Reddit mentions: The best teen classic literature books
We found 220 Reddit comments discussing the best teen classic literature books. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 63 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. A Wrinkle in Time
- Permabound Hardcover Edition 1994
Features:
Specs:
Release date | April 2010 |
2. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)
Previews of other books to read
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 7.69 Inches |
Length | 5.19 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | May 2001 |
Weight | 0.625 Pounds |
Width | 1 Inches |
3. His Dark Materials Omnibus (The Golden Compass / The Subtle Knife / The Amber Spyglass)
Specs:
Height | 9 Inches |
Length | 5.96 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | April 2007 |
Weight | 2.11 Pounds |
Width | 1.96 Inches |
4. The Dark is Rising (The Dark is Rising Sequence)
Margaret K McElderry Books
Specs:
Color | Blue |
Height | 7.625 Inches |
Length | 5.125 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 1999 |
Weight | 0.5 Pounds |
Width | 0.9 Inches |
5. The Phantom Tollbooth
- These brushes can be used on firearms, automobile detailing, boats, golf equipment
- The most aggressive of Otis' all purpose receiver brushes is the bronze bristled brush
- Gives you the ability to scrub places where carbon, powder and copper residue hibernate
- Battery terminals, camping, grout, jewelry, wood working, RC hobbies, crafts and much, much more
Features:
Specs:
Release date | January 2011 |
6. A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel
Square Fish
Specs:
Height | 8.1999836 Inches |
Length | 5.4499891 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | March 2015 |
Weight | 1 Pounds |
Width | 1.2 Inches |
7. The Phantom Tollbooth
- Used Book in Good Condition
Features:
Specs:
Color | Sky/Pale blue |
Height | 9.38 inches |
Length | 6.19 inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | August 1961 |
Weight | 0.96 Pounds |
Width | 1 inches |
8. The Wrinkle in Time Quintet Boxed Set (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, An Acceptable Time)
SQUARE FISH
Specs:
Height | 7.88 Inches |
Length | 5.25 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 2007 |
Weight | 2.85 Pounds |
Width | 4.1999916 Inches |
9. Julie of the Wolves
Specs:
Height | 6.75 Inches |
Length | 0.52 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | September 2003 |
Weight | 0.23 Pounds |
Width | 4.19 Inches |
10. A Wrinkle in Time: 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet)
Farrar Straus Giroux
Specs:
Height | 8.56 Inches |
Length | 5.67 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | January 2012 |
Weight | 0.8 Pounds |
Width | 1.11 Inches |
11. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Book 3)
- Officially licensed by SCEA and Taito
- Perfect replica of the Japanese VEWLIX arcade cabinet
- Featuring HORI original HAYABUSA stick lever and KURO buttons, touch pad, and program functions
- Easily open top panel for maintenance and internal access. Compatible with PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3
- Kindly click the Main Image and refer to the other Images for User Manual
Features:
Specs:
Release date | November 2001 |
12. Weetzie Bat
- Used Book in Good Condition
Features:
Specs:
Height | 7.12 Inches |
Length | 5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | July 2004 |
Weight | 0.26 Pounds |
Width | 0.26 Inches |
13. Macbeth #killingit (OMG Shakespeare)
- Random House USA Inc
Features:
Specs:
Color | Purple |
Height | 7.5 Inches |
Length | 5.38 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | January 2016 |
Weight | 0.51147244784 Pounds |
Width | 0.52 Inches |
14. Swallows and Amazons
Specs:
Height | 8.02 Inches |
Length | 5.58 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | July 2010 |
Weight | 0.92 Pounds |
Width | 1.05 Inches |
15. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)
Specs:
Release date | November 2001 |
16. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast
- jeans
- relaxed-fit
- elastic-waist
Features:
Specs:
Height | 6.75 Inches |
Length | 4.1875 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | July 2005 |
Weight | 0.38 Pounds |
Width | 0.84 Inches |
17. A Wrinkle in Time: 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet)
Square Fish
Specs:
Height | 8.1999836 Inches |
Length | 5.4499891 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | January 2012 |
Weight | 0.52 Pounds |
Width | 0.8499983 Inches |
19. Harry Potter Y La Piedra Filosofal
Specs:
Height | 8.62203 Inches |
Length | 5.31495 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 0.86862131228 Pounds |
Width | 0.82677 Inches |
20. The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast
- Used Book in Good Condition
Features:
Specs:
Height | 10.8 Inches |
Length | 9.37 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | March 2009 |
Width | 0.63 Inches |
🎓 Reddit experts on teen classic literature books
The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where teen classic literature books are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
Have I got a list of recommendations for her.
