David Ugorek's Reading List

Mr. Ugorek's Reading List

I spend much of my spare time reading. Therefore, I wanted to let people know about the books that I believe are the greatest. You will note that the books are separated by audience and genre. Each book listed will be something I think most people should read. There will be a brief explanation of the genre at the beginning of each section. Any selection I consider multicultural will have a [MC] after the title. I hope you enjoy some of these selections:

Children's Literature:
       Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Modern Fantasy, Non-Fiction,
       Picture Books, Poetry, Traditional
Adult Literature:
       Comedy, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction, Science Fiction

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Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Contemporary Realist Fiction are stories set in today's world, and the events included are all things that could possibly happen, not requiring magic, aliens, or any other imaginary element for the story to work.

        Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move by Judith Viorst (grades 1st-4th or read aloud younger)
        Are You there God? It's Me, Margret by Judy Blume (grades 4-7)
        Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (grades 3-6)
        The Best-Laid Plans of Jonah Twist by Natalie Honeycutt (grades 2-4)
        Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Peterson (grades 4-adult)
        Canoe Days by Gary Paulsen (grades 2-5)
        Con-fidence by Todd Strasser (grades 5-8)
        Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (grades 3-6)
        The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (grades 3-6, dated, but still effective)
        Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath (grades 3+)
        Frindle by Andrew Clements (grades 2+)
        Getting Close to Baby by Aufrey Couloumbis (grades 5+)
        The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson (grades 4+)
        How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (grades 3-6)
        The Janitor's Boy by Andrew Clements (grades 3+)
        The Jigsaw Jones mysteries by James Preller (grades 1-3)
        The Joey Pigza series by Jack Gantos [Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Joey Pigza Loses Control, and What Would Joey Do?] (grades 3+)   [Great for adults who want to understand ADHD]
        The Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park (grades K-4)
        The Landry News by Andrew Clements (grades 4+)
        Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (grades 4-8) [MC]
        Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (grades 4+)
        Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade by Barthe DeClements (grades 4-6)
        On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer (grades 4+)
        Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechewski (grades 3-8) [MC]
        Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements (grades 4-7)
        There's a Boy in the Girls Washroom by Louis Sachar (grades 3-6)
        The Wanderer by Sharon Creech (grades 4+)
        A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements (grades 3-7)
       The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (grades 4-adult)
        Yolanda's Genius by Carol Fenner (grades 4+)

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction stories are those that take a time period in history (such as medieval Europe, or depression era United States) and writes about a fictional character that interacts with that setting that allows learning to accompany an interesting story. This can include old stories that might have been Contemporary Realistic Fiction when first written.

        The Borning Room by Paul Fleishman (grades 3-6)
        Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (grades 4-adult) [MC]
        Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (grades 4-6)
        Call of the Wild by Jack London (grades 4-6)
        Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman (grades 5-adult)
        Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (grades 5+)
        The Devil's Arithmatic by Jane Yolen (grades 4-adult) [MC]
        The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (grades 2-5)
        Escape from Warsaw (also published as The Silver Sword) by Ian Serraillier (grades 3-6)
        A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos (grades 3+)
        A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck (grades 4+)
        Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman (grades 4-7)
        Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (grades 3-5) [MC]
        Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (grades 5-adult)
        Roll of Thunder, Here My Cry by Mildred Taylor (grades 4-adult) [MC]
        Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan (grades 2-5)
        Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (grades 5-8)
        The True Confession of Charlotte Doyle by Avi (grades 4+)

Modern Fantasy

Modern fantasy is specifically fantasy written to either take place on this world with augmented and magical conditions, or worlds based entirely in the author's imagination.

        The Animorphs Series [over 60 books in all] by K.A. Applegate (grades 3+)
        Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (grades 4+)
        The BFG by Roald Dahl (grades 3-6)
        The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander (grades 3-adult)
        Bunnicula by James Howe (grades 2-6) [The rest of the series is okay, but this one shines through]
        The Chronicals of Narnia, read in the order they were written, not chronological order: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, A Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew, and The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis
        The Dark is Rising Sequence [Under Sea, Over Stone, The Dark is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King, Silver on the Tree] by Susan Cooper (grades 4+)
        Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (grades 4+) [Book MUCH better than movie]
        Goblins in the Castle by Bruce Coville (grades 3-4)
        The Harry Potter Series [Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Sercets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix so far] by J.K. Rowling (grades 4-adult, Note: books should not be read by students more than 3 years less than Harry's age in the book)
        Holes by Louis Sacher
        King of Shadows by Susan Cooper (grades 5+) [Great Shakespeare Material!]
        The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne (grades 2-5)
        Matilda by Roald Dahl (grades K-5) [Especially good for any gifted student]
        The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (grades 3-adult)
        Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (grades 4+)
        The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (grades 4+)
       The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman (grades 2-5)
        A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (grades 4-adult)

Non-Fiction

This books tell true stories, either of our past or our present. These books can be either in a narrative (story) or expository (textbook) format. It should be remembered that students need to be taught to read each type, and we often forget specifically to teach reading expository books. There will be ** around each expository book on this list.

        The Acorn People by Ron Jones (grades 2-6)
        **The Big Book of Dinosaurs: A First Book for Young Children** by Angela Wilkes (grades PK-3)
        Explor-a-maze by Robert Snedden (info plus mazes, grades 3-6)
        King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry (grades 2-6)
        Lima Beans Would Be Illegal by Robert Bender (grades 2-adult)
        My First Book of Sign by Pamela J. Baker (grades toddler-adult)
        Pyramid, by David McCaulay (grades 3-6)
        Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (grades K-4)
        **The Way Things Work** by David Macaulay (grades 3-adult)

Picture Books

Picture books are those books that mostly pictorial (but not necessarily all pictures). These are books where the illustrations greatly add to the telling of the stories, and are usually aimed at younger children, but should not be ignored by older readers. Some books in this category also fit other categories, so be sure to look at them as well. Many of these books are very good for toddler and older students in a read-to-me format.

        Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Here Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move by Judith Viorst (grades PK-4)
        The Amelia Bedelia Series by Peggy Parish (grades 1-3)
        Black and White by David Macauley (grades 1-adult)
        Canoe Days by Gary Paulson (grades 2-5)
        A Child Is a Child by Brigitte Weninger (grades PK-2)
        Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel (grades K-3)
        The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble (grades 2-5) [MC]
        Grandfather Tang's Story (grades 2+) [MC]
        Hedgie's Suprise by Jan Brett (grades 1-4)
        Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks (grades 1-5)
        May I Bring a Friend by Beatrice Schenk deRegniers (grades 1-3)
        Merlin and the Dragons by Jane Yolen (grades 2-5)
        Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully (grades 2-5)
        The Old Red Rocking Chair by Phyllis Root (grades 1-3)
        One Hundred is a Family by Pam Munoz Ryan (grades K-3) [MC]
        Puzzle Island by Paul Adshead (grades 3-adult)
        Rumplestiltskin retold by Paul O. Zelinsky (grades 1-4)
        Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (grades 2-4)
        The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith (grades 2-adult)
        Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (grades 2-4)
        Trupp by Janell Cannon (grades 3-5)
        Tuesday by David Wiesner (grades Toddler-4)
        The Ugly Duckling adapted by Jerry Pinkney (grades 1-3)
        Weslandia by Paul Fleischman (grades 2-6)
        When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry... by Molly Bang (grades PK-3)

Poetry

Poetry books are those that use verse and/or discuss poetry to get the story across. This includes traditional poetry like Emily Dickinson, or as loved as Dr. Seuss.

        The Book of Pigericks by Arnold Lobel (grades 2-5)
        Celebrate America in Poetry and Art, collected by the National Museum of American Art (grades 4-adult) [MC]
        Dinosaur Dinner (With a Slice of Alligator Pie) by Dennis Lee (grades 1-4)
        If I Were in Charge of the World, and Other Worries by Judith Vorst (grades K-4)
        Lunch Money and Other Poems About School by Carol Diggory Shield (grades 2-adult)
        My Parents Think I'm Sleeping by Jack Prelutsky (grades 1-8)
        Pass It On: African-American Poetry for Children collected by Wade Hudson (grades 1-4) [MC]
        Potato Party and Other Troll Tales by Loreen Leedy (grades K-3)
        Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Iza Trapani (grades K-4)
        Weird Pet Poems by Dilys Evans (grades K-3)
        Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shell Silverstein (grades K-5)
        Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (grades 1-3)

Traditional

Traditional literature are the stories passed down from our past. We never know who created the original story, but this category includes the best re-tellings, best illustrations, and stories from other cultures.

        Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric A. Kimmel (grades 1-3) [MC]
        Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott (grades 1-4) [MC]
        Borreguita and the Coyote, retold by Verna Aardema (grades 2-4) [MC]
        Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry (grades 3+)
        Coyote: A Trickster From the American Southwest by Gerald McDermott (grades 1-4) [MC]
        The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble (grades 2-5) [MC]
        Grandfather Tang's Story by Ann Tompert (grades 2+) [MC]
        John Henry, retold and illustrated by Julius Lester (grades 1-4) [MC]
        The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola (grades 2-5) [MC]
        Musicians of the Sun by Gerald McDermott (grades 1-4) [MC]
        Raven: Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott (grades K-5) [MC]
        The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson, adapted by Jerry Pinkney (grades 1-3)
        Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer (grades 2+) [MC]
        Zomo the Rabbir: Trickster Tale from West Africa by Gerald McDermitt (grades K-4) [MC]

Book Suggestions for Adults

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Comedy

Comedy books are those who have no other purpose. A funny fantasy book would be put in fantasy, but the books in this category are only made for the purpose of being funny.

Bored of the Rings, by the Harvard Lampoon
Anything by Dave Barry, particularly Dave Barry in Cyberspace

Fantasy

Fantasy covers many areas, including altered past and present Earths, completely different worlds. Worlds of dragons, magic, or worlds of time travelers highlight this genre, and it can include a wide range of ideas.

        The Elminster Series (Elminster: Making of a Mage, Elminster in Myth Drannor, The Temptation of Elminster, and Elminster in Hell) by Ed Greenwood
        The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, The Return of the King) by J.R.R. Tolkien
        His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman [Good with middle schoolers and up, with guidance]
        The Lost Library of Cormanthyr by Mel Odom
        Pages of Pain by Troy Denning

Historical Fiction

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Non-Fiction

Non-fiction are books that tell a story of our past or present, and has no element of fantasy in it. This can be presented in a narrative (story) or expository (textbook) type format.

        A Brief History of Time by Stephen W. Hawking
        Night by Elie Wiesel
        PetSpeak: Share Your Pet's Secret Language by the editors or PETS magazine

Science Fiction

Science fiction deviates from standard fantasy in that it is based in the future, and at least theoretically, could exist, either in our future as humans, or in some other alien race out there in space. The key element is that it could possibly happen.

        Cathouse (AKA The Man-Kzin Wars I & II) by Dean Ing
        Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
        The Giver by Lois Lowry (Can be good with middle school+, but only with guidance)
        Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
        The Stardust Voyages by Steven Tall

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