4-Star Rating

Recommended

We like these books. A lot. Some of our favorites—and many of the great classics—are in this section.

These books have memorable characters, good writing, strong themes, and great stories. Some of them may have a few too many content concerns to be in our general "highly recommended" category. That's not so much a judgment on the books themselves, but an encouragement to be discerning as you enjoy this excellent selection. 

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Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Alas, Babylon
by Pat Frank
from HarperCollins
Apocalyptic novel for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99
America and Vietnam
by Albert Marrin
from Beautiful Feet Books
Historical Non-Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Vietnam War (1957-1975) (Location: HISA-20VIE)
$13.95
And Then There Were None
by Agatha Christie
75th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.99
Angelo
by David Macaulay
1st edition from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Apples to Oregon
by Deborah Hopkinson
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Beat to Quarters
Hornblower Series #6
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 10th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Big Over Easy
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 11th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.00
Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 8th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.99
Call of the Wild
by Jack London, Michael Clay Thompson
from Royal Fireworks Press
Action/Adventure for 7th-10th grade
in Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts (Location: GRA-MCT)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Casey at the Bat
by Ernest L. Thayer & Patricia Polacco
from Putnam Juvenile
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Casey at the Bat
by Ernest L. Thayer & Patricia Polacco
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Cinderella
by Marcia Brown (translator)
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1955 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Clouds of Witness (2)
A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 2
by Dorothy Sayers
Reissue from HarperCollins
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 9th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Commodore
Aubrey/Maturin #17
by Patrick O'Brian
from W. W. Norton and Co.
Nautical Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Commodore Hornblower
Hornblower Series #9
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 10th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Cranberry Thanksgiving
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Dante's Paradise
by Dante Alighieri (translation by Anthony Esolen)
from Modern Library
for 10th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$18.00
Death on the Nile
A Hercule Poirot Mystery #17
by Agatha Christie
from HarperCollins
Mystery & Suspense for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Diamond of Darkhold
Book of Ember #4
by Jeanne DuPrau
from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Dragon Rider
by Cornelia Funke
Deluxe from Chicken House
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Dragon Rider
by Cornelia Funke
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dragon Rider
by Cornelia Funke, translated by Anthea Bell
from Chicken House
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dragon Rider: Griffin's Feather
Dragon Rider #2
by Cornelia Funke
Deluxe from Chicken House
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Drowned Vault
Ashtown Burials #2
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dubliners
by James Joyce
from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$7.00 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
$9.99
Empire of Bones
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Eyre Affair
Thursday Next Book 1
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.00
Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales
by Gail Carson Levine
from HarperCollins
for 1st-6th grade
$7.99
Far Pavilions
by M. M. Kaye
from St. Martin's Griffin
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Fourth Bear
by Jasper Fforde
Reprint from Penguin Putnam
for 11th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00
Gaudy Night (10)
A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 10
by Dorothy L. Sayers
Reissue from HarperCollins
Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.99
Going Solo
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
for 7th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
from HarperCollins
for 6th-9th grade
2009 Newbery Medal winner, 2010 Carnegie Medal
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Gulliver's Travels
by Jonathan Swift
from Dover Publications
for 7th-Adult
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
$6.00
Half Magic
Half Magic Quartet Book 1
by Edward Eager
from Harcourt
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Happy Birthday, Moon
by Frank Asch
Revised from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Have His Carcase (7)
A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 7
by Dorothy L. Sayers
Reprint from HarperCollins
Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Horatio Hornblower Saga - Complete Collection
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$149.49
In the Reign of Terror
by G. A. Henty
from Dover Publications
for 6th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.95
Inkheart
Inkheart Trilogy #1
by Cornelia Funke
from Scholastic Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Inkheart Trilogy
Inkheart Trilogy
by Cornelia Funke
from Scholastic Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
King of Attolia
by Megan Whalen Turner
Reprint from Greenwillow Books
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Little Island
by Margaret Wise Brown, Leonard Weisgard
from Dragonfly Books
Picture Books for Preschool-2nd grade
1947 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Lon Po Po
by Ed Young
from PaperStar Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1990 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Lord Hornblower
Hornblower Series #10
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 10th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.99 $9.00 (2 in stock)
Lord Peter
by Dorothy Sayers
Reprint from Harper & Row
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.99
Lost in a Good Book
Thursday Next Book 2