Fantasy
Patricia C. Wrede's Dealing With Dragon's series was one of my all-time favorites when I was in middle school. It's a great story about an unlikely princess who offers herself as a captive to a dragon in order to escape the monotony of palace life, and ends up saving a kingdom.
Malinda Lo's Ash is a thoughtful retelling of Cinderella, with an unexpected twist.
Laini Taylor's Lip's Touch is one of those rare, beautiful books that managed to transport me to another world in a way I haven't experienced since I was a little girl reading Laura Ingalls Wilder. The book has three separate stories, each in a new setting and with new characters -- the only theme is the "magic" of a kiss, and I honestly can't praise her writing highly enough.
Dianna Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle is one of my absolute favorites, although Jones has a plethora of wonderful works to choose from.
Robin McKinley also has an impressive library of works, though my favorite of hers is Beauty. It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast that I've always enjoyed, particularly in how she depicts the secondary characters (Beauty's family and friends).
Kristin Britain combines the classic interests of young girls everywhere in her Green Rider series, which follows a headstrong young woman as she's accidentally inducted into the Green Riders, messengers of the King. Features horses, forbidden romance, duty, feminism, and magic. Also, I'm not good at selling awesome books.
Urban Fantasy
Cassandra's Clare's Mortal Instruments series is a well written YA urban fantasy that I've quite enjoyed reading. Basically, there's a class of angel-descendant warriors who fight the good fight against demonic forces . . . but it's not as black-at-white as it first appears.
Sarah Rees Brennan The Demon's Lexicon. I can't praise this series highly enough. First off, the I never saw the twist at the end of the first book coming, which is unusually awesome -- I read so often that (especially in fantasy) a lot of themes and plotlines can get pretty predictable. This one was a stunner. Second, with each book, she chooses a different protagonist as her main POV. So book 1 is from Nick's POV, book 2 is from Mae's, and book 3 is from Sin's. Since Nick, Mae, and Sin are present in all three books, it adds an interesting and unusual layer of depth to the books.
Neil Gaiman. No doubt you considered Gaiman already and discarded him. Don't. Gaiman has some really fantastic books that you don't necessarily need to have an appreciation of satire or subtle humor to read. He's a very talented author, and his works are varied enough that you could get her started with something like Stardust or The Graveyard Book and she'll gravitate on her own to his other works.
Dystopian Futuristic all are YA and have happy endings
Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, starting with "The Hunger Games," and ending with "Mockingjay." I highly recommend these. Everyone I've lent them to adores them, even when they started out with a "Meh, fine, I'll read it because you're bugging me to," attitude. Basically, there's the capital city (Panem), which rules over 13 districts (although one of those districts has been wiped out). This society exists in the aftermath of some sort political upheaval, and we're given to understand it's North America in the far future. The districts are repressed, deprived of food, and harshly punished for any perceived treason. The capital lives in wealth and decadence. Once a year, to remind the remaining 12 districts of the cost of rebellion and why District 13 was eradicated, the Capital holds the Hunger Games -- two champions, one male and one female, are chosen by lottery from each district. The 24 champions are then taken to a specially designed arena, where they must fight to the death. The last remaining survivor wins food for their district for 1 year, and a lifetime of wealth for themselves. Katniss, the heroine, volunteers herself in place of her little sister (who's name is drawn), and sets off a chain of events she never anticipated.
Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series is another great dystopian futuristic sci-fi. It examines concepts of equality, gender, sexism, and personal worth. Highly recommend.
Steampunk/Historical fantasy
Naomi Novik's Temeraire series re-tells the Napoleonic Wars . . . if dragons existed. They're beautifully written, and it's fascinating how she weaves dragons into the socio-political history of the world, even to the extent that certain world powers have shifted in their influence due what types of dragons are native to them. A great series overall.
