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

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3rd Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

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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

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In-Stock Books & Materials

	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
	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
	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)
	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)
	Casey at the Bat A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 by Ernest L. Thayer & Christopher Bing 1^st edition from Chronicle Books for 2nd-6th grade 2001 Caldecott Honor Book in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $19.99
	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)
	Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury Reprint from Avon Books for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $25.00
	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)
	Death by Living Life Is Meant to Be Spent by N. D. Wilson from Thomas Nelson Publishers for 9th-Adult in Art & Culture (Location: XCU-ART) $18.99
	Dune Dune Chronicles Book 1 by Frank Herbert, introduction by Brian Herbert Second Ace hardcover, 2019 from ACE Publishing Science Fiction for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $40.00
	Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $20.00
	Frog and Toad Are Friends An I Can Read Book Level 2 by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade 1971 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $11.89 (1 in stock)
	Frog Went A-Courtin' by John Langstaff, illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky from Harcourt, Brace & World in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.00 (2 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)
	House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne from Dutton Children's Books Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $19.99
	If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick First Edition from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade 2008 Caldecott Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $29.99
	King of the Wind The Story of the Godolphin Arabian by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-7th grade 1949 Newbery Medal winner in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $24.99
	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)
	Princess and the Goblin Everyman Library by George MacDonald from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $18.00
	Restaurant At the End of the Universe Hitchhiker's Trilogy #2 by Douglas Adams Book Club Edition from Harmony Humorous Science Fiction for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $4.00 (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)
	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, 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)
	Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin from Houghton Mifflin Biographies of Scientists and Inventors for 1st-3rd grade 1999 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	Spider and the Fly by Tony DiTerlizzi; based on the story by Mary Howitt 1^st edition from Simon and Schuster for Kindergarten-3rd grade 2003 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.99
	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)
	Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber from Penguin Press for 4th-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $15.00
	Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting from Dover Publications for 3rd-7th grade 1923 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $14.95
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Robert Ingpen from Sterling Publishing Co. Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $24.95
	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)
	Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick First Edition from Scholastic Press for 5th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $29.99

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