Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
THE BEST BOOK RECS!
97
items Book recommendations for all ages from a bookworm (that's me!) I'll list the books I'm currently reading this year, favorites I read with my daughters, and books they are currently loving & have loved as they've grown into avid readers.
Sections
4
MY 2026 READING LIST!
HOMESCHOOL READ ALOUDS
FUN SERIES FOR YOUNG CHAPTER BOOK READERS
MY 2025 READING LIST!
MY 2026 READING LIST!
I will continue to add all of my reads of 2026 to this list. Stay tuned!
Book #1 of 2026 for me: WOW!
The Correspondent: A Novel (Hardcover)
Book #2 of 2026 for me: SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN! OBSESSED!
Theo of Golden: A Novel (Paperback)
Book # 3 of the year for me! It was SO GOOD!
Heart the Lover|Hardcover
Book 4 of the year: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett is a darkly comic, heartwarming novel following PJ Halliday, a flawed, frequently inebriated man with a failing heart. After his rival dies, he drives across the country to win back his ...
The Road to Tender Hearts: A Novel|Hardcover
Book 5 of 2026: Sandwich by Catherine Newman is a poignant, often humorous novel detailing a 54-year-old woman named Rocky navigating a transformative week at Cape Cod. Caught between caring for aging parents and semi-grown children while enduring me...
Sandwich: A Novel|Paperback
Book 6 of 2026: Wreck, by Catherine Newman, is a humorous and poignant novel about middle-aged narrator Rocky, who navigates a personal health crisis (a mysterious rash) and a local, fatal train crash, uncovering corporate negligence connected to her...
Wreck: A Novel|Hardcover
HOMESCHOOL READ ALOUDS
As a homeschool mom & former teacher, I make sure to always be reading a chapter book aloud to my daughters. This list contains ones we've read in the past & will continue to grow as we discover new favorites.
Our current read; my 3 girls are LOVING this one!
Mr. Popper's Penguins (Hardcover)
a classic--for obvious reasons--we all LOVED this one!
Charlotte's Web: A Newbery Honor Award Winner (Reprint)(Hardcover)
another classic we all loved!
Winnie the Pooh Winnie the Pooh: The Classic Edition, Book 1, (Hardcover)
Sarah, Plain and Tall is about a mail-order bride, Sarah Wheaton, from Maine who travels to the late 19th-century American prairie to meet and potentially marry widowed farmer Jacob Witting and become a mother to his children, Anna and Caleb, after t...
Sarah, Plain and Tall (Newbery Medal Winner)
Pax by Sara Pennypacker tells the intertwined story of a boy, Peter, and his beloved pet fox, Pax, as a looming war forces them apart, leading each on a separate, perilous journey to find their way back to each other.
Pax by Sara Pennypacker, Jon Klassen, Paperback
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate is about a young boy named Jackson whose family faces financial hardship and potential homelessness, leading to the return of his giant, talking, imaginary cat friend, Crenshaw, who helps him cope with the uncertainty ...
Crenshaw|Paperback
8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = Chaos by Vivian Vande Velde tells the story of Twitch the squirrel, who gets trapped inside an elementary school overnight after being chased in by the principal's dog, Cuddles, while fleeing an owl.
8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = Chaos (Twitch the ...
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is a children's book series about a quirky, kind woman living in an upside-down house, who helps neighborhood children cure their bad habits (like tattling, being messy, or talking back) using funny, magical, and often natural-cons...
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle|Paperback
The Boxcar Children is about four orphaned siblings—Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny—who run away to avoid being separated and living with a grandfather they believe is cruel, creating a resourceful, independent home in an abandoned boxcar in the woo...
The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children Series #1)|Paperback
Wish, by Barbara O'Connor, is a middle-grade novel about 11-year-old Charlie Reese, who, after her family situation implodes, goes to live with an aunt and uncle in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains and learns the true meaning of family and frien...
