Reading to your kids every night has a better chance of changing...
M.A. Franklin@FoundationDads
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Aug 23, 2025
~2 min read
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Reading to your kids every night has a better chance of changing the world than anything else you do.
But only if you read great stuff that feeds their imagination.
Don't waste this precious time with Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Here are 22 recommendations that belong on your shelf:
But only if you read great stuff that feeds their imagination.
Don't waste this precious time with Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Here are 22 recommendations that belong on your shelf:
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I'm not going to list obvious selections, like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. Those should already be in your back pocket.
1. Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
2. The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
3. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
1. Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
2. The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
3. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
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4. Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry
5. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
6. Have Spacesuit - Will Travel by Robert Heinlein
7. Watership Down by Richard Adams
8. Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper
9. Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson
10. Pinnochio by Carlo Collodi (MinaLima ed.)
5. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
6. Have Spacesuit - Will Travel by Robert Heinlein
7. Watership Down by Richard Adams
8. Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper
9. Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson
10. Pinnochio by Carlo Collodi (MinaLima ed.)
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11. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
12. Holes by Louis Sachar
13. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
14. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
15. Hank the Cowdog series by John Erickson
16. The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit
12. Holes by Louis Sachar
13. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
14. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
15. Hank the Cowdog series by John Erickson
16. The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit
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17. The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
18. Give Me Liberty by L. M. Elliott
19. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
20. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
21. Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson
22. The Winter King by Christine Cohen
18. Give Me Liberty by L. M. Elliott
19. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
20. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
21. Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson
22. The Winter King by Christine Cohen
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This is a mix of old and new. Some are also historical novels, which give you an opportunity to go deeper into the time period.
But boys especially learn more history from historical fiction than they do textbooks.
Anything you would add?
But boys especially learn more history from historical fiction than they do textbooks.
Anything you would add?
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