The 100 Good Books List

Brave Girls and Strong Women Booklist

Webkeys Books for Kids

Scholastic Books

I also like the Chinaberry book catalog.

Children, Fiction

A thoroughly engrossing read for my 8 yr. old about a boy who is bequeathed a castle in his attic. By certain means which I will not divulge, he shrinks and enters an adventurous world in the castle. And good news, there is a sequel!

Children, Fiction

An unconventional princess refuses to be matched with a prince chosen by her parents, so she runs away to be a housekeeper for a dragon. One thing I like about this book is how magic/witches/potions that are usually the focus of these fantasy books are only lightly involved: the princesses make a drink to protect them from the dragon's fire. There is a subplot of wizards trying to steal something (I won't say what) from the dragons, but of course they are outdone in the end by the princesses, and they are shown to be inept rather than malicious. And there is one witch, and I don't go in for stories involving witches or wizards, and I held my breath when I encountered her in the book, but I can only tell you that she is gentle and helpful in procuring an item for the fireproof "drink." I also like that the princess has a mind of her own, for once! This is probably not a book I'd give *my* 3rd grader, but for all of you that have no qualms about the above topics, it is thoroughly enjoyable and appropriate for that age.

Adult, Fiction

I enjoy books about multiple generations of women, and this one fits the bill. A restless, newly-divorced young woman returns home to collect her wits. As the story develops, we meet her family and neighbors, most of whom work at the local textile plant.

Casebook of a Private (Cat's) Eye, by Mary Stolz

Children, Fiction

This book is very enjoyable and moves at a quick pace, but is packed with terrific vocabulary and fun dialects. The female cat takes on several divers cases during her first year as a detective, and each is wrapped up by the end of the book. My daughter especially enjoyed the case of the missing baseball.

Adult, Non-Fiction

I have "discovered" Indian cuisine, and when I approached an Indian friend for recipes, she referred me to this book. I've tried about a dozen recipes so far, and each one has been great. Each step is spelled out, each ingredient described, and background on the dish and suggested companion dishes are included.

Red Sails to Capri, by Ann Weil

Children, Fiction

I read this book aloud to my daughter and we both enjoyed the mystery surrounding the famous Blue Grotto on Capri. We were eager to find out whether the boarders would convince the locals to visit the grotto. And we enjoyed the Italian vernacular, and I played it up as I read the book.

Children, Fiction

My daughter is absolutely hooked on all the American Girls books because she loves the history. She is just able to read them by herself, but I usually read them aloud because we can go at a much faster pace! Her favorite characters are Kirsten, a pioneer girl and immigrant from Sweden, and Josefina, a Mexican girl in the mid-1800s. From my perspective, these are the best-written of any series books we've tried, and I love the emphasis on history. Now there are some smaller, single-chapter books about each girl, and my daughter can easily read one in a day.

We also occasionally purchase the trading cards (about $1/pack). I like the price, and I like that there are cards specifically for girls and about girls. Also, each card boasts a beautiful reproduction of a full-page picture from the books and asks a trivia question from the book. Reading comprehension on the sly!

Adult, Non-Fiction

This book is almost overwhelming in size and stature! My library has a copy, but I wanted to mark in the book, so I bought my own from Barnes and Noble. It lists books, curriculum, videos, software, and ideas from the author's experience, all sorted by subject and rated for age ranges. There is a lot for my soon-to-be 1st grader, but it goes through high school age.

Slaves in the Family, by Edward Ball

Adult, Non-Fiction

An absolutely fascinating account of a descendant of the South Carolina Ball family plantation owners. The author's purpose is to research the genealogy of the descendants of his family's former slaves, and restore this information to them. An amazing study in why slavery worked, failed, and was so cherished by white Southerners. And a glimpse into why some Southerners still haven't reconciled themselves to the outcome of the Civil War.

The Boxcar Children

Children, Fiction

My 5 yr. old loved this, and we read the whole thing in one day! She couldn't imagine that when I read it as a child, there was only one book in the series. We're committed to getting the next one from the library at our next outing.

Children, Fiction

I don't know how I missed this as a girl. It's a wonderful book about life from a doll family's perspective, including how the dolls interact with the 2 sisters who own them. Set in England at the end of World War 2.

Children, Fiction

What a nice series about 2 little girls that live across the street from each other, and their adventures together. Walking to the top of the big hill with a picnic, going to the brown house that looks like a castle, and starting school together.

