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Fiction by Genre

Fiction is good. It's not just lies—lies are the dishonest things we tell other people out of selfishness, while fiction is (or should be) those stories used to reveal truth. Not that all stories have to be tied up with a neat moral at the end. Truth wears many faces, and our favorite stories are as varied, and often as unresolved, as life itself.

A good book always has something to say, however. Even if the message is as simple as "it's good to have friends" or "growing up is difficult no matter who you are," there is a message and it can be understood. There are books that are all plot....but they aren't good books. There are books that are all blatant morality and character-building....also not good books, at least in the sense we mean here.

For those of you about to stop reading, know this: we aren't promoting immoral books. Just because there isn't an obvious "and Johnny was happy because he knew that stealing was bad" ending doesn't mean we support kids reading about worldly characters doing worldly things as though this was normal and healthy. But we also don't think Pathway Readers are the only appropriate fiction available to children.

What we mean by "good book" is one which accurately depicts human nature, demonstrates an engaging style, displays a consistent worldview, and doesn't use cheap tricks to get readers interested. That excludes a lot of books. It also includes a lot of books, and they typically aren't the ones filling the new release racks at Barnes & Noble.

We emphasize classic fiction at Exodus Books. That's not to say we shun all modern fiction, but typically good writing survives for years and years and years on its own merits, and those books that fit that description can be trusted more than those still in their infancy. Genres we find particularly problematic are those built around cheap formulas and plots with little to say (fantasy, sci-fi and mystery series come immediately to mind).

Books that rely on non-stop action and thrills are also avoided by our charming and discerning book-buying staff. Kids need to learn to enjoy reading because it's good for them and offers new ways to look at the world, not simply for a book's entertainment value. It's not enough just to read—if you read a steady diet of trash or sub-standard fiction you're really no better off than watching hours of television.

There is a difference between children's and adult literature. Kids shouldn't be sheltered, but they also aren't prepared to deal with the themes and darker elements adults must confront. Most of the titles in this section are "safe"—not a lot of extreme violence, sexual content, profanity, etc. here (though there is some overlap with the adult and children's genres).

Along the same lines, we don't encourage letting kids read abridged versions of classics or advanced material. Everything we offer is unabridged unless explicitly stated—it's far better to have kids read stories at their level than to have them read edited and often misrepresented versions of books not intended for children. If they read Charlotte's Web and Rufus M. as kids, they'll be ready for Great Expectations when they're older.

