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9 Books for Kids and Their Parents to Read Together

They're good for the whole gang

Think about the books you're most likely to read as an adult: some memoirs, some comic essay collections, some serious literary fiction. And while we're not suggesting you abandon grown-up books altogether, it's sometimes nice to take a family approach and all read the same titles. Here, nine wonderful books for kids and their parents. 

9 Books From High School You Should Reread as an Adult


books margaret

1. "are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" By Judy Blume

Best with ages 9 to 12. Anyone who’s ever grown up (or is in the process of growing up) will recognize Margaret’s triumphs, struggles and confusion. And while today’s kids might not recognize some of the more dated references (oh, sanitary belts…), adults will certainly relate to Margaret’s pre-cell phone, Snapchat and Facebook puberty.

books hobbit

2. "the Hobbit" By J.r.r. Tolkien

Best with ages 9 to 12. A bit more accessible and consistently engaging than The Lord of the Rings, this is just a really great adventure story. The themes of personal growth and overcoming challenges—told through the story of a pint-size hero—are just icing on the cake.

books prince

3. "the Little Prince" By Antoine De Saint-exupery

Best with ages 12 to 16. According to its website, this surreal fairy tale is “a book for children written for grown-ups” about an aviator stranded in the Sahara desert who meets the titular little prince. Between philosophical questions and social criticism, its remarks on the strangeness of adulthood are spot-on and highly relatable.

books attic

4. "a Light In The Attic" By Shel Silverstein

Best with ages 4 to 8. Silverstein’s delightful poems and illustrations are at their best in this classic collection, which is slightly controversial, a touch morbid and extravagantly witty. Funny and whimsical, A Light in the Attic requires almost zero commitment and is sure to make you feel like an elementary-school kid again.

books giver

5. "the Giver" By Lois Lowry

Best with ages 11 to 15. Lowry was all over the dystopia thing way before The Hunger Games series, telling the story of Jonas, a 12-year-old boy chosen to keep all the world’s memories to take the burden off of the community. It’s got powerful messages that are only amplified for world-weary adults.

books unfortunate

6. "a Series Of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning" By Lemony Snicket

Best with ages 10 to 14. Like Dickens but funnier, the first of Snicket’s 13-book series introduces us to Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, siblings whose parents died in a tragic fire. Their exploits are absurd and charmingly dark, and the older set will appreciate the author’s intricate prose and parodying of literary conventions.

books dreaming

7. "brown Girl Dreaming" By Jacqueline Woodson

Best with ages 12 to 16. This National Book Award-winning tome is a collection of personal poetry about growing up as a black girl in South Carolina and New York in the ’60s and ’70s, and should be considered required reading for everyone—regardless of their age. Woodson’s poems alternate between innocence and experience, but all are touching and powerful.

books handmaid

8. "the Handmaid's Tale" By Margaret Atwood

Best with ages 14 to 18. Set in a totalitarian theocracy, Atwood’s haunting fiction is disconcertingly relevant today in regard to women’s rights and religious freedom. While some of the subtext might go over a younger reader’s head, The Handmaid’s Tale is emotionally draining, moving and weirdly empowering (in that reading it makes you want to do anything to avoid the fate of its female characters).

books potter

9. The Entire "harry Potter" Series By J.k. Rowling

Best with ages 8 to 12. What, you thought we wouldnt include the greatest series of all time?



sarah stiefvater

Wellness Director

Sarah Stiefvater is PureWow's Wellness Director. She's been at PureWow for ten years, and in that time has written and edited stories across all categories, but currently focuses...