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The best books to read from birth to college. These will comfort you, surprise, teach, and entertain you.

These are the books that will stay with you years after you’ve read them. The ones that you will want to pass on – that I want to pass on to my children. Some are new and some are old. All are page turners from the youngest child to the youngest adult.

I’ve added the beginnings of some of my favorite series. You won’t be able to stop at just one book.

They’re not arranged in any particular order – other than how they came to mind. How many have you read? What others are on your list? I could add many more.

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The Best Baby Books

for ages 0-24 months

Bright and colorful illustrations, playful interaction, rhymes, and counting make these lovely baby books a gentle introduction to reading.

Goodnight Moon	Peek-a-Who	Pat the Bunny
Little Blue Truck	Where is Baby's Belly Button?	First 100 Words
Eating the Alphabet	Sheep in a Jeep	Guess How Much I Love You
Giraffes Can't Dance	The Poky Little Puppy	Where's Spot?

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The Toddler Years

for 2 and 3 year olds

Your toddler is growing in independence and will love these stories as they begin to recognize and name numbers, letters, and all the different things around them.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom	Courduroy	The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Llama Llama Red Pajama	Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons	Dear Zoo
Just Go to Bed	Full, Full, Full of Love	Best Little Word Book Ever
Press Here	Pout Pout Fish	The Giving Tree

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Preschool Books

for little ones 3-5

Books that can be enjoyed again and again (and again…) and parts of a series with memorable and humorous characters that you will giggle with into the night.

Now We Are Six	We're Going on a Bear Hunt	How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?
The Mitten	We Are in a Book!	Bippity Bop Barbershop
Where the Wild Things Are	Dragons Love Tacos	Harold and the Purple Crayon
Last Stop on Market Street	Room on the Broom	The Gruffalo

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Primary Grades

for kiddos 5-7

A mix of picture books and chapter books, these lovely stories will encourage children to explore their corner of the world as well as learn about others.

What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?	Frog and Toad	The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush
Thunder Cake	The Story of Little Babaji	Blueberries for Sal
The Emperor and the Kite	Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folk Tales	Mr. Popper's Penguins
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz	The BFG	The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Alice in Wonderland	Because of Winn-Dixie	Charlotte's Web

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Elementary Grades

for big kids 8-12

Bigger kids means bigger ideas, bigger themes, more intense characters and story lines alongside a few lighter titles. Reading aloud or digging into a series independently at this age is so much fun.

A Wrinkle in Time	The Boxcar Children	Where the Sidewalk Ends
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone	Holes	Sarah, Plain and Tall
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing	The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe	Number the Stars
Pink and Say	Bridge to Terabithia	Oh, the Places You'll Go!

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Middle School

for growing kids aged 12-14

A variety of genres with more mature themes with charismatic and interesting characters that young people will identify with.

The Thing About Jellyfish	The Book Theif	The Lightning Theif
Chains	The Outsiders	Poetry for Young People
The Westing Game	Diary of a Wimpy Kid	Wonder
The Girl Who Drank the Moon	The Hunger Games	Pax

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High School

for teens 14-18

Older teens can bounce between young adult and mature fiction. These will keep them turning the pages all night.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings	The Great Gatsby	The Bell Jar
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time	Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close	The Maltese Falcon
The Glass Castle	The Giver	To Kill a Mockingbird
Speak	Looking for Alaska	The Catcher in the Rye
The Kite Runner	The Crucible	The Secret Life of Bees

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College

for young adults 18-22

Books that will stay with them for years into adulthood, introduce new perspectives, and inspire young adults.

The Diary of a Young Girl	Lord of the Flies	The Handmaid's Tale
The Help	Water for Elephants	The Lovely Bones
Beloved	The Time Traveler's Wife	One Hundred Years of Solitude
Interview with a Vampire	The Poisonwood Bible	Middlesex

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