Doorways to Great Reading

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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.

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Used Books & Materials

	Adventures of Pinocchio Illustrated Junior Library Series 2 by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-8th grade in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	America is Born A History for Peter #1 by Gerald W. Johnson (iilustrations by Leonard Everett Fisher) from William Morrow & Company for 4th-7th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $45.00 (1 in stock)
	Astrid the Unstoppable by Maria Parr, translated from the Norwegian by Guy Puzey from Candlewick Press for 2nd-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Bambi A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten, illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher from Charles Scribner's Sons Animal Stories: Fantasy for 4th-6th grade in Scribner Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SCRIB) $18.00 (1 in stock)
	Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman from J.B. Lippincott Co. Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1955 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo from Candlewick Press for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Biggest Story How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden by Kevin DeYoung from Crossway Books for 1st-6th grade in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Birds' Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin from Houghton Mifflin Christmas/Advent for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Black Cauldron Prydain Chronicles #2 by Lloyd Alexander from Holt, Rinehart and Winston Fantasy for 4th-8th grade 1966 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Blind Colt by Glen Rounds from Holiday House for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Blind Colt A World Famous Horse Story Library selection by Glen Rounds from Holiday House for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Book of the Ancient World by Dorothy Mills from Dawn Chorus for 5th-8th grade in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC) $18.00 (1 in stock)
	Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson First Ed from HarperCollins Fantasy for 5th-9th grade 1978 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $10.00 (2 in stock)
	By the Shores of Silver Lake Little House Series #5 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade 1940 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $18.99 $8.00 (2 in stock)
	By the Shores of Silver Lake (Pictorial Cover) Little House Series #5 by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade 1940 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Canterbury Tales Selected, translated, adapted and illustrated by Barbara Cohen & Trina Schart Hyman from William Morrow & Company Medieval Literature for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $17.50 (1 in stock)
	Charles A. Lindbergh A Human Hero by James Cross Giblin from Clarion Books Biography for 5th-8th grade 1998 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.00 (2 in stock)
	Charlotte's Web by E. B. White from HarperCollins for 2nd-6th grade 1953 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor from Simon and Schuster Poetry for 1st-5th grade in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL) $19.99 $14.50 (1 in stock)
	Children Just Like Me: Celebrations by Anabel Kindersley, Barnabas Kindersley from DK Publishing for 3rd-5th grade in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Children of Odin The Book of Northern Myths by Padraic Colum, illustrated by Willy Pogany from Macmillan Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $40.00 (1 in stock)
	Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary from William Morrow & Company Realistic Fiction for 5th-9th grade 1984 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Elijah Of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis from Scholastic Inc. Nursery Rhymes for 4th-6th grade 2008 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner, 2008 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Ella Enchanted - Special Read-Aloud Edition by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 3rd-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Ersatz Elevator Series of Unfortunate Events #6 by Lemony Snicket from HarperCollins Morbid Humor for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $18.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Flaming Arrows by William O. Steele, Illustrated by Paul Galdone 1^st edition from Harcourt Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg 35th Anniversary Edition from Atheneum Mystery/Suspense for 4th-7th grade 1968 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji from Dutton Juvenile for 4th-9th grade 1928 Newbery Medal winner in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $14.00 (2 in stock)
	Grey King Dark Is Rising Sequence #4 by Susan Cooper from Aladdin Paperbacks Fantasy for 4th-7th grade 1976 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Happy Prince, The Selfish Giant, and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by Charles Robinson from Octopus Books Limited Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh 50th Anniversary from Delacorte Press Humorous Stories for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Holes with Bonus Material Holes Series #1 by Louis Sachar 10th Anniversary Edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 4th-6th grade 1999 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz from Penguin Putnam for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul & Maria Russo from Workman Publishing for Nursery-10th grade in Recommended Book Lists (Location: LIR-REC) $7.00 (2 in stock)
	I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño 1994 Printing from Farrar, Straus and Giroux Realistic Fiction/Slavery for 5th-8th grade 1966 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Indian in the Cupboard Indian in the Cupboard #1 by Lynne Banks from Weekly Reader Fantasy for 4th-7th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell from Houghton Mifflin Realistic Fictio for 5th-8th grade 1961 Newbery Medal Winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.00 (2 in stock)
	Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman 1^st edition from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Julie of the Wolves "Julie" Trilogy Book 1 by Jean Craighead George from HarperCollins Adventure for 4th-8th grade 1973 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Julie of the Wolves "Julie" Trilogy Book 1 by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by John Schoenherr from HarperCollins Adventure for 4th-8th grade 1973 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	King of the Wind The Story of the Godolphin Arabian by Marguerite Henry 1950^th edition from Rand McNally Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-7th grade 1949 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Kingfisher Atlas of World History A pictoral guide to the world's people and events, 10000BCE-present by Simon Adams Revised from Kingfisher for 3rd-5th grade in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS) $17.50 (1 in stock)
