Kids
When they are first learning to read, kids benefit from decodable texts. As they gain proficiency, children should read daily from books “in the wild.” I strongly encourage my students to read aloud to an attentive adult who is looking at the same text; this should be someone who can provide immediate feedback for errors and can ask questions about content.
I am a firm believer in giving kids the freedom to read books that both interest and challenge them. Decoding words is only one part of becoming a strong reader. Children must also build knowledge of a wide range of subjects, develop breadth and depth of vocabulary, and learn to critically engage with texts. With these goals in mind, the books on this list will engage the reader in many different perspectives and worldviews.
Informational (Nonfiction) Texts
Younger Kids
Eats More Shoots Leaves by Lynne Truss (punctuation)
The Girl’s Like Spaghetti by Lynne Truss (punctuation)
If You Were a Prefix by Marcie Aboff
If You Were a Suffix by Marcie Aboff
National Geographic Kids (magazine)
Semicolons, Cupcakes, and Cucumbers by Steve Newberry
Solve This!: Wild and Wacky Challenges for the Genius Engineer in You by Joan Marie Galat
What Are Words, Really? by Alexi Lubomirski
Older Kids
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat
Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Basher Science series
Disability Visibility (adapted for young adults) by Alice Wong
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Rivalry, Adventure, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of Elements (Young Readers Edition) by Sam Kean
The Element in the Room by Mike Barfield
Greta’s Story: The Girl Who Went on Strike to Save the Planet by Valentina Camerini
It’s Trevor Noah by Trevor Noah
Killer Underwear Invasion!: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories by Elise Gravel
The Radium Girls (Young Readers Edition) by Kate Moore (Libby)
Stamped for Kids by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik
Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Yellowhorn and Lowinger
What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Yellowhorn
and Lowinger
Who’s Got Mail: The History of Mail in America by Barrett Osborne
The Week Junior (magazine)
Honest History (magazine)
OLYA (magazine)
Fiction (Narrative) Books
Alone by Megan Freeman
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
Awesome, Friendly Kid series by Rowley Jefferson
Batpig: When Pigs Fly by Rob Harrell
A Bird Will Soar by Alison Green Myers
The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
The Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
Brother’s Keeper by Julie Lee
The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas
Cog by Greg Van Eekhout
Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
El Deafo by Cece Bell
Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson
The Endling series by Katherine Applegate
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers
Fish in a Tree by Linda Mullaly Hunt
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farook
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Hank Zipzer series by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog by Chad Orzel
Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
Insignificant Events in The Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Manatee Summer by Evan Griffith
Mexikid by Pedro Martin
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Not an Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
Pax, Journey Home by Sara Pennypacker
A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga
The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga
The Swifts: A Dictionary of Soundrels by Beth Lincoln
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
The Trail by Meika Hashimoto
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman
Voyage of the Dogs by Greg Van Eekhout
Warriors cat series by Erin Hunter
A Whale of the Wild by Roseanne Parry
When the Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly
Wild Oak by C.C. Harrington
The Wild Robot series by Peter Brown
A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
A Wolf Called Wander by Roseanne Parry
Yusef Azeem Is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi
Picture Books
Another by Christian Robinson
Ball by Mary Sullivan
Bringing Back the Wolves: How a Predator Restored an Ecosystem by Jude Isabella
Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker
Did You Take the B from my _ook? by Beck and Matt Stanton
Dyslexic Legends Alphabet Book by Beck Feiner
Frankie by Mary Sullivan
How to Build a Hug by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville
The Invisible Garden by Marianne Ferrer and Valérie Picard
It’s Her Story—Marie Curie by Kaara Kallen
Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea by Elizabeth Suneby
The Leaf Detective by Heather Lang
Look by Gabi Snyder
Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer
Night Out by Daniel Miyares
A Parliament of Owls by Devin Scillian
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre by Anika Aldamuy Denise
The Raven and The Loon by Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley
The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen
Seashore by Donald M. Silver and Patricia Wynne
The Skull by Jon Klassen
Skunk on a String by Thao Lam
Take Away the A by Michaël Escoffier
This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
Treat by Mary Sullivan
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
The Water Princess by Susan Verde
Early Chapter Books & Transitional Reading
Babysitters Little Sisters by Ann M. Martin
Detective Duck by Henry Winkler
Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey
Dragon Breath series by Ursula Vernon
Dragon Masters series by Tracey West
Fly Guy series by Todd Arnold
Hamster Princess series by Urula Vernon
The Last Firehawk series by Katrina Charman
Mac B. Spy series by Mac Barnett
Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne
National Geographic Kids series
Nurk by Ursula Vernon
Owl Diaries series by Rebecca Elliott
Squish series by Jennifer and Matt Holm
The Story of _____ series
The Unicorn Rescue Society by Adam Gidwitz
Wondrous Rex by Patricia MacLachlan