During TCI’s 2022 Bring Learning Alive! Virtual Summit, Adam Welcome delivered an inspirational message to educators across the country: “Books are the best investment we can make in the life of a child.”
Summit participants took to the chat to share their favorite books. They recommended novels for social studies classrooms, nonfiction titles for teachers who want to get inspired, and fun reads for all. Check out the TCI Summit Reading List to round out your reading list.
Book for Kids | Books for Teachers
Books for Kids (and Adults Who Are Kids at Heart)
Middle-Grade Book Recommendations (Ages 8-12)
- Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate
- The War That Saved My Life By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
- Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
- Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
- Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
- Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
- Ranger’s Apprentice Series by John Flanagan
- Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman
- Daphne’s Book by Mary Downing Hahn
- Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
- One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
- Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
- Facing the Lion by Simone Arnold Liebster
- Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
- Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
- The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Young Adult Book Recommendations (Ages 12-18)
- Copper Sun by Sharon Draper
- The Outsiders by S.E.Hinton
- What I Carry by Jennifer Longo
- Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
- Soldier’s Heart by Gary Paulsen
- Dry By Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
- Milkweed by Spinelli
- The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
Books for Teachers
For Inspiration Seekers
- Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
- Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess
- 5 Love Languages of Teenagers by Dr. Gary Chapman
- Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven
- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
- Run Like a Pirate by Adam Welcome
For History Buffs
- Mount Vernon Love Story by Mary Higgins Clark
- The Second Founding by Eric Foner
- The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
- Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- Conquistador by Buddy Levy
- Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
- Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara
- City of Glory by Beverly Swerling
- Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi
For Fun
- The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
- Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
- The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
- The Institute by Stephen King
- The Sigma Force series by James Rollins
- The Rise by Marcus Samuelsson
- The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
Check out the other sessions from TCI’s Virtual Summit for more classroom inspiration or teacher professional development.
