By Eric Carle

Recommended reading ages: 2-7 years
Lexile measure: AD460

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​The Giver is an engaging and meaningful novel within the young adult fiction genre by American writer Lois Lowry. It follows the young boy Jonas as he grows up in a superficially perfect but actually repressive society. As Jonas begins to push the boundaries of this society and discover the dangerous freedom of the real world for himself, readers are presented with a fascinating discussion of blissful ignorance versus painful truth.

A children’s classic, A Bear Called Paddington has recently been made into a popular film — but the original book, written by British author Michael Bond, is very much still worth a read. The story follows the playful bear Paddington as he travels to London from Peru and is welcomed into a typical British family. Children will immediately fall in love with the character of Paddington who always means well, but whose clumsy ways lead to funny mishaps and relatable mistakes as he attempts to adjust to human life.

English writer Agatha Christie, known as “The Queen of Crime”, has published tens of detective mysteries both thrilling and thought-provoking. Her most famous series follows Hercule Poirot, an eccentric Belgian detective, as he methodically solves cases all over the world. Though the plot of Christie’s novels often revolves around a mystery murder, the focus is on the detective’s reasoning and the facts of the case. Thus, the content of the books is appropriate for younger readers, engaging them intellectually rather than shocking them with gory details.

Time Cat is a delightful, imaginative short novel by American fantasy writer Lloyd Alexander. It tells the story of a young boy and his cat who are transported across historical eras and places, from Ancient Rome to the Incas in Peru. With a range of vivid characters, constant action and back-and-forth dialogue, Time Cat is fantastic at capturing young readers’ attention; at the same time, it engages them in a fresh retelling of significant eras in history. As the action moves from Roman Britain to Heian-era Japan to various other snapshots in time, readers not only learn a wide range of historical facts, but are also immersed in the atmosphere and subtleties of each culture.
And here are the reasons why we recommend this book, and what kids, at different ages, are expected to get from their journeys with Jason and Gareth.