Wish|Paperback
The Family Under the Bridge is about Armand, a grumpy Parisian hobo who loves his solitary life but finds it upended by three homeless children (Suzy, Paul, and Evelyne) and their mother, Madame Calcet, who occupy his usual spot under a bridge near C...
The Family Under the Bridge: A Newbery Honor Award Winner|Paperback
The Cricket in Times Square is about Chester Cricket, who accidentally travels from Connecticut to the busy Times Square subway station in New York City, where he befriends a boy named Mario, a streetwise mouse named Tucker, and Harry the Cat, using ...
The Cricket in Times Square: Revised and updated edition with foreword by Stacey Lee|Paperback
A Whale of the Wild by Rosanne Parry is a middle-grade adventure about Vega, a young orca in the Salish Sea, who, after a tsunami separates her from her pod, must lead her younger brother, Deneb, on a perilous journey to find their family, facing hun...
A Whale of the Wild|Paperback
I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery is a heartwarming middle-grade adventure about a loyal farm dog named Rebel, who embarks on a perilous journey across a war-torn, pseudo-Civil War Britain to rescue his beloved 12-year-old human, Tom, after Tom joins a r...
I Am Rebel (B&N Exclusive Edition) (2025 B&N Children's Book of the Year)|Special
Growing Home by Beth Ferry is a middle-grade novel about a goldfish, a spider, and houseplants who gain magical powers from an enchanted fish tank and must team up to protect their human family from a greedy man. The story, illustrated by the Fan Bro...
Growing Home (B&N Exclusive Edition) (2025 B&N Children's Book of the Year)|BN Exclusive
FUN SERIES FOR YOUNG CHAPTER BOOK READERS
Get young readers excited about reading with these engaging series.
Good Dog by Cam Higgins is a series that currently has 16 books. In it, you will follow the adventures of Bo--a lovable farm dog with a can-do attitude!
Good Dog 4 Books In 1!: Home Is Where the Heart Is; Raised in a Barn; Herd You Loud and Clear; Fireworks Night (Hardcover)
Kate DiCamillo's 6 book series, Mercy Watson, features Mercy--a pig who LOVES buttered toast & causes delightful chaos.
Mercy Watson: Six Pig Tales, Books 1-6, (Paperback)
The Heidi Heckelbeck series follows Heidi, an ordinary looking third grader, who actually possesses MAGICAL powers.
The Heidi Heckelbeck Ten-book Collection
This series follows Daisy, a girl who loves to draw & daydream, and her magical friend Posey as they embark on adventures!
Daisy Dreamer The Daisy Dreamer Complete Collection (Boxed Set), (Paperback)
This series features Amber Brown, who navigates major life changes.
Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon|Paperback
This series features an ordinary, daydreaming girl--Daisy--who gains the abilit to talk to animals.
Daisy Dawson Is on Her Way!|Paperback
This series features Sophie, a kindhearted young mouse who goes on charming adventures.
A New Friend (Adventures of Sophie Mouse Series #1)|Paperback
This series follows spunky, flamingo-loving Japanese-American Jasmine as she navigates childhood challenges, family traditions, and sisterhood with her older sister Sophie. She learns about friendship, perseverance, and cultural identity through rela...
🔎 jasmine toguchi series summary - Google Search
The Yasmin series by Saadia Faruqi follows a spirited, creative Pakistani-American second-grader in a big city, who uses "aha" moments, imagination, and family support to solve everyday problems at home and school.
Meet Yasmin!|Other Format
The Violet Mackerel series follows a creative, observant seven-year-old girl who loves "Small Things" and develops imaginative theories to solve everyday problems.
Violet Mackerel's Outside-the-Box Set (Boxed Set): Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot, Violet Mackerel's Remarkable Recovery, Violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat, Violet Mackerel's Personal Space|Paperback
The Stink series, by Megan McDonald, follows James "Stink" Moody, little brother to Judy Moody, as he navigates life as the shortest kid, discovering humor and adventure in everyday challenges.
Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker (Stink Series #2)|Paperback
The Henry Heckelbeck series is about a seemingly ordinary boy, Henry, who discovers he has magical powers, inherited from his witch family (like his sister Heidi).
Henry Heckelbeck Gets a Dragon (Henry Heckelbeck Series #1)|Paperback
The Lucy Lancaster series by Willow Coven follows Lucy, best friend to Heidi Heckelbeck, as she discovers she has magical powers, leading to funny, everyday adventures and mishaps.
Lucy Lancaster Has a Secret|Paperback
The Cam Jansen series by David A. Adler features fifth-grader Jennifer "Cam" Jansen, who uses her amazing photographic memory (activated by saying "Click!") to solve mysteries with her best friend.
The Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds (Cam Jansen Series #1)|Paperback
Junie B. Jones is a popular children's book series by Barbara Park about a spunky, mischievous, and outspoken kindergartener (and later first grader) who narrates her hilarious, relatable, and often trouble-filled adventures from her "Top-Secret Pers...
Junie B. Jones First Boxed Set Ever!: Books 1-4|Paperback
The Questioneers chapter book series follows STEM-focused kids like Rosie Revere (Engineer), Iggy Peck (Architect), Ada Twist (Scientist), and Sofia Valdez (Leader) as they solve mysteries, build inventions, and tackle community problems.
Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters ...
The Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series follows third-grader Nancy Drew and her best friends, Bess and George, as they solve kid-friendly mysteries.
Sleepover Sleuths (Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew Series #1)|Paperback
The My Furry Foster Family series is about eight-year-old Kaita Takano and her family, who foster rescued animals from a local shelter, helping them get comfortable and find forever homes.
Truman the Dog|Paperback
The Ella Diaries series is a fun, diary-style chapter book collection for ages 8-12, following 10-year-old Ella as she navigates school, friendships, family, and activities, all recorded with doodles, lists, and humor in her colorful diary.
Dreams Come True (Ella Diaries Series #4)
This series follows 3 furry friends who live in an animal shelter.
Mitzy's Homecoming: A QUIX Book|Paperback
The Isadora Moon series follows Isadora, a unique girl who is half vampire and half fairy, exploring relatable childhood experiences.
Isadora Moon Goes to School (Isadora Moon Series #1)|Paperback
The Roscoe Riley Rules series by Katherine Applegate follows good-hearted first-grader Roscoe Riley, who constantly finds himself in hilarious trouble by trying to fix problems.
Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs (Roscoe Riley Rules Series #1)|Paperback
The Critter Club series by Callie Barkley follows four best friends—Amy, Ellie, Liz, and Marion—in Santa Vista, California, who form an animal rescue club to help lost and lonely animals, solving mysteries and caring for critters like puppies, bunnie...
Amy and the Missing Puppy (Critter Club Series #1)|Paperback
The Princess in Black series is about Princess Magnolia, who pretends to be a prim and proper princess but secretly transforms into the masked, monster-fighting hero.
The Princess in Black (Princess in Black Series #1)|Paperback
The Katie Woo series follows spunky, stylish, and relatable Chinese-American schoolgirl Katie Woo as she navigates childhood challenges like friendship issues, family dynamics, and school life.
Katie Woo Loves School (Katie Woo Series)|Other Format
The Mia Mayhem series follows ordinary 8-year-old Mia Macarooney as she discovers she's a superhero and attends the secret after-school Program for In-Training Superheroes (THE PITS) to learn to control powers like super-strength, speed, and flight, ...
The Mia Mayhem Collection (Boxed Set): Mia Mayhem Is a Superhero!; Mia Mayhem Learns to Fly!; Mia Mayhem vs. The Super Bully; Mia Mayhem Breaks Down Walls|Paperback
The Ivy + Bean series follows the hilarious adventures of two unlikely best friends, the quiet, bookish Ivy and the boisterous, mischievous Bean.
