50 Books Every Kid Should Read Before They're 12

Hot off the press at Common Sense Media is this list of 50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12. It's an interesting list. Essentially compiled by senior editor Regan McMahon. She has specifically tried to be more inclusive of content and genre, it's still primarily American in focus. Not an Aussie title to be seen sadly.


1. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus - Mo Willems 

2. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site - Sherry Duskey Rinker

3. Goodnight Moon - Margaret Wise Brown

4. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle

5. Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak 1963

6. Harold and the Purple Crayon - Crockett Johnson

7. The Tale of Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter

8. The Cat in the Hat - Dr Seuss

9. Frog and Toad are Friends - Arnold Lobel

10. Madeline - Ludwig Bemelmans

11. The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh - A.A. Milne

12. Mercy Watson to the Rescue - Kate DiCamillo

13. Ramona the Pest - Beverly Cleary

14. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

15. Ivy + Bean: Book 1 - Annie Barrows

16. Stuart Little - E.B. White

17. Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein

18. Charlotte's Web - E.B. White

19. Coraline - Neil Gaiman

20. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling

21. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1 - C.S. Lewis

22. The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread - Kate DiCamillo (see my review)

23. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

24. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery

25. The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1 - Lemony Snicket

26. Big Nate: In a Class by Himself: Big Nate, Book 1 - Lincoln Peirce

27. Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson

28. Bud, Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis

29. Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney

30. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (see my review)

31. The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1 - Rick Riordan

32. Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder

33. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Judy Blume

34. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (see my review)

35. Esperanza Rising - Pam Munoz Ryan

36. Hold Fast - Blue Balliett

37. I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World - Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick

38. Inside Out and Back Again - Thanhha Lai (see my review)

39. My Side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George (see my review)

40. Revolution is Not a Dinner Party - Ying Chang Compestine

41. Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech

42. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank (see my review)

43. Wonder - R.J. Palacio (see my review)

44. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

45. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien

46. The Hunger Games, Book 1 - Suzanne Collins (see my review)

47. Legend, Book 1 - Marie Lu

48. March: Book One - John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

49. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton (see my review)

50. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

26/50

As always some titles I've never heard of before- I've included the covers of those books. 10% are new to me!

July 2017 27/50