Gail Carriger's Soulless series is set in a sort of steampunk/ supernatural Victorian London. The writing style mimics Jane Austen, and her depiction of supernaturals is fascinating and interesting. It's a bit of a fluff read, but still worth it.
Historical Fiction
If your sister is into historical fiction, I highly recommend Ann Rinaldi, most especially A Break With Charity and Time Enough For Drums.
My own love of history was sparked by Esther Forbes' award-winning book Johnny Tremain and Elizabeth George Speare's Calico Captive. Johnny Tremain takes us to the beginning of the Revolutionary War, from the perspective of an injured silversmith apprentice-turned printing press apprentice. Calico Captive was based on the actual journals of a captive of the French-and-Indian war, and recounts the experiences of Miriam Willard, a young English colonist captured by Indians and sold into servitude for the French.
If she prefers speculative historical fiction, Stephen Lawhead's King Raven trilogy tells the story of Robin Hood, set during the time of William the Conqueror.
Other stuff
Finally, there's Justine Larbalestier. I've read two of her books -- How To Ditch Your Fairy and Liar. I recommend her based on Liar, but How To Ditch Your Fairy was . . . cute, I guess? I honestly don't remember it very well, just that I wasn't hugely impressed given the reviews that had convinced me to read it. The hype didn't live up to reality, for me. She's alright, though.
Also, have her sign up for goodreads.com. She can put in the books she likes and look for recommendations based on her interests, plus read reviews, etc.
ETA: In one of the comments, you mention that she has a short attention span and tends to skip over detail-oriented writing. In that case, I suggest getting some short-story anthologies, like Legends, Smoke and Mirrors, Kiss Me Deadly, and the aforementioned Lips Touch.
I'm so excited for your son to have fallen in love with reading - books are some of the best comforts one can have.
Ages 6 - 8 (some of these may be challenging)
Flora & Ulysses (Newbery Award winner) by Kate DiCamillo
I actually haven't read this book, but DiCamillo is an amazing author, and Newbery award winners are usually a safe bet. Tale of Despereaux is another great book of hers.
Everything written by Roald Dahl
Just in case he hasn't read them yet - I suggest Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Mathilda, James and the Giant Peach, and The Witches.
The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
Fantastic fantasy series to prepare him for Lord of the Rings trilogy I'm sure he'll watch/read in the future. Fun fact: the authors were dear friends.
Ages 9 -12 (more challenging)
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L'Engle
Holes, by Louis Sachar
Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls
Warning: he will cry at the end. Everyone cries at the end.
Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli
A runaway kid who starts a new life - like a children's version of Forrest Gump.
The A. I. Gang Trilogy, by Bruce Coville
Bruce Coville is a great children's author and this series would be right up your kid's alley if he likes spies. Five kids go to an island with their mad scientist parents and basically have amazing spy adventures. This series is geared toward 9+ years, but his other books and collections of stories are geared for younger kids (some of which are about aliens, which may appeal to his Star Wars attraction).
There are so many more books out there, but I didn't want to overwhelm you with choices. Please let me know if there are a specific genre you'd think your son would be interested in, and I'll try to think of more (although I was much more into fantasy when I was younger). Your son is so lucky to have a parent who encourages his reading!!
P.S. I LOVED The Phantom Tollbooth when I was younger :D
I know some of these have already been mentioned, so just consider this a second vote for those titles. Also, my list skews heavily towards sci-fi/fantasy, because that is what I tend to read the most of.
By women, featuring female protagonists:
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
The Female Man by Joanna Russ
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Circus in Winter by Cathy Day (It's not entirely fair to characterize this as a book about women; it's really a set of interconnected stories featuring both male and female characters. On the other hand, many of the most memorable characters, IMO, are women, so I'm filing it in this category anyway. So there!)
The Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce, beginning with First Test (Really, anything by Tamora Pierce would fit the bill here. They're young adult novels, so they're quick reads, but they're enjoyable and have wonderful, strong, realistic female protagonists.)
