Children's Corner...

"It is pointless to resist, my son." -Vader

Every book on this page received a rating of G or PG and can be considered generally appropriate for children 12 and under. Parents should, however, preview books personally before giving them to their children. If you have problems, please see my further suggestions at the bottom of the page.

General Audiences (G)

• L. Frank Baum
  • The Wizard of Oz (4-12) (Dorothy goes to the Land of Oz. A few somewhat scary parts, a witch dies.)
  • The Road to Oz (6-12) (Dorothy travels on the road to Oz and meets many new friends.)
  • The Emerald City of Oz (6-12) (Using the powder of life, a boy runs away with a sawhorse to try to reach the Emerald City. One or two scary parts.)
• E. B. White
  • Stuart Little (6-10) (A boy the size of a mouse goes on many adventures)
  • The Trumpet of the Swan (6-10) (A swan without a voice learns to play, write, and fall in love. Deals with a child born with a disability)
  • Charlotte's Web (4-12) (A pig and a spider prove that friends are forever. Deals with the death of a friend)
• Jodell Abrams
  • The Enchanted Kingdom (6-8) (A coloring and hidden pictures book about a princess who learns to break the curse of unhappiness placed on her kingdom. One slightly scary part.)
• Zilpha Keatley Snyder
  • Season of Ponies (9-12) (A girl who wants to live with her father instead gets a magical summer with a band of ponies. One scary scene.)

Parental Guidance Suggested (PG)

• C. S. Lewis
  • "Narnia" (children fall into a magical world in desperate need of their help) (6-12)
• J. R. R. Tolkien
  • The Hobbit (6-8) (An ordinary hobbit goes on an extraordinary adventure in search of treasure, and learns that he is more than meets the eye. Some violence but mostly implied rather than described. One battle scene.)
• Jerome Beatty, Jr.
  • Maria Looney and the Red Planet (8-12) (Maria Looney goes on a field trip to study Mars, but gets a little too close. Slight violence based on "stun-guns"; no one is hurt. The guns are condemned as bad.)
  • Mathew Looney's Voyage to Earth (8-12) (Mathew Looney gets to be a cabin boy on a trip to Earth, where he discovers that water isn't deadly after all.)
  • Mathew Looney in the Outback (8-12) (Mathew and Maria Looney are on their way to colonize a planet when they are sidetracked- to Earth. Discussion of war between the Earth and the Moon, includes a "Lava bomb", but no actual on-screen violence.)
  • Maria Looney and the Remarkable Robot (8-12) (Maria Looney gets lost during a wilderness survival test and meets a robot who saves her life. Slightly scary bit at the beginning when Maria is lost in the wilderness. Also, some cheating in school and business, which is condemned as bad.)
• Madeleine L'Engle
  • Meet the Austins (6-8) (The Austins adopt Maggie, a troubled child. Deals with adoption and someone is taken to the hospital)
  • A Wrinkle in Time (4-12) (Meg Murry and her little brother go on an intersteller search for their missing father. Some scary parts but no violence.)
  • A Wind in the Door (6-12) (Charles Wallace is ill, and Meg and Calvin can only save him by following a cherubim into Charles Wallace's cells. Some scary parts but no violence.)
• Robert Heinlein
  • Podkayne of Mars (8-12) (Poddy wants to take care of everybody around her- including her dishonest little brother and the dangerous Venusians. Main character is injured by an explosion (in the new version, one of the endings has her dying), another character is dishonest and condemned for it.)
  • Red Planet (6-8) (Willis is a Martian, but he's also a young colonist's pet. Or is he? Some suspense, but very little violence.)
  • Citizen of the Galaxy (8-12) (Thorby was bought as a slave by a strange master, who died leaving him free, and rich. But money sometimes can enslave just as surely as chains. Slavery, which is condemned.)
  • Have Spacesuit- Will Travel (8-12) (Kip and eleven-year-old Peewee must prove to powerful aliens that humans are not too dangerous to live in peace. Some violence, threat to destroy the Earth.)
  • Between Planets (8-12) (Don, raised on Venus, has returned during its war for independence with a secret that could get him killed. Some violence, mostly off-screen.)
  • Time for the Stars (8-12) (Pairs of telepathic twins serve as communicators between space-ships and Earth. Slight violence relating to "sea monsters")
  • The Rolling Stones (8-12) (Grandma Hazel Stone and her family, including twin boys, set off on an adventure through the solar system, earning their way with humorous schemes)
• Robin McKinley
  • Beauty (8-12) (Standard Beauty and the Beast plot-line, practically no violence, some confusing magic, deals with the death of a parent and moving to a new home.)
  • The Blue Sword (10-12) (Harry is brought to Damar after her father dies. But she learns to love Damar, because it's in her blood.... Some violence, mostly sword-fights.)
  • The Door in the Hedge (8-12) (Four traditional fairy tales told in a slightly un-traditional manner, mostly from the points of view of the princesses in them. Very little violence.)
• Susan Cooper
  • Greenwitch (8-12) (Jane and her brothers visit an ancient seashore town in the middle of a shadowy battle between good and evil. Some scary parts that are presented as bad dreams, probably requires parental explanation. Especially recommended for young girls or children who feel "left out".)
  • Over Sea, Under Stone (8-12) (Simon, Jane, and Barney try to find the Holy Grail, knowing that the Dark is searching for it. Chase scenes, some suspense, guns involved in one scene.)
• Willo Davis Roberts
  • The Girl with the Silver Eyes (8-12) (Katie isn't a normal kid- but it's not just her eyes. Are there others like her somewhere? Fighting between a girl and her mother's boyfriend.)
  • The Magic Book (8-12) (If you had a magic book, would you use it to stop the school bully? Includes an earthquake and some bullying, which is condemned.)

More Suggestions

Ages 4-12 covers a wide variety of attention spans, levels of understanding, and reading skills. If your child has the first two abilities but not the third, you might consider reading some of these books aloud to her. That is one of the best ways for parents and children to bond, I think, and it can leave your child with happy memories for a lifetime.

The other reason parents should preview books is that some children have different tolerance levels for upsetting material. Some don't mind scary parts, but hate violence, or don't want to hear about boys and girls holding hands. Also, the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy lend themselves to more unusual circumstances than most fiction; therefore, parents may not be able to immediately tell if something will be offensive to them personally. There is no real way for a reviewer to know what might be problematic for a particular family. Please take this into account.

I do not wish to suggest, however, that this genre is inappropriate for kids. Some of my fondest memories are of my relatives telling me these stories when I was very young. I cut my teeth on Tolkien, and I wish every child could have such a wonderful opportunity. Well-written Fantasy and Science Fiction can encourage your child's imagination and interest in the world around her. I can think of no genres that inspire more enthusiasm in the subjects of history and science. In the end, my advice is to treat these books as you would any others: on their own merit after you have read them yourself.

This page owned by: Raven
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Last Updated: September 11, 1999

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