Outside of a Dog Booklist

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"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
—Groucho Marx

We are frequently asked to recommend literature to kids, and while there's nothing better than taking the time to know what the individual likes and recommend for their tastes, we've definitely settled on a number of books that are our personal favorites. This list is meant to promote books that will branch kids beyond the latest pop-fiction, and beyond many of the curricular lists you'll find floating around.

The PDF version of Outside of a Dog offers a page of links helping you navigate the overwhelming resources scattered throughout this website. It includes recommended read-alouds for preschoolers and kindergartners and contains 50+ titles for grades 1-8, offering you summer reading aplenty for years on end. It doesn't promote a liberal agenda, cater to the lowest common denominator, or present books designed to make anyone look smart. We haven't limited ourselves to classics or "must-read" titles. There are plenty of those, but just as many are personal favorites that have kindled our own love of reading. These are books that will open the wide doors of reading to kids turned off by more than standard fare. Throughout the list, author names are links, often taking you to short biographies, links to more information, and a list of what we have.

It's also intended to challenge older readers, with two lists for high school students and two for adults:

150+ great literature and fiction titles
150+ non-fiction titles, containing history, biographies, basic philosophy, and titles that focus on spiritual matters and practical Christian living. We want to encourage you to be culture-changers for Christ

The printed version is a little different. It doesn't include the links, of course, nor does it have the preschool/kindergarten reading lists or the adult lists. It does include an "advanced" high school list, which is what was adapted into the adult lists. Also, in the digital version, the grade level lists have been tweaked, with some new favorites added, and some reading level suggestions adjusted.

This category on our site offers all of our recommended books in one place. We are working on adding an Exodus rating to every single one. Browse the list, or filter by grade with the sidebar.

Whether you're six or sixteen (or sixty!), whether you're a dog person or not, some new best friends are waiting!

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Outside of a Dog Booklist

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1st Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

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3rd Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

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9th-12th Outside of a Dog - Fiction

9th-12th Outside of a Dog - Nonfiction

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	Abel's Island by William Steig from Square Fish Publishing Animal Fantasy for 3rd-5th grade 1977 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John from Yearling Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild from Yearling Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99
	Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson from HarperCollins Humor for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.99
	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)
	Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill Betsy-Tacy #3 by Maud Hart Lovelace First Harper Trophy Edition from HarperCollins for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Betsy-Tacy Betsy-Tacy #1 by Maud Hart Lovelace 2^nd edition from HarperCollins Family/Friendship Story for 3rd-6th grade HarperTrophy in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	Betsy-Tacy and Tib Betsy-Tacy #2 by Maud Hart Lovelace 2^nd edition from HarperCollins Family/Friendship Story for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.99
	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) $4.99 $3.00 (2 in stock)
	Centerburg Tales More Adventures of Homer Price by Robert McCloskey from Puffin Books Humor for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.99
	Charlotte's Web by E. B. White from HarperCollins for 2nd-6th grade 1953 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Cricket in Times Square by George Selden from Square Fish Publishing Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade 1961 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, illustrated by Garth Williams, foreword & updates by Stacey Lee from Square Fish Publishing Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade 1961 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfeild from Yearling Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Fables by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-3rd grade 1981 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99 $5.00 (1 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) $7.99
	Happy Birthday Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #5 by Betty MacDonald and Anne MacDonald Canham from HarperTrophy for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #2 by Betty MacDonald from HarperCollins for 1st-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.99
	Homer Price by Robert McCloskey from Puffin Books Humor for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99
	House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne from Puffin Books Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds from PaperStar Books Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade 1942 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwater, illustrated by Jim Madsen from Little, Brown & Company Humorous Fiction for 3rd-6th grade 1939 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwater, illustrated by Robert Lawson from Little, Brown & Company Humorous Fiction for 3rd-6th grade 1939 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Mr. Revere and I by Robert Lawson from Little, Brown & Company Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Mr. Revere and I by Robert Lawson from Little, Brown & Company Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #1 by Betty MacDonald from HarperCollins for 1st-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #4 by Betty MacDonald from HarperCollins for 1st-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #3 by Betty MacDonald from HarperCollins for 1st-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.99
	On the Banks of Plum Creek Little House Series #4 by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade 1938 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye from Puffin Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99
	Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt Realistic Animal Fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $9.99
	Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt Realistic Animal Fiction for 2nd-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Pippi Goes on Board Pippi Longstocking #2 by Astrid Lindgren from Puffin Books Humor for 2nd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Pippi in the South Seas Pippi Longstocking #3 by Astrid Lindgren from Puffin Books Humor for 2nd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Pippi Longstocking Pippi Longstocking #1 by Astrid Lindgren from Puffin Books Humor for 2nd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Shh! We're Writing the Constitution! by Jean Fritz from PaperStar Books Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN) $8.99
	Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting from Yearling Animal Fantasy for 3rd-7th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Theater Shoes by Noel Streatfeild from Yearling Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne from Puffin Books Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99

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