These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (Heyer wrote really fun, enjoyable romances, typically set in the Regency period, though These Old Shades is actually Georgian. This one is probably my favorite, but they're really all quite wonderful. Not super heavy stuff, but don't write her off just because of the subject matter. She was a talented, witty writer, and her female protagonists are almost never the wilting "damsel in distress" type - they're great characters who, while still holding true to their own time and place, are bright and likeable and hold their own against the men in their lives.)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Another young adult book. And, again, I think it's worth noting that L'Engle's books almost always feature strong and interesting female characters. This one is probably her most famous, and begins a series featuring members of the same family, so it's a good jumping off point.)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
By men, featuring female protagonists:
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (This is another one that is perhaps not a perfect fit for this category; the titular unicorn is female, but the book is as much about Schmendrick the magician as it is about her. However, there's also Molly Grue, so on the strength of those two women, I'm classifying this book as having female protagonists.)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (It's a children's book, but there's plenty to enjoy about it as an adult, too.)
By women, featuring male protagonists
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
I love this! Thank you so much for working on this project!
Here are my suggestions please add what you feel is appropriate :)
FICTION
A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles. - it's about a family with an alcoholic mother from the children's point of view. As an ACOA (adult child of an alcoholic) it's quite realistic as far as the mother's behavior.
A Wrinkle in Time - includes father/daughter relationships, sibling relationships and self esteem.
Push Inspiration for the movie Precious. I love this book but it is a tough one to read.
NON FICTION:
Hospice related: Final Gifts I also recommend this one to families of a dying loved one
My Mother Myself mother daughter relationships
Will I Ever be Good Enough. Another book about mother-daughter relationships but focuses on dealing with mothers with narcissistic behaviors.
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayad
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman.
Hyperbole and a Half Funny as fuck and talks about depression.
I do have a list of caregiver books that I give to loved ones of someone on hospice. I'm too lazy to look it up right now lol but if there's interest let me know and I'll post it.
Also, is there any interest in a social work related podcasts wiki? I know quite a few that deal with issues we work with such as alcoholism, addiction, recovery etc.
I have never heard of the books you've mentioned, but I will list some books I loved growing up. I hope these fit the level you are looking for.
There's a boy in the girls bathroom
Indian in the cupboard
Danny Champion of the World (husband's suggestion)
The Phantom Tollbooth, although I'm happy to help as I can. You didn't need a contest <3
High five for reading!!!
Goosebumps if you are ok with those/ he is old enough.
side note: I was just looking at my old book collection and found my favorite bookmark ever. Your contest changed my world!
I've read and loved almost all of the recommendations already here (TAMORA PIERCE). But to add some that haven't been mentioned (and trying really hard to not overload you with 20 books at once), I read and reread Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown and its prequel so. many. TIMES. Maybe even more than I reread Tamora Pierce. Patricia McKillip, Maria Snyder, Patricia C. Wrede (Dealing with Dragons quartet), Althea Kontis, Francesca Lia Block, Libba Bray and Susan Fletcher (Dragon Chronicles) are similar authors to check out for awesome female-driven fantasy, with varying degrees of lightheartedness. Wrede, Fletcher, Snyder and Kontis all wrote books that lean a little less epic/serious, Block writes a lot in prose that's also a very quick (but more intense) read, McKillip tends to be more wordy but beautifully so, and Bray can kind of go either way depending on the series.
For more contemporary fiction, RACHEL COHN (of "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist"). Her Gingerbread series has content a good deal more mature than Angus, Thongs, etc., but her style is similarly irreverent and witty and really fun. Seriously, check her out. Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons is like a much younger version of Cohn, still zingy and sweet. For a quieter modern-day read, Garret Freymann-Weyr writes realistic (more mature) young adult relationships, and introduced me to the idea of bisexuality in a sort of roundabout way.
Julia Alvarez relates stories about the Latina-American experience incredibly well, although I think the first book I read by her takes place solely in the Dominican Republic. According to my reading list, I guess young me got sick of reading about other white people, so I'll add Marjane Satrapi's hilarious graphic novel Persepolis and the more sedate Shabanu series by Suzanne Fisher Staples.
