Recs if you like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler...

Books recommended by musician Lucy Dacus, a solo artist and member of the band boygenius. Pulled from her goodreads list.

We love books with a verbose title, and this list celebrates them! Suggestions welcome 🤗

chapter books you probably read in elementary and/or middle school and you probably took the AR test as soon as you finished. cue nostalgia

Bring on those Gen Y memories! A list of books likely to give people born between 1981 and 1996 a lot of feelings.

This list is for those of us who grew up eagerly awaiting the Scholastic Book Fair, watching Reading Rainbow (or Wishbone!), and dreaming of a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.

Note: these are not books published in 1981-1996, but books that had a hold on the millennial generation.

Also check out the Dear America series, American Girl series & Royal Diaries series.

Books that inspired Wes Anderson movies or have that same feeling of whimsy, quirkiness and a bit of nostalgia 💛

Orphan Fantasy Fiction™. This list isn't about found family, it's about kids living independently/unsupervised and taking care of themselves.

The books your teacher made you read between the ages of 11-14. They changed the way you saw the world, they made you realize books were more than just goofy or sentimental stories you gobbled up before bedtime, and they stuck with you, all these years later.

Suggestions welcome, especially from non-American readers!!

Note: this list was made by a Millennial, so I'd love to hear from some different generations! What did your teachers assign you?

I work at a bookstore and sometimes I bring people into the middle grade/ya section and am like...hey...I know we are above the age of 13, but trust me, these are amazing 10/10 and you should read. These are some of those books :)

Also feel free to suggest your favs too! Especially the ones that you never hear anyone talk about!!

Complete as of August 2026.

Here are many beloved and distinguished children’s novels that have won the Newbery Gold award and the silver Newbury Honor award, which were first started over a century ago in 1922. There are many choices, old and new, that have cemented their place in children’s literature for any reader to explore.

The BBC’s 100 Greatest Children’s Books of All Time as published in May 2023.

the books you read during recess instead of playing kickball

Pair with "Level 4 – The Modern World" book.

(I was unable to successfully add "Hidden Figures: Young Readers Edition" by Margot Lee Shetterly and "Build This Book: A Book and Maker Space All in One" by David Eckold.)

Other items used: "Grammar 5 Set" (includes "Grammar 5 Answer Guide and Resources" and "Grammar 5 Activity Sheets"), "Extra Language Arts E Student Activity Sheets", "Extra Science E Student Activity Sheets", "Discover & Do: Level E Experiments Paper Packet", "Discover & Do: Science Supplies Kit E", "Timeline Figures E", "Science E Instructor's Guide", "Language Arts E", "History/Bible/Literature E Instructor's Guide", "Songs About America", "Sing the Word: The Heavens Declare", "Discover & Do: Level E Science Experiments", "Discover & Do: Level E Science Experiment Videos", "Math-U-See Fraction Overlay Kit", "MUS5 Epsilon Online Instruction with Video", "Markable Map", "Markers", "3" Binder with Tabs" and "The Timeline Book".

This is every reference +every book mentioned in Book Lovers by Emily Henry, let me know if I missed any.

Just a bunch of books I enjoyed as a child.

All of the books in this list were either read when I was a kid, or gave that comforting nostalgic feeling when reading it as an adult.

Aren’t you glad that we’re never too old for a whimsical read?

Winners of the award for "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children."