Help your kids discover the joy of reading—and build your home library—with this list compiled by the ALA-Children's Book Council and the Association for Library Service to Children.
The Mostly True Story of Jack
By Kelly Barnhill
336 pages; Little, Brown
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Can an ordinary boy solve the mystery of disappearing children—before he becomes one of them?
Frogs
By Nic Bishop
48 pages; Scholastic
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Frogs who eat snakes, frogs with see-through skin, frogs who live for months at a time buried in dried mud—who knew frogs were so fascinating?
The Magician's Elephant
By Kate DiCamillo
208 pages; Candlewick
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
A fortune teller predicts an elephant will help Pete find his sister, and a magician performs an incredible trick in this fable-like tale.
The City of Ember
By Jeanne DuPrau
288 pages; Yearling
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Lina and Doon live in a world with no sun. Light comes from a generator which is starting to fail. Can they find a way out?
A Tale Dark and Grimm
By Adam Gidwitz
256 pages; Puffin
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Warning! This is not your average fairytale. Read only if you want to know the true, funny, creepy, tragic, heroic story behind Hansel and Gretel and other fairytales. You have been warned!
Just Grace
By Charise Mericle Harper
144 pages; Sandpiper
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Seven-year-old Grace prides herself on her teeny-tiny superpower of knowing how people are feeling, but when she tries to help a neighbor feel better, her good intentions backfire.
Turtle in Paradise
By Jennifer L. Holm
208 pages; Yearling
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
In 1935, eleven-year-old Turtle moves to Key West, where she learns the trials of boy cousins and the wonders of sugar apple ice cream.
The Phantom Tollbooth
By Norton Juster
272 pages; Random House
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
When Milo goes through the Phantom Tollbooth, he discovers a land where watchdogs have actual clocks, the Mathemagician rules the land of numbers, and “Whichs” are not so wicked.
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
By Ellen Levine
40 pages; Scholastic
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
In this retelling of a true story, Henry “Box” Brown escapes from slavery by being mailed in a box to free Philadelphia.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
By Grace Lin
304 pages; Little, Brown
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Following directions from a grateful gold- fish, Minli sets out on a quest to Never-Ending Mountain in hopes of changing her community’s fortunes.
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters
By Lenore Look
176 pages; Schwartz & Wade
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Alvin’s worst fear has been realized—camping! Can his night-vision goggles, water purifying tablets and heavy-duty flashlight keep him safe from the great outdoors?
Rules
By Cynthia Lord
224 pages; Scholastic
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
An autistic brother, a parapalegic boy, and a new friend teach Catherine that the rules of normal behavior are not as important as friendship and acceptance.
Judy Moody, Girl Detective
By Megan McDonald
192 pages; Candlewick
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
In true Nancy Drew form, Judy sets out to solve the case of the missing puppy.
Never Forgotten
By Patricia C. McKissack
48 pages; Schwartz & Wade
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
After a young boy is stolen, his father and the Mother Elements who raised him search the earth to find him again.
Waiting for the Magic
By Patricia MacLachlan
160 pages; Atheneum
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Four dogs and a cat can’t fill the hole left in their family when the father leaves...or can they help the family find the magic?
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
By Wendy Mass
304 pages; Little, Brown
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
When he receives a mysterious locked box left to him by his deceased father, Jeremy begins a journey to find the keys to unlock the meaning of life.
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
By Kadir Nelson
96 pages; Hyperion
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Fans of baseball can spout statistics and list their favorite players, but some of the greatest players of the game were never really famous.
Bridge to Terabithia
By Katherine Paterson
208 pages; HarperCollins
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Two lonely children create a magical kingdom, and declare themselves king and queen, in the woods by their homes.
Clementine
By Sara Pennypacker
160 pages; Hyperion
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Third-grader Clementine gains several unique hairstyles, confronts friendships issues, and helps banish pesky pigeons from the front of her apartment building.
Holes
By Louis Sachar
272 pages; Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | IndieBound
Stanley Yelnats carries the burden of the family curse brought upon by his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grand-father, which brings him to a memorable summer at Camp Greenlake.