The Daddying Blog's 5th Annual Books To Read with Your Kids
Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide & FREE Book Giveaway
By Scott Beller
Daddying Editor
The first time I had the honor of interacting with bestselling author Brad Meltzer was back in January 2017, when I was head writer/editor and Imperfect Dad at the Raising Nerd blog. We had recently completed a nerd Q&A profile with him, followed by my nerd-approved review of I Am Jim Henson, the 11th title in his now huge I Am... collection (you'll find the series well-represented again in this year's Guide). That same month, he came to DC for a book signing. That bit of scheduling was purely coincidental on his part, I'm sure.
Despite barely having a connection to him other than us both being dads who write and a shared mission of inspiring kids, I asked my girls if they wanted to go meet "daddy's 'friend,' Brad." They did.
So, that cold, damp night, my two nerdlings and I ventured downtown to squeeze into Politics & Prose's basement and hear Brad Meltzer illuminate the wondrous life of Jim Henson. We brought two I Am books for him to sign, Henson and Jane Goodall, and with our few seconds of face-to-face, I wanted to remind him of our blog interview and quickly thank him for helping further our goal of inspiring the next generation of scientists and creative problem solvers.
After a thoroughly engaging presentation, I joined my kids near the front of the line to meet someone who in 2017 seemed on the verge of becoming a true modern literary rockstar. One of the few to earn icon status with adults and kids alike. A say, "on the verge," because that night, the receiving line wait was a fraction of what DCG founder Allan Shedlin and I spent this past January attempting to meet Brad after his presentation with illustrator Chris Eliopoulos, and Lynda Carter (aka, I Am Wonder Woman) at Barnes & Noble in Tyson's Corner. After 3 hours in line [including a dinner break], sadly, we had to bail.
When I introduced myself and the girls at Politics & Prose in 2017, Brad seemed to know who I was right away [got big dad points with the kids!]. He might have been playing along just to prop me up in front of them, which was a very cool and dad thing to do. Either way, dad points for him too.
But the thing he didn't have to do, but did anyway, was he thanked me first. Even though the positive impact on kids and families from the work I was doing for the blog was infinitesimal compared to his, he, a multiple bestselling author with dozens of titles beloved by millions of kids and adults, thanked me, who had just one ghostwritten book to his name (find it in the gift guide below) and was still six years away from cracking 5,000 followers on Twitter. And then, he did this:
Fan and (I will claim) dad friend/acquaintance for life!
Four years later, now with this new dadblog as my platform, I assembled the 2nd annual books gift guide for Daddying with the driving message that reading to and with your kids is essential for many reasons, but especially because it opens everyone's mind:
Basically, as a parent, I see it as my responsibility to help my kids understand the world around them – beautiful, exciting, messy, and dangerous as it may be. As they get older and become more independent, I want them to be able to make good decisions and navigate their lives safely and with open minds. And just as important, I want them to empathize with how other people experience that same world and, if needed and appropriate, to offer a helping hand.
Now here we are on the threshold of 2025, many of us and our neighbors staring into a political abyss with that message echoing ever louder. But standing in the way of this ideal are more screens and fewer books. More social media, less physical media. More books banned, fewer libraries appreciated. More rewriting history, less free speech. More hate, less empathy. So, what do we do now?
Well, in our small daddying corner of this chaotic world, we write. This week, as we've done this time of year for the past five years, we write about the power and connection kids and parents can derive from sharing, reading, discussing, recommending, and gifting books. Books that not only entertain, educate, and energize kids' imaginations, but also stretch their minds and prompt new questions. Books that explore new approaches to solving tough problems. Books that help us see the world through another's eyes. Some consider that last bit as dangerous and worthy of censor. I disagree. So does PEN America, EveryLibrary, First Book, and Free Library of Philadelphia.
And so does my friend, devoted Dad, and superhero in the fight against book bans, Brad Meltzer. At least two books from his Ordinary People Change the World/I Am series have been targeted by book banners: I Am Rosa Parks and I Am Martin Luther King Jr.. And this year, we're extremely thankful that he's generously agreed to offer his "dangerous" kids books for our holiday giveaway like he has for the past three years (CLICK HERE or scroll to bottom of Guide to enter this year's free raffle).
Thanks again, Brad!
