Recs if you like Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Rats of NIMH, #1)...
talking animals
i love when animals get the chance to yap and/or narrate their own stories :)
recommendations welcome!
simply rat-tastic
title mentions rats? the book goes into this list.
the paw (or talon, hoof, sucker, etc) patrol
feat. animal protagonists getting shit done without the help of humans and/or with little human interaction
Awww, rats!
A collection of MG books with rodent MCs
But WAIT. Thereโs hope. โจFICTIONโจ
Straight from the Solarpunk Manifesto, โWe are solarpunks because the only other options are denial or despair.โ
What if thereโs more to our future? What if we were optimistic?
Below are the fiction books that have made it to O.E. Tearmannโs Open List of Positive and Hopeful Futures
Iโll make another list for the nonfiction and for the anthologies. Feel free to suggest any recs!
Millennial Nostalgic Reads
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.
from an animal perspective
stories narrated by animals. primary focus on ya/adult books with a select few classics for all ages.
sparse updates since there is an animal pov main quest now!
Animation Adaptions! ๐จ๐๏ธ
Much like books to movies but solely focused on animated movies/series! Suggestions welcome!
mouse books
books where protagonists and/or sidekicks are mice and rats for fellow rodent lovers
(all ages included! please check individual books for age ratings)
Books where all the characters are little critters
Young readers and middle grade
Newberry Medal Winners
According to the ALA, "The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."
elementary school classroom library
books i got lost in during quiet reading time as a kid (and maybe you did too)
Animal POV
A collection of books where the main characters are animals
Warning!! Pearl by Josh Malerman is considered a horror (extreme horror?) So check your triggers!
Good Furry Reads That Aren't Warriors Cats
All genres, all demographics, all furries. (Some of these have a bite, please research contents warnings)
Fantasy for Younger Readers
The kind of books that make youngins dream of adventure, and call adults back home to for a cozy reread.
Note: In a series, only the first book is listed.
Newbery Award Winners and Honors
Complete as of August 2026.
Newbury Award Books, New and Old
Here are many beloved and distinguished childrenโs 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 childrenโs literature for any reader to explore.
Animal protagonists , Creature Fantasy, and Xenofiction,
Series and books that feature animal MCs, of varying target audience age. There is a lean toward fantasy, as that is what I read, but I tried to include a number of other fiction titles with animal characters as well.
D20 Burrow's End
Perhaps the best Dimension 20 side quest DM'd by Aabria is my personally most watched season on Dropout TV. Burrow's End is the twentieth season of D20 following a small family of stoats braving the world to find a new home with unimaginable threats that had such a twist it took my breath away.
Rich reads for childhood
Books that donโt disappoint
