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Doorways to Great Reading

If there's a one-world government, it's television. King of the Technological Age, he sits enthroned in homes around the world, a little box of images and sound emitting edicts to his unified followers from his electrical shrine. That description may be a bit overwrought, but the fact remains: more people these days would prefer to watch TV than read a good book.

Many parents are desperate to expose their kids to quality literature, whether it's a classic like Anne of Green Gables, a more recent novel like Mimus, or simply something other than the TV Guide. In response, a number of literature-based curricula have been developed, and in turn have become increasingly popular among both homeschool families and school educators.

As great and noble as this effort has been, there are a couple problems we see with the literature-curriculum approach: 1) literature is treated as curriculum, and 2) children aren't exposed to the depth and variety available because reading is limited to the curriculum suggestions. Consequently, a lot of children grow to dislike reading, associating it as they do with schoolwork and not having a good time.

We've accumulated many of the titles used by the major literature-based curriculum lines, and those products are among our best sellers. We're also not entirely opposed to the literature approach, but we also want to offer a much broader selection of literature, titles that don't find their way into the program guides but are nevertheless worth reading.

Numerous book lists, catalogues, and publishers (including many dedicated to reprinting the more obscure classic titles) have guided us in the construction of our fiction and literature sections. (Employees have also been an important factor in this process, and you can read about their favorites here.) Doorways to Great Reading collects the best of these lists in one place.

Discovering classic literature is more than just checking off titles from a master list, however. Though books like Honey for a Child's Heart, The Well-Educated Mind, and The Book Tree are great places to start and offer excellent guidelines, they are still jumping-off places. Developing the skills to find good books on your own (and imparting those skills to your children) is the end these books are supposed to help you achieve.

When Lucy Pevensie opened the wardrobe and found Narnia, her first experience with a snowbound landscape gave her little indication of the adventure and wonder she'd find there. Great books are the same way: the more you read, the more you realize how many are really out there, and the better you get at finding them.

If your adventure in the realms of literature hasn't started, or is still in its beginning stages, use the booklists you'll find here as maps of sorts, there to help you navigate but not to make the journey on your behalf. The travel is up to you, and whether you decide to explore Ben-Hur or The Wind in the Willows, it's travel that will take you far from your front door and back many times over.

