My Account Wish List Shopping Cart Log In
Store Location

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 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 by Genre
Subcategories
78 Items found Print
Filter
Active Filters: Library Rebind
Adam of the Road
by Elizabeth Janet Gray, illustrated by Robert Lawson
1962 Printing from Viking Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Afternoon of the Elves
by Janet Taylor Lisle
Reprint from Orchard Books
for 3rd-7th grade
1990 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All-of-a-Kind Family
All-of-a-Kind Family Series #1
by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John
from Follett
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Amethyst Ring
by Scott O'Dell
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Amzat and His Brothers
by Paula Fox (reteller), illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
from Yearling
for 2nd-5th grade
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Apache Gold
by Joseph A. Altsheler
from Appleton-Century-Crofts
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Blaze Finds the Trail
by C. W. Anderson
from Macmillan
for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Bob, Son of Battle
by Alfred Ollivant
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Centerburg Tales
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Clara and the Bookwagon
by Nancy Smiler Levinson, illustrated by Carolyn Croll
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Cobweb Christmas
by Shirley Climo
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Coppertop
by Bob Hunt, illustrated by Jeanne Manget
from Coward McCann
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Curious George Learns the Alphabet
by H. A. Rey
from Houghton Mifflin
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Danny Dunn and the Automatic House
by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin; illustrated by Owen Kampen
from McGraw-Hill
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Danny Dunn and the Fossil Cave
by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Brinton Turkle
from McGraw-Hill
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Danny Dunn and the Voice from Space
by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin, Illustrated by Leo Summers
from McGraw-Hill
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Danny Dunn on the Ocean Floor
by Jay Williams & Raymond Abrashkin; illustrated by Brinton Turkle
from McGraw-Hill
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Dark and Bloody Ground
by Phyllis R. Fenner, ed.
from William Morrow & Company
for 4th-7th grade
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Dobie Sturgis and the Dog Soldiers
by Carl G. Hodges
First Edition from Bobbs-Merril Co
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Dragon of Og
by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
from Viking Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dream Weaver
by Jane Yolen
First Revised Edition from Philomel Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Edith Herself
by Ellen Howard, illustrated by Ronald Himler
from Atheneum
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Elmer and the Dragon
My Father's Dragon Trilogy #2
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Random House
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Favorite Just So Stories
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by H. B. Vestal
from Grosset & Dunlap
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Fog Magic
Puffin Newbery Library
by Julia L. Sauer, illustrated by Lynd Ward
2nd printing 1944 from Macmillan
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
by Arthur Ransome, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
from Sunburst Book
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1969 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Ginger Pye
by Eleanor Estes
from Harcourt, Brace & World
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Greek Gods
by Bernard & Dorothy Evslin, Ned Hoopes, illustrated by William Hunter
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
$2.00 (20 in stock)
Happy Little Family
Fairchild Family Series #1
by Rebecca Caudill, illustrated by Decie Merwin
1st edition from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Hercules and Other Tales from Greek Myths
by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by David Lockhart
from Scholastic Inc.
Greek Mythology for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Hot Rod
by Henry Gregor Felsen
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
In the Hands of the Senecas
by Walter D. Edmonds
from Little, Brown & Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Kianga: The Story of a Donkey
by Florence M. Hornback, illustrated by Robb Beebe
from St. Anthony Guild Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
King of the Golden River
Rainbow Classics
by John Ruskin, illustrator
from World Publishing Company
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Long Way to a New Land
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Lucretia Ann on the Oregon Trail
by Ruth Gipson Plowhead
from E.M. Hale and Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Macbeth
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
by Leon Garfield (Abridgement), William Shakespeare
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Makon and the Dauphin
by Nan Hayden Agle, illustrated by Robert Frankenberg
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Margot Austin's Churchmouse Stories
by Margot Austin
