What better gift than to give a child the gift of meeting new people and experiencing new places? Even better, there is no assembly required! Books are an investment in a child’s academic future and can be enjoyed over and over again.
Teachers at Sanford School were asked what are must-reads for children and below are some of their recommendations. Sharing the love of reading is an important part of how our teachers provide the best learning for our students. Click on the title of the book to access a link to the summary.
Preschool through 4th Grade MuST-Read Fiction books
| Book Title | Author | Suggested Interest Grade Level |
| All The Places to Love | Patricia MacLachlan | Preschool-2 |
| Bunnicula | Deborah and James Howe | 3-5 |
| Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type | Doreen Cronin | Preschool-2 |
| Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are | Dr. Seuss | Preschool-2 |
| The Dot | Peter Reynolds | 1-5 |
| Frog and Toad Are Friends | Arnold Lobel | PreK-2 |
| I Am Enough | Grace Byers | Preschool-3 |
| I Love You Purplest | Barbara M. Joose | Preschool-2 |
| Koala Lou | Mem Fox | Preschool-2 |
| Matilda | Roald Dahl | 3-8 |
| Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief | Rick Riordan | 4-8 |
| Wordy Bird | Tammi Sauer | Preschool-2 |
Fifth Through Eighth grade must-Read Fiction books
| Book Title | Author | Suggested Interest Grade Level |
| Are You There God? It's Me Margaret | Judy Blume | 5-8 |
| The Candymakers | Wendy Mass | 5 |
| From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. E. Basil Frankweiler | E.L. Konigsburg | 5 |
| Gracefully Grayson | Ami Polonsky | 5-8 |
| Hatchet | Gary Paulsen | 5-8 |
| Holes | Louis Sachar | 6-8 |
| I Will Always Write Back | Caitlin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda, & Liz Welch | 6-8 |
| The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey | Trenton Lee Stewart | 6-8 |
| Do The Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra | Wendy Lichtman | 5-8 |
| Turtles All The Way Down | John Green | 7-8 |
| Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood | Trevor Noah | 5-8 |
Ninth through twelfth grade Must-Read Fiction Books
| Book Title | Author | Suggested Interest Grade Level |
| Boys In The Boat: Nine Americans And Their Epic Quest For Gold At The 1936 Berlin Olympics | Daniel James Brown | 10-12 |
| Brave New World | Aldous Huxley | 9-12 |
| Catch 22 | Joseph Heller | 10-12 |
| The Complete Persepolis | Mariane Satrapi | 9-12 |
| Contact: A Novel | Carl Sagan | 9-12 |
| East of Eden | John Steinback | 9-12 |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy | Douglas Adams | 9-12 |
| The Minimalist Home | Joshua Baker | 10-12 |
| The Nightingale | Kristin Hannah | 10-12 |
| Rocket Boys (October Sky) | Homer Hickam | 10-12 |
| Of Mice and Men | John Steinbeck | 10-12 |
| Player Piano | Kurt Vonnegut | 10-12 |
| Slaughterhouse Five | Kurt Vonnegut | 10-12 |
| The Song of Achilles | Madeline Miller | 10-12 |
| The Things They Carried | Tim O'Brien | 10-12 |
When selecting a book, consider a child’s interest, age and reading ability. Take time to read the first few pages. Did the story pique your interest? If there are pictures, do the details enhance the story? If the answer is yes, then you have probably selected the perfect gift! Not sure what interests a child, a gift card to a local or chain bookstore is always appreciated.
At Sanford, we foster the love of reading in our libraries and in the classroom. Many times our faculty and Upper School students will do a guest reading of a favorite book.