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.00
Martin Luther
by J. A. Morrison
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.50
Martin Luther
by J. A. Morrison
3rd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Biography for 7th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$11.75
Merchant of Venice
by William Shakespeare
from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.00 $1.00 (9 in stock)
Merry Christmas, Anna Hibiscus!
Anna Hibiscus #04
by Atinuke
Reprint from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
from Dover Publications
for 10th grade-adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$1.50 $1.00 (3 in stock)
Mimus
by Lilli Thal, translated by John Brownjohn
from Annick Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Mirette on the High Wire
by Emily Arnold McCully
from PaperStar Books
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1993 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
My Friend Rabbit
Reissue from Square Fish Publishing
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
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)
$9.99
Nineteen Eighty-Four
by George Orwell, foreword by Thomas Pynchon
Centennial Edition from Plume Books
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Ocean of Truth
by Joyce McPherson
from Greenleaf Press
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Once a Mouse
by Marcia Brown
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1962 Caldecott Medal Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
One Fine Day
by Nonny Hogrogian
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3d grade
1972 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
One of Our Thursdays Is Missing
Thursday Next Book 6
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.00
Out of the Silent Planet
Space Trilogy Book 1
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.00
Parsifal's Page
Squire's Tales Book 4
by Gerald Morris
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Peace Like a River
by Leif Enger
from Atlantic Monthly Press
for 11th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00
People of Sparks
Book of Ember #2
by Jeanne DuPrau
Reprint from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Perelandra
Space Trilogy Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Presenting Miss Jane Austen
by May Lamberton Becker
from Bethlehem Books
Biography for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Queen of Attolia
by Megan Whalen Turner
Reissue from Greenwillow Books
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.99
Red House Mystery
by A. A. Milne
from Bob Jones University Press
Mystery/Suspense for 7th-10th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$6.99
Return of the Thief
Queen's Thief #6
by Megan Whalen Turner
from Greenwich House
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Rooster Crows
by Maud & Miska Petersham
Fir from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-4th grade
1946 Caldecott Medal winner
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$7.99
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
by Tom Stoppard
from Hickory Grove Press
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Saint George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
from Little, Brown & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade
1985 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
from Henry Holt and Company
Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1967 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
from Trumpet Club
Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1967 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Savage Damsel and the Dwarf
Squire's Tales Book 3
by Gerald Morris
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Screwtape Letters
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegory/Religion for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99
Silver Branch
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Square Fish Publishing
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$11.99
Smoky the Cowhorse
by Will James
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 5th-8th grade
1927 Newbery Medal winner
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99
Something Rotten
Thursday Next Book 4
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00
Story, A Story
by Gail E. Haley
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1971 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Strong Poison
A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 5
by Dorothy L. Sayers
1993 Reissue from Harper Perennial
Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Strong Poison (5)
A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 5
by Dorothy L. Sayers
Reissue from HarperCollins
Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
by Deborah Hopkinson
1st edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
That Hideous Strength
Space Trilogy Book 3
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Fantasy for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99
The Underneath
by Kathi Appelt
Reprint from Atheneum
for 5th-8th grade
2009 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Thick as Thieves
by Megan Whalen Turner
from Greenwillow Books
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Thief
by Megan Whalen Turner
Reissue from Greenwillow Books
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Tree is Nice
by Janice Udry & Marc Simont
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1957 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Trial and Triumph
by Richard Hannula
from Canon Press
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$21.00
Voyage to Freedom
by David Gay
from Banner of Truth Trust
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$12.00
Well of Lost Plots
Thursday Next Book 3
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00
White Snow, Bright Snow
by Alvin Tresselt
from William Morrow & Company
Poetry for 1st-3rd grade
1948 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
White Snow, Bright Snow
by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
Poetry for 1st-3rd grade
1948 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Whose Body? (1)
A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 1
by Dorothy Sayers
Reprint from HarperCollins
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Winter's Tale
by William Shakespeare
Unabridged from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$4.00
Woman Who Died A Lot
Thursday Next Book 7
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00