I am often asked for book recommendations for children. Over time, I noticed that I was consistently recommending titles published during my childhood or adolescence. As a child, I read some FANTASTIC books. A few years ago, I wrote a post listing my 100 absolute favorite chapter books.
Check out my 100 Chapter Books You MUST Read To Your Kids Post! (One of my all-time most popular posts!)
And while I will absolutely never (ever!) tire of re-reading books like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler or the Ramona series, I don’t want to short-change my children by not exposing them to all of the fantastic newer literature out there. (And there have been some INCREDIBLE titles published in the last ten years!!)
I’ve spent the last year (literally!) combing the shelves of my local library, browsing booklists online, and flipping through everything my kids begin to read. I’ve sat myself down on the floor of the world’s largest independent bookstore and flipped through stacks of children’s books. I did my research, pored through reviews, and discovered some new cherished favorites along the way.
My hope is that you’ll discover a new favorite amongst these titles – perhaps discovering an author or a series that really speaks to your child.
*A few titles on the list may just miss my 10 year cut-off. The list took a little longer than originally anticipated to curate, thus putting several books over that ten-year mark. Still worth reading! Enjoy!
This list of books is phenomenal (and I mean phenomenal). Each of these titles deserves to be someone’s favorite. In the interest of fairness, I’ve placed my personal ten favorites at the top of the list. The rest of the titles are in random order. (And personally, I hope you’ll read them all!!) Happy reading everyone. Go find a new favorite!
- Wonder by Raquel J Palacio
- Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
- The One and Only Ivan by K. A. Applegate
- Greenglass House by Kate Milford
- Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
- The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
- The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
- The Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
- The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Wish by Barbara O’Connor
- One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
- The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
- A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
- Audacity Jones to the Rescue by Kirby Larson
- Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
- Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
- Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman
- Pie by Sarah Weeks
- Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
- Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker
- Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry
- Roxie and the Hooligans by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
- The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick
- A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole
- The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
- The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick
- The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
- The Marvels by Brian Selznick
- Crenshaw by K. A. Applegate
- The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
- Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
- How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor
- The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
- Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech
- Sophie Simon Solves Them All by Lisa Graff
- Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
- Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
- Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo
- Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows
- The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
- The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart
- The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon
- Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
- Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
- Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh by R. L. LaFevers
- The 13 Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths
- When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin
- I Funny: A Middle School Story by James Patterson
- The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
- The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz
- The Uncommoners by Jennifer Bell
- Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
- Half Magic by Edward Eager
- Roxie and the Hooligans by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
- Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald
- Stick Dog by Tom Watson
- Roscoe Riley Rules by Katherine Applegate
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
- Jeremy Thatcher, Â Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
- All About Sam by Lois Lowry
- Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins
- Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff by Robert Paul Weston
- Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood
- The Zoo at the Edge of the World by Eric Kahn Gale
- When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad
- The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
- Pax by Sara Pennypacker
- The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels
- Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
- Buckle and Squash: The Perilous Princess Plot by Sarah Courtauld
- Moo by Sharon Creech
- My Dad’s a Birdman by David Almond
- Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson
- The Ambrose Deception by Emily Ecton
- Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes
- Last in a Long Line of Rebels by Lisa Lewis Tyre
- Magic Marks the Spot: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates by Caroline Carlson
- Diary of a Sixth Grade Ninja by Marcus Emerson
- Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
- Night on Fire by Ronald Kidd
- The Tilting House by Tom Llewellyn
- The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Fish In a Tree by Lynda Mulally Hunt
- Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia
- The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson
- Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
- Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein
- Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
- Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
- Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford
- Short by Holly Goldber Sloan
- Jacky Ha-Ha by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
- The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein
- Bellyache by Crystal Marcos
- The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
- Tumble and Blue by Cassie Beasley
- The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton
Looking for more book recommendations?
Check out my 100 Favorite Picture Books post!!
Check out my 100 Books About Math post!!
Wonder is a wonderful book. I want to see the movie too.
I love this list!! I forgot how much I loved the Westing Game as a kid.