I'd also strongly second comments for Gail Carson Levine, E.L. Konigsberg, and did I mention Tamora Pierce?
(I tried to link a lot of authors to my faves from their work, but I won't be mad if you never look at any of them. Is your reading list long enough now? Also, I know you didn't ask for a ton of fantasy/historical fiction recs, but I think a lot of us defined our teenagerhood by and identified more strongly with one of those series or another.)
tl;dr my top three recs that haven't been mentioned yet are Rachel Cohn, Julia Alvarez, and that one duo by Robin McKinley.
I just saw that someone had been gifted A Wrinkle in Time and it brought back such good memories for me. I remember loving that book when I was younger :) I'd love to read it again!
I'm so sorry you have to work this weekend, I know that feeling :( This weekend I will be participating in a yard sale (which is awesome because I have tons of junk I need to sell!) Then my dad and I are going to look at a car (and I hope to buy it!) Sunday I'm going with my family and my roomie and his family to the Sugarloaf Craft Festival :)
Thanks for hosting! I hope work won't be too terrible for you this weekend &lt;3
Happy Friday
I'm also going to start posting my book recommendations in these posts, since I write them out before recording anyway to stop them from being full of "um"s and "uh"s. If this seems too commercially and anyone finds it offputting, please let me know!
The Golden Compass is the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, and it's hard to go into why I'm recommending it without massive spoilers. The series is amazing though, with great characters for every role, from heroes to antiheroes to villains to antivillains, and has one of the most unique multiverses I've ever read.
Just to mention what makes the first book great though, its main character is still my favorite female protagonist in a published novel, people in her world have sapient, shapeshifting familiars, and one of the nations is populated by TALKING ARMORED BEARS.
Seriously, it's awesome. If you like to listen to books as well as read them, then you can get a free audiobook when you sign up for a 30 day trial at audible.com. Just go to www.audibletrial.com/rational to get your book credit, and help support the podcast. Thanks for listening!
>where is the definitive version
What does that even mean for an anthology of works written over hundreds of years by at least dozens of authors and editors?
>A lot rides on whether you believe genesis to be true.
Something can be non-factual and still contain truth. No, I'm not a Young Earth Creationist, That doesn't make the book useless to me.
>For example there will never be mistranslated, inaccurate copy of a harry potter book.
Great example. I own this book: Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal and this book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. You don't even have to leave the front cover before you begin to run into translation problems. Does Philosopher mean the same thing to you as Sorcerer?
>Actually although all 3 gods are the "same" god, the teachings of each religion cannot coexist. To be more precise, if you get to heaven and the muslim god is there then jews and christians wont be getting in.
If they are truly the same, and I'm a Jew who makes my way to heaven, then by definition the "muslim god" will in fact be there. As will be the "christian god" and the "jewish god" because they are all the same one God.
>the teachings of each religion cannot coexist
They coexist now, but it sounds like you think I'm claiming that none of the teachings of those religions conflict. I'm not saying that.
>You cannot count muslims, jews and christians as belonging to the same religion. sorry, you cant just make up the rules.
Sorry, where are the rules posted? I guess I forgot to even read them. lol I could make a similar statement like "you can't just exclude who I'm allowed to count. Sorry, you can't just make up the rules" :)
>you will hardly find anyone who can logically accept one and not the other.
I'm guessing you've never lived in the southeastern United States. MLK Jr is not, even today, universally loved. In fact, I heard that he was even killed by a Christian.
>Until religion becomes a solely private matter I certainly wont be happy.
Bourbon helps. :)
Consider the discontinued Einstein Anderson series. Yes, it's about a boy, but it's essentially Encyclopedia Brown solving crimes using science. It's written by Seymour Simon, who you might be familiar with from his photo-rich picture science books.
If by creepy you mean scary, look at the Goosebumps series.
I have to recommend Harry Potter again because smart and science-y makes it easy for her to identify with Hermione Granger. She's a little standoffish at first, but the two (obviously) become good friends. And there are just so many very good lessons to be learned throughout the book series.
The Dear America series are fictional historical diaries of girls growing up in extraordinary times.
