Doorways to Great Reading

Store Location

If there's a one-world government, it's television. King of the Technological Age, he sits enthroned in homes around the world, a little box of images and sound emitting edicts to his unified followers from his electrical shrine. That description may be a bit overwrought, but the fact remains: more people these days would prefer to watch TV than read a good book.

Many parents are desperate to expose their kids to quality literature, whether it's a classic like Anne of Green Gables, a more recent novel like Mimus, or simply something other than the TV Guide. In response, a number of literature-based curricula have been developed, and in turn have become increasingly popular among both homeschool families and school educators.

As great and noble as this effort has been, there are a couple problems we see with the literature-curriculum approach: 1) literature is treated as curriculum, and 2) children aren't exposed to the depth and variety available because reading is limited to the curriculum suggestions. Consequently, a lot of children grow to dislike reading, associating it as they do with schoolwork and not having a good time.

We've accumulated many of the titles used by the major literature-based curriculum lines, and those products are among our best sellers. We're also not entirely opposed to the literature approach, but we also want to offer a much broader selection of literature, titles that don't find their way into the program guides but are nevertheless worth reading.

Numerous book lists, catalogues, and publishers (including many dedicated to reprinting the more obscure classic titles) have guided us in the construction of our fiction and literature sections. (Employees have also been an important factor in this process, and you can read about their favorites here.) Doorways to Great Reading collects the best of these lists in one place.

Discovering classic literature is more than just checking off titles from a master list, however. Though books like Honey for a Child's Heart, The Well-Educated Mind, and The Book Tree are great places to start and offer excellent guidelines, they are still jumping-off places. Developing the skills to find good books on your own (and imparting those skills to your children) is the end these books are supposed to help you achieve.

When Lucy Pevensie opened the wardrobe and found Narnia, her first experience with a snowbound landscape gave her little indication of the adventure and wonder she'd find there. Great books are the same way: the more you read, the more you realize how many are really out there, and the better you get at finding them.

If your adventure in the realms of literature hasn't started, or is still in its beginning stages, use the booklists you'll find here as maps of sorts, there to help you navigate but not to make the journey on your behalf. The travel is up to you, and whether you decide to explore Ben-Hur or The Wind in the Willows, it's travel that will take you far from your front door and back many times over.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

Did you find this review helpful?

Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Doorways to Great Reading

Subcategories by Grade

Nursery (Ages 2-4)

Preschool (Ages 4-5)

Kindergarten (Ages 5-6)

1st grade (Ages 6-7)

2nd grade (Ages 7-8)

3rd grade (Ages 8-9)

4th grade (Ages 9-10)

5th grade (Ages 10-11)

6th grade (Ages 11-12)

7th grade (Ages 12-13)

8th grade (Ages 13-14)

9th grade (Ages 14-15)

10th grade (Ages 15-16)

11th grade (Ages 16-17)

12th grade (Ages 17-18)

Adult

Subcategories

Book Tree

Books Children Love

Give Your Child the World Booklist

Hand That Rocks the Cradle

Honey for a Child's Heart

Honey for a Teen's Heart

Invitation to the Classics

Outside of a Dog Booklist

- 1st Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

- 2nd Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

- 3rd Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

- 4th Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

- 5th Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

- 6th Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

- 7th Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

- 8th Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

- 9th-12th Outside of a Dog - Fiction

- 9th-12th Outside of a Dog - Nonfiction

- Adult Fiction Outside of a Dog Booklist

- Adult Nonfiction Outside of a Dog Booklist

Read Aloud Revival Booklist

Reading Roadmaps Booklists

Recommended Book Lists

Redeemed Reader Starred Reviews

Teaching the Classics Booklist

Teaching the Classics Worldview Detective Booklist

Well-Educated Mind

Western Culture's Top 50

77 Items found Print

Active Filters:

