell.

Paterson, Katherine. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell.

Paterson, Katherine. (1978). The Great Gilly Hopkins. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell.

Paterson, Katherine. (1985). Come Sing, Jimmy Jo. New York: E. P. Dutton.

Peck, Richard. (1985). Remembering the Good Times. New York: Delacorte Press. (Young Adults).

Peyton, K. M. (1970). Pennington's Last Term. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. (Young Adults).

Peyton, K. M. (1970). Pennington's Seventeenth Summer. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. (Young Adults).

Peyton, K. M. (1972). The Beethoven Medal. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. (Young Adults).

Peyton, K. M. (1973). Pennington's Heir. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. (Young Adults).

Peyton, K. M. (1977). Prove Yourself a Hero. London: Oxford University Press. (Young Adults).

Peyton, K. M. (1981). Dear Fred. New York: Philomel.

Pfeffer, Susan. (1989). Dear Dad, Love Laurie. New York: Scholastic.

Picard, Barbara Leonie. (1966). One is One. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

Rodgers, Mary. (1972). Freaky Friday. New York: Harper & Row.

Rodgers, Mary. (1974). A Billion for Boris. New York: Harper & Row.

Rogers, Pamela. (1973). The Rare One. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Sebestzen, Ouida. (1979). Words by Heart. Boston: Little, Brown.

Sebestzen, Ouida. (1989). The Girl in the Box. Boston: Little, Brown.

Shecter, Ben. (1967). Conrad's Castle. New York: Harper.

Shiras, Wilmar H. (1953). Children of the Atom. New York: Gnome Press (available from Science Fiction Book Club).

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley. (1990). Libby on Wednesday. New York: Delacorte Press.

Sleator, William. (1985). Singularity. New York: E. P. Dutton.

Sleator, William. (1986). The Boy Who Reversed Himself. New York: E. P. Dutton.

Sleator, William. (1988). The Duplicate. New York: E. P. Dutton.

Sleator, William. (1990). Stranger Attractors. New York: E. P. Dutton.

Sobol, Donald. (1963). Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective. New York: Elsevier/Nelson Books. (The first of an extensive series; some published by Bantam Skylark, Delacorte, Morrow, T. Nelson, and Four Winds Press, including Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues, Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret Pitch, Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Treasure Hunt, Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints and many more.)

Stone, Bruce (1988). Been Clever, Forever. New York: Harper & Row.

Tolan, Stephanie. (1980). The Last of Eden. New York: Frederick Warne. (Young Adults).

Tolan, Stephanie. (1981). No Safe Harbors. New York: Scribner's. (Young Adults).

Tolan, Stephanie. (1983). A Time to Fly Free. New York: Scribner's.

Tolan, Stephanie. (1983). The Great Skinner Strike. New York: Macmillan.

Tolan, Stephanie. (1986). The Great Skinner Enterprises. New York: Four Winds Press.

Tolan, Stephanie. (1987). The Great Skinner Getaway. New York: Four Winds Press.

Tolan, Stephanie. (1988). The Great Skinner Homestead. New York: Four Winds Press.

Tolan, Stephanie. (1986). Pride of the Peacock. New York: Scribner's. (Young Adults).

Tolan, Stephanie. (1988). A Good Courage. New York: Morrow Jr. Books. (Young Adults).

Tolan, Stephanie. (1990). Plague Year. New York: Morrow Jr. Books. (Young Adults).

Tolan, Stephanie. (1996). Welcome to the Ark. New York: Morrow Jr. Books. (Young Adults).

Tolan, Stephanie. (2001). Flight of the Raven. New York: Morrow Jr. Books. (Young Adults).

Ure, Jean. (1985). The Most Important Thing. New York: William Morrow. (Young Adults).

Vinke, Herman. (1984). The Short Life of Sophie Scholl. New York: Harper & Row. (Young Adults).

Voigt, Cynthia. (1981). The Homecoming. New York: Atheneum.

Voigt, Cynthia. (1982). Dicey's Song. New York: Atheneum.

Weiman, Eiveen. (1982). It Takes Brains. New York: Atheneum.

Williams, Barbara Wright. (1983). Mitzi's Honeymoon with Nana Potts. New York: Dell.

Williams, Vera B. (1986). Cherries and Cherry Pits. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Wojciechowska, Maria. (1970). Don't Play Dead Before You Have To. New York: Harper & Row.

The following resources provide annotations of a number of these books. Some suggest age levels based on the ages of the main characters and the developmental issues faced; however, gifted readers often read advanced material. Some of the resources also provide instructional guidelines and sample lessons for use with gifted students.

Amerikaner, S., & Simon, S. (1988). The gifted and talented catalogue. New York: Price Stern Sloan.

Baskin, B. H., & Harris, K. H. (1980). Books for the gifted child. New York: R. R. Bowker.

Dreyer, S. S. (1989). The Bookfinder 4: When kids need books. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.

Halsted, J. (1988). Guiding gifted readers from pre-school to high school: A handbook for parents, teachers, counselors and librarians. Columbus, OH: Ohio Psychology Press.

Hauser, P., & Nelson, G. A. (1988). Books for the gifted child. New York: R. R. Bowker.

Karnes, F., & Collins, E. C. (1980). Handbook of instructional resources and references for teaching the gifted. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Polette, N. (1984). Books and real life: A guide for gifted students and teachers. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

Polette, N., & Hamlin. M. (1980). Exploring books with gifted children. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Sisk, D. (1982). Caring and sharing: Moral development of gifted students. The Elementary School Journal, 82, 221-229.

Tolan, S. (1983). Novels for children and young adults which have exceptionally gifted characters. Unpublished paper.

Tolan, S. The Reading Room. Regular feature column in Understanding Our Gifted, Snowpeak Publishing Co.

Tway, E. (1980). The gifted child in literature. Language Arts, 57(1), 14-20.