Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, has dedicated themselves to helping children to succeed in a world that is heavily influenced by media and technology. Their goal is to supply parents, educators, and policymakers with the necessary information to prepare children for their futures. And in a recent attempt to make a positive impact on parents and educators, Common Sense Media composed a list of the 50 books to read before 12.
The list is comprised of works that range from picture books to full blown novels. Some are timeless literary classics, others are relatively modern entries. Themes include valuable life lessons, culture, religion, and more.
“The list includes books that are known to turn a kid into a reader, books that are known to hook reluctant readers and books that have stood the test of time,” said Regan McMahon, senior editor of Common Sense Media, in an interview with The Chicago Tribune.
In short, this is the essential collection of books books to read before 12.
Check out the full list of books to read before 12:
- “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,” by Mo Willems
- “Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site,” by Sherri Duskey Rinker
- “Goodnight Moon,” by Margaret Wise Brown
- “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” by Eric Carle
- “Where the Wild Things Are,” by Maurice Sendak
- “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” by Crockett Johnson
- “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” by Beatrix Potter
- “The Cat in the Hat,” by Dr. Seuss
- “Frog and Toad Are Friends,” by Arnold Lobel
- “Madeline,” by Ludwig Bemelmans
- “The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh,” by A. A. Milne
- “Mercy Watson to the Rescue,” by Kate DiCamillo
- “Ramona the Pest,” by Beverly Cleary
- “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” by Roald Dahl
- “Ivy + Bean: Book 1,” by Annie Barrows
- “Stuart Little,” by E.B. White
- “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” by Shel Silverstein
- “Charlotte’s Web,” by E.B. White
- “Coraline,” by Neil Gaiman
- “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling
- “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1,” by C.S. Lewis
- “The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread,” by Kate DiCamillo
- “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” by Lewis Carroll
- “Anne of Green Gables,” by L.M. Montgomery
- “The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1” by Lemony Snicket
- “Big Nate: In a Class by Himself: Big Nate, Book 1,” by Lincoln Peirce
- “Bridge to Terabithia,” by Katherine Paterson
- “Bud, Not Buddy” by Christopher Paul Curtis
- “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” by Jeff Kinney
- “The Hobbit,” by J.R.R. Tolkien
- “The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1,” by Rick Riordan
- “Little House in the Big Woods,” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,” by Judy Blume
- “A Wrinkle in Time,” by Madeleine L’Engle
- “Esperanza Rising,” by Pam Munoz Ryan
- “Hold Fast,” by Blue Balliett
- “I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World,” by Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick
- “Inside Out and Back Again,” by Thanhha Lai
- “My Side of the Mountain,” by Jean Craighead George
- “Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party,” by Ying Chang Compestine
- “Walk Two Moons,” by Sharon Creech
- “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl,” by Anne Frank
- “Wonder,” by R.J. Palacio
- “Ender’s Game,” by Orson Scott Card
- “The Fellowship of the Ring,” by J.R.R. Tolkien
- “The Hunger Games, Book 1,” by Suzanne Collins
- “Legend, Book 1,” by Marie Lu
- “March: Book One,” by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin
- “The Outsiders,” by S.E. Hinton
- “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee
Image Source: Wikipedia, Google Books
Have your kids read any of these books, parents? Let us know what you think of the list, and be sure to have your kids reading the entries from this list as soon as possible!