More Shopping! Ideas for 7-10 Year Olds

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Be sure to check
School Library Journal's list of 100 Greatest Children's Novels
My holiday list of suggestions from last year


Picture Books for Everyone

My Uncle Martin's Big Heart by Angela Farris Watkins. A young girl introduces readers to her uncle, Martin Luther King Jr., describing what he does and family moments they have shared.




Me -- Jane by Patrick McDonnell. Holding her stuffed toy chimpanzee, young Jane Goodall observes nature, reads Tarzan books, and dreams of living in Africa and helping animals. Includes biographical information on the prominent zoologist.



The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by Jeannette Winter. An illustrated biography of British primatologist Jane Goodall, describing her childhood, the years she spent in the African forests to observe chimpanzees, and her efforts to protect and preserve primates and their habitats.




Donovan's Big Day by Lesléa Newman. From the moment Donovan wakes in the morning, he painstakingly prepares for his special role in the wedding ceremony of his two mothers. Presents a great opportunity to talk with your child about marriage equality.



Jackie's Gift by Sharon Robinson. When young Steve, who is Jewish, tells his new neighbor, Jackie Robinson, that his family does not have a Christmas tree, Jackie brings one to his neighbors, not knowing that they celebrate Hanukkah instead of Christmas.



Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson by Sharon Robinson. As a testament to his courage, Jackie Robinson’s daughter shares memories of him, from his baseball career to the day he tests the ice for her, her brothers, and their friends.




Biblioburo by Jeannette Winter. Luis has so many books in his little house in Colombia that he buys two donkeys and travels throughout the land bringing the joy of reading to children.




Great for reading aloud or independent readers:

Down Girl and Sit: Home On the Range by Lucy Nolan. Two dogs, Down Girl and Sit, accompany their masters to a dude ranch, where they encounter scary "squirrels" that live in holes in the ground, stampedes, and enemies even worse than their nemesis--the cat that lives next door. This latest installment in the series is slightly more advanced than the earlier hilarious adventures of these oddly named canines.





Fairies and the Quest for Neverland by Gail Carson Levine. One of several in the series. Gwendolyn Carlisle loves fairies, perhaps too much. On her birthday, she receives the precious "kiss" necklace which has been passed down from mother to daughter ever since Peter Pan gave it to Wendy Darling. That night, Gwendolyn has the first of her visions, tantalizing, lifelike visions, almost as if she were actually in Fairy Haven. She sees animal talent fairy Beck give a pie to wise Mother Dove and hears the voices of water-talent Rani and even Tinker Bell herself.

A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole. Celeste, a mouse longing for a real home, becomes a source of inspiration to teenaged Joseph, assistant to the artist and naturalist John James Audubon, at a New Orleans, Louisiana, plantation in 1821.




Me and Rolly Maloo by Janet S. Wong. An unpopular girl cheats on a math test when the most popular girl in school asks her to give her answers.






The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True by Gerald Morris. Relates the adventures of Sir Gawain, the only undefeated knight in King Arthur’s court, who eventually learns the value of friendship, courtliness, and courtesy after a challenge from the Green Knight. One of four titles in this funny series.






Michael Townsend's Amazing Greek Myths Wonder and Blunders by Michael Townsend. A collection of comics that interpret Greek myths, depicting stories about characters such as King Midas, Pandora, Arachne, Icarus, Hercules, and others.




The Ghostwriter Secret by Mac Barnett. The second installment in the hilarious Brixton Brothers detective series. Twelve-year-old Steve is investigating a diamond heist but the case suddenly changes when the author of the Bailey Brothers detective novels writes him a letter to say that he fears for his life.






The Good Garden by Katie Smith Milway. Eleven-year-old Maria Luz and her family have a small farm in Honduras, but may not have enough food to sustain them for the year, so Maria’s father must leave home to find work, leaving her in charge of the garden.


Pea Boy: And Other Stories from Iran by Elizabeth Laird. Contains seven illustrated short stories from Iran, retold by author Elizabeth Laird and collected during her travels in the country.




A Fistful of Pearls and Other Stories from Iraq by Elizabeth Laird. A collection of nine traditional Iraqi folktales that describes magical creatures and strange encounters, and includes selections entitled "The Pots that had Babies," "The Suit of Stone," and others.


For new chapter book readers:






Ruby and the Booker Boys series by Derrick D. Barnes.
Ivy + Bean series by Annie Barrows.
Sassy series by Sharon Draper.
Just Grace series by Cherise Meracle Harper.
Clementine series by Sarah Pennypacker.
Martin Bridge series by Jessica Scott Kerrin.
Judy Moody series, Stink series, by Megan McDonald.
Keena Ford and the Second Grade Mix-Up by Melissa Thomson. The One and Only Stuey Lewis by Jane Schoenberg.


Some Fabulous New Nonfiction:

What To Expect When You're Expecting Larvae by Bridget Heos. Provides information about insect larvae and babies through a question and answer format designed as a book for expectant insects.



Leo the Snow Leopard: The True Story of an Amazing Rescue by Craig Hatkoff. Recounts the true story of Leo, a snow leopard who lost his mother in the snowy Himalayan mountains of Pakistan and was raised by a shepherd before being transported to the Bronx Zoo, where he is learning to be a snow leopard again.


Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot by Sy Montgomery. Provides an introduction to the kakapo parrot, a flightless bird found on Codfish Island off the coast of New Zealand, and looks at how the country’s National Kakapo Recovery Team is working to save the kakapos, whose population numbers less than one hundred


Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again by Juliana Hatkoff.
Recounts the true story of Winter, a dolphin who lost her tail and had to relearn how to swim using a specially-created prosthetic tail.


Henry Aaron's Dream by Matt Tavares. Chronicles the childhood of Henry Aaron, describing his dream of becoming a major league baseball player.




Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg.
Tells the story behind the creation of "Appalachian Spring," describing Aaron Copland’s composition and Martha Graham’s intense choreography.



And, my all-time favorites for this age group:

Poppy and sequels by Avi.
I, Houdini by Lynne Reid Banks.
The Stories Julian Tells and sequels by Ann Cameron.
Anything by Beverly Cleary
Anything by Roald Dahl
Half Magic and sequels by Edward Eager.
Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins.
Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles by Rupert Kingfisher.
Anything by Dick King-Smith.
Catwings by Ursula LeGuin.
The Doll People by Ann M. Martin.
How To Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor.
Wayside School series by Louis Sachar.
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz.
Gully's Travels and The Wainscott Weasel by Tor Seidler.
Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder.
All-of-A-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor.
Little Wolf's Book of Badness by Ian Whybrow.