Daddying Books to Read With Your Kids
2024 Holiday Gift Guide
FREE Book Giveaway Details At End of Guide
EDITOR'S NOTE: Many books on our list, including major award winners, have been banned at some point in the past, are currently banned in at least one school district in the U.S., or are actively being targeted by anti-civil rights, pro-censorship, and other repressive groups in an attempt to have them banned from school libraries, classrooms, public libraries, and even bookstores in communities across the United States. Targeted/banned books below are denoted with asterisks* and are categorized according to publisher/booksellers' suggested age groups. When you deem them age-appropriate for your own children, we wholeheartedly recommend you read and discuss them together, over and over again. And here's one specific recommended read for parents who are just as concerned about censorship and stifling ideas as we are here at the Daddying blog:
They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms by Mike Hixenbaugh
Where possible, we've linked to books for purchase either from the author/publisher or from an independent online bookseller, like Powell's and BookShop.org. None of the links to purchase books from the Guide are affiliate links, i.e., DCG/Daddying blog is not compensated for clicks, so, please, shop away to support indie bookstores!
Thanks to all our authors who, like Brad, have provided books for our giveaway. We greatly appreciate your generosity during this season of giving. Happy holidays and thoughtful shopping to you and yours – keep READING and Daddy on!
Books for Younger Kids (Pre-K and Under 8):
GIVEAWAY BOOKS: I Am Mr. Rogers, I Am Dolly Parton, I Am John Lewis, and I Am Ruth Bader Ginsburg all signed by Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos
GIVEAWAY BOOKS: Giant-Sized Butterflies on My First Day of School by Justin Roberts, illustrated by Paola Escobar, The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade illustrated by Christian Robinson, and I'll Be Your Polar Bear illustrated by Chuck Groenink
GIVEAWAY BOOKS: Great Big Feelings series (book bundle w/ BIG basket of swag!) by Hallee Adelman, illustrated by Karen Wall
GIVEAWAY BOOKS: I Know My Rights coloring book, The Extraordinary Day of Daffodil Grey and Daffodil Grey and the Colorful Parade (3-book bundle) by Anna Gilchrist
GIVEAWAY BOOKS: What a Hippopota-Mess, Monster Lunch, and Rhyme Stones (3-book bundle) signed by Pat Skene, illustrated by Graham Ross
Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos's Ordinary People Change the World series
The Great Henry Hopendower by Justin Roberts, illustrated by Deborah Hocking
More Bears! by Kenn Nesbitt and Troy Cummings
Banana Bop (pre-order for 1/21/25), Moo, Baa, La La La!, The Going To Bed Book, Hippos Go Berserk, and so many more by Sandra Boynton
Curious George by H.A. Rey
Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
My Father's House by Mina Javaherbin, illustrated by Lindsey Yankey
Odder: An Otter's Story by Katherine Applegate; illustrated by Charles Santoso
Dory Fantasmagory series by Abby Hanlon
Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer
Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea* by Chris Butterworth
Wind is A Dance by Debra Kempf Shumaker, illustrated by Josée Bisaillon
A Big Mooncake for Little Star* by Grace Lin, who spoke with Ali Velshi last year on MSNBC's Velshi Banned Book Club segment about how ridiculous it is that her Caldecott Honor book has been targeted.
Papa's Coming Home (pre-order for 5/20/25 release) by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor
There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds
The North Star by Peter H. Reynolds
Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash and Detective Duck: The Case of the Missing Tadpole by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, illustrated by Dan Santat
The Snow Thief by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Nicola Slater
The Map of Good Memories by Fran Nuño, illustrated by Zuzanna Celej and translated by Jon Brokenbrow
Harold Hates to Hibernate by Vern Kousky
Alfie Explores A to Z: A Seek-And-Find Adventure by Jeff Drew
Why Not? and Maybe, by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Gabriella Barouch; Noticing and Trying, illustrated by Elise Hurst
Something's Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear and Everything's Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Trouble Everywhere (preorder for 5/20/25) by Jory John, illustrated by Erin Kraan
Llama Llama Red Pajama book series by Anna Dewdney
Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by Steve McCarthy
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz
Thank You, It's an Afro by Gabrielle W. Bridges and Cassidy Bridges
Daddy, Papa, and Me* by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson
The Questioneers series by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone, illustrated by Michael Smollin
Once I Was Very Very Scared and You Weren't With Me by Chandra Ghosh Ippen, illustrated by Erich Peter Ippen Jr.
