Need more book suggestions than you can find here? Here are some other great blogs, lists, and books about books which focus on appropriate reading for Catholic children and teens.
Michael O’Brien’s A Landscape With Dragons: The Battle for Your Child’s Mind
Catholic Mosaic: Living the Liturgical Year With Children
Jessica at Shower of Roses Blog is a Catholic blogger who suggests Catholic books for nearly every feast day imaginable! She has her lists divided by month so it’s easy to look for books for upcoming feast days.
I agree with most of the book choices on the Mater Amabilis book lists. Mater Amabilis is a Catholic version of Charlotte Mason, an independent learning program. Both programs value self-paced learning with lots of reading, so have lengthy lists of great book suggestions.
I also like the book suggestions used for each grade of Mother of Divine Grace homeschool’s curriculum. These tend to have more suggestions for history and social studies.
Seton Home Study school has even more extensive lists by grade, though these are hard to find on their website. Your best off searching them online by grade: for example “Seton Fifth Grade Reading List” to find the list for fifth grade.
and 
are two of his books which were actually made into movies: 
and 
.
is the perfect book and movie duo for children who love animals, particularly horses. Marguerite Henry’s poignant story of love and loss on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is equally appreciated by adults.
, a hilarious comedy for the whole family to watch.
.
.
is a lesser known work by Jules Verne of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fame. I have enjoyed every Jules Verne book I ever read, and this one is no exception. Mary and Robert Grant embark on an epic treasure hunt around the globe to find their shipwrecked father. It was adapted rather successfully into a fun film starring the Mary Poppins children: 
movie is a classic family film, and the book has even more interesting details about how the Robinson family survived on the island.
, which closely follows the book’s plot. (Note that I did not think the subsequent films in this series to stick close enough to their respective novels to be considered good adaptations.)
, since I felt the film really captured the magic of Sarah’s imagination.
.
and 
.
, 
, and 
, actually does fall in love with a woman on trial for murder in 
, a whodunit, and 
, you need to. You will be a more cheerful person after encountering Wodehouse. Also your vocabulary will expand tremendously.
and 
are her best works, but if you haven’t read some of her lesser known books, they are a perfect length and lightness for a vacation! For example, 
trilogy is also excellent.
Reading at least 
is too young for courting. This second volume of the Anne series is also appropriate for 12 and olders.
is a collection of the letters Anne wrote to Gilbert during the three years of their engagement and separation while he attended medical school and she worked as a Principal at Summerside High School. This book is particularly delightful since Anne herself narrates her experiences far from Avonlea. With careful propriety, Montgomery “omits” those paragraphs where Anne’s pen is not too scratchy for her to write of her love for Gilbert, so these letters read as very PG, though I would personally save them for 14 and older again since I think they will be more appreciated at that age.
, and continuing with 
, the Anne books take a decided turn towards more adult conflicts and themes. While they are still tame compared to the sordidness spewed forth in many modern novels, these books simply present a realistic picture of adult life with believable concerns, cares and crosses. Anne and Gilbert suffer through the death of their first child. Anne helps a friend stay true to her difficult husband despite loving another man. The Blythes navigate their first disagreements. Anne even begins to doubt that Gilbert still loves her and worries about an old flame of his who is attempting to ensnare him. Stories along these lines were meant for a more mature audience, and I would definitely not recommend them before age 16.
, Montgomery returns to her style in the very first Anne book, recounting the adventures of the six Blythe children and their young neighbors, the four Merediths. These stories are innocent and fun, all about helping the Merediths find the perfect stepmother and taking care of a young runaway girl named Mary Vance. Girls 12 and older will enjoy them.
is the final book in the Anne series. Rilla is Anne’s youngest daughter, a slightly spoiled but still sweet fifteen year old who comes of age during the different years of World War I. The book focuses on the effects of the War on the tiny village of St. Mary’s Mead, and the Blythe family particularly. Rilla’s story of a rather selfish young girl learning true courage and selflessness in a chaotic world is quite inspiring, and a great book for girls 14 and older.
and 
. I hope your daughters come to love Anne and the village of Avonlea as much as I do.
to her older brother. When we finished the chapter, she went to the bookshelf and out of the confusion of several hundred picture books she carefully selected 
, 
, and 
.
1. Shirley Hughes is one of my absolute favorite children’s authors/illustrators. Not only are her distinctive illustrations carefully executed, they contain so many small details that little children delight in studying them. Her stories are always simple and engaging on the surface, but underneath they invariably present an age appropriate lesson. For example, 
encourages children who are moving that there will be good aspects of their new homes. In 
, Alfie exemplifies that even a small child can offer comfort and help to an older child. And 
is what I consider Hughes’ masterpiece: a tear-jerking tale of sibling love and sacrifice. Hughes also wrote one of my favorite book of children’s poetry:
.
, a lovely story about a pony who realizes that being gentle and kind is more important than being physically beautiful. We also enjoy 
, 
and 
. While I enjoy the illustrations in her Christmas themed books, I do not recommend them since she sadly promotes a heavily secularized view of Christmas.
. We love all her stories about Old Bear, Jolly Tall, Little Bear, Rabbit, and Bramwell!
, star Percy the Park Keeper, a sweet-natured gardener who makes friends with all the animals in the park. The largest collection of Percy’s adventures, 
, is out of print but can often be found in used condition quite cheaply.
follows 16 Carmelite nuns as they face the guillotine during the French revolution. An inspiring story based on true events. 
by Lloyd Douglas is the fascinating story of a Roman centurion whose life is changed forever when he acquires Christ’s robe.