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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Outside of a Dog Booklist

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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

41 Items found Print

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Family Stories

	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
	All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown All-of-a-Kind Family Series #2 by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Beth & Joe Krush from Lizzie Skurnick Books Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $12.95
	Beezus and Ramona Ramona Collection Book 1 by Beverly Cleary Reissue from HarperTrophy for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.39
	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
	Big Alfie and Annie Rose Storybook by Shirley Hughes from Red Fox for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $14.99
	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
	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)
	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)
	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
	How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman from Sandpiper Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	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 House on the Prairie Little House Series #2 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99
	Little House on the Prairie Little House Series #2 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $17.99
	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
	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
	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)
	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
	Mitchells Five for Victory Mitchells Series #1 by Hilda Van Stockum from Bethlehem Books Family Stories for 4th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $16.95
	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)
	Moominland Midwinter Moomintrolls Book #5 by Tove Jansson from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 1st-7th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Moominpappa at Sea Moomintrolls Book #7 by Tove Jansson from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 1st-7th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Moominsummer Madness Moomintrolls Book #4 by Tove Jansson from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 1st-7th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Moominvalley in November Moomintrolls Book #8 by Tove Jansson from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 1st-7th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	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
	New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert from Random House Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	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
	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
	Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus from Margaret Ferguson Books for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $17.99
	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
	Swallows and Amazons Swallows and Amazons #1 by Arthur Ransome from Overlook Press Family stories/boating for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	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
	When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Ninnestad from Houghton Mifflin for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	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
	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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