Ivy and Bean (Ivy and Bean Series #1)|Paperback
The Zoey and Sassafras series follows young Zoey, who, with her cat Sassafras, helps magical creatures that visit her home by applying the scientific method to solve their problems.
Gnomes and Sneezes (Zoey and Sassafras Series #10)|Paperback
The Magic Tree House series follows siblings Jack and Annie, who discover a magical tree house that transports them through time and space to embark on adventures, learn about history, science, and different cultures, and complete missions.
Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House Series #1)|Paperback
The Bink & Gollie series follows the hilarious and heartwarming adventures of two opposite best friends, short and messy Bink (who loves peanut butter) and tall and tidy Gollie (who loves pancakes).
Bink and Gollie|Paperback - Kate DiCamillo
The Bad Guys series is about a gang of notorious animal criminals—Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark, and Ms. Tarantula—who try to go good!
The Bad Guys (The Bad Guys Series #1)|Paperback
The Dory Fantasmagory series follows Dory, a spirited young girl called "Rascal," whose vivid imagination blurs reality as she creates fantastical adventures with imaginary friends.
Dory Fantasmagory (Dory Fantasmagory Series #1)|Paperback
This popular children's chapter book series by Kate Messner is about siblings Ivy and Ezra who volunteer at a wildlife hospital.
How to Save an Otter by Kate Messner, Paperback
The Amelia Bedelia & Friends series follows the literal-minded, young Amelia Bedelia and her diverse group of school friends as they navigate elementary school adventures.
Amelia Bedelia & Friends Chapter Book Box Set #1: All Boxed In|Paperback
The Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker follows Clementine, a creative, impulsive, but well-intentioned third-grader with fiery red hair, as her big ideas often lead to comical mishaps and trips to the principal's office.
Clementine (Clementine Series #1)|Paperback
The Unicornia series follows Claudia, a young girl who moves to the magical, hidden city of Unicornia, a vibrant world where unicorns fly, buses have wings, and magic is part of everyday life.
Welcome to Unicornia: Four Glittery Adventures Full of Friendship and Magic!: (Box Set of Early Chapter Readers about Unicorns)|Paperback
The Nate the Great series follows a young, pancake-loving boy detective and his dog, Sludge, as they solve neighborhood mysteries.
Nate the Great (Nate the Great Series)|Paperback
The Horrible Harry series follows the classroom adventures and everyday life of mischievous but good-hearted second/third grader Harry with friends like Song Lee, Sidney, and their teacher Miss Mackle, featuring silly pranks, school events, family is...
Horrible Harry in Room 2B|Paperback
The Nancy Clancy series follows the glamorous Fancy Nancy as she transitions into early chapter books, solving mysteries with her best friend Bree, still using her love for fancy words.
Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy's Ultimate Chapter Book Quartet: Books 1 through 4|Paperback
The Judy Moody series follows the humorous, relatable adventures of spirited third-grader Judy Moody as she navigates school, friendships, family, and her ever-changing moods.
Judy Moody Was in a Mood (Judy Moody Series #1)|Paperback
The Owl Diaries series follows Eva Wingdale, a young owl attending Treetop Owlementary, as she writes in her diary about daily adventures, friendships, and life in her woodland community.
Eva's Treetop Festival (Owl Diaries Series #1)|Paperback
MY 2025 READING LIST!
The books I read last year--2025.
In SelfLess, popular speaker Megan Fate Marshman exposes the source of self-limiting beliefs that create needless striving to be good enough and points to powerful truths that can transform life into a new experience of freedom, joy, and love.
SelfLess: Living Your Part in the Big Story of God|eBook
Jodi Picoult's By Any Other Name (2024) tells parallel stories of two female playwrights, Elizabethan Emilia Bassano and modern Melina Green, who both hide their work behind male names to succeed in male-dominated literary worlds.
