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Fiction by Genre

Fiction is good. It's not just lies—lies are the dishonest things we tell other people out of selfishness, while fiction is (or should be) those stories used to reveal truth. Not that all stories have to be tied up with a neat moral at the end. Truth wears many faces, and our favorite stories are as varied, and often as unresolved, as life itself.

A good book always has something to say, however. Even if the message is as simple as "it's good to have friends" or "growing up is difficult no matter who you are," there is a message and it can be understood. There are books that are all plot....but they aren't good books. There are books that are all blatant morality and character-building....also not good books, at least in the sense we mean here.

For those of you about to stop reading, know this: we aren't promoting immoral books. Just because there isn't an obvious "and Johnny was happy because he knew that stealing was bad" ending doesn't mean we support kids reading about worldly characters doing worldly things as though this was normal and healthy. But we also don't think Pathway Readers are the only appropriate fiction available to children.

What we mean by "good book" is one which accurately depicts human nature, demonstrates an engaging style, displays a consistent worldview, and doesn't use cheap tricks to get readers interested. That excludes a lot of books. It also includes a lot of books, and they typically aren't the ones filling the new release racks at Barnes & Noble.

We emphasize classic fiction at Exodus Books. That's not to say we shun all modern fiction, but typically good writing survives for years and years and years on its own merits, and those books that fit that description can be trusted more than those still in their infancy. Genres we find particularly problematic are those built around cheap formulas and plots with little to say (fantasy, sci-fi and mystery series come immediately to mind).

Books that rely on non-stop action and thrills are also avoided by our charming and discerning book-buying staff. Kids need to learn to enjoy reading because it's good for them and offers new ways to look at the world, not simply for a book's entertainment value. It's not enough just to read—if you read a steady diet of trash or sub-standard fiction you're really no better off than watching hours of television.

There is a difference between children's and adult literature. Kids shouldn't be sheltered, but they also aren't prepared to deal with the themes and darker elements adults must confront. Most of the titles in this section are "safe"—not a lot of extreme violence, sexual content, profanity, etc. here (though there is some overlap with the adult and children's genres).

Along the same lines, we don't encourage letting kids read abridged versions of classics or advanced material. Everything we offer is unabridged unless explicitly stated—it's far better to have kids read stories at their level than to have them read edited and often misrepresented versions of books not intended for children. If they read Charlotte's Web and Rufus M. as kids, they'll be ready for Great Expectations when they're older.

Nowhere in the Bible does God say "Read fiction. It'll make you a better person." But neither does He say "Have a time set aside for daily devotions. It's the only path to true spirituality." Simply because there's no command in Scripture doesn't mean a particular activity isn't a really good idea. Not that reading the Bible and reading fiction are in any way on the same level. Reading God helps us understand Him better—reading fiction helps us understand ourselves.

