Professor says...

Did you ever wonder what a professional might suggest for your children to read? Well my dears you are in luck because I'm in college and professors love to give you handouts even in college! Especially if you are an English major! English professors LOVE handouts! In my semester of Childrens' Literature my professor actually gave me a handout that might be useful to you! I just discovered it while trying to put my room back together after having an exterminator come in today and move my entire room around! By the way I don't have bugs but if you live next to an apartment of dirty boys and they have bed bugs you get to share in the lovely experience of making sure they don't travel! So finding this list will be the silver lining! ;) Okay so the first age group that we will examine is 8 to 9 years old so that would make the kid about 3rd or 4th grade! I do have a list for younger than this but it would make this post quite long SO if this list is popular and you like it let me know and I'll get the list for the young chickies up!
Also on the list of books I couldn't help but interject my own little shout outs so they are the words in bold! Okay! First some tips!

Things to remember when selecting books for 8 and 9's

Give kids options to exercise their own taste. Look for read-aloud stories with more complex plots. Select stories you enjoy so that you convey that joy. If they find an author they like, encourage them to look for other books by that author. Choose books from various genres; but if they seem to favor fantasy or mystery or fairy tales, build on their enjoyment. Avoid pushing them to read at the next level independently. Longer and harder is not necessarily better.

Tried and true books for 8 to 9 years

Bunnicula, by Deborah and James Howe
Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White
The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden
Homer Price, by Robert McCloskey
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, by Chris Van Allsburg
Little House Series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Big Wave, by Pearl Buck
Skinnybones, by Barbara Park
Ramona Quimby, by Beverly Clearly (Erika here! I still love this book! So good!)
Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Partricia MacLachlan
The Nightingale and The Emperor, by Hans Christian Andersen
The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson
Thank You Mr. Falker, by Patricia Polacco
Jumanji, by Chris Van Allsburg
Henry Huggins; Ramona The Pest, by Beverly Clearly
The Courage of Sarah Noble, by Alice Dalgliesh
Keeper of the Doves, by Betsy Byars
The Cabin Faced West, by Jean Fritz
Homer Price, by Robert McCloskey
The Helen Keller Story, by Catherine Owen Peare
The Good Master; The Singing Tree; A Tree for Peter, by Kate Seredy
Miracles on Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorenson
Call it Courage, by Armstrong Sperry
The Selfish Giant; The Happy Prince, by Oscar Wilde
Sleeping Ugly, by Jane Yolen
The Hundred Penny Box, by Sharon Bell Mathis
The 18th Emergency, by Betsy Byars
Mississippi Bridge, by Mildred D. Taylor
The Well, by Mildred D. Taylor
Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling (Every child in the WORLD should read Harry Potter! If you don't you're a muggle!)
The Janitors, by Tyler Whitesides
Erika again! I would also suggest any of the Magic Treehouse books by Mary Pope Osborne or any of Roald Dahl books! Seriously every kid should love the BFG, Witches, and of course the Fantastic Mr. Fox! 

Moving on to the ages of 10-12 and up! Wait?! What does and up mean! O yeah it means that we adults should read these too! You are NEVER EVER too old for a good "Kids" book! EVER! Okay-Tips!

Children this age need books that explore morals and values. Nonfiction can be as important as fiction in expanding horizons an interests. Fantasy and legend speak to creativity and problem-solving. Reading aloud as a family activity is still a sound idea. Discuss books and encourage a child to make independent choices. 

Tried and true books for 10-12 and up (cough cough ADULTS)! Professor approved!

Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis (FOR NARNIA!!!!!)
My Side of the Mountain, by Jean George
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, by Mildred Taylor
Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
North to Freedom, by Anne Holme
Down, Down the Mountain, by Ellis Credle
The Shrinking of Treehorn, by Florence Parry Heide
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving
And Now Miguel; Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold
Eragon and Eldest, by Christopher Paolini
Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull (my siblings have all loved this one! We are all over the age of 20 so I'm gonna say that is saying something! ;) )
Inkheart and Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke (please read Inkheart...just please read it! Do it for the kids!)
Tale of Despereaux, by Kate Di Camillo
Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls
A Taste of Blackberries, by Doris B. Smith
The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkein
Shadow of a Bull, by Maia Wojciechowska (holy last name!)
Amos Fortune, Free Man, by Elizabeth Yates
A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck (GUARANTEED laughs for all who read it!)
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi
Janitor's Boy, by Andrew Clements (I would also suggest Frindle! It was fabulous!)
The Watsons Go to Birmingham, by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech (a great read if you have any pirate lovers in your family!)
Shiloh Season, by Phyllis Reynold Naylor
Lyddie, by Katherine Paterson
Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan (Don't even think of skipping this one! It's AMAZING!)
There's a Boy in The Girl's Bathroom, by Louis Sachar
Cat Running, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Trespassers, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine (lots of people ask me what my favorite book is and Ella Enchanted has ALWAYS been on my top five books of all time list! I will forever treasure this book. I'm 23 and my book is WELL read)
Shadow Spinner, by Susan Fletcher
The Giver, by Lois Lowry (everybody and I do mean EVERYBODY should read the Giver at least once in their life)
Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse
A Long Way from Chicago, by Richard Peck (this is the sequel to A Year Down Yonder and it's hilarious)
Holes, by Louis Sachar (Once again everybody should read this book! It's BRILLIANT!)
Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis 
Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate Di Camillo
Bloomablility, by Sharon Creech
Getting Near to Baby, by Audry Couloumbis
Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan (has a more serious tone but is deeply moving)
Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Angel of the Square, by Gloria Whelan
A Week in the Woods, by Andrew Clements
A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park
Dicey's Song and Homecoming, by Cynthia Voigt
Rodzina, by Karen Cushman
Kensuke's Kingdom, by Michael Morpurgo
Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale (LOVE LOVE LOVE this one!)
Girl in a Cage, by Jane Yolen
Beauty, by Robin McKinley (one of the best retellings of the Beauty and the Beast that I have ever read)
The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D Schimdt (this book is another on my top favorites of all time list! You'll laugh, you'll cry, and I guarantee you'll love it!)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney (this series happens to be one of my brother's favorites...he's 25...and heck yes we did go see the movie on opening day!)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare (I have nothing but pure love for this book!)

Okay peeps! There you go! There's the list! Feel free to print it off because I did and it's an awesome reference tool! See any books that should be on this list that aren't? Let me know! I'll always accept and love recommendations! I actually learned something in college besides my social security number! YAY!  Did you find some of your favorites that you read as a child!? Maybe you should pick it up and remember how if feels to be kid again! Here's to never growing up! I don't plan to any time soon...

I hope you find the magic and joy in everything today! Much love!