Finding the right book for your kid can be a challenge. But if you guess right and keep new ones coming, you may be on your way to raising a lifelong reader.

Every month we highlight a few books for different ages -- some exceptional titles that could be the perfect thing to perk your kid's interest, get your reader hooked on a new author, or rediscover an old favorite. Here are our picks for May:

• For kids 3 to 7, there's Oliver, by Judith Rossell, a picture book that celebrates a young boy's irrepressible imagination. Oliver is curious about everything, peppering his mom with questions about penguins and his suspicion that there's a monster below the bathtub drain because he hears it gurgling. A do-it-yourself kind of kid, he fashions a submarine out of cardboard and tape and goes down the drain on an adventure that leads him to friendly vacationing penguins. Kids will find many amusing details in Rossell's fanciful mixed-media illustrations, making this a perfect lap-reading experience. 
   
• For readers 8 to 12, there's The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy, the story of four princes from classic fairy tales who band together on mission to rescue runaway Cinderella. But in this funny fairy tale spoof, princesses don't really need rescuing. They're as resourceful as their oddball princes are heroic. A modern sensibility infuses the medieval setting to great hilarity.
   
• For teens 13 to 17, there's All the Right Stuff, by Walter Dean Myers, in which a Harlem teen named Paul stumbles onto a path to self-discovery when he gets a summer job at a soup kitchen. Like Socrates, Elijah -- the man Paul helps make soup for senior citizens -- asks a lot of questions, mostly about issues Paul has never considered before, making him think about about life and the people in his tough neighborhood -- and how he can avoid the fate of his often-jailed dad. It's a good read and should provoke deep thinking among teens.

For more suggestions, check out our recommendation lists, including Books Like The Hunger Games, Required Reading for Kids, and our reviews of the latest chart-toppers on the New York Times Best-Sellers list.