Good Books for Kids of All Ages When You’re Stuck at Home
My kids and I came up with a list of some of our favorite magazines and books that are good for kids and teens. These great reads have helped us escape to places we’ve been and places we’re still dreaming to go. I hope they’ll feed your little (and not-so-little) traveler’s inner wanderlust too.
Travel is just as much a state of mind as it is an actual physical thing we do.
In fact, I think that’s what makes it so impactful.
Just think about the time you spend planning for a trip and the time reminiscing afterwards. Isn’t that often just as significant as the time you actually spent at your destination?
Although the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused us all to hit the pause button on our travel plans for a while, that doesn’t mean families can’t still “get away” a bit. In this time of social distancing, it might be just what kids need - a chance to learn about and feel connected to those around them.
And that learning could even be the inspiration to your next family learning adventure. Because after we all get through this global crisis together, there’s going to be a great big world welcoming us with open arms to explore and learn.
Some of my little traveler’s Favorite Books
These good books for kids will keep your young readers learning about the world they live in, both near and far.
DREAMS AROUND THE WORLD by Takashi Owaki
Best For Ages: Kindergarten through 3rd grade
Where They’ll “Go”: Around the globe
Why We Love It: This book introduces readers to kids from 13 different countries, teaching them that we all may be more alike than we are different. It’s one of my favorite lessons from traveling, whether my kids and I are on a real-life trip or journeying through a book. This book will also inspire kids to think about what they might want to be as they learn about the dreams of the kids in the book.
DISNEY STORYBOOK COLLECTION by Disney Story Group
Best For Ages: Preschool through 2nd grade
Where They’ll “Go”: Walt Disney World and Disneyland
Why We Love It: Engaging kids in reading is often all about finding things to love to read about. And for my kids (and about a billion other kids across the globe) Disney stories fit that bill. I loved this book because the short format of the stories kept my 8 year-old wanting to continue to read. It also is a great way to revisit the Happiest Place on Earth through a book while the parks are closed during the pandemic.
THE DAY THE CRAYONS CAME HOME by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
Best For Ages: Kindergarten through fourth grade
Where They’ll “Go”: The adventurous depths of their own backyard … and beyond
Why We Love It: There are some books that are just as much fun for grown-ups as they are for kids. The collaborations of Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers are always those kinds of books. This story will make kids want to put away the iPads and tablets and whip out the box of crayons. And it shows them that adventures can be found in the corners of their own bedrooms or in lands far beyond if you use your imagination.
GROWING UP IN EARLY AMERICA by Abeka
Best For Ages: 1st through 3rd grade
Where They’ll “Go”: A variety of places in the United States.
Why We Love It: This book is part of the Abeka’s second grade homeschool curriculum but would also be a great read on it’s own. Kids can pick the stories they’re interested in or read it from cover to cover. My daughter loved the craft at the end of one story, the recipes at the end of others, and the way the book allowed her to imagine being a little girl in different time periods.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS MAGAZINE
Best For Ages: First grade and up
Where They’ll “Go”: Around the globe
Why We Love It: Even reluctant readers can’t help but become engaged in the short, fascinating stories presented in the 10 issues that come annually. Beautiful pictures peak my kids’ interests as well. And when we’re short on time, we can read just what we’re able. If we have time to spare, articles can be great jumping off points for further reading and research.
Some Of My Tween Traveler’s Favorite Books
These good books for kids in elementary school and early middle school will keep even reluctant readers engaged.
RANGER IN TIME (SERIES) by Kate Messner
Best For Ages: Second through fifth grade
Where They’ll “Go”: Rome, New York City, Oregon, Maryland, New Orleans, Iceland, Antartica, Normandy, San Francisco, New Jersey
Why We Love It: It’s often the history of a destination that makes it so interesting and worth visiting. These historical fiction books will make kids want to visit all the places the stories take place. They portray history in a way that made my son feel like he was part of the action. And Ranger, a time-traveling dog, became a beloved four-legged friend he wants to keep revisiting.
THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE by George Seldon
Best For Ages: Third through sixth grade
Where They’ll “Go”: New York City
Why We Love It: I loved this book as a little girl so I was excited when my son was eager to read it. He and I read it together and it was just as great as I remembered. You can practically hear the whistle of the trains in the subway and smell the Chinese cuisine cooking in Chinatown as you follow Chester Cricket and his pals on their adventures. The sequels to this book are on our reading to-do list for sure.
ESPERANZA RISING by Pam Munoz Ryan
Best For Ages: Fourth through eighth grade
Where They’ll “Go”: Aguascalientes, Mexico and Arvin, California
Why We Love It: An abundance of opportunities for lessons has made this book a favorite of teachers. (Which means there are great activities to go with it on TeachersPayTeachers.com.) We used it for a book study in my daughter’s seventh grade reading curriculum, but it’s also a fantastic read on its’ own. My daughter loved the way the chapters are organized according to seasons and the relatability of the characters. I loved the multicultural themes and the relevance this story set in the 1920s and 30s has to current issues.