You might try Julie of the Wolves. There are several books in the series and the author, Jean Craighead George, has written a lot of other good ones.
This would really depend on your tastes.
I like to recommend The Dresden Files. The link goes to the first book in the series, and the first chapter is available on that page to see if it is something you might enjoy.
Also I liked The Golden Compass. Don't dismiss this book because it is for young readers anymore than you would dismiss a pixar movie. They are still enjoyable for adults, a good story is a good story.
If the fantasy stories aren't your thing, Hunt for the Red October is a fun read. It is also the gateway to a bunch of other novels from Tom Clancy. These are more suspenseful/action driven stories.
My preferences are mostly in the direction of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, so if you would like more things along that path I'd be happy to offer more suggestions.
AMcNair beat me to the punch on Goodnight Mood, but no childhood is complete without The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I also highly recommend anything by Richard Scarry.
Also, while they are probably for a slightly older child, I would suggest The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast, a beautifully illustrated fantasy, as well as The Ship's Cat, an amazing swashbuckling romp with absolutely gorgeous artwork. Too bad it want out of print... amazon lists one "new" for $221.58! I wish I'd been, well, less of a kid to my copy.
How good do you want them to be? These aren't highbrow by any means, but they are some of my favorites:
That's all I can remember offhand. I'll think on it and add more if I have a chance.
Oooooo get him goin on The Golden Compass! It's the first in a series called "His Dark Materials."
It's a really great book that my dad read me a long time ago. All thee characters have an animal companion called a "Daemon" that represents their personality, so he should love it based on his love of animals. There's also spies as there are warring factions, action, and ARMOURED BEARS.
It's definitely BY FAR my favorite book series ever!
The Phantom Tollbooth
Thanks for the contest!
All Ages
Ages 9+
Ages 12+
Resources:
He might like the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Start with this original series of 5 books - there is another series of 5 books that come after this one called The Heroes of Olympus, same world and a few overlap characters but not as good as the first series. Riordan also has the Kane Chronicles trilogy.
I would maybe suggest A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (which is currently being made into a movie). It's about a 12-year-old boy trying to emotionally deal with his mother's terminal illness, who is visited by a monster at night that helps teach him valuable life lessons. Ness is an excellent writer but his other books are probably a bit too advanced for him still.
The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel
The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins (same author as Hunger Games)
Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud. Book 1 is called The Screaming Staircase, Book 2 is called The Whispering Skull.
His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman
Chronicles of Narnia series maybe?
EDIT: The Iron Trial book has been getting a lot of push from bookstores as well this fall. Looks interesting but many people are just calling it a rip-off of Harry Potter.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It is technically a children's book, but it is also one of my favorite books of all time, and really takes me back to seeing things as a child and not an adult. It's super imaginative, at times heartwarming in its simplicity, yet has razor-sharp wordplay throughout.
Would also second David Sedaris' humorous essay collections.
If they don't already have one of the Viva Pinata games consider that! They're so cute and definitely spark some imagination!
For Rylee, my first thought was graphic novels if she's never tried them. My cousin loved A Wrinkle in Time even though he'd already read the book. Ghosts is very popular, too.
For Trinity, my first thought was a Bop It for some reason! Or maybe this gymnastics coloring book?
Yes, it's definitely The Dark Is Rising - so, so good. The rest of the books in the series are pretty fab as well - taught me everything I know about Arthurian legend.
I supplied my daughters with Lego and Lego Mindstorms kits and made sure they had a bottomless bucket of books. Both went on to STEM fields and they were some of their favorite things growing up.
At the risk of offending the for girls crowd, Lego has loads of kits targeted at girls.
Definitely check out Scratch as others have mentioned.
Two books I like to recommend for kids interested in STEM
The Phantom Tollboth
The Number Devil
The His Dark Materials Triology is really great. Great for both adults and teens. http://www.amazon.com/The-Golden-Compass-Dark-Materials/dp/0440418321
I highly recommend "His dark materials" for you to read. It has to be one of the better books I read and it is a series!
All 3 books (tangible copies)
All 3 books (Kindle)
It has coming of age, strong female protagonist, science fiction, and survival story all rolled into one.
