For a 12-year-old who just finished
by Barbara Park
Pick 1 of 3
by Ben Clanton
Age fit: 4–8 · 420L (~1st–2nd grade) · Solid early reader — they'll fly through it · 64 pages · Early reader · 2016
Clanton's warmth and deadpan absurdist humor make this the gold-standard friendship book for early readers—kids laugh, absorb kindness without preaching, and ask for it again.
Pick 2 of 3
by Maurice Sendak
Age fit: 4–8 · 450L (~2nd–3rd grade) · Solid early reader — they'll fly through it · Picture book
Sendak's celebration of joyful chaos and rule-breaking play — the illustrations are the real story, and kids return to this one asking 'read it again?' because the strangeness feels like permission.
Pick 3 of 3
by Maurice Sendak
Age fit: 4–8 · 450L (~2nd–3rd grade) · Solid early reader — they'll fly through it · Picture book
Sendak's celebration of joyful chaos and rule-breaking play — the illustrations are the real story, and kids return to this one asking 'read it again?' because the strangeness feels like permission.
Want picks for a different book?
