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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showing: friendship
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Otis by Loren Long
Parents Need to Know...

there is nothing of concern in this gentle story. Sensitive kids might be anxious during the climactic scene as farmers and firefighters try to save a calf from drowning in mud, but all ends well, of course. read more

Age 3+
Otis
4
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The Duchess of Whimsy by Randall de Seve
Parents Need to Know...

the vocabulary in this well-written fairy tale will challenge -- and very possibly put off -- younger readers. read more

Age 5+
The Duchess of Whimsy
4
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Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan
Parents Need to Know...

that the main story is how three teens experience the terrorist attack on New York City, and the tremendous impact it had immediately on their lives. A budding gay romance between two of the characters is prominent, but secondary to the ... read more

Age 14+
Love Is the Higher Law
5
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The Yellow Tutu by Kirsten Bramsen
Parents Need to Know...

there’s nothing to worry about it in this book. Margo’s classmates greet her with jeers when she arrives at school with her tutu on her head, and one child tries to pull it off her head. Margo stays positive, however, and a friend ... read more

Age 4+
The Yellow Tutu
3
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Markus and the Girls by Klaus Hagerup
Parents Need to Know...

that while the action of this book is all about Markus trying to get the girl, his whimsical affections are based in romance rather than sex. Markus' mom died when he was very young and he lives with his father, but the absence of the ... read more

Age 12+
Markus and the Girls
4
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Best Friends by Jacqueline Wilson
Parents Need to Know...

that this book deals with the emotional ups and downs of friendship and loss when one friend moves away. Gemma acts out a little in response to this. She challenges someone to a fight that never happens, shouts in anger, and eats sweets ... read more

Age 8+
Best Friends
4
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Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Parents Need to Know...

that there are some quarrels within families, as well as between friends, but that there isn’t too much to worry about. There are also issues of loss and grief, as each girl comes close to losing a close family member, one to sickness ... read more

Age 9+
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
3
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When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Parents Need to Know...

this time-traveler novel features the death of a man who is hit by a truck in front of the main character. It also addresses a girl's fear of a homeless man near her New York City apartment and touches on racism. The main character's ... read more

Age 9+
When You Reach Me
5
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The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman
Parents Need to Know...

that this is not a book for younger kids. Most older kids will love the humor. However, the message is complicated (the teacher is evil, and the students work together to end her tyranny), and the cartoons are a bit scary (the classroom ... read more

Age 7+
The Dunderheads
4
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The Kind of Friends We Used to Be by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Parents Need to Know...

that there isn't much to worry about here. Some parents are divorced, and there's some religious discussion, but there's nothing inappropriate. read more

Age 10+
The Kind of Friends We Used to Be
3
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Lucky Breaks by Susan Patron
Parents Need to Know...

that this book is tame. While Lucky's mother died several years ago and she has since been abandoned by her father to his ex-wife (Brigitte), Lucky is taken care of and loved by Brigitte and a full coterie of adults in town. One issue, ... read more

Age 8+
Lucky Breaks
3
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3 Willows by Ann Brashares
Parents Need to Know...

that this book from the author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants ultimately delivers positive messages about doing what's right, making good choices, taking chances, and accepting oneself. Along the way, the three young teen ... read more

Age 12+
3 Willows
4
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Sugar Plum Ballerinas by Whoopi Goldberg, Deborah Underwood
Parents Need to Know...

that the lessons in this book, especially those about being an individual, are good ones, even for kids not interested in ballet. One girl always tries to talk in backward sentences, which might need to be explained to younger readers. read more

Age 7+
Sugar Plum Ballerinas
3
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Lake Rescue: Beacon Street Girls, Book 6 by Annie Bryant
Parents Need to Know...

that this book, which garnered media attention for helping girls lose body mass, features an overweight girl who's ostracized at school. A one-dimensional beautiful girl is mean and insults other girls. A formerly overweight camp ... read more

Age 9+
Lake Rescue: Beacon Street Girls, Book 6
3
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Paper Towns
Parents Need to Know...

that they will find plenty of salty teen language and sexual references here, though nothing graphic. Also, the very appealing main characters sneak out at night and conduct a series of pranks, involving vandalism and misdemeanors, for ... read more

Age 14+
Paper Towns
4
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Eggs by Jerry Spinelli
Parents Need to Know...

that there's not much to be be concerned with here, beyond a bit of mild swearing and some minor scuffling. The main character, age 9, is dealing with the death of his mother a year earlier. read more

Age 9+
Eggs
4
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Bass Ackwards and Belly Up by Elizabeth Craft, Sarah Fain
Parents Need to Know...

that this book follows three best friends as they "commit the ultimate suburban sin" and forgo college in favor of a gap year. (A fourth friend sticks with higher education, mainly to be on the ski team.) There is a strong emphasis on ... read more

Age 15+
Bass Ackwards and Belly Up
2
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The True Meaning of Cleavage by Mariah Fredericks
Parents Need to Know...

that a freshman girl's one-sided relationship with an older boy causes a rift between best friends. Despite knowing David has a steady girlfriend, Sari meets him once a week to perform oral sex because she is "madly, psychotically in ... read more

Age 14+
The True Meaning of Cleavage
3
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Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman
Parents Need to Know...

that drinking, casual sex, and drug use are presented as common teen behaviors; in two cases, parents give teens glasses of wine. Girls deal with boys calling them demeaning names and treating them as sex objects. The 16-year-old main ... read more

Age 15+
Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty
3
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After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
Parents Need to Know...

that, while nothing is described or done by the main characters, there are references to drugs, sex, racism, and violence. read more

Age 11+
After Tupac and D Foster
4
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Nikki and Deja by Karen English
Parents Need to Know...

this book is about best friends in elementary school. They share, they disagree, they get mad at each other. The children are honest with themselves and how they feel. read more

Age 4+
Nikki and Deja
4

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