If you liked harry potter, there is a good chance you will like this book series. (They tried to make a movie about it but adapted it horribly.. do not judge the book by the movie)
Ok I thought of one more author: Madeline L'Engle. Beyond her A Wrinkle In Time series (<3 Many Waters <3), there's A Severed Wasp and The Arm of the Starfish both of which are departures from The Wrinkle in Time series but still great.
Yes! You can have it via Amazon Prime for $20! That's the one I have and it's pretty, though all the novels are paperback.
A complete Beatrix Potter, James Herriot's children's stories (seriously, it's wonderful stuff for children), the whole Harry Potter series in hardcover (seriously, it'll get read enough to warrant it), a version of the Wind in the Willows with the original color plates, maybe this one , also splurge on the entire Swallows and Amazons series. Every child should read that or have it read to them and they'll still read them as they get older.
are you in the us? might be a bit of a slog, but check under "See all 80 formats and editions" and then "Paperback" here:
https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Spyglass-His-Dark-Materials-ebook/dp/B000FC1GJW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1520278543&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=amber+spyglass
i had a quick perusal through some of the many paperback editions listed but couldn't find that one. it may well be there, though
check the other amazon listings as well; there are many for the amber spyglass
The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Jester
this book revolutionized my world, learning about how language and syntax can be used was freaking FANTASTIC.
also, try the "His Dark Materials Trilogy" books....really cool magical worlds that I always got lost in.
EDIT: it makes me happy so many people read the dark materials trilogy, those books really opened my mind up to a lot of worldly concepts.
A wrinkle in time
Wait til helen comes
These are the first books I remember reading and just falling in love with both of them!
WL linky or surprise me
Ooh and I've heard awesome things about The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (plus the other books in that trilogy). I need to start this one myself.
If you haven't watched The Man in the High Castle on Amazon, or even if you have, you might enjoy the book by Philip K. Dick.
Sorry for my constant additions!
I'm
almostpositive that the 2nd book is The Phantom Tollbooth. Incredible book, one of my childhood favorites.Edit: I didn't remember the hand-clapping thing which is why I wasn't 100% positive, but I found a synopsis that mentions it:
>Next on the tour is the laboratory where sounds are invented—and also become visible. Milo claps his hands and
sheets of paper begin shooting out. He tries to reason with the Soundkeeper about the silence in the valley, but she will not hear of it. At one point Milo tries to retort with "But!" and catches himself short, feeling the word form on his tongue and stay there. He quickly, and silently, makes for the door, smuggling his sound out with him.
So, now I am positive.
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper felt that way me. And my spouse feels that way about The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.
I see by the suggestions on Amazon that we're not the only ones who liked both of those! Hah. Well, I second Amazon's third suggestion of A Wrinkle in Time.
Annnnd here we go again. I'm doing this with all books, just because.
Allegiant
Berenstain Bears
Calvin and Hobbes
Dune
Edgar Allen Poe collection
Fahrenheit 451
Gulliver's Travels
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
Julie of the Wolves
Kite Runner
Little House on the Prairie
Machine of Death
Neverending Story
Omnitopia Dawn (The book I'm reading now, actually!)
Pilgrim's Progress
Quarter Share (Also available free as a podiobook!)
Room
Snow Crash
[Tell-Tale Brain](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=tell-tale brain&sprefix=tell-tale%2Cstripbooks%2C222&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Atell-tale brain&ajr=2)
Uglies
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Watership Down
Xenocide
Year Zero
Zen and the Art of Knitting
My old stand-by: His Dark Materials Omnibus by Philip Pullman.
I just finished The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and I'm still all in my feelings over it and suspect I will be for quite some time....I'm perfectly ok with that.
This could be a very long list ... Will try to reign it in to some of my favourites. Most are popular enough that they won’t need explaining.
Springtime In Chernobyl
The Handmaid’s Tale: A Graphic Novel
Maus
Laika
Ichi-F: A Worker's Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant
Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation
To Kill A Mockingbird: A Graphic Novel
Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Classics Graphic Novels)
The Hobbit Graphic Novel
Persepolis
The Kite Runner: A Graphic Novel
A Wrinkle In Time: A Graphic Novel
The Great Successor Kim Jong Un: a Political Cartoon, an Epic Comic of the Dark Kingdom and the Passing of Power to a Third Kim
Any of Guy Delisle’s travelogues
Could it be The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper? There are five books in the series, all of them are excellent.
