Description
The list of book titles that follows was compiled from the results of an informal survey conducted by the Department and distributed by the New York State English Council and the New York State Reading Association. Teachers were asked to suggest books they felt were “appropriate and successful with readers in the K-12 curriculum.” These titles represent a sample of those submitted. The list is not inclusive, nor is it intended as a recommended reading list; rather, it is a list of books that English Language Arts teachers in New York State suggest have literary merit, are representative of the genres, and are being read by students in today’s classrooms. Some are appropriate for all students, some for advanced readers. Titles include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. Selected magazine titles are included in recognition of the importance of using magazines to meet informational and recreational needs.
Following the New York State English Language Arts teacher selections are two lists— “Notable Children’s Books, 1995” and “Best Books for Young Adults, 1995”—published by the American Library Association and representative of the many distinguished published lists of books that teachers rely on as they help students select reading material. The concluding example of reading selections is provided by the New Standards Project “Performance Standards: English Language Arts.” The three lists suggest acceptable titles for student readers at elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Website(s)
To view the complete English Language Arts Resource Guide: Instructional Materials document, please click the link below.
Fiction and Nonfiction
Selected Titles
Title.............................................................................................................. Author
Cam Janson ..............................................................................................Adler, David
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle........................................................Avi
Tuck Everlasting......................................................................................Babbitt, Natalie
Wizard of Oz............................................................................................Baum, L. Frank
Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing ...................................................................Blume, Judy
Freckle Juice .............................................................................................Blume, Judy
The Secret Garden....................................................................................Burnett, Frances Hodgson
The Pinballs .............................................................................................Byars, Betsy
Stories Julian Tells ...................................................................................Cameron, Ann
The Family Under the Bridge ..................................................................Carlson, Natalie Savage
Ramona Forever .......................................................................................Cleary, Beverly
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes..................................................Coerr, Eleanor
Magic School Bus Series..........................................................................Cole, Joanna
Weasel ......................................................................................................DeFelice, Cynthia
The Matchlock Gun .................................................................................Edmonds, Walter
Hundred Dresses......................................................................................Estes, Eleanor
Walking to the Road of Freedom..............................................................Ferris, Eleanor
Harriet the Spy ........................................................................................Fitzhugh, Louise
The Whipping Boy ...................................................................................Fleischman, Sid
Lincoln, A Photobiography ......................................................................Freedman, Russell
Stone Fox .................................................................................................Gardiner, John Reynolds
Polk Street................................................................................................Giff, Patricia Reilly
Misty of Chincoteague .............................................................................Henry, Marguerite
Pagoo........................................................................................................Holling, Hollis
Class Clown .............................................................................................Hurwitz, Johanna
Rip Van Winkle........................................................................................Irving, Washington
Helen Keller .............................................................................................Keller, Helen
Wump Ward ............................................................................................Kellogg, Steven
The Fledgling ...........................................................................................Langton, Jean
Ben and Me..............................................................................................Lawson, Robert
Jelly Belly .................................................................................................Lee, Dennis
Pippi Longstocking ..................................................................................Lindgren, Astrid
Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution......................................................Little, Jean
The Call of the Wild .................................................................................London, Jack
The Hudson River....................................................................................Lourie, Peter
Number the Stars.....................................................................................Lowry, Lois
Sarah, Plain and Tall................................................................................MacLachlan, Patricia
Baby .........................................................................................................McLachlan, Patricia
Daisy Rothschild......................................................................................Melville, Leslie
Shiloh .......................................................................................................Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds
Orphan Train Quartet.............................................................................Nixon, Joan Lowery
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.........................................................O’Brien, Robert C.
The Great Gilly Hopkins..........................................................................Paterson, Katherine
Bridge to Terabithia..................................................................................Paterson, Katherine
Soup .........................................................................................................Peck, Robert Newton
Where the Red Fern Grows......................................................................Rawls, William
Shades of Gray .........................................................................................Reeder, Carolyn
Indian in the Cupboard............................................................................Reid-Banks, Lynn
Best Christmas Pageant Ever ..................................................................Robinson, Barbara
Appalachia: Voices of the Sleeping Birds.................................................Rylant, Cynthia
Wayside School ........................................................................................Sacher, Louis
Knights of the Kitchen Table ....................................................................Scieszka, Jon
Time Warp Trio Series .............................................................................Scieszka, Jon
The Nate the Great Series ........................................................................Sharmat, Marjorie
Mostly Michael ........................................................................................Smith, Robert Kimmel
Sign of the Beaver ....................................................................................Speare, Elizabeth George
Maniac Magic ..........................................................................................Spinelli, Jerry
Abel’s Island.............................................................................................Steig, William
*See Original Doc. for More Titles
Folklore
Selected Titles
A Telling of the Tales................................................................................Brooke, William J.
The First Strawberries .............................................................................Bruchac, Joseph
Molly’s Pilgrim........................................................................................Cohen, Barbara
From Sea to Shining Sea..........................................................................Cohn, Amy T.
Three Perfect Peaches...............................................................................DeFelice, Cynthia
The People Could Fly ...............................................................................Hamilton, Virginia
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow...................................................................Irving, Washington
John Henry...............................................................................................Keats, Ezra Jack
Paul Bunyan ............................................................................................Kellogg, Steven
Rough Faced Girl.....................................................................................Martin, Rafe
The Talking Eggs......................................................................................San Souci, Robert D.
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters.................................................................Steptoe, John
Lon PoPo: A Red Riding Hood Story from China...................................Young, Ed
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Selected Titles
Poppy .......................................................................................................Avi
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs .........................................................Barrett, Jan
Alice in Wonderland................................................................................Carroll, Lewis
The White Mountains..............................................................................Christopher, John
Monster’s Ring ........................................................................................Coville, Bruce
James and the Giant Peach.......................................................................Dahl, Roald
This Place Has No Atmosphere ...............................................................Danziger, Paula
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm.................................................................Farmer, Nancy
Wait Till Helen Comes.............................................................................Hahn, Mary
A Wrinkle in Time ...................................................................................L’Engle, Madeleine
The Fledgling ..........................................................................................Langton, Jean
Cat Wings ................................................................................................Le Guin, Ursula
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe....................................................Lewis, C.S.
The Giver .................................................................................................Lowry, Lois
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.........................................................O’Brien, Robert C.
Gooseberry Park.......................................................................................Rylant, Cynthia
Journey to the Center of the Earth ...........................................................Verne, Jules
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.................................................................Verne, Jules
Time Machine ..........................................................................................Wells, H.G.
Poetry
Selected Titles
From Sea to Shining Sea..........................................................................Cohn, Amy T.
Sing a Song of Popcorn............................................................de Regnier, Beatrice Schenk
Joyful Noise—Poems for Two Voices .......................................................Fleischman, Paul
In a River Valley......................................................................................Frank, Josette
Nathaniel’s Talking ..................................................................................Greenfield, Eloise
An American History Through Poetry....................................................Hopkins, Lee Bennett
Bringing Me News ..................................................................................O’Neill, Mary
The New Kid on the Block........................................................................Prelutsky, Jack
Pierre........................................................................................................Sendak, Maurice
Where the Sidewalk Ends.........................................................................Silverstein, Shel
Bird Watch...............................................................................................Yolen, Jane
Periodicals
Selected Titles
Cobblestone
Cricket
Highlights
Kids Discover
Odyssey
Sports Illustrated for Kids
World Magazine
Source
English Language Arts Resource Guide: Instructional Materials. New York State Education Department, Albany, New York.