By Any Other Name: A Novel|Paperback
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is a heartwarming Korean novel by Hwang Bo-reum about Yeongju, a burnt-out woman who leaves her conventional life and divorce to open a small bookshop.
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop|Paperback
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan is about Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in 1985 Ireland, who uncovers the cruel exploitation of young women in a local convent's Magdalene Laundry, forcing him to confront his past and challenge the town's comp...
Small Things Like These|Hardcover
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride is a historical fiction novel centered on the interconnected Black and Jewish communities in Pottstown, Pennsylvania's Chicken Hill neighborhood during the 1920s-1930s, kicking off with a 1972 mys...
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods intertwines the stories of three people—Opaline (1920s) and modern-day Martha and Henry—connected by a magical, disappearing Dublin bookshop, as they each escape difficult circumstances.
The Lost Bookshop|Paperback
The Wedding People by Alison Espach is about Phoebe Stone, a recently divorced, depressed woman who travels to a Newport hotel for a final splurge, only to find it booked for a lavish wedding, leading to her being mistaken for a guest and forming an ...
The Wedding People: A Novel|Paperback
The Love of My Afterlife, by Kirsty Greenwood, is a humorous romantic comedy about Delphie Bookham, an introverted woman who dies by choking on a burger and gets a second chance at life in the afterlife.
The Love of My Afterlife (GMA Book Club Pick)|Paperback
"What You Are Looking For Is in the Library" is a heartwarming Japanese novel by Michiko Aoyama about an enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi, who helps people find direction in their lives by recommending unexpected books that guide them to self-disc...
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library: A Novel|Paperback
Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah follows disgraced child psychiatrist Dr. Julia Cates, who retreats to her small hometown in the Pacific Northwest after a career-ending scandal, only to encounter a mysterious, non-verbal six-year-old girl (dubbed "Alice"...
Magic Hour|Paperback
The Things We Do for Love by Kristin Hannah is about Angie DeSaria, a woman reeling from infertility, miscarriages, and divorce, who returns home to manage her family's restaurant, where she forms a deep bond with a troubled, pregnant teen, Lauren Ri...
The Things We Do for Love|Paperback
The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a quirky, record-obsessed 11-year-old boy and his 104-year-old Lithuanian neighbor, Ona Vitkus, who he helps with chores for a Boy Scout badge.
The One-In-A-Million Boy|Paperback
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is a suspenseful novel about a happily married farmer, Beth, whose quiet life with her husband Frank is upended by the return of her first love, the celebrated author Gabriel Wolfe, and his young son, Leo, to their...
Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)|Hardcover
The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley is about a lonely, elderly artist who starts a chain reaction of honesty by leaving a green notebook in a cafe, challenging whoever finds it to write their own truth, which connects six strangers through share...
The Authenticity Project|Paperback
Real Americans by Rachel Khong is a multi-generational saga about a Chinese-American family (May, Lily, Nick) exploring identity, belonging, and the meaning of being "American" through themes of immigration, love, secrets, and even genetics, spanning...
Real Americans (Read with Jenna Pick)|Paperback
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell is a second-chance romance about former high school best friends, Shiloh and Cary, who reconnect at a friend's wedding fourteen years after drifting apart, forced to confront their unresolved first love and the complicate...
Slow Dance: A Novel|Paperback
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is about the isolated Salt family, caretakers of a vital Antarctic seed bank on Shearwater Island, whose quiet, grief-filled lives are upended by a storm and the arrival of a mysterious shipwrecked woman named R...
Wild Dark Shore (Reese's Book Club Pick)|Hardcover
Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez is about the whirlwind romance between veterinarian Xavier and social media manager Samantha, whose lives intertwine despite her moving from Minnesota to California to care for her mother with early-onset dement...
Say You'll Remember Me (B&N Exclusive Edition)|Hardcover
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore is a multi-generational mystery set in the Adirondacks, centered on the wealthy Van Laar family and the disappearance of 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar from her summer camp in 1975, which mirrors her brother's vanishin...