I love the His Dark Materials trilogy. If this helps, Amazon has the trilogy as a single volume.
His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman are absolutely wonderful for an older child or 'tween. (skip the movie). - http://www.amazon.com/Materials-Omnibus-Golden-Compass-Spyglass/dp/0375847227
That's funny, I had never heard of this before, but just a few hours ago I was reading The Amber Spyglass and they mentioned it's double-refracting properties in the section where Mary is playing with seedpod resin. I had no idea what they were talking about at the time. Thank you, reddit!
I read the whole series as a kid, and pretty much forgot about them for the last 25 years... I wonder if they're available on Kindle? I'm now itching to read the whole series again.
Yep, only $6.99 for the first book too. Neat!
Oh, my friend, they have already taken three more steps.
There's the OMG Shakespeare series--a rendition in text messages. e.g. Macbeth #killingit
(Don't get those, they are terrible. The novelty wears off after 2 pages.)
There are a number of book series aimed at young adults that re-tell Shakespeare in modern language. Shakespeare Today is one such series. I have not read any books like these, but wanted to mention them to let you know that the Young Adult section of your local library may be a good place to look.
The His Dark Materials series. If you want to teach them to be a critical reader and thinker and inspire them to think independently, without feeling like you forced them to think any certain way, give them these three books. They're age appropriate, they're subtle, and they're almost a perfect foil for the Chronicles of Narnia series; this series is the secular Narnia series.
You could try A Wrinkle in Time there is a nice 50th Anniversary edition, and a Boxed Set with the other books to choose from.
This sounds like one of the planets visited in A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
a chapter from The Phantom Tollbooth might fit your bill...
The Phantom Tollbooth - You may have read it as a kid and thus think it is a kids book - but its still worth a read once in a while as an adult.
I was a fan of [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Swallows-Amazons-Godine-Storyteller-Ransome/dp/1567924204/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377819644&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=swallows+and+amazons) when I was about that age, although it's very english. The guardian did bill it as 'the new harry potter' a few years ago, because there was supposed to be a new film about it made.
The Silent Strength of Stones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
So You Want To Be A Wizard by Dianne Duanne
Agreed, but i should mention A Wrinkle In Time is actually the first in a series of 5 (I haven't read the last four yet but they can be found here)
My friend suggested The Golden Compass, but I've never read it so I can't say for sure.
Can't believe no one said The Phantom Tollbooth yet.
The Golden Compass used :D
Can i lick chocolate chip cookies?
Does this count as a match?
Not the Kindle versions, but I have all three paperbacks on my wishlist. (Three separate links.)
If not well...snooble!
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Phantom Tollbooth! I still reread this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Tollbooth-Norton-Juster/dp/0394815009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1248319158&amp;sr=8-1
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman?
Have you tried the His Dark Materials trilogy?
I think I prefer the title of this one: https://www.amazon.com/Macbeth-killingit-OMG-Shakespeare-William/dp/0553538802/
Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables
Meg Murray from A Wrinkle In Time
Cleo Murphy from The Island Keeper
Here is a link to the books that I referenced.
http://www.amazon.com/Wrinkle-Quintet-Swiftly-Tilting-Acceptable/dp/0312373511
His Dark Materials trilogy? (The Golden Compass, etc)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0440418321/ref=rdr_ext_tmb
Sorry my Bad.
https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Compass-His-Dark-Materials/dp/0440418321/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=golden+Compass+paperback&amp;qid=1558388276&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1.https://www.amazon.com/Subtle-Knife-His-Dark-Materials/dp/044041833X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=the+subtle+knife+paperback&amp;qid=1558388191&amp;s=gateway&amp;sprefix=The+subtle+knife+paper&amp;sr=8-1.https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Spyglass-His-Dark-Materials/dp/0440418569/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=amber+spyglass+paperback&amp;qid=1558388245&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1
You can go to Amazon and choose.