Recommended Books

Sharing interesting books is a great way to develop a joy of reading. Books are incredible because of their interesting plots, charismatic characters, imaginative settings, eventful adventures, unraveled mysteries, and explored human dramas hook readers.

Disclaimer: Please buy the books below to support the efforts of the writers, illustrators, and the publishers that make books possible, preferably from local bookstores. Links to pdfs and audio versions of books are available here to improve equity, making books accessible to students who are blind, dyslexic, poor, or who may otherwise have difficulty accessing books. No money is collected from this website.

Many of the books selected are ones that have entered the public domain. For newer books, efforts have been made to select sites that appear to be more reputable and are not charging money without permission. However, at times, it is very difficult to clearly tell who has permission to distribute audio versions of written books. Links have been severed immediately when it has been discovered that certain hosts did not have permission to distribute the audio-books.

Here are some of my family’s and my students’ favorites:

Photo credit: (Ann M. Martin)

  1. The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea
  2. The Baby-Sitters Club: The Truth About Stacey
  3. The Baby-Sitters Club: Mary Anne Saves The Day
  4. The Baby-Sitters Club: Claudia & Mean Janine
  5. The Baby-Sitters Club: Dawn & The Impossible Three
  6. The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Big Day
  7. The Baby-Sitters Club: Boy Crazy Stacey

For a complete list of all 131 The Baby-Sitters Club novels, click here.

Photo credits: Stephanie Yue (author: Raina Telgemeier)

  1. Smile
  2. Sisters
  3. Ghosts
  4. Drama

Photo credit: Victoria Jamieson (author: Victoria Jamieson)

Roller Girl

Photo credit: Jeff Kinney (author: Jeff Kinney)

  1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
  2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules
  3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
  4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
  5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth
  6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever
  7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel
  8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck
  9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
  10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School
  11. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down
  12. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway

All’s Faire in Middle School

Wings of Fire series (12)

Whatever After series (11+)

Upside Down Magic series (5)

School for Good & Evil series (4)

The Cardboard Kingdom

The Isle of the Lost (4+)

The Land of Stories (6)

Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing

Photo credit: Tracy Dockray (author: Beverly Cleary)

  1. The Mouse And The Motorcycle
  2. Runaway Ralph
  3. Ralph S. Mouse

Photo credit: Lin Oliver (author: Henry Winkler)

  1. Hank Zipzer: Niagara Falls, Or Does It?
  2. Hank Zipzer: I Got a D in Salami
  3. Hank Zipzer: The Day of the Iguana
  4. Hank Zipzer: The Zippity Zinger
  5. Hank Zipzer: The Night I Flunked My Field Trip
  6. Hank Zipzer: Holy Enchilada!
  7. Hank Zipzer: Help! Somebody Get Me Out of Fourth Grade!
  8. Hank Zipzer: Summer School! What Genius Thought That Up?
  9. Hank Zipzer: The Secret Life of a Ping-Pong Wizard
  10. Hank Zipzer: My Dog’s a Scaredy-Cat
  11. Hank Zipzer: The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Fell Down
  12. Hank Zipzer: Barfing in the Backseat
  13. Hank Zipzer: Who Ordered This Baby? Definitely Not Me!
  14. Hank Zipzer: The Life of Me (Enter At Your Own Risk)
  15. Hank Zipzer: A Tale of Two Tails
  16. Hank Zipzer: Dump Trucks and Dogsleds
  17. Hank Zipzer: A Brand-New Me!

Further episodes available on YouTube.

Photo credit: Ellen Raskin (author: Madeleine L’Engle)

A Wrinkle in Time

Photo credit: Edward Gorey (author: John Bellairs)

The House with a Clock in its Walls

Photo credit: Lincoln Peirce (author: Lincoln Peirce)

  1. Big Nate: From the Top
  2. Big Nate: Silent But Deadly

  1. Amulet: The Stonekeeper
  2. Amulet: The Stonekeeper’s Curse
  3. Amulet: The Cloud Searchers

Photo credit: (author: Robert C. O’Brien)

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Little House of the Prairie

The Tale of Peter Rabbit (author: Beatrix Potter)

The Secret Garden

Charlotte’s Web

Classics of Literature (these books have entered the public domain; they are free to download)

(author: Carlo Collodi)

The Adventures of Pinochio; pdf version

(author: Lewis Carroll & Alice Gerstenberg co-authored Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)

  1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; pdf version
  2. Through the Looking Glass; pdf version

The Story of Dr. Dolittle; pdf version

The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle; pdf version

Gulliver’s Travels; pdf version

 (author: Johanna Spyri)

Heidi; pdf version

The Jungle Book; pdf version (author: Rudyard Kipling)

Peter Pan; pdf version

 (author: Eleanor H. Porter)

  1. Polyanna; pdf version
  2. Polyanna Grows Up; pdf version

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