The Boldest White: A Story of Hijab and Community by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly
Zilot and Other Important Rhymes by Bob, Erin, and Nate Odenkirk
Huck and Loona by Emily Kilgore, illustrated by Florence Weiser
When Spring Comes to the DMZ* by Uk-Bae Lee
Grandfather Tang's Story* by Ann Tompert, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker
Jonathan James & the Whatif Monster series by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt
Shy Spaghetti & Excited Eggs by Marc Nemiroff and Jane Annunziata
The Gift of Ramadan* by Rabiah York Lumbard, illustrated by Laura K. Horton
Dumpling Soup* by Jama Kim Rattigan, illustrated by Lillian Hsu
When Aidan Became a Brother* by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
Something, Someday by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Christian Robinson
Change Sings: A Children's Anthem by Amanda Gorman and Loren Long
Save the Earth series by Bethany Stahl
And Tango Makes Three* by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
My Powerful Hair by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Steph Littlebird
Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates* by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Raúl Colón
This Is My Daddy! by Mies van Hout
Big by Vashti Harrison
The Story of Ferdinand* by Munro Leaf
Before She Was Harriet* by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome
Henry Aaron’s Dream* by Matt Tavares
The Great Squirrel Burglar by Mary Ellen Graham Wehrli and J. Lawrence Graham
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
Stella Brings the Family* by Miriam B. Schiffer, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale series, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus series, and Because by Mo Willems
Ricky, the Rock That Just Couldn't Rhyme and Patrick Picklebottom and the Longest Wait by Mr. Jay and Gary Wilkinson
Eyes That Speak to the Stars and Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna & Dung Ho
When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball* by Mark Weakland, illustrated by Daniel Duncan
The Catalogue of Hugs by Joshua David Stein and Augustus Heeren Stein, illustrated by Elizabeth Lilly
Cold by Tim McCanna, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki
The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet by David L. Harrison, illustrated by Kate Cosgrove
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress* by Christine Baldacchino and Isabelle Malenfant
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? and The Lorax* by Dr. Seuss
The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics by Susan Hood and illustrated by Christiane Engel
If You Give A Moose A Muffin series by Laura Numeroff and Felica Bond
Don't Tickle the Cow! by Sam Taplin, illustrated by Ana Martin Larranaga
I Am Jazz* by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
It Fell From the Sky and Ocean Meets Sky by Terry and Eric Fan
Germs (the Good, the Bad, and the Friendly) by John Devolle
Women Who Broke the Rules: Sonya Sotomayor* by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Angela Dominguez
Nour's Secret Library by Wafa' Tarnowska, illustrated by Vali Mintzi
We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorelland Frane Lessac
The Truth About the Couch by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Liniers
Dragons Love Tacos and Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri
The Helping Sweater by Rachel Más Davidson
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin
If You Come to Earth and Negative Cat by Sophie Blackall
Islandborn* by Junot Díaz, illustrated by Leo Espinosa
Julián Is a Mermaid* by Jessica Love
The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López
Neither* by Airlie Anderson
How Was That Built?: The Stories Behind Awesome Structures by Roma Agrawal
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams and illustrated by Erin Stead
Children Who Dance in the Rain by Susan Justice, illustrated by Lena Bardy
A Family Is A Family Is A Family* by Sara O’Leary and Qin Leng
The Mountain and The Goat by Siamak Taghaddos, illustrated by Amélie Touchet
For Older Elementary Kids (Ages 8-12):
Ban This Book: A Novel by Alan Gratz
When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water* by Nikole Hannah-Jones
The Gray City by Torben Kuhlmann
The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggars
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo; Flora & Ulysses illustrated by K. G. Campbell; The Hotel Balzaar illustrated by Júlia Sardà; and The Puppets of Spelhorst illustrated by Julie Morstad
Odder: The Novel, Crenshaw, The One and Only Ivan, and The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate
Dogtown and Mouse and His Dog: A Dogtown Book by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko, illustrated by Wallace West
Amazing Grapes by Jules Feiffer
Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You* by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Once Upon A Tim collection by Stuart Gibbs, illustrated by Stacy Curtis
Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio* by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Raul Colon
The New Girl: A Graphic Novel by Cassandra Calin
The Boy At the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf
MacKenzie's Last Run by Gayle Rosengren
The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels and A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln, illustrated by Claire Powell
Grow Up, Luchy Zapata by Alexandra Alessandri
Invisible Emmie and the Emmie & Friends series by Terri Libenson
The Wild Robot series by Peter Brown
The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon
A Story of Whoa by Chris Corbett, illustrated by Richardo Galvao
The Book That No One Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade, illustrated by Tor Freeman
Monster Movie! by Chuck Wendig
Lola by Karla Arenas Valenti
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
New Kid* series by Jerry Craft
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy: Racism, Injustice, and How You Can Be a Changemaker* by Emmanuel Acho
Carter Reads the Newspaper* by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by and Don Tate
Stella By Starlight by Sharon M. Draper
