400 Classic Books for Children

• Reviews of 400 books full of perilous adventures, delightful characters, and sound values
• Listed by subject and author
• Reading Aloud (from the introduction)
• Sample Pages (PDF)
• Completely revised and expanded 5th Edition
• Available March, 2008

by Nathaniel Bluedorn

My mother kept this list of the books she and Dad read to us. My brother and sisters and I added books that we read ourselves. My family is conservative; many books didn’t make it onto this list. We prefer older books, but we enjoy some newer books too. Almost every book listed here is fiction.

I have summarized the plot for each book. I hope I didn’t give away too much. Book descriptions include time the story takes place, geographic setting of the story, and the publication date of the book.

Books are divided into three reading levels: (1) Language and plot are easy – all ages, (2) Language is more difficult or plot more complex – ages 10 and up, and (3) Language is advanced or plot more mature – ages 13 and up. Reading levels help many parents. My mother didn’t stick to these reading levels; I’ll forgive you if you ignore them.