Outside of a Dog Booklist

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"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
—Groucho Marx

We are frequently asked to recommend literature to kids, and while there's nothing better than taking the time to know what the individual likes and recommend for their tastes, we've definitely settled on a number of books that are our personal favorites. This list is meant to promote books that will branch kids beyond the latest pop-fiction, and beyond many of the curricular lists you'll find floating around.

The PDF version of Outside of a Dog offers a page of links helping you navigate the overwhelming resources scattered throughout this website. It includes recommended read-alouds for preschoolers and kindergartners and contains 50+ titles for grades 1-8, offering you summer reading aplenty for years on end. It doesn't promote a liberal agenda, cater to the lowest common denominator, or present books designed to make anyone look smart. We haven't limited ourselves to classics or "must-read" titles. There are plenty of those, but just as many are personal favorites that have kindled our own love of reading. These are books that will open the wide doors of reading to kids turned off by more than standard fare. Throughout the list, author names are links, often taking you to short biographies, links to more information, and a list of what we have.

It's also intended to challenge older readers, with two lists for high school students and two for adults:

150+ great literature and fiction titles
150+ non-fiction titles, containing history, biographies, basic philosophy, and titles that focus on spiritual matters and practical Christian living. We want to encourage you to be culture-changers for Christ

The printed version is a little different. It doesn't include the links, of course, nor does it have the preschool/kindergarten reading lists or the adult lists. It does include an "advanced" high school list, which is what was adapted into the adult lists. Also, in the digital version, the grade level lists have been tweaked, with some new favorites added, and some reading level suggestions adjusted.

This category on our site offers all of our recommended books in one place. We are working on adding an Exodus rating to every single one. Browse the list, or filter by grade with the sidebar.

Whether you're six or sixteen (or sixty!), whether you're a dog person or not, some new best friends are waiting!

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9th-12th Outside of a Dog - Fiction