Children, Fiction

This Jewish family with 5 girls set just before World War 1 reflects a time which most of us don't remember. The girls mix up together, lose a library book, gain a new brother, etc. This is a series of 5 books. Scholastic just reprinted this first book, which sparked my interest. You'll have to hunt used book stores if you want to own the whole series.

Children, Fiction

This touching story is told by the animals that live on the hill, their fears about the new folks moving into the farm house, and their interaction with the surprisingly animal-minded folks. Just in case you're worried, no animals die or are maimed in this story.

Children, Non-Fiction

My daughter has started sounding out words, and she only likes true stories. (That means no "Bob" books.) Luckily, Scholasic publishes a series of science/nature books with 1-5 beginner's words per page. Other titles include: Where Do Insects Live; Bugs, Bugs, Bugs; Games; and many others. I haven't found these at my library, but I got them thru the school's Scholastic Book program.

Adult, Non-fiction

My daughter is in a Montessori preschool, and I find this book very informative. If you want to know more about how a Montessori classroom is different from traditional classrooms, this book has lots of information.

Children, Fiction

This is the story of a grandmother who takes her granddaughter to a fall festival. It's a nice story, there's really nothing special about it, but I think my daughter enjoys hearing the interaction between the two characters, because she keeps asking me to read it again.

Adult, Non-fiction

I don't know if I'll homeschool, but I'm interested in reading all I can right now. This book covered a lot of topics from a candid, been-there-done-that perspective. It's very readable, too.

Children, Fiction

Although Alyssa is only 3, we have started reading chapter books because she enjoys the more-involved plots. We read one chapter at a sitting, and sometimes I have to edit as I read because of the vocabulary. This is the case with this book, but she enjoys it because it is about girls and dolls and imagination and nice/mean girls. We're at Chapter 7. We'll probably finish it next month. (Mom's note: we did finish it, but Alyssa was upset by the girl becoming penniless, so I read each chapter to myself and summarized it orally for her. She was quite relieved that it turned out well in the end.)

Adult, Non-fiction

This book was a real find for me because I have never been able to draw, yet when my husband and I followed this method only a couple of times, our drawing improved remarkably. The premise is that we haven't learned to analyze objects, so we can't draw them. When we look at something and break it into manageable, defineable parts, as directed specifically in the book, we are able to see how the object is "put together" and then draw it. This is perfect for analytical people like me. I hope to use it with my child when she is 4. You won't believe the pictures that children have drawn--you have to see the book to believe it. And the best part is, there is nothing "magical" about the method.

Children, Fiction

This is a nice immigration story. A family escapes from Russia, using money from a relative in America. They take a midnight wagon ride across the Russian border because they are afraid of the Czar's soldiers. We read about their trip, all the way to Ellis Island and into America, where their relatives are waiting for them. By Alyssa

Adult, Non-fiction

This is an intriguing, encouraging book which helps you understand how your child thinks and learns, and how you can use that information to enhance your child's education. It helped me understand how my child and I are different, which helps me relate to her in a more meaningful way. It is a good book for a person who doesn't feel "in sync" with her child because it affirms your child's different style and encourages her to try a different method of interacting with the child.

Children, Fiction

A Chinese girl, Keiko, spends a season with her great-grandparents, who live as traditional Chinese. Keiko's family is used to modern life, and she has quite a hard time adjusting to her grandparents' ways. Luckily, her cousing Yoji is also visiting, and he helps her.

Great Books for Girls, by Kathleen Odean

Adult, Non-fiction

This is a great reference book for the home. It's loaded with all different styles and types of books to read to your girls, with girls as the main characters. The format is no-nonsense: pages of listings, including title, author, plublisher, suggested age range, and synopsis of each book. By the way, my library has several humongous "reference" books (i.e. can't check them out) recommending books for children in general. Also, Ms. Odean has a companion book for boys.

Children, Fiction

A year in the life of an apple farmer and his family. With primitive-style illustrations, it has an old-time feel. Follow the fox family as they grow thru the year, with the apples.

Adult Non-Fiction

This is a book about becoming a mother and how it affects us. It is not a rosy, glowing affirmation of motherhood. It is a compilation of women's responses to motherhood, and how women handle the resultant changes in their lives. I find it encouraging that other women are sometimes "dealing with" being a mom, not always finding it the most fulfilling job at the moment, and at other times being overjoyed, just like me. I also enjoyed this author's "The Dance of Anger."

Children's Fiction

A delightful look at each month in the city. Teaches the changing seasons, the months, some defining experiences of city life. Beautiful pictures and enjoyable text.