3rd grade (Ages 8-9),

Books for Guys

	500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss from Random House for 2nd-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $16.99
	Adventures of Tintin - Young Readers Collection by Herge for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $52.76
	Adventures of Tintin Volume 1 (3-in-1) Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $27.99
	Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss from Random House for 2nd-4th grade 1950 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $16.99
	Black Island Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $14.99
	Black Ships Before Troy The Story of the Iliad by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee from Frances Lincoln Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $22.99
	Blue Lotus Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99 $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Broken Ear Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman from Little, Brown & Company Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Calculus Affair Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade 1941 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $4.99 $3.00 (2 in stock)
	Castafiore Emerald Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $14.99
	Cay by Theodore Taylor from Yearling Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Centerburg Tales More Adventures of Homer Price by Robert McCloskey from Puffin Books Humor for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.99
	Centerburg Tales More Adventures of Homer Price by Robert McCloskey from Puffin Books Humor for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl from Puffin Books Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Cigars of the Pharaoh Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	Crab With the Golden Claws Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	Destination Moon Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	Donde viven los monstruos (Where the Wild Things Are) Spanish Edition by Maurice Sendak from HarperCollins Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1964 Caldecott Medal winner in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Explorers on the Moon Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $14.99
	Explorers on the Moon Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Casterman Editions Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN)
	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) $8.99
	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) $19.99
	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) $9.99
	Farmer Boy Little House Series #3 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from Scholastic Inc. Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Farmer Boy Little House Series #3 by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Helen Sewell from Harper & Brothers Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Farmer Boy (Pictorial Cover) Little House Series #3 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Farmer Boy - Audio CD Little House Series #3 by Laura Ingalls Wilder Unabridged from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
	Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop & Kurt Wiese from PaperStar Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Flight 714 to Sydney Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	George Washington's Breakfast by Jean Fritz from PaperStar Books Biography for 1st-4th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary from HarperCollins for 2nd-4th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	Homer Price by Robert McCloskey from Puffin Books Humor for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Homer Price Puffin Modern Classics by Robert McCloskey from Puffin Books Humor for 3rd-6th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Iliad (retold) or, Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee from Frances Lincoln Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	King Ottokar's Sceptre Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $14.99
	Land of Black Gold Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $14.99
	Legend of King Arthur by Retold by Robin Lister, Illustrated by Alan Baker from Kingfisher Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Lentil by Robert McCloskey from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction/Humor for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Littlest Matryoshka by Corinne Demas Bliss 1^st edition from Disney-Hyperion for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Making of a Knight by Patrick O'Brien from Charlesbridge Picture Books/Historical Fiction for 2nd-6th grade in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID) $7.95 $5.00 (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) $7.99 $4.50 (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) $9.99
	Old Mother West Wind Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #1 by Thornton W. Burgess Revised Edition from Dover Publications Animal Fantasy for 1st-4th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $5.00
	Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg from William Morrow & Company Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Prisoners of the Sun Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $14.99
	Ralph S. Mouse Mouse & the Motorcycle #3 by Beverly Cleary from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.99
	Red Rackham's Treasure Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	Red Sea Sharks Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling from William Morrow & Company Realistic Animal Stories for 2nd-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.99
	Runaway Ralph Mouse & the Motorcycle #2 by Beverly Cleary from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.99 $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)
	Secret of the Unicorn Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $14.99
	Seven Crystal Balls Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	Shooting Star Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $14.99
	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)
	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) $9.99
	Sounder by William H. Armstrong from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade 1970 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.00 (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) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner from HarperCollins Realistic Animal Stories for 2nd-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $8.99
	Stormy, Misty's Foal by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $7.99
	Story of King Arthur by Retold by Robin Lister, Illustrated by Alan Baker from Kingfisher Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Stuart Little by E. B. White from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla from HarperCollins Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.99
	Tintin and the Picaros Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	Tintin in America Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	Tintin in Tibet Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $13.99
	TYR: Black Island Tintin Young Readers by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN)
	TYR: Blue Lotus Tintin Young Readers by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $11.99
	TYR: Crab With the Golden Claws Tintin Young Readers by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $11.99
	TYR: King Ottokar's Sceptre Tintin Young Readers by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $11.99
	TYR: Prisoners of the Sun Tintin Young Readers by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $9.00
	TYR: Red Rackham's Treasure Tintin Young Readers by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $11.99
	TYR: Secret of the Unicorn Tintin Young Readers by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN)
	Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak from HarperCollins Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1964 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak 25th Anniversary from HarperCollins Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1964 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Connect