AMERICA’S FIRST LADIES by Kathleen Krull
Best For Ages: Fifth through eighth grade
Where They’ll “Go”: The White House and the various states from which many of the first ladies have hailed
Why We Love It: This book proves women who have filled the position of first lady are as varied and interesting as the men who have filled the position of President. My daughter loved the way the book is broken up into small, easily digestible snippets. I think she also secretly liked the way Krull trusts readers with some controversial topics, like extramarital affairs of the president. (In other words, even though the author doesn’t go into detail about such topics, parents will want to be sure readers are okay with hints at these topics.) I loved the way the book inspired my daughter to want to visit the homes of the first ladies, read some of their biographies and even visit the exhibit dedicated to them at the National Museum of American History.
FACES MAGAZINE
Best For Ages: Fifth grade and up
Where They’ll “Go”: Around the globe
Why We Love It: We learned about this magazine when my daughter took a homeschool co-op class that used it as a resource. Each issue focuses on a different place, giving an in-depth view of the culture. It’s a great way to explore in depth destinations kids may have never even heard of as well as more familiar places. Great pictures, interesting articles and recipe and craft ideas make the issues seem like the tween size version of a cool travel mag.
Some of my Big Kid Traveler’s Favorite Books
These good books for teens and tweens will inspire your older kids to keep turning the pages.
THE HARRY POTTER SERIES by J.K. Rowling
Best For Ages: Sixth grade and up
Where They’ll “Go”: England, the mythical Hogwarts School, and the real-life version at Universal in Orlando
Why We Love It: I admit it - when my 15-year-old insisted this series be on our list, I balked a little. I mean, in envisioning this list, I was thinking about books that weren‘t quite so popular and that we’re really more about actual non-fiction places. But when your student is a teen, it’s sometimes even more important to find something they love to read about. And with the mammoth following J.K. Rawlings has, she’s obviously not alone in her infatuation with Harry and his friends. Some younger kids will enjoy this series as well but other kids (or parents) might prefer to wait to read the books when kids are teens like we did because of the scary nature of the content. And ultimately maybe this series is the perfect way to travel when you’re stuck at home. They can be paired with the movie versions to “get away” even more and inspire you to plan a trip to Universal in Orlando once we can all start traveling again.
A LONG WALK TO WATER by Linda Sue Park
Best For Ages: Sixth grade and up
Where They’ll Go: Sudan
Why We Love It: Two characters whose lives intersect are presented in this thin book with loads of take-aways on perseverance, hope, and the power of compassion to overcome adversity. We loved the fact that this book is based on a true story. And the fact that it highlighted global issues we’re passionate about, water quality and access in developing nations. I also love that this little book proves not every book your teen reads needs to be a magnum opus. Sometimes some of the best things really do come in little packages.
REFUGEE by Alan Gratz
Best For Ages: Sixth grade and up
Where They‘ll “Go”: Germany, Cuba, and Syria
Why We Love It: I’m a sucker for a book that ties stories together in unexpected ways and this timely book does just that and more. It’s a book about hardships and perseverance as told through the stories of a Jewish boy in Germany in 1930, a girl in Cuba in 1994 and a boy in Syria in 2015. My son and I both loved the suspense of the story and I loved the way the book sneaks in learning about three important times in history.
THE UNCONQUERED: IN SEARCH OF THE AMAZON’S LAST UNCONTACTED TRIBES by Scott Wallace
Best For Ages: Ninth grade and up
Where They’ll “Go”: The Amazon
Why We Love It: This is the fascinating tale of tribes of indigenous people living deep in the Amazon rainforest who are very rarely seen by anyone in modern civilization. The author, a writer for National Geographic, details his expedition with an explorer who aimed to protect such tribes. My son was fascinated with the story of the seemingly impossible juxtaposition of today’s world and the existence of people who have no contact with the outside world. The book is a great read to encourage not only a sense of adventure but also loads of interesting discussions.
THE SAGAS OF ICELANDERS collections compiled by Jane Smiley
Best For Ages: Ninth grade and up
Where They’ll “Go”: Iceland
Why We Love It: When my reluctant reader wanted to tackle this book I was both impressed and skeptical. It’s definitely a heavy hitter, both in size and scope. So it was a good lesson for me to practice what I preach and encourage my son to read about what he’s most interested in. And it turned out that the stories can actually be chunked up into more readable portions as opposed to needing to be read in chronological order. Besides - what embodies the spirit of travel and adventure more than Viking tales? He loved the daring sagas of Norseman and I simply loved the fact that he had great literature in his hands.
