Book Tree - Exodus Books

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Unlike many books of its kind, The Book Tree doesn't waste time trying to tell you why reading is important, what makes a good story, or how the authors came to be interested in making a list of their favorite books—all that's relegated to the brief, straightforward preface. Instead, mother Elizabeth McCallum and daughter Jane Scott simply provide lists of titles accompanied by short synopses to whet your appetite.

The authors are Christian, and often they'll point out ethical or spiritual elements of the books they've chosen to include, but this isn't a "build-a-Christian-worldview-through-literature" kind of book. It's simply a guide to great literature for preschoolers, elementary and middle school students, and high school kids, divided into age-appropriate chapters for easy reference.

Six chapters are divided (very broadly) by grade-level and genre:

Preschool Literature
Elementary School Fiction
Middle School Fiction
Elementary & Middle School Biography
High School Fiction
High School Biography

Some parents will no doubt be surprised by the age-groups to which some titles are assigned. For instance, Anne of Green Gables is included in "Elementary School Fiction," and in middle school kids are supposedly reading Dickens and H.G. Wells. No doubt some students will be advanced enough for this timeline, but others will not; use your judgement, and don't adhere to the recommendations slavishly.

By high school, students should be reading almost exclusively "great books," and this list reflects that: recommended titles in the last two chapters include everything from Quo Vadis and David Copperfield to Foxe's Book of Martyrs and The Screwtape Letters. Many may balk at this level of reading, but if kids are taught a love of reading from an early age, they'll be ready for (and wanting) a challenge when they get older.

Three indexes covering titles, authors, and subjects help parents navigate quickly, finding similar books or works by one author. Older students can probably use The Book Tree on their own, finding books that sound interesting to them. This isn't school-related, and there aren't discussion topics or anything to help guide study; the point is to get kids reading, and to get kids to enjoy reading.

Most of the books you'll find in The Book Tree are titles we carry at Exodus Books; many of them are among our staff favorites. We've listed what we have below, though if you find one we don't have we'd love for you to suggest it, and we'll do our best to bring it in. If you want kid who love literature but don't know where to start, this is a fantastic and easy-to-use resource you can use for many years to come.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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In-Stock Books & Materials

	Adam Bede Everyman's Library by George Eliot from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Realistic Fiction for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $24.00
	Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Sterling Classics by Mark Twain, illustrated by Scott McKowen from Sterling Publishing Co. for 6th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $14.95
	Adventures of Pinocchio Illustrated Junior Library Series 2 by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-8th grade in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, illustrated by Kamil Lohták from Simon and Schuster Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan from HarperCollins for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Anak, the Eskimo Boy by Piet Prins from Inheritance Publications Realistic Fiction for 2nd-4th grade in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05) $8.95
	Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman from J.B. Lippincott Co. Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade 1955 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.99
	Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard from Holiday House Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $17.99
	Birds' Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin from Houghton Mifflin Christmas/Advent for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey from Viking Press Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1949 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $19.99
	Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink from Simon and Schuster Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade 1936 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $19.99
	Call of Duty The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee Leaders in Action Series by Steve Wilkins from Cumberland House Biography for 9th-Adult in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA) $16.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Canterbury Tales Selected, translated, adapted and illustrated by Barbara Cohen & Trina Schart Hyman from William Morrow & Company Medieval Literature for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $17.50 (1 in stock)
	Carry a Big Stick Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt Leaders in Action Series by George Grant from Cumberland House Biography for 9th-Adult in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor from Simon and Schuster Poetry for 1st-5th grade in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL) $19.99 $14.50 (1 in stock)
	Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti Unabridged from Stewart, Tabori, & Chang Fantasy for 6th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by P.J. Lynch Unabridged from Candlewick Press Fantasy for 6th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $19.99
	Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Robert Ingpen Unabridged from Palazzo Editions Limited Fantasy for 6th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $24.99
	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) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Give Me Liberty The Uncompromising Statesmanship of Patrick Henry Leaders in Action Series by David Vaughan from Cumberland House Biography for 9th-Adult in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA) $17.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein from HarperCollins for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $19.99
	Happy Prince, The Selfish Giant, and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by Charles Robinson from Octopus Books Limited Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $19.99
	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
	Johnny Tremain Illustrated American Classics by Esther Forbes from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction/Adventure for 3rd-10th grade 1944 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, translated by Charles Wilbour from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Realistic Fiction for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $42.00
	Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter, illustrated by Warren Chappell from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $15.95
	Little Engine That Could - Original Edition by Watty Piper from Platt and Munk Publishers Personification Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99
	Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Illustrated by C. E. Brock from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $17.00
	Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Dinah Dryhurst Reprint from Breslich & Foss Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by M.E. Gray Unabridged from Everyman's Library Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $16.95
	Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey from Viking Press Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1942 Caldecott Medal winner in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $19.99
	Man of the Family Little Britches Series #2 by Ralph Moody from People's Book Club Biography for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Man of the Family Little Britches Series #2 by Ralph Moody from Purple House Press Biography for 5th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $23.00
	Man of the Family Little Britches Series #2 by Ralph Moody 1^st edition from W. W. Norton and Co. Biography for 5th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey from Viking Press Realistic Family Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1953 Caldecott Honor Book in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $18.99
	Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie from Barnes & Noble Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Alice Carsey from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $16.95
	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
	Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling from William Morrow & Company Realistic Animal Stories for 2nd-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.99
	Sounder by William H. Armstrong from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade 1970 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf from Viking Press Animal Stories for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Story of King Arthur and His Knights & The Story of the Champions of the Round Table by Howard Pyle 3rd Print from Fall River Press Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.00 (2 in stock)
	To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 35 Anv from HarperTrophy Realistic Fiction for 9th-Adult 1961 Pulitzer Prize winner in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $26.99
	When We Were Very Young by A. A. Milne, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard 1961 Redesigned from E.P. Dutton & Co. Poetry for Kindergarten-4th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Anna Leplar from Parragon Publishing Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Wuthering Heights with Related Readings by Emily Bronte from McGraw-Hill Realistic Fiction for 9th-12th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.00 (1 in stock)

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