Handpicked by Our Editors

Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson
Age 5+
4

Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson

Why We Recommend It

Jackie Robinson was special on the baseball field and off. His daughter's bio of the slugger-as-dad emphasizes courage.

Read our full review
Finding great books for children makes them lifelong readers.

When you give your children books they love, you give them a gift that lasts forever. But finding books that appeal to kids when there's so much else competing for their time has become really tough. Our recommended lists by theme and topic will help you find books for children of all ages and interests, from All Things Harry Potter to the best books to share with dads.

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Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Parents Need to Know...

that for a fast paced adventure story set during WWI there is surprisingly little violence. There are some battles that culminate in deaths and injuries, but there is very little blood and no gore. Genetically engineered fighting ... read more

Age 12+
Leviathan
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Harry and Horsie by Katie Van Camp
Parents Need to Know...

there is nothing of concern in this book. Instead of going to sleep, Harry plays with his Super Duper Bubble Blooper and laughs as the bubbles float his toys away. When Horsie gets picked up in a bubble, however, he goes on a rescue ... read more

Age 3+
Harry and Horsie
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Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a pirate adventure and, as you'd expect, has plenty of violence, though nothing excessive, overly graphic, or gratuitous. But you will never find a better model of a brave and honest hero than Jim Hawkins. read more

Age 10+
Treasure Island
5
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Stone Rabbit #1: BC Mambo by Erik Craddock
Parents Need to Know...

that this graphic novel may intrigue certain kids for the action, visuals, and short length (96 pages), but there's little substance -- in character or storyline -- to engage kids in any meaningful conversation. There's much name-calling ... read more

Age 9+
Stone Rabbit #1: BC Mambo
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Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
Parents Need to Know...

that there is some mild swearing, as well as gunfights that include injury and death. read more

Age 9+
Once Upon a Time in the North
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Nim's Island by Wendy Orr
Parents Need to Know...

that that there is little to be concerned about here, other than the premise of the story, which is that a father leaves his young daughter alone on a deserted island for several days. read more

Age 7+
Nim's Island
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The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Parents Need to Know...

that there are some discussions about having sex, not graphic, and a few murders. The main character, a 14-year-old girl, is blindly trusting to an almost absurd degree. read more

Age 13+
The White Darkness
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The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio by Lloyd Alexander
Parents Need to Know...

that there's a fair amount of violence here, some rather brutal, though none graphically described. Many deaths occur by a variety of weapons and methods, and a major character is beaten unconsciousness. read more

Age 9+
The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio
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The Worst Witch at School by Jill Murphy
Parents Need to Know...

that this book comprises two titles in the Worst Witch series: The Worst Witch and The Worst Witch Strikes Again. It's a great precursor for readers not ready for the Harry Potter series mixing friendship, adventures, and fantasy. The ... read more

Age 7+
The Worst Witch at School
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Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a book about a child prodigy in training to be a master criminal. He's encouraged and manipulated to commit crimes and engage in other bad behavior, and there's a lot of violence, though much of it isn't described in detail. ... read more

Age 11+
Evil Genius
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Jane and the Magician by Martin Baynton
Parents Need to Know...

that this is one more episode in the Jane and the Dragon adventures that was made into a children's TV show. It helps to read the Jane and the Dragon book first to know how Jane became a "fully qualified, highly trained knight." read more

Age 4+
Jane and the Magician
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Jane and the Dragon by Martin Baynton
Parents Need to Know...

that breaking out of expected roles is the challenge here. It's all positive and kid-friendly ... and not just for girls! read more

Age 4+
Jane and the Dragon
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Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen
Parents Need to Know...

that this book covers poignant topics: death, homelessness, fear, and abuse. There are descriptions of the narrator's drug-addicted mother, who eventually dies from an overdose; abuse in foster care; and fear of starvation, freezing to ... read more

Age 14+
Runaway
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The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls by Elise Primavera
Parents Need to Know...

that this is story is loosely tied to characters from The Wizard of Oz, and some parts are similarly scary: A certain wicked witch threatens the girls, who are banished to a strange land and have to dodge a fire. Also, a father vanishes, ... read more

Age 8+
The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls
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Operation Typhoon Shore (Guild of Specialists, Book 2) by Joshua Mowll
Parents Need to Know...

that there's a fair amount of violence here, though it's not as graphic or terrifying as the previous book in the series. A teen character and others drink, and cigars are smoked. The siblings are reflexively disobedient and defiant, ... read more

Age 10+
Operation Typhoon Shore (Guild of Specialists, Book 2)
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Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson
Parents Need to Know...

that this book features some upsetting details about how livestock is raised and killed. There are disturbing photographs of rotten body parts. The book also has a pro-union/anti-big business stance. read more

Age 12+
Chew on This
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Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Parents Need to Know...

that this is an intense, fast, exciting read. The main character is a 13-year-old boy whose parents are divorced. He survives a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness en route to visit his father and must use the hatchet his mother once ... read more

Age 11+
Hatchet
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The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Richard Yancey
Parents Need to Know...

that there is a lot of rather extreme violence referred to, though not graphically described, and many deaths by beheadings, throat stabbing, disembowelment, sword, knife, gun, arrow, and explosion. In addition, names of fast food ... read more

Age 11+
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
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Capt. Hook : The Adventures of a Notorious Youth by J. V. Hart
Parents Need to Know...

that this about the making of a classic literary villain, so he behaves badly all the time -- but because he's the hero, and meant to be sympathetic, his behavior becomes appealing. The brutality can be disturbing: human carcasses on a ... read more

Age 11+
Capt. Hook : The Adventures of a Notorious Youth
4
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Operation Red Jericho (The Guild of Specialists, Book 1) by Joshua Mowll
Parents Need to Know...

that, though little is described in graphic detail, the level of violence is pretty high for a children's book. At one point, the children are chained for two days in a cage that floods almost to the top at high tide, and at another they ... read more

Age 10+
Operation Red Jericho (The Guild of Specialists, Book 1)
5
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Stormbreaker (Alex Rider Adventures, Book 1) by Anthony Horowitz
Parents Need to Know...

that this has all of the violence, though none of the sex, of a James Bond movie. There are virtually no admirable or even decent adults anywhere, on either side. read more

Age 11+
Stormbreaker (Alex Rider Adventures, Book 1)
3

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