Top Books for Children

Literacy in the United States is defined as a person over age fifteen who is able to read and write. Literacy levels in this country vary greatly depending on various factors: urban vs. rural, the immigrant population level of a certain area and more. What is known is that one in four children will grow up without learning how to read, and that as of 2011 America is the only free-market country in which the current generation is less educated than the previous one. Since literacy is a learned skill, it can also be inferred that illiteracy can be passed down from illiterate parents.
That said, the push for children to read is more important than ever. Not only will it help them learn to read and comprehend better, but it will increase their language skills and their possibilities for the future. Here are some suggestions for children's literature for students around 10 years and up. Some of our top suggestions are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner, Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken, Owl Service by Alan Garner, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson, A Hundred Million Francs by Paul Berna and The Castafiore Emerald by Hergé.