Nowhere in the Bible does God say "Read fiction. It'll make you a better person." But neither does He say "Have a time set aside for daily devotions. It's the only path to true spirituality." Simply because there's no command in Scripture doesn't mean a particular activity isn't a really good idea. Not that reading the Bible and reading fiction are in any way on the same level. Reading God helps us understand Him better—reading fiction helps us understand ourselves.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Parent Categories
Fiction by Genre
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Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies
Hornblower Series #11
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.14 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Donald McKay
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.64 $3.20 (2 in stock)
All Sail Set
by Armstrong Sperry
from David R. Godine
Nautical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1936 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.71 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for 2nd-4th grade
1950 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.44 $6.80 (1 in stock)
Basher Five-Two
by Scott O'Grady & Michael French
from Yearling
Autobiography for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Beat to Quarters
Hornblower Series #6
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 10th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.14 $7.20 (1 in stock)
Bridge to Terabithia
by Katherine Paterson
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
1978 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.60 (2 in stock)
By Pike and Dyke - Unit Study Guide
by Rick Medlin
from Preston Speed
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Call it Courage
by Armstrong Sperry
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
1941 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$1.60 (1 in stock)
Call of the Wild
Puffin Classics
by Jack London
2008th edition from Puffin Books
Action/Adventure for 7th-10th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$9.34 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Case of the Cat's Meow
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Crosby Bonsall
from Weekly Reader
Mystery/Suspense for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Cay
by Theodore Taylor
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Commodore Hornblower
Hornblower Series #9
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 10th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.14 $7.20 (1 in stock)
Day No Pigs Would Die
by Robert Newton Peck
1994 Printing from Random House
Realistic Stories for 6th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Day No Pigs Would Die
by Robert Newton Peck
1994 Printing from Dell Publishing
Realistic Stories for 6th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Dolphin Adventure
by Wayne Grover
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.09 $2.80 (3 in stock)
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.89 $4.80 (1 in stock)
Flying Colours
Hornblower Series #8
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 10th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.44 $8.00 (2 in stock)
Gods and Generals
by Jeff Shaara
from Ballantine Books
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Great Brain - boxed set
Great Brain #1-5
by John D. Fitzgerald, illustrated by Mercer Mayer
from Dell Yearling
Humorous Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$38.40 (1 in stock)
Henry and Ribsy
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
High King
Prydain Chronicles #5
by Lloyd Alexander
from Yearling
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
1969 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Key to the Indian
by Lynne Banks
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Killer Angels
by Michael Shaara
1st edition from Ballantine Books
Historical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
Kingfisher Book of Classic Boy Stories
by Michael Morpurgo, editor
1st edition from Kingfisher
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Li Lun
by Carolyn Treffinger
from Walker and Company
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1948 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.64 $3.20 (3 in stock)
Little Britches
Little Britches Series #1
by Ralph Moody
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.41
Lord Hornblower
Hornblower Series #10
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 10th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.14 $7.20 (2 in stock)
Man of the Family
Little Britches Series #2
by Ralph Moody
1st edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Matchlock Gun
by Walter Edmonds
from PaperStar Books
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
1942 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.64 $3.60 (3 in stock)
Mountain Born
by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin
from Bob Jones University Press
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.64 $3.60 (2 in stock)
Mouse and the Motorcycle
Mouse & the Motorcycle #1
by Beverly Cleary
Reissue from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49 $3.20 (1 in stock)
My Cousin Rachel
by Daphne du Maurier
from Doubleday & Company
Mystery/Suspense for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Mystery of the Cupboard
by Lynne Banks
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94 $2.40 (2 in stock)
Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
On the Far Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead George
from Dutton Children's Books
Adventure for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Out on the Pampas
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Outlaw Red
by Jim Kjelgaard
1986 printing from Bantam-Skylark
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Pearl Maiden
by H. Rider Haggard
from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.24 $7.20 (1 in stock)
Pedro's Journal
by Pam Conrad
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Place for Peter
by Elizabeth Yates
from Bob Jones University Press
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.64 $4.80 (1 in stock)
Prairie Town Boy
by Carl Sandburg, illustrated by Joe Krush
from Harcourt
Autobiography for 5th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Rascal
by Sterling North
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 4th-8th grade
1964 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Rifleman Dodd
by C. S. Forester
from Marine Corps University
for 8th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Robinson Crusoe
Classics for Young Readers
by Daniel Defoe
from P&R Publishing
Realistic Adventure Novel for 6th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Robinson Crusoe
Wordsworth Classics
by Daniel Defoe
12th edition from Wordsworth Classics
Realistic Adventure Novel for 10th-Adult
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Sam the Minuteman
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Nathaniel Benchley & Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Samurai's Tale
by Erik Christian Haugaard
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Samurai's Tale
by Erik Christian Haugaard
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$2.80 (2 in stock)
Scout's Distant Journey
Scout Series
by Piet Prins
from Inheritance Publications
Action/Adventure for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$9.31 $5.60 (1 in stock)
Secret of the Indian
by Lynne Banks
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Shadow of a Bull
by Maia Wojciechowska
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1965 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Shiloh
Shiloh #1
by Phyllis R. Naylor
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 5th-8th grade
1992 Newbery Medal winner
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.64 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Yearling
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1984 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1984 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.49 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Single Shard
by Linda Sue Park
from Yearling
Realistic fiction for 5th-8th grade
2002 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Single Shard
by Linda Sue Park
from Sandpiper Books
Realistic fiction for 5th-8th grade
2002 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.34 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Snow Dog
by Jim Kjelgaard
1981 Edition from AB Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Hitchhiker's Trilogy #4
by Douglas Adams
from Crown Publishers
Humorous Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Sounder
by William H. Armstrong
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1970 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Sounder
by William H. Armstrong
from Harper & Row
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1970 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Squalls Before War
by Ned Bustard
from Veritas Press
Nautical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.00 $8.00 (2 in stock)
Starship Troopers
by Robert Heinlein
from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Stone Fox
by John Reynolds Gardiner
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.64 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Story of King Arthur and His Knights
Signet Classics
by Howard Pyle
from Signet Classics
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$5.91 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Susan Creek
Monroe Family Chronicles #2
by Doug Wilson
from Veritas Press
Nautical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$15.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Swift Rivers
by Cornelia Meigs
from Bloomsbury Publishing
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1933 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $4.80 (1 in stock)
Sword in the Tree
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$5.09 $2.80 (3 in stock)
Tales of Mystery and Terror
Puffin Classics
by Edgar Allan Poe
from Puffin Books
Mystery/Horror for 8th-12th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by John Lawrence
from Candlewick Press
Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
Treasure Island
Usborne Illustrated Originals
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Fran Parreno
from Usborne
Action/Adventure for 5th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Trojan Horse
Step Into Reading Level 5
by Emily Little
from Random House
Greek Mythology for 2nd-4th grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$5.09 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Trouble for Tomas
by Fraz Hutterer; illustrated by Irene Schreiber, translated by Joyce Emerson
from Hale-Cadmus
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$19.20 (1 in stock)
Warrior Scarlet
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Sunburst Book
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1964 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.61 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Whipping Boy
by Sid Fleischman
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1987 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.64 $3.60 (2 in stock)
Winter Room
by Gary Paulsen
from Scholastic Press
Action/Adventure for 6th-9th grade
1990 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
With the Allies to Pekin
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis, illustrated by Ed Young
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1933 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
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