The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson
A Duet For Home and The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Human Kaboom: 6 Explosively Different Stories with the Same Exact Name by Adam Rubin
Lost Boys* by Darcey Rosenblatt
The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968* by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Barbed Wire Baseball: How One Man Brought Hope to the Japanese Internment Camps of WWII* by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Yuko Marissa Shimizu
The School for Good and Evil collection by Soman Chainani
The Space We're In by Katya Balen
When You Trap a Tiger* by Tae Keller
Nano by Jess Wade and Melissa Castrillon
Black Frontiers: A History of African American Heroes in the Old West* by Lillian Schlissel
Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team Defeated Army* by Art Coulson and Nick Hardcastle
Nicky & Vera and The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís
The Superteacher Project and The Fort by Gordon Korman
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
The Girl Who Rowed the Ocean and The Boy Who Biked the World by Alastair Humphreys
The Whoosh of Gadoosh by Pat Skene
To Night Owl from Dogfish* by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer
The Math Inspectors series by Daniel Kenney and Emily Boever
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Stories For Boys Who Dare To Be Different by Ben Brooks
All the Wrong Questions mystery series by Lemony Snicket
The Flag of Childhood: Poems From the Middle East* compiled by Naomi Shihab Nye
My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness by Georgia Heard, illustrated by Isabel Roxas
The Mighty Miss Malone* by Christopher Paul Curtis
Coyote Lost and Found and The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart
We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly
Captain Underpants series* by Dav Pilkey
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Concealed* by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
For Middle School+:
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie
Night* by Elie Wiesel
They Called Us Enemy* by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott, illustrated by Harmony Becker
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King
Refugee by Alan Gratz
Westfallen by Ann and Ben Brashares
The Assignment by Liza Wiemer
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West* by Gregory Maguire
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
The Perks of Being a Wallflower* by Stephen Chbosky
Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation* by Ari Folman and David Polonsky
The Best At It* by Maulik Pancholy
Out of My Dreams by Sharon M. Draper
Once by Morris Gleitzman
The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner
Persepolis: The Story of A Childhood* by Marjane Satrapi
The Benefits of Being an Octopus* by Ann Braden
We Were Liars* and Family of Liars* by E. Lockhart
Ghost by Jason Reynolds; All American Boys* by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely; Ain't Burned All the Bright, illustrated by Jason Griffin
Lily and Dunkin* by Donna Gephart
It's a Wonderful Death by Sarah J. Schmitt
The Poet X* by Elizabeth Acevedo
Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare by Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy, illustrated by Tim Foley
The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum and A Copycat Conundrum (preorder for 1/7/25) by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat
Cemetery Boys* Aiden Thomas
The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope and We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time by José Andrés
Gallant by V.E. Schwab
Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades by Rebecca Renner
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* by Sherman Alexie
The Hunger Games* by Suzanne Collins
Life Skills for Teens by Karen Harris
What If? 2 and How To by Randall Munroe
Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone
Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery
Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The Gilded Ones, The Merciless Ones, and The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna
The Magic Fish* (Graphic Novel) by Trung Le Nguyen
The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan
Call Us What We Carry: Poems* by Amanda Gorman
Posted by John David Anderson
The Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation by John Lewis
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
The Last Cuentista* by Donna Barba Higuera
The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Brett Helquist
Melissa (previously published as George)* by Alex Gino
Everything Sad Is Untrue: (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri
I Must Betray You* by Ruta Sepetys and The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
This One Summer* by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
American Murderer: The Parasite that Haunted the South by Gail Jarrow
The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Drained by Marc Daniel Acriche
A Twisted Tale series by Liz Braswell and Farrah Rochon
Bluebird and The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre* by Carole Boston Weatherford
A Long Pitch Home* by Natalie Dias Lorenzi
They Both Die At the End* by Adam Silvera
Spy x Family series* by Tatsuya Endo
The Pants Project* by Cat Clarke
When Women Were Dragons: A Novel by Kelly Barnhill
Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov, translated by Boris Dralyuk
What About Will by Ellen Hopkins
For High Schoolers+
GIVEAWAY BOOK: Beggars or Angels by Rosemary Tran Lauer with Daddying blog editor Scott Beller (signed)
GIVEAWAY BOOK: Anvil of God (Book 1 of The Carolingian Chronicles) by regular Daddying blog contributor J. Boyce Gleason
To Kill A Mockingbird* by Harper Lee – perpetually is in the crosshairs of those who would ban it from classrooms rather than allow this classic to spark open, honest, and, importantly, educational discussions about systemic social issues.
James by Percival Everett
Nineteen Minutes* by Jodi Picoult was the most commonly banned book in 2024, one of 19 titles banned in 50 or more school districts nationwide.