The God of the Woods: A Novel|Paperback
In Passion Project, a grieving woman and a new acquaintance try weekly adventures to rediscover life's joys.
Passion Project: A Novel|Paperback
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry follows aspiring journalist Alice Scott as she competes with seasoned biographer Hayden Anderson to write the life story of reclusive, glamorous heiress Margaret Ives on a small Georgia island, uncovering famil...
Great Big Beautiful Life (Reese's Book Club)|Hardcover
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune is about burned-out Toronto photographer Alice Everly, who returns with her grandmother Nan to their lakeside cottage for a summer of healing, only to find herself drawn to handsome, flirtatious caretaker Charlie F...
One Golden Summer|Paperback
Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin is about Freya Arnalds, who returns to her small hometown of Somers, New York, after her parents' death and discovers her teenage niece, Aubrey, secretly living in her dilapidated childhood home, leading ...
Home of the American Circus: A Novel|Paperback
Fredrik Backman's My Friends is about the enduring power of friendship, told through two timelines: a group of troubled teens finding solace on a pier in the past, and a grieving young woman named Louisa in the present who becomes connected to their ...
My Friends: A Novel|Paperback
Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein is about two half-sisters, Vivian Levy (NYC-based sommelier) and Lucy Webster (Maine high school teacher), who meet for the first time after their father, Hank, dies, forcing them to confront their shared past, fa...
Maine Characters: A Novel|Paperback
Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith is about the estranged Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude—who reunite in North Dakota after years apart for a forced family weekend, prompted by famous actress sister Jude's secret summons, ...
Fun for the Whole Family: A Novel|Hardcover
The Names by Florence Knapp is a debut novel about a woman, Cora, making a pivotal choice for her newborn son's name, which splits the story into three alternate timelines, exploring domestic abuse, identity, and the ripple effects of decisions over ...
The Names (A Read with Jenna Pick)|Hardcover
The Page Turner by Viola Shipman is about Emma Page, a secret romance writer from an elitist literary family who uncovers a secret from her late grandmother that could ruin her parents' publishing business, forcing her to choose between exposing them...
The Page Turner|Paperback
Annabel Monaghan's It's a Love Story is about Jane Jackson, a former teen sitcom star, now a Hollywood exec who claims she can get popstar Jack Quinlan for her movie to save her project, forcing her to seek help from her former crush and nemesis, Dan...
It's a Love Story|Paperback
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a dual-timeline novel about aspiring astronaut Joan Goodwin in the 1980s, blending historical fiction, romance, and thriller elements as she navigates rigorous NASA training, a secret love with fellow astronaut Va...
Atmosphere: A Love Story (GMA Book Club Pick)|Hardcover
This book is about a couple rekindling their love on a wildnerness trip!
Out of the Woods: A Novel|Paperback
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes is about Jess, a struggling single mom to math-whiz daughter Tanzie and bullied stepson Nicky, who gets an unexpected chance for Tanzie to attend a prestigious school via a math competition in Scotland. With no money, she's...
One Plus One|Paperback
The book's premise elevates the feeling of getting a song stuck in your head to a tangible story. It focuses on the romance between a songwriter and a musician, but also weaves in the complexities of family dynamics, friendships, and the importance o...
Sounds Like Love (B&N Exclusive Edition)|Paperback
The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick is a speculative novel about a mysterious desert facility offering a radical grief treatment: medically induced, prolonged sleep to heal from immense loss.
The Poppy Fields (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Novel (B&N Exclusive Edition)|BN Exclusive
The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley Goodreads is a coming-of-age novel about a fierce sisterhood of outcast teenage mothers in the fictional small town of Padua Beach, Florida, focusing on the journey of newly exiled 16-year-old Adela Woods as sh...
The Girls Who Grew Big: A Novel|Hardcover