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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Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Mass market paperback, Used Books & Materials
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Puffin Classics
by Lewis Carroll
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 2nd-7th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
by Jean Fritz & Margot Tomes
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$7.64 $3.60 (3 in stock)
Angel on the Square
by Gloria Whelan
from HarperCollins
for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.49 $4.40 (2 in stock)
Banner in the Sky
by James Ramsey Ullman
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1955 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Ben and Me
by Robert Lawson
from Little, Brown & Company
Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
Betsy-Tacy #3
by Maud Hart Lovelace
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Betsy-Tacy and Tib
Betsy-Tacy #2
by Maud Hart Lovelace
2nd edition from HarperCollins
Family/Friendship Story for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Black Pearl
by Scott O'Dell
Reprint from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Black Ships Before Troy
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Laurel-Leaf Books
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
$7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Blue Willow
Puffin Newbery Library
by Doris Gates
from Puffin Books
for 4th-7th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
from Laurel-Leaf Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
2000 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Call it Courage
by Armstrong Sperry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
1941 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$5.94 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Call it Courage
by Armstrong Sperry
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
1941 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$1.60 (1 in stock)
Cay
by Theodore Taylor
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson
from Dover Publications
for 1st-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$3.40 $1.20 (1 in stock)
Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-6th grade
1955 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.09 $2.80 (2 in stock)
Daughter of the Mountains
by Louise Rankin
from Puffin Books
Action/Adventure Animal for 3rd-7th Grade
Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.79 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Door in the Wall
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1950 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Eight Cousins
Puffin Classics
by Louisa May Alcott
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Emily's Runaway Imagination
by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Tracy Dockray
2008 edition from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Escape From Warsaw
by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Irwin Hoffman
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.20 (2 in stock)
Family Under the Bridge
by Natalie Savage Carlson, illustrated by Garth Williams
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1959 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.79 $3.20 (2 in stock)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Freedom Train
by Dorothy Sterling
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
George Washington's Breakfast
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Biography for 1st-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Gladys Aylward
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$10.19 $4.80 (3 in stock)
Grain of Rice
by Helena Clare Pittman
from Yearling
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-4th grade
$6.79 $3.20 (2 in stock)
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
1988 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Heidi
Puffin Classics
by Johanna Spyri, translated by Eileen Hall and illustrated by Cecil Leslie
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Henry and Ribsy
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Henry Huggins
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Hill of Fire
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Thomas Lewis & Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.09 $2.40 (2 in stock)
Homeless Bird
by Gloria Whelan
from HarperCollins
for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Horse and His Boy
Chronicles of Narnia Book 3
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.34 $3.60 (2 in stock)
House of Dies Drear
by Virginia Hamilton
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.79 $3.20 (3 in stock)
In Grandma's Attic
In Grandma's Attic
by Arleta Richardson
from Cook Communications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Indian in the Cupboard
Indian in the Cupboard #1
by Lynne Banks
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Johnny Tremain
by Esther Forbes
from Yearling
Historical Fiction/Adventure for 3rd-10th grade
1944 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Journey to Jo'Burg
by Beverley Naidoo
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/South Africa for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.94 $2.80 (3 in stock)
Journey to Jo'Burg
by Beverley Naidoo
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/South Africa for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.94 $2.80 (2 in stock)
Kidnapped Prince
by Olaudah Equiano
from Yearling
for 3rd-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
King of the Wind
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)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Land I Lost
by Quang Nhuong Huynh
from HarperTrophy
Memoir for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.94 $3.20 (3 in stock)
Last Battle
Chronicles of Narnia Book 7
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49 $4.00 (3 in stock)
Last Battle
Chronicles of Narnia Book 7
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.40 (1 in stock)
Lion to Guard Us
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $3.20 (2 in stock)
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Puffin Classics
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reissue from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Long Way to a New Land
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.24 $2.00 (3 in stock)
Long Way Westward
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.24 $2.00 (3 in stock)
Magic Tree House #01
by Mary Pope Osborne
from Random House
for 2nd-5th grade
in Magic Tree House (Location: SER-MTH)
$2.40 (2 in stock)
Matchlock Gun
by Walter Edmonds
from PaperStar Books
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
1942 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.64 $3.60 (3 in stock)
Minstrel in the Tower
by Gloria Skurzynski
from Random House
Historical Fiction for 1st-4th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.94 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Miss Hickory
by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
from Puffin Books
Personification story for 3rd-7th grade
1947 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.00 (3 in stock)
Misty of Chincoteague
by Marguerite Henry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
1948 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Misty of Chincoteague
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
1948 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.79 $3.20 (2 in stock)
Mouse and the Motorcycle
Mouse & the Motorcycle #1
by Beverly Cleary
Reissue from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Mr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard & Florence Atwater
from Scholastic Inc.
Humorous Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1939 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Mystery of the Cupboard
by Lynne Banks
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94 $2.40 (1 in stock)
National Velvet
by Enid Bagnold
from Avon Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Once On This Island
by Gloria Whelan
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.94 $3.60 (2 in stock)
Ordinary Princess
by M. M. Kaye
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-6th grade
$6.79 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Out of Darkness
by Russell Freedman
from Clarion Books
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.19 $4.80 (2 in stock)
Outlaw Red
by Jim Kjelgaard
1986 printing from Bantam-Skylark
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking #1
by Astrid Lindgren
from Puffin Books
Humor for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Ramona the Pest
Ramona Collection Book 2
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $2.40 (2 in stock)
Ramona's World
by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Tracy Dockray
Reillustrated from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Rascal
by Sterling North
from Scholastic Inc.
Biography for 4th-8th grade
1964 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Puffin Modern Classics
by Eleanor Coerr
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$5.09 $2.80 (3 in stock)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$1.60 (6 in stock)
Sam the Minuteman
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Nathaniel Benchley & Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
from Scholastic Inc.
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
1986 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
30th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
1986 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.79 $3.20 (4 in stock)
Secret of the Andes
Puffin Newbery Library
by Ann Nolan Clark
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-7th grade
1953 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.79 $3.20 (2 in stock)
Shh! We're Writing the Constitution!
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Soft Rain
by Cornelia Cornelissen
from Yearling
Historical fiction for 3rd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Sounder
by William H. Armstrong
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1970 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Stone Fox
by John Reynolds Gardiner
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.64 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Story of Doctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
from Yearling
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Strawberry Girl
by Lois Lenski
from HarperCollins
Realistic fiction for 4th-6th grade
1946 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $4.00 (2 in stock)
String in the Harp
by Nancy Bond
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
1977 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Sword in the Tree
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$5.09 $2.80 (4 in stock)
Tales from Shakespeare
Puffin Classics
by Charles & Mary Lamb
from Puffin Books
Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Ten Girls Who Changed the World
by Irene Howat
from Christian Focus Publications
Biography Collection for 4th-7th grade
in Light Keepers (Location: BIO-LIGHT)
$4.40 (1 in stock)
Thimble Summer
by Elizabeth Enright
from Square Fish Publishing
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
1939 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.79 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Thimble Summer
by Elizabeth Enright
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
1939 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Turn Homeward, Hannalee
by Patricia Beatty
from Beech Tree Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.49 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Twenty and Ten
by Claire Huchet Bishop
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.79 $3.20 (3 in stock)
Wagon Wheels
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Barbara Brenner
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.09 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Water Babies (abridged)
Puffin Classics
by Charles Kingsley
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Whipping Boy
by Sid Fleischman
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1987 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.64 $3.60 (2 in stock)
Wind in the Door
Wrinkle in Time Series #2
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Square Fish Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
Reissue from Sandpiper Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1959 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.49 $4.80 (1 in stock)
Wizard of Oz
Puffin Classics
by L. Frank Baum
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
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