1984* by George Orwell is the most banned book of all time.
Voyage of the Damned: A Fantasy Novel by Frances White
Parable of the Sower* by Octavia E. Butler
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
Gender Queer: A Memoir* by Maia Kobabe was the most banned book of 2022 and has been constantly targeted ever since then for telling nonbinary author Kobabe’s journey toward self-discovery.
Entitlement: A Novel by Rumaan Alam
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
Roots* by Alex Haley
Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel* by Kurt Vonnegut
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library: A Novel by Michiko Aoyama
Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
The Handmaid's Tale* by Margaret Atwood
Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out* by Susan Kuklin
When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson
Thirteen Reasons Why* by Jay Asher
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Built From the Fire: The Epic Story of Tulsa's Greenwood District, America's Black Wall Street by Victor Luckerson
Clap When You Land* by Elizabeth Acevedo
The Last Murder at the End of the World: A Novel by Stuart Turton
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May
We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I: A Palestinian Memoir by Raja Shehadeh
Out of Darkness* by Ashley Hope Pérez
Last Night at the Telegraph Club* by Malinda Lo
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now: A Love Story by Jason Reynolds
The Boys in The Boat and Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
America Is Not the Heart: A Novel by Elaine Castillo
Shakespeare for Squirrels: A Novel and Fool by Christopher Moore
American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond by Jeremy Dauber
North Woods: A Novel by Daniel Mason
One of Us Is Lying* series by Karen McManus
The Family Experiment by John Marrs
People Kill People* by Ellen Hopkins
The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss
Orbital: A Novel by Samantha Harvey
The Haters* by Robyn Harding
Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy by Carlos Eire
Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice
Extinction by Douglas Preston
Saints of the Household by Ari Tison
Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb
The Hollow and the Haunted by Camilla Raines
The Critic's Daughter by Priscilla Gilman
The Sun and Her Flowers* by Rupi Kaur
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue* by V.E. Schwab
Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews
The God of Small Things* by Arundhati Roy
This Book Is Gay* by Juno Dawson
Man o' War* by Cory McCarthy
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close* by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
On Writing by Stephen King
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings* by Maya Angelou
Fences* by August Wilson
A Place for Us: A Memoir* by Brandon J. Wolf
A Court of Thorns and Roses* series by Sarah J. Maas
Forever* by Judy Blume
The Dictionary of Lost Words: A Novel by Pip Williams
Monday's Not Coming* by Tiffany D. Jackson
Starter Villain and The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
SOLD* by Patricia McCormick
The Treeline: The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth by Ben Rawlence
Mickey7: A Novel by Edward Ashton
The Hate U Give* by Angie Thomas
Dear Martin* by Nic Stone
Fahrenheit 451* and Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
The Lincoln Highway: A Novel by Amor Towles
A House Between Earth and the Moon: A Novel by Rebecca Scherm
Beloved* by Toni Morrison
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race* collection compiled by Jesmyn Ward
Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre* by Brandy Colbert
Middle of the Night: A Novel by Riley Sager
Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal* by Conor Grennan
Great Circle: A novel by Maggie Shipstead
A Court of Thorns and Roses* series by Sarah J. Maas
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Klara and the Sun: A novel by Kazuo Ishiguro
Out of Darkness* by Ashley Hope Pérez
Lucky* by Alice Sebold
Hey, Brown Girl by Janay Harden
The Carnival at Bray* by Jessie Ann Foley
The Midnight Library and The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
Looking for Alaska* by John Green
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Scott Beller is the proud, imperfect crew dad of two mighty girls, imperfect husband of a rock-star mom/regatta chaperone, truth teller, former soccer coach, part-time driving instructor, photobomber, purveyor of banned books, Editor of the Daddying blog, and Director of Communications for DCG and D3F. He's a seasoned writer and PR agency veteran with more than 30 years of experience helping organizations of all sizes reach audiences and tell their stories. Prior to launching his own creative communications consultancy in 2003, he led PR teams with some of the world’s most respected agencies, including Fleishman-Hillard and The Weber Group. As a consultant, he’s helped launch two other parenting advocacy nonprofits with DCG founder Allan Shedlin. His first book, Beggars or Angels, appears in the gift guide above and was a ghostwritten memoir for the nonprofit Devotion to Children's founder Rosemary Tran Lauer, with whom he will again collaborate on a book in 2025. He was formerly known as "Imperfect Dad" and Head Writer/Editor for the Raising Nerd blog, which supported parents in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and creative problem solvers. He earned his BA in Communications from VA Tech so many years ago.
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