Those Darned Book Lists!

I can not tell you how many times I've sat down at the computer and searched lists trying to find books I thought my son would enjoy reading.  Fiction about a particular topic or time period, books in a particular genre, books for reluctant readers, books that will interest a gifted student - you get the picture.  And then of course there was the search for books in a particular genre on or above the 6th grade reading level.  (I had to explain to his teacher that your'e not going to find too many of those out there, and even less that are on a higher reading level AND age appropriate for a 10 year old or younger.  But hey, once someone is a proficient reader, they can spend a lot of their time just reading books that cause them to THINK - you know, analyze, evaluate, all of those higher level cognitive skills.)

As frustrating as searching those lists has been, the thing that probably bothers me the most is the amount of overlap I find.  Sometimes I wonder if the person making the list didn't just get their titles off of another list!  I mean, there have been more than twenty or thirty books published that are appropriate for, say, 5th graders.  And honestly, I've read some of the books I see over and over on the lists, and I didn't think they were very good.  I've read many, many books appropriate for all grade levels that were really great, but I haven't seen any of them on any lists.

So, I have decided to post my lists, books by genre, all of which I've actually read and would give at least 3 out of 5 stars.  You can find them by clicking on the links at right under the title Book Lists.

Note:  Lists are arranged with Title, Author, Reading Level, Age Appropriate Level, and Descriptive Tags.
(Age appropriate level denotes the youngest readers that the book is appropriate for.  That doesn't mean that older readers will not enjoy the book!)

* =  books that I thought were GREAT

UG = upper grades  (contain sex, drugs, and/or very graphic violence; deal with mature subject matter such as rape, prostitution, child abuse, etc. )
MG+ = junior high  (may contain some profanity or sexual references; may deal with subject matter too mature for younger audiences)
MG = 4th through 6th grades (nothing inappropriate for children, but may not keep the interest of younger readers)
MG- = all ages (perfect for bedtime stories or read-alouds, or for precocious readers in the lower grades)

* = LGBTQ themes - characters, situations, or references to same-sex couples


When a book is part of a series, only the first title is listed, but the reading level for all books in the series is shown.  Lists will be updated periodically as I read new books.