Staff Favorites: Fiction

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"Favorite" might not be the right word to describe the fiction books we love. It implies some kind of hierarchy, and while there are books we like more than others, it's hard to arrange theones we like very much into a least-to-greatest list. You won't find anything like that here, just collections of our best-loved stories and poems in no particular order (collections, it should be said, that are subject to change).

Not every book that makes it on these lists is a great book, either—sometimes our favorites are simply those that had a major effect on us, or to which we have a sentimental attachment, or simply that we liked for some ineffable reason. At the same time, bad books weren't included. Not that any of us around here like bad books, but we didn't include titles that were inappropriate or of noticeably poor quality.

The purpose of fiction is to broaden our horizons, help us grow in character and virtue, and provide genuine entertainment. Each of us kept that in mind while compiling our list (though naturally those elements are interpreted a little differently by each of us). It's pretty easy to see what's important to us collectively and individually from these lists, so that should help if you're using them to get reading suggestions for yourself or your kids.

Eli made a decree when he asked if we'd pull together our favorite books: no more than 50 titles were to be included. For avid bibliomaniacs that was a pretty tall order, but we managed, and in consequence you have less than 200 books to scroll through. If the limit hadn't been set, a couple of us would still be hunched over computer screens searching the Exodus catalogue for items to add.

Oh, and the bios at the top of each list? Those are just so you can know what we're into, how we evaluate a good versus a bad book, whether we have a sense of humor (a rare commodity these days), etc. It's like we're chatting about our favorite books with you, though certainly the conversation is a bit one-sided and we can tend to run at the mouth. To prevent that, we'll simply leave you now to browse.

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Staff Favorites & Reviews

Staff Favorites: Fiction

Subcategories

Caleb's Favorite Fiction

Eli's Favorite Fiction

Hadley's Favorite Fiction

Jon's Favorite Fiction

Joseph's Favorite Fiction

Lauren's Favorite Fiction

Nathan's Favorite Fiction

Zach's Favorite Fiction

58 Items found Print

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4th grade (Ages 9-10)

	100 Cupboards - Paperback Trilogy by N. D. Wilson from Random House Books for Young Readers for 3rd-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $24.62
	Adventures of Tintin - Complete Package (large size paperback set, approx 12"x9") by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $241.39
	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
	At the Back of the North Wind Everyman's Library Children's Classics by George MacDonald, illustrated by Arthur Hughes from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fairy Tale for 4th-Adult in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $20.00
	At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald, Illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith from Dilithium Press, Ltd. Fairy Tale for 4th-Adult in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald, Illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith from David McKay Company Fairy Tale for 4th-Adult in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.99
	Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond 50th Anniversary Edition from Houghton Mifflin Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Belles On Their Toes by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey from HarperCollins Family Stories for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $12.99
	Buford the Little Bighorn by Bill Peet from Houghton Mifflin Animal Fantasy for Preschool-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99
	Castle in the Air A Companion to Howl's Moving Castle Howl's Castle: 2 of 3 by Diana Wynne Jones Reprint from Greenwillow Books for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop from Yearling for 4th-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop from Weekly Reader for 4th-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey from HarperCollins Family Stories for 4th-9th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $16.99
	Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey 1st edition 1st printing from HarperCollins Family Stories for 4th-9th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Children of Odin The Book of Northern Myths by Padraic Colum from Aladdin Paperbacks Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $10.99
	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) $40.00 (1 in stock)
	Chronicles of Narnia - Deluxe Hardcover Boxed Set by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $139.63
	Chronicles of Narnia - Quality Softcover Boxed Set by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $90.93
	Chronicles of Narnia - Quality Softcover Set by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
	Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander Revised 1999 Edition from Henry Holt and Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Chronicles of Prydain - Boxed Set by Lloyd Alexander Box from Henry Holt and Company Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $44.95
	Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne from Dutton Children's Books Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Farmer Giles of Ham by J. R. R. Tolkien, Pauline D. Baynes 50 Anv from Houghton Mifflin for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $20.00
	Favorite Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by H. B. Vestal from Grosset & Dunlap Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter Book 2 by J. K. Rowling First American Edition from Arthur A. Levine Books for 4th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $26.99
	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated Edition Harry Potter Book 2 by J. K. Rowling Illustrated from Arthur A. Levine Books for 4th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $39.99
	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter Book 4 by J. K. Rowling 1st American Edition from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $29.99 $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter Book 5 by J. K. Rowling 1st American Edition from Arthur A. Levine Books for 4th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $29.99
	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter Book 3 by J.K. Rowling 1^st edition from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $29.99 $15.00 (2 in stock)
	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Illustrated Edition Harry Potter Book 1 by J. K. Rowling from Arthur A. Levine Books for 4th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $39.99
	House of Many Ways Howl's Castle: 3 of 3 by Diana Wynne Jones Reprint from Greenwillow Books for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Reprint from Greenwillow Books for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Reprint from Greenwillow Books for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Jungle Book Sterling Classics by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Scott McKowen from Sterling Publishing Co. Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Just So Stories Everyman's Library Children's Classics by Rudyard Kipling from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-6th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $18.00
	King Ottokar's Sceptre Adventures of Tintin by Herge from Little, Brown & Company Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN) $14.99
	Little House - Hardcover Set by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins for 3rd-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $139.11
	Little House - Softcover Boxed Set by Laura Ingalls Wilder from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $79.91
	Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Scott McKowen Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co. for 4th-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Little Women Sterling Classics by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Scott McKowen Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co. Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	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
	Little Women Penguin Clothbound Classics by Louisa May Alcott, edited and introduced by Elaine Showalter, with notes by Siobhan Kilfeather and Vinca Showalter Unabridged from Penguin Classics Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Mattimeo Redwall #3 by Brian Jacques from ACE Publishing Fantasy for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.99
	Redwall Redwall #1 by Brian Jacques from ACE Publishing Fantasy for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Redwall by Brian Jacques 1^st edition from Firebird Press for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.99
	Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman from Little, Brown & Company Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade 1985 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Series of Unfortunate Events - complete set Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket from HarperCollins Humor for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo from Candlewick Press for 3rd-6th grade 2004 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 4th-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 4th-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Wind in the Willows Everyman's Library Children's Classics by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Arthur Rackham from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $20.00
	Wind in the Willows Children's Classics by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Paul Bransom from Dilithium Press, Ltd. Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wrinkle in Time Wrinkle in Time Series #1 by Madeleine L'Engle from Square Fish Publishing Fantasy for 4th-9th grade 1963 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Wrinkle in Time Wrinkle in Time Series #1 by Madeleine L'Engle from Square Fish Publishing Fantasy for 4th-9th grade 1963 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wrinkle in Time Wrinkle in Time Series #1 by Madeleine L'Engle from Quality Paperback Book Club Fantasy for 4th-9th grade 1963 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)

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