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Staff Favorites: Fiction

"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: Fiction
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Active Filters: 7th grade (Ages 12-13)
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
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Sterling Classics
by Jules Verne, translated by Lewis Page Mercier and illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
by Arthur Conan Conan Doyle
from Penguin Classics
for 7th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$14.00
Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Sterling Classics
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 7th-12th grade
in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Sterling Classics
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$14.95
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Sterling Classics
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Animal Farm
by George Orwell
from Plume Books
Utopian/Dystopian Literature for 6th-12th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.00
Around the World in Eighty Days
Sterling Classics
by Jules Verne, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Adventure for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
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
$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)
Beauty
by Robin McKinley
First Paperback Edition, 2018 from Greenwillow Books
Fantasy/Retold Fairy Tale for 5th-8th grade
$7.99
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
Binding of the Blade Series
by L. B. Graham
from P&R Publishing
Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Bounty Trilogy (School Edition)
by Charles Nordhoff & James Norman Hall
from Globe Book Company
Nautical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Captain Blood
Penguin Classics
by Rafael Sabatini
from Penguin Classics
Historical Romance for 7th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.00
Castle in the Air
Howl's Castle: 2 of 3
by Diana Wynne Jones
Reprint from Greenwillow Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
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
by Padraic Colum
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$10.99
Children of Odin
by Padraic Colum, illustrated by Willy Pogany
from Macmillan
Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$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 Fairy Tales
Penguin Classics
by George MacDonald
from Penguin Classics
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 7th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$17.00
Eleventh Hour
by Graeme Base
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-Adult
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card
from Tor Classic
Science Fiction for 7th-Adult
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$9.99
Five Weeks in a Balloon
by Jules Verne, translated by William Lackland and illustrated by Edouard Riou
Illustrated Fir from SeaWolf Press
for 5th-10th grade
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$9.95
Freckles
by Gene Stratton-Porter
from Indiana University Press
Romance for 7th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Freckles
by Gene Stratton-Porter
from Dover Publications
Romance for 7th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Giver
by Lois Lowry
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 7th-10th grade
1994 Newbery Medal winner
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$11.99
Giver
by Lois Lowry
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 7th-10th grade
1994 Newbery Medal winner
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
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
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 Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter Book 7
by J. K. Rowling
1st edition from Arthur A. Levine Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$34.99 $16.00 (1 in stock)
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 Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter Book 6
by J. K. Rowling
1st American Edition from Scholastic Inc.
for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$29.99 $16.00 (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
1st 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
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
Harvester
by Gene Stratton-Porter
from Indiana University Press
Romance for 7th-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$17.95 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Hiding Place
by Corrie Ten Boom
from Bantam Books
Biography for 6th-10th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$19.99
Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - Deluxe Hardcover Collection
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 5th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$131.20
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)
$9.99
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)
$9.99
I Serve
by Rosanne E. Lortz
from Anno Domini
Historical Fiction for 7th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
I, Juan de Pareja
by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño
from Square Fish Publishing
Realistic Fiction/Slavery for 5th-8th grade
1966 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
Inkheart Trilogy
Inkheart Trilogy
by Cornelia Funke
from Scholastic Press
for 5th-9th 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)
Kingdom Series
by Chuck Black
from Multnomah Books
Fantasy for 5th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Leave it to Psmith
by P. G. Wodehouse
from W. W. Norton and Co.
Humor for 7th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$14.95
Little Britches Series
by Ralph Moody
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$111.88
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 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
$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
Mimus
by Lilli Thal, translated by John Brownjohn
from Annick Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Perilous Gard
by Elizabeth Marie Pope
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
1975 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Perilous Gard
by Elizabeth Marie Pope
from Puffin Books
Historical Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
1975 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Princess and Curdie
Puffin Classics
by George MacDonald
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Princess and Curdie
by George MacDonald
from Living Book Press
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Princess and Curdie
by George MacDonald
from Canon Press
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.95
Pushcart War
by Jean Merrill
50th Anniversary Edition from New York Review of Books
Satire for 6th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Pushcart War
by Jean Merrill
50th Anniversary Edition from New York Review of Books
Satire for 6th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.99
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
1st edition from Firebird Press
for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Sackett's Land
The Sacketts Book 1
by Louis L'amour
from Bantam Books
for 7th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$7.99
Samurai's Tale
by Erik Christian Haugaard
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Scarlet Pimpernel
Puffin Classics
by Baroness Orczy
from Puffin Books
Action/Adventure for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$5.99
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)
Squire's Tales set
by Gerald Morris
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy
by Timothy Zahn
from Bantam Books
Science Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Story of the Trapp Family Singers
by Maria Augusta Trapp
from HarperCollins
Biography for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.99
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Sterling Classics
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 7th-10th grade
in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS)
Time Machine
by H. G. Wells
from Signet Classics
Science Fiction/Dystopian Literature for 7th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$5.95
Two Princesses of Bamarre
by Gail Carson Levine
from HarperCollins
for 4th-7th grade
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Two Princesses of Bamarre
by Gail Carson Levine
from HarperCollins
for 4th-7th grade
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Westing Game
Puffin Modern Classics
by Ellen Raskin
from Puffin Books
Mystery/Suspense for 5th-8th grade
1979 Newbery Medal winner
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Where Eagles Dare
by Alistair MacLean
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Action/Adventure (Espionage) for 7th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
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
$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)
Yearling
by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Realistic Animal Stories for 6th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$19.99
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