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5-Star Rating

	Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Puffin Classics by Mark Twain from Puffin Books for 6th-10th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John from Yearling Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Andrew Henry's Meadow by Doris Burn from Philomel Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade Exodus Books 5-Star Rating in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.99
	Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon from HarperCollins Historical fiction for 9th-12th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $14.95
	Anna Hibiscus Anna Hibiscus #01 by Atinuke Reprint from Candlewick Press for 1st-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Anne of Green Gables Anne #1 by L. M. Montgomery from Bantam Books Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Anne of Green Gables Anne #1 by L. M. Montgomery from Tundra Books (NY) Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $19.99
	Anne of Green Gables Anne #1 by L. M. Montgomery from Tundra Books (NY) Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	Anne of Green Gables Anne #1 by L. M. Montgomery, illustrated by Eric Kincaid from Wordsworth Editions Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild from Yearling Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99
	Bear That Heard Crying by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock & Helen Kinsey from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Belles On Their Toes by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey from HarperCollins Family Stories for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.99
	Black Beauty Puffin Classics by Anna Sewell from Puffin Books Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $6.39
	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) $9.99
	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)
	Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink from Simon Pulse Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade 1936 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	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)
	Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey from HarperCollins Family Stories for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.99
	Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey 1st edition 1st printing from HarperCollins Family Stories for 4th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction for 5th-9th grade 1984 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.39
	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) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt from Atheneum for 6th-10th grade 1983 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $12.99
	Dobry by Monica Shannon, illustrated by Atanas Katchamakoff from Puffin Books for 4th-8th grade 1935 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Dobry by Monica Shannon; illustrated by Atanas Katchamakoff 15th printing 1967 from Viking Press for 4th-8th grade 1935 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $20.00 (2 in stock)
	Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli from Yearling Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade 1950 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99
	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) $8.99
	First Four Years Little House Series #9 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter from Indiana University Press Romance for 7th-10th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter from Dover Publications Romance for 7th-10th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter from Living Book Press Romance for 7th-10th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt Realistic Animal Fiction for 2nd-5th grade 1952 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Golden Goblet by Eloise J. McGraw from Puffin Books Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1962 Newbery Honor Book in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.99
	Great Expectations Signet Classics by Charles Dickens from Signet Classics Realistic Fiction for 10th-12th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.95
	Great Expectations Reader's Digest World's Best Reading by Charles Dickens from Reader's Digest Realistic Fiction for 10th-12th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman from Sandpiper Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade 1945 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99
	It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville from Harper & Row for 7th-9th grade 1964 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $5.99
	It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville from Dover Publications for 7th-9th grade 1964 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $5.95
	Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade 1946 Newbery Honor Book in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $6.39
	Little House in the Big Woods Little House Series #1 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Little Men by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Troy Howell from Dilithium Press, Ltd. Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor from HarperCollins for 4th-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	Little Town on the Prairie Little House Series #7 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1942 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Little Women Puffin Classics by Louisa May Alcott from Puffin Books Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $10.99
	Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Judith Cheng Special from Simon and Schuster Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Clara M. Burd from John C. Winston Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Little Women Reader's Digest World's Best Reading by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Hodges Soileau and Louis Jambor from Reader's Digest Realistic Romantic Fiction for 6th-10th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Barbara Cooney from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Tasha Tudor Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	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) $9.99
	Louisa May Alcott Little Women / Good Wives / Little Men by Louisa May Alcott from Octopus Books Limited Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton from Aladdin Paperbacks for 6th-10th grade 1975 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes from Harcourt Realistic Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $15.99 $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli from Little, Brown & Company Realistic Fiction for 5th-9th grade 1991 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Middle Moffat Moffats #2 by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt Realistic Fiction for 2nd-5th grade 1943 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Moffat Museum Moffats #4 by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt Realistic Fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Moffats Moffats #1 by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt Realistic Fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	Moffats Moffats #1 by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt, Brace & World Realistic Fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	More All-of-a-Kind Family All-of-a-Kind Family Series #3 by Sydney Taylor from Lizzie Skurnick Books Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $12.95
	My Heart Lies South The Story of My Mexican Marriage by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño from Bethlehem Books Biography for 8th-12th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.95
	No. 1 Car Spotter and the Broken Road No. 1 Car Spotter #05 by Atinuke from Kane Miller for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	No. 1 Car Spotter and the Car Thieves No. 1 Car Spotter #03 by Atinuke from Kane Miller for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird No. 1 Car Spotter #02 by Atinuke from Kane Miller for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	No. 1 Car Spotter Goes to School No. 1 Car Spotter #04 by Atinuke from Kane Miller for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	On the Banks of Plum Creek Little House Series #4 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade 1938 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Onion John by Joseph Krumgold from HarperCollins for 6th-9th grade 1960 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Persuasion by Jane Austen, Illustrated by Hugh Thomson 200th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press Realistic Romantic Fiction for 8th-12th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $8.95
	Peterkin Papers by Lucretia P. Hale from Dover Publications Humorous Fiction for 7th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Peterkin Papers by Lucretia P. Hale from Living Book Press Humorous Fiction for 7th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.95
	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Illustrated by Hugh Thomson 200th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press Realistic Romantic Fiction for 8th-12th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $11.95
	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Puffin Modern Classics by Mildred Taylor from Puffin Books Realistic Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1977 Newbery Medal winner in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	Rufus M. Moffats #3 by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt Realistic Fiction for 2nd-5th grade 1944 Newbery Honor Book in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	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) $8.99
	Sir Gibbie Classics for Young Readers by George MacDonald from P&R Publishing Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox from Aladdin Paperbacks Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.99
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox from Simon and Schuster Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox from Simon and Schuster Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $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)
	Slave Dancer by Paula Fox, illustrated by Eros Keith from Bradbury Press Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade 1974 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (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) $6.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp from HarperCollins Biography for 7th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.99
	Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski from HarperCollins Realistic fiction for 4th-6th grade 1946 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	Swiss Family Robinson Puffin Classics by Johann Wyss from Puffin Books Realistic Stories/Adventure for 4th-8th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	These Happy Golden Years Little House Series #8 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade 1944 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt from Berkley Books Realistic Fiction for 6th-9th grade 1967 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $5.99
	Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt from Follett Realistic Fiction for 6th-9th grade 1967 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	View From Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg from Aladdin Paperbacks for 5th-9th grade 1997 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
	Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech from HarperCollins for 7th-10th grade 1995 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer from Dover Publications for 4th-8th grade 1932 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $5.99
	When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead from Yearling for 5th-9th grade 2010 Newbery Medal winner in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI) $7.99
	White Stag Puffin Newbery Library by Kate Seredy from Puffin Books Heroic Legend for 4th-6th grade 1938 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick First Edition from Scholastic Press for 5th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $29.99
	Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck from Puffin Books Humorous Family Stories for 5th-9th grade 2001 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)

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