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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Adventures of Bobby Raccoon
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #21
by Thornton W. Burgess
New edition from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$3.50
Adventures of Buster Bear
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #15
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00
Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #11
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00
Adventures of Jerry Muskrat
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #10
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00
Adventures of Jimmy Skunk
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #22
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00
Adventures of Old Man Coyote
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #18
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.00
Adventures of Poor Mrs. Quack
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #20
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00
Annotated Hans Christian Andersen
by Hans Christian Andersen
from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 7th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Bandit of Ashley Downs
TrailBlazer Book
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Bandit of Ashley Downs
TrailBlazer Book
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Barefoot Book of Buddhist Tales
by Sherab Chodzin & Alexandra Kohn (retellers), illustrated by Marie Cameron
from Barefoot Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Basher History: Mythology
from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Beatrix Potter Mask Book
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
Bedtime for Francis
by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Garth Williams
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Bedtime Stories
by Thornton W. Burgess, illustrated by Carl & Mary Hauge
from Dover Publications
for 1st-5th grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
Black Gold
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.39
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1949 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky
by Chief Seattle, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
from Puffin Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Buddy's Crazy True-Life Adventures
Buddy Davis Amazing Adventures
by Buddy Davis
from Answers in Genesis
for 3rd-6th grade
in Short Stories (Location: LIT-ANTH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Castles
from McGraw-Hill
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Catwings
A Catwings Tale Book 1
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Atheneum
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Catwings Boxed Set (December 2023)
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Atheneum
for 1st-4th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
Catwings Return
A Catwings Tale Book 2
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Catwings Return
A Catwings Tale Book 2
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Atheneum
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Church Mice Spread Their Wings
by Graham Oakley
from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
DK Classics: Black Beauty (adapted & annotated)
by Anna Sewell, illustrated by Victor Ambrus
from DK Children
for 4th-8th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
by Mo Willems
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
2004 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Donde viven los monstruos (Where the Wild Things Are)
by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1964 Caldecott Medal winner
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Drums
by James Boyd
from Atheneum
for 5th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Elves and the Shoemaker
by Freya Littledale, Illustrated by Brinton Turkle
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Eric Carle's Treasury of Classic Stories for Children
by Aesop, Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, retold & illustrated by Eric Carle
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
Golden Basket
by Ludwig Bemelmans
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
1937 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Harry Potter: The Ultimate Book of Facts
from Andrews UK Limited
for 4th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Hero Over Here
by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
I Go With My Family to Grandma's
by Riki Levinson, illustrated by Diane Goode
from Trumpet Club
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
I Saw Three Ships
by Elizabeth Goudge
from David R. Godine
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.95
Iliad (retold)
Kingfisher Epics
by Nick McCarty, Victor G. Ambrus
from Kingfisher
for 4th-6th grade
It's Not Easy Being a Bunny
by Marilyn Sadler, illustrated by Roger Bollen
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
James Herriot's Yorkshire
by James Herriot, photography by Derry Brabbs
1996 Printing from Mermaid Books
for 7th-Adult
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Jane on Her Own
A Catwings Tale Book 4
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Atheneum
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Jesse Owens: Gold Medal Hero
Sterling Biographies
by Jim Gigliotti
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Johnny Appleseed
A Step into Reading Book Level 3
by David L. Harrison, Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
from Random House
for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
Just a Little Bit
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Lyle at the Office
by Bernard Waber
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (3 in stock)
Miss Twiggley's Tree
by Dorothea Fox
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.99
Moby-Dick (retold)
by Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus
from Oxford University
for 5th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Mrs. Katz and Tush
by Patricia Polacco
from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Night Fairy
by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Angela Barrett
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Outside Over There
by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
1982 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Patrick's Dinosaurs
by Carol Carrick, illustrated by Donald Carrick
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Paul and the Wolf
by Margo Lemieux, Illustrated by Bill Nelson
from Silver Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Pecos Bill, Colossal Cowboy
by Sean Tulien, Illustrated by Lisa Weber
from Stone Arch Books
for 1st-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
People Could Fly
by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Pepper and Salt
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Poppleton
Poppleton #1 of 5
by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Mark Teague
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Prince Ivan and the Firebird
by Bernard Lodge
from Whispering Coyote Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Puppy Who Wanted a Boy
by Jane Thayer, Illustrated by Lisa McCue
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Queen's Smuggler
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Queen's Smuggler
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Robin Hood
Dorling Kindersley Classics
by Neil Philip, illustrated by Nick Harris
2000 Paperback from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Rosie's Walk
by Pat Hutchins
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (6 in stock)
Salmon's Journey and More Northwest Coast Stories
by Robert James Challenger
from Heritage House Publishing Company
for 1st-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Sea Lion
by Ken Kesey, Illustrated by Neil Waldman
from Puffin Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Seaman's Journal
by Patricia Reeder Eubank
from Ideals Children's Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Secret of the Shark Pit
Ladd Family Adventures #1
by Lee Roddy
from Focus on the Family
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Skippack School
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Story of King Arthur
by Retold by Robin Lister, Illustrated by Alan Baker
from Kingfisher
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Story of King Arthur
by Robin Lister, illustrated by Alan Baker
from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
by William Steig
from Simon and Schuster
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1970 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Tales from Shakespeare
by Tina Packer & Co.
from Scholastic Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Tales from the Mabinogion
from Overlook Press
for 4th-Adult
$8.00 (1 in stock)
The Minpins
by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Patrick Benson
from Trumpet Club
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
They Didn't Use Their Heads
by Jo Ann Stover
from Bob Jones University Press
Rhyming Books for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Three Bears
by Frances Brundage (illustrator)
from Green Tiger Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Timmi Tobbson: Legend of the Star Runner
Solve Them Yourself Picture Mysteries Junior
by J.I. Wagner, illustrated by J.G. Ratti
2020 printing from Freshabooks
for 1st-3rd grade
in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Trouble with Tattle-Tails
The Fabled Stables #2
by Jonathan Auxier, illustrated by Olga Demidova
from Amulet Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Twig
by Elizabeth Orton Jones
1st edition from Purple House Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.95
Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams
from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
When I Was Young In the Mountains
by Cynthia Rylant
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
Family Stories for 1st-3rd grade
1983 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Willa the Wisp
The Fabled Stables #1
by Jonathan Auxier, illustrated by Olga Demidova
from Amulet Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame, abridged and illustrated by Inga Moore
from Candlewick Press
for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings
A Catwings Tale Book 3
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Atheneum
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Wonky Donkey
by Craig Smith (Words & Music), Illustrated by Katz Cowley
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
You Read to Me, I'll Read to You (Fairy Tales)
by Mary Ann Hoberman, Illustrated by Michael Emberley
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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