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

4th Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

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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

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44 Items found Print

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Fantasy Fiction,

5th grade (Ages 10-11),

Hardcover

	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)
	Black Cauldron Prydain Chronicles #2 by Lloyd Alexander Revise Edition from Henry Holt and Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade 1966 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Book of Three Prydain Chronicles #1 by Lloyd Alexander Revised 1999 printing from Henry Holt and Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Boys of Blur by N. D. Wilson from Random House Books for Young Readers for 5th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Castle of Llyr Prydain Chronicles #3 by Lloyd Alexander Revised 1999 Edition from Henry Holt and Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	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)
	Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, illustrated by Garth Williams from Farrar, Straus and Giroux Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade 1961 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	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)
	Enchanted Castle Books of Wonder by E. Nesbit (illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky) from William Morrow & Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Farmer Giles of Ham by J. R. R. Tolkien, Pauline D. Baynes 50 Anv from Houghton Mifflin for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $20.00
	High King Prydain Chronicles #5 by Lloyd Alexander from Holt, Rinehart and Winston Fantasy for 4th-8th grade 1969 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	High King Prydain Chronicles #5 by Lloyd Alexander Revised 1999 Edition from Henry Holt and Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade 1969 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	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)
	Jungle Book Calla Editions by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Maurice and Edward Detmold from Dover Publications Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, translated by Richard Howard from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $18.00
	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)
	Mary Poppins Illustrated Gift Edition Mary Poppins Series #1 by P. L. Travers, illustrated by Julia Sarda from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Mysterious Benedict Society Mysterious Benedict Society #1 by Trenton Lee Stewart from Little, Brown & Company for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	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)
	Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, illustrated by Jule Feiffer from Random House Satirical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	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)
	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
	Sable Quean Redwall #21 by Brian Jacques from Philomel Books for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Taran Wanderer Prydain Chronicles #4 by Lloyd Alexander Revised 1999 Edition from Henry Holt and Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	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
	Triss by Brian Jacques from Philomel Books for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	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 Tasha Tudor from Collins Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	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, abridged and illustrated by John Worsley from Lemon Tree Press Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows Junior Deluxe Editions by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Tasha Tudor Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Helen Ward from Borders Press Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	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 Nancy Barnhart from Barnes & Noble Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	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)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Charles van Sandwyck from The Folio Society Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Joanne Moss from Breslich & Foss Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Michael Foreman from Harcourt Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Helen Ward from Templar Books Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wonderful Wizard of Oz Wizard of Oz Book 1 by L. Frank Baum 100th Anniversary Edition from HarperCollins for 3rd-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wonderful Wizard of Oz Wizard of Oz Book 1 by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by W. W. Denslow & Cherie Zamazing from Canterbury Classics for 3rd-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wonderful Wizard of Oz Wizard of Oz Book 1 by L. Frank Baum 100th Anniversary Edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 3rd-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC)

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