	Last Battle Chronicles of Narnia Book 7 by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer by Robert Byrd 1^st edition from Dutton Children's Books for 3rd-5th grade 2004 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky from Little, Brown & Company Biography for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $18.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
	Lindbergh Tale of a Flying Mouse Classic Starts by Torben Kuhlmann, Translated by David Henry Wilson from NorthSouth for 2nd-6th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $19.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery from Harcourt Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Dinah Dryhurst Reprint from Breslich & Foss Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Long Winter Little House Series #6 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1941 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $19.99 $9.50 (1 in stock)
	Man of the Family Little Britches Series #2 by Ralph Moody from People's Book Club Biography for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Man of the Family Little Britches Series #2 by Ralph Moody 1^st edition from W. W. Norton and Co. Biography for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen, illustrated by Beth & Joe Krush from Harcourt Family Stories for 4th-7th grade 1957 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Miserable Mill Series of Unfortunate Events #4 by Lemony Snicket from HarperCollins Morbid Humor for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Mission Accomplished A Two-Week Family Easter Devotional by Scott James from New Growth Press for All ages in Easter & Lent (Location: HOLIDAY) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Mr. and Mrs. Bunny - Detectives Extraordinaire! by Mrs. Bunny, translated from the Rabbit by Polly Horvath, illustrated by Sophie Blackall from Schwartz & Wade for 2nd-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe 1^st edition from Amistad Press for 2nd-5th grade 1988 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	My Brother Sam Is Dead by James & Christopher Collier from Simon and Schuster Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1975 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	North to Freedom Also published as I am David by Anne Holm from Harcourt, Brace & World for 4th-7th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	North! Or Be Eaten Wild escapes. A desperate journey. And the ghastly Fangs of Dang. Wingfeather Saga Book 2 by Andrew Peterson, illustrated by Joe Sutphin Original from WaterBrook Press for 4th-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $14.99 $8.50 (1 in stock)
	On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness Wingfeather Saga Book 1 by Andrew Peterson, illustrated by Joe Sutphin from WaterBrook Press for 4th-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $14.99 $8.50 (1 in stock)
	Otis Spofford by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Louis Darling from Morrow Junior Books for 4th-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm from HarperCollins in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.00 (3 in stock)
	Owen & Mzee The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Craig Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, Paula Kahumbu First Edition from Scholastic Press for 3rd-5th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Penderwicks A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie from Barnes & Noble Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Peter the Great by Diane Stanley from William Morrow & Company Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
	Pippi Goes on Board Pippi Longstocking #2 by Astrid Lindgren from Viking Press Humor for 2nd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Prince Caspian Read Aloud Edition Chronicles of Narnia Book 4 by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin 1^st edition from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Valenti Angelo from Viking Press Realistic fiction for 5th-8th grade 1937 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $17.00 (1 in stock)
	Shen of the Sea Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman from Dutton Juvenile for 3rd-5th grade 1926 Newbery Medal in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $17.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Single Shard by Linda Sue Park from Clarion Books for 4th-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.00 (3 in stock)
	So You Want To Be President? by Judith St. George from Philomel Books for 2nd-5th grade 2001 Caldecott Medal winner in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE) $4.00 (3 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) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	String in the Harp by Nancy Bond from Atheneum for 4th-8th grade 1977 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Tales from Shakespeare Manhattan Young People's Library by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Louis Rhead from Gilbert H. McKibben Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $18.00 (1 in stock)
	Tales from Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger 1971 printing from Doubleday & Company for 4th-8th grade 1925 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber from New York Review of Books for 4th-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	This is Australia by Miroslav Sasek from Universe Publishing for 3rd-5th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $17.95 $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne from SAPE Science Fiction for 5th-8th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here? What We Believe Series #2 by John Hay & David Webb from Apologia Educational Ministries for 1st-8th grade in Apologia What We Believe (Location: BIBWV-APO) $39.20 $26.00 (1 in stock)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Anna Leplar from Parragon Publishing Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by John Burningham from Viking Kestrel Books Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by James Lynch from The Folio Society Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $25.00 (1 in stock)
	Young Person's Guide to Music by Neil Ardley from DK Publishing for 4th-8th grade in Music Education & Reference (Location: ELE-MUSREF) $12.00 (1 in stock)

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