Doorways to Great Reading

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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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Used Books & Materials

	Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain from Scholastic Inc. Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	America is Born A History for Peter #1 by Gerald W. Johnson (iilustrations by Leonard Everett Fisher) from William Morrow & Company for 4th-7th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $36.00 (1 in stock)
	Bad News for Outlaws The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson from Carolrhoda Books, Inc. for 5th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Beowulf (retold) by Michael Morpurgo from Candlewick Press for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Black Beauty Sterling Classics by Anna Sewell, illustrated by Scott McKowen Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co. Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Black Star, Bright Dawn by Scott O'Dell from Houghton Mifflin for 7th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Book of the Ancient World by Dorothy Mills from Dawn Chorus for 5th-8th grade in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC) $14.40 (1 in stock)
	Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson First Ed from HarperCollins Fantasy for 5th-9th grade 1978 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Charles A. Lindbergh A Human Hero by James Cross Giblin from Clarion Books Biography for 5th-8th grade 1998 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey from HarperCollins Family Stories for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.40 (5 in stock)
	Children of Odin The Book of Northern Myths by Padraic Colum, illustrated by Willy Pogany from Macmillan Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $32.00 (1 in stock)
	Cleopatra VII Daughter of the Nile Royal Diaries by Kristiana Gregory from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-8th grade in Royal Diaries (Location: SER-ROYAL) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	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) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Downright Dencey by Caroline Dale Snedeker, illustrated by Maginel Wright Barney from Doubleday & Company Realistic Fiction for 6th-9th grade 1928 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $17.60 (1 in stock)
	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) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Ersatz Elevator Series of Unfortunate Events #6 by Lemony Snicket from HarperCollins Morbid Humor for 4th-8th grade in Clearance: Fiction (Location: ZCLE-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg 35th Anniversary Edition from Atheneum Mystery/Suspense for 4th-7th grade 1968 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji from Dutton Juvenile for 4th-9th grade 1928 Newbery Medal winner in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI) $11.20 (2 in stock)
	Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman from HarperCollins for 6th-9th grade 2009 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Grey King Dark Is Rising Sequence #4 by Susan Cooper from Aladdin Paperbacks Fantasy for 4th-7th grade 1976 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz from Penguin Putnam for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul & Maria Russo from Workman Publishing for Nursery-10th grade in Recommended Book Lists (Location: LIR-REC) $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell from Houghton Mifflin Realistic Fictio for 5th-8th grade 1961 Newbery Medal Winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson from Thomas Crowell Family Stories for 7th-10th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $5.60 (2 in stock)
	Julie of the Wolves "Julie" Trilogy Book 1 by Jean Craighead George from HarperCollins Adventure for 4th-8th grade 1973 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Julie of the Wolves "Julie" Trilogy Book 1 by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by John Schoenherr from HarperCollins Adventure for 4th-8th grade 1973 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Kidnapped Being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751 Scribner Illustrated Classics by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by N. C. Wyeth from Atheneum Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $11.60 (1 in stock)
	Kidnapped Being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751 by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by N. C. Wyeth and Graham Oakley from Dilithium Press, Ltd. Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt from Clarion Books for 4th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $16.99 $6.40 (1 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) $7.20 (2 in stock)
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery from Harcourt Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.50 (2 in stock)
	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) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Men of Iron by Howard Pyle from Mint Editions Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $5.60 (1 in stock)
	My Brother Sam Is Dead by James & Christopher Collier from Four Winds Press Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1975 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	New Way Things Work by David Macaulay & Neil Ardley 2^nd edition from Houghton Mifflin for 4th-10th grade in How Things Work (Location: SCIREF-HOW) $9.50 (1 in stock)
	North to Freedom Also published as I am David by Anne Holm from Harcourt, Brace & World for 4th-7th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.40 (2 in stock)
	Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse from Scholastic Inc. Realistic Fiction for 6th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Radical Book for Kids by Champ Thornton from New Growth Press for 3rd-8th grade in Devotions for Kids (Location: BIBR-DEV) $28.04 $12.80 (1 in stock)
	Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Valenti Angelo from Viking Press Realistic fiction for 5th-8th grade 1937 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $13.60 (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) $6.40 (2 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) $6.40 (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) $9.60 (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) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Story of Science Book 2 Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim from Smithsonian Books for 7th-9th grade in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS) $23.76 $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Story of Science Book 3 Einstein Adds a New Dimension by Joy Hakim from Smithsonian Books for 7th-9th grade in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS) $27.95 $17.50 (1 in stock)
	Storyteller's Beads by Jane Kurtz, Michael Bryant 1^st edition from Gulliver Books for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Streams to the River, River to the Sea A Novel of Sacagawea by Scott O'Dell from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 7th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	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) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Tapir Scientist Saving South America's Largest Mammal by Nic Bishop, Sy Montgomery from HMH Books for Young Readers for 5th-7th grade in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL) $7.60 (2 in stock)
	Truce The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting by Jim Murphy from Scholastic Press for 5th-7th grade in World War I (1914-1919) (Location: HISA-20WW1) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Two Little Confederates by Thomas Nelson Page from Sprinkle Publications Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Reprint from Dial Books for Young Readers for 4th-8th grade 2017 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin from Little, Brown & Company for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.49 $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here? What We Believe Series #2 by John Hay & David Webb from Apologia Educational Ministries for 1st-8th grade in Apologia What We Believe (Location: BIBWV-APO) $41.60 $32.00 (2 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) $20.00 (1 in stock)
	Wizard of Earthsea Earthsea #1 by Ursula K. Le Guin, drawings by Ruth Robbins First Edition from Parnassus Press Fantasy for 7th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $79.20 (1 in stock)
	Wonderful Wizard of Oz Wizard of Oz Book 1 by L. Frank Baum from Disney Press for 3rd-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi from Houghton Mifflin for 3rd-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Young Person's Guide to Music by Neil Ardley Reprint from DK Publishing for 4th-8th grade in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP) $10.00 (1 in stock)

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