The Fireside Chats

In this article, I’m going to be going over some books that I think would be good for kids. Now, you can choose to either read this with your children or get these books for your kids to read on their own……that is up to you. I want to mention something before I get to the list. When it comes to a series or trilogy, I’ve listed all the books in that particular series or trilogy for your convenience (they are listed in the order in which you’re suppose to read them).

Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling = Everyone, I’m sure, has heard of this series. It is widely popular……to the point that there have been movies based on the books and there is even a theme park dedicated to the series. I didn’t get into this series till I was an adult and even then I was late to the party. It wasn’t until an adult friend of mine mentioned that she was reading this series that I decided to give it a try and I’ve been a fan ever since.

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Stoneheart trilogy by Charlie Fletcher = This trilogy belongs in the fiction category. It is based in London but it’s in an alternate reality within London (that will make sense if you read the books). It is a good coming of age story.

• Stoneheart
• Ironhand
• Silvertongue

The Seeds of America Trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson = I would put this trilogy in the historical fiction category. This trilogy takes place in America when the country was just starting out and I think you’ll grow to love the main character in these books.

• Chains
• Forge
• Ashes

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox = A standalone novel that fans of Harry Potter would enjoy.

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver = This series is another coming of age story about a boy named Torak as he grows up. If I remember correctly, he starts off about the same age as Harry did in the beginning of the Harry Potter series and we watch him as he grows into a young man. In the process, he makes some new friends and goes through many adventures.

• Wolf Brother
• Spirit Walker
• Soul Eater
• Outcast
• Oath Breaker
• Ghost Hunter

The Dies Drear Chronicles by Virginia Hamilton = These books have some roots in the underground railroad and follows a family as they try to preserve some of the history. It does have a nice story to it.

• The House of Dies Drear
• The Mystery of Drear House

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis = This is another popular series but with a Christian theme behind it. It’s actually got enough action to it that you won’t get bored (or at least I didn’t).

• The Magician’s Nephew
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• The Horse and His Boy
• Prince Caspian
• Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• The Silver Chair
• The Last Battle

The Black Hollow Lane series by Julia Nobel = This one kind of reminded me of Harry, Ron and Hermione during their first year or two at Hogwarts.

• The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane
• The Secret of White Stone Gate

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls = I read this book when I was a kid and I loved it. Now, I will mention that this book might be a bit of a tear jerker, especially if you are an animal lover like me.

Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin = This one kind of has a more whimsical side but it does have a good story line to it.

A couple of honorable mentions are…….

The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop (this is followed up by “The Battle for the Castle”)

The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer

• The Wishing Spell
• The Enchantress Returns
• A Grimm Warning
• Beyond the Kingdoms
• An Author’s Odyssey
• Worlds Collide