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Me, Cholay & Co.
by Don Schellie
from Four Winds Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Mishmash
by Molly Cone, illustrated by Leonard Shortall
3rd printing from Houghton Mifflin
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Mutineers
by Charles Boardman Hawes
from Little, Brown & Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Nootka
by Michael Hyde
from Henry Z. Walck, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Nose for Trouble
by Jim Kjelgaard
2nd Printing from Holiday House
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Oh Susannah
by Ruth and Richard Holberg
from Doubleday & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Penny and Peter
by Carolyn Haywood
from Harcourt Children's Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Powder Keg
by Donald E. Cooke
First Edition from John C. Winston
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Princess and the Goblin
by George MacDonald, illustrated by Charles Folkard
from J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.
Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Prisoner of Zenda
by Anthony Hope, illustrated by Leonard Rosoman
from Looking Glass Library
Adventure/Political Satire for 8th-12th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Robin Hood
by Sarah Hayes, illustrated by Patrick Benson
from Henry Holt and Company
for 3rd-6th grade
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
by Leon Garfield, William Shakespeare
First Edition Thus from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Runaway Ralph
by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Louis Darling
from Morrow Junior Books
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Seek the Dark Gold
Land of the Free series
by Jo Evalin Lundy, illustrated by Edward Shenton
from John C. Winston
Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Seven Sunflower Seeds
by John Verney
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Shadow of the North
by Joseph A. Altsheler
from Appleton-Century-Crofts
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Sign of the Four
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by Leonard Vosburgh
from Hart Publishing Company
Mystery for 8th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Silence Over Dunkerque
by John R. Tunis
from William Morrow & Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Slave Dancer
by Paula Fox
from Bradbury Press
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
1974 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Sleeping Beauty in the Wood
by Carol Heyer
from Ideals Children's Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Smiling Rebel
by Harnett T. Kane
from Doubleday & Company
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Ballantine Books
Fantasy for 4th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Sooner Hound
by Harvey Weiss
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Sophie of the Lazy B
by Myra Richardson, illustrated by Nicholas Panesis
Stated First Edition from Robert M. McBride & Co.
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$30.00 (1 in stock)
Steamboat South
by Madye Lee Chastain
from E.M. Hale and Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Nautical History (Location: VIN-NAUT)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Sue Barton, Rural Nurse
Sue Barton #04
by Helen Dore Boylston
from Little, Brown & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Tales From Fern Hollow: The Tortoise Fair
Tales From Fern Hollow
by John Patience
from Derrydale Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Taran Wanderer
Prydain Chronicles #4
by Lloyd Alexander
First Edition from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Ten Brave Men
by Sonia Daugherty, Illustrates by James Daugherty
from Lippincott
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Ten Leagues to Boston Town
by Dorothy Gilman Butters
from Macrae-Smith Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$40.00 (1 in stock)
Three Gay Tales from Grimm
by Wanda Gag
from E.M. Hale and Company
for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Tolkien Reader
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Ballantine Books
Fantasy for 4th-12th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$3.00 (6 in stock)
Tom's Midnight Garden
by Philippa Pearce, illustrated by Susan Einzig
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 4th-8th grade
1958 Carnegie Medal
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Trouble for Lucy
by Carla Stevens
from Clarion Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Valiant, Dog of the Timberline
by Jack O'Brien
from John C. Winston
for 4th-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Very Little Girl
by Phyllis Krasilovsky, illustrated by Ninon
from Doubleday & Company
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Vulpes the Red Fox
by Jean Craighead George and John George
1996 Reissue from Dutton Children's Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw and Other Stories
by Isaac Bashevis Singer, illustrated by Margot Zemach
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 3rd-6th grade
1969 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Wild Dog of Edmonton
by David Grew, illustrated by Ellen Segner
from Reynal & Hitchcock
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Sign Up!

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Learn more about our store location and hours

Connect

503.655.1951

hello@exodusbooks.com

19146 Molalla Ave,
Oregon City, OR 97045