For the Love of Reading with Our Kids...and Brad Meltzer

The Daddying Blog's 5th Annual Books To Read with Your Kids

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide & FREE Book Giveaway

By Scott Beller

Daddying Editor

The first time I had the honor of interacting with bestselling author Brad Meltzer was back in January 2017, when I was head writer/editor and Imperfect Dad at the Raising Nerd blog. We had recently completed a nerd Q&A profile with him, followed by my nerd-approved review of I Am Jim Henson, the 11th title in his now huge I Am... collection (you'll find the series well-represented again in this year's Guide). That same month, he came to DC for a book signing. That bit of scheduling was purely coincidental on his part, I'm sure.

My kids (left) checking to make sure their dad's OK in the back.

Despite barely having a connection to him other than us both being dads who write and a shared mission of inspiring kids, I asked my girls if they wanted to go meet "daddy's 'friend,' Brad." They did.

So, that cold, damp night, my two nerdlings and I ventured downtown to squeeze into Politics & Prose's basement and hear Brad Meltzer illuminate the wondrous life of Jim Henson. We brought two I Am books for him to sign, Henson and Jane Goodall, and with our few seconds of face-to-face, I wanted to remind him of our blog interview and quickly thank him for helping further our goal of inspiring the next generation of scientists and creative problem solvers.

A much bigger crowd for these superstars at B&N. I'm that speck way in the back under the blue arrow, Jan. 2024

After a thoroughly engaging presentation, I joined my kids near the front of the line to meet someone who in 2017 seemed on the verge of becoming a true modern literary rockstar. One of the few to earn icon status with adults and kids alike. A say, "on the verge," because that night, the receiving line wait was a fraction of what DCG founder Allan Shedlin and I spent this past January attempting to meet Brad after his presentation with illustrator Chris Eliopoulos, and Lynda Carter (aka, I Am Wonder Woman) at Barnes & Noble in Tyson's Corner. After 3 hours in line [including a dinner break], sadly, we had to bail.

When I introduced myself and the girls at Politics & Prose in 2017, Brad seemed to know who I was right away [got big dad points with the kids!]. He might have been playing along just to prop me up in front of them, which was a very cool and dad thing to do. Either way, dad points for him too.

But the thing he didn't have to do, but did anyway, was he thanked me first. Even though the positive impact on kids and families from the work I was doing for the blog was infinitesimal compared to his, he, a multiple bestselling author with dozens of titles beloved by millions of kids and adults, thanked me, who had just one ghostwritten book to his name (find it in the gift guide below) and was still six years away from cracking 5,000 followers on Twitter. And then, he did this:

Fan and (I will claim) dad friend/acquaintance for life!

Four years later, now with this new dadblog as my platform, I assembled the 2nd annual books gift guide for Daddying with the driving message that reading to and with your kids is essential for many reasons, but especially because it opens everyone's mind:

Basically, as a parent, I see it as my responsibility to help my kids understand the world around them – beautiful, exciting, messy, and dangerous as it may be. As they get older and become more independent, I want them to be able to make good decisions and navigate their lives safely and with open minds. And just as important, I want them to empathize with how other people experience that same world and, if needed and appropriate, to offer a helping hand.

Now here we are on the threshold of 2025, many of us and our neighbors staring into a political abyss with that message echoing ever louder. But standing in the way of this ideal are more screens and fewer books. More social media, less physical media. More books banned, fewer libraries appreciated. More rewriting history, less free speech. More hate, less empathy. So, what do we do now?

Just two bookish dads supporting each other's work.

Well, in our small daddying corner of this chaotic world, we write. This week, as we've done this time of year for the past five years, we write about the power and connection kids and parents can derive from sharing, reading, discussing, recommending, and gifting books. Books that not only entertain, educate, and energize kids' imaginations, but also stretch their minds and prompt new questions. Books that explore new approaches to solving tough problems. Books that help us see the world through another's eyes. Some consider that last bit as dangerous and worthy of censor. I disagree. So does PEN America, EveryLibrary, First Book, and Free Library of Philadelphia.

And so does my friend, devoted Dad, and superhero in the fight against book bans, Brad Meltzer. At least two books from his Ordinary People Change the World/I Am series have been targeted by book banners: I Am Rosa Parks and I Am Martin Luther King Jr.. And this year, we're extremely thankful that he's generously agreed to offer his "dangerous" kids books for our holiday giveaway like he has for the past three years (CLICK HERE or scroll to bottom of Guide to enter this year's free raffle).

Thanks again, Brad!

Daddying Books to Read With Your Kids

2024 Holiday Gift Guide

FREE Book Giveaway Details At End of Guide

EDITOR'S NOTE: Many books on our list, including major award winners, have been banned at some point in the past, are currently banned in at least one school district in the U.S., or are actively being targeted by anti-civil rights, pro-censorship, and other repressive groups in an attempt to have them banned from school libraries, classrooms, public libraries, and even bookstores in communities across the United States. Targeted/banned books below are denoted with asterisks* and are categorized according to publisher/booksellers' suggested age groups. When you deem them age-appropriate for your own children, we wholeheartedly recommend you read and discuss them together, over and over again. And here's one specific recommended read for parents who are just as concerned about censorship and stifling ideas as we are here at the Daddying blog:

They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms by Mike Hixenbaugh

Where possible, we've linked to books for purchase either from the author/publisher or from an independent online bookseller, like Powell's and BookShop.org. None of the links to purchase books from the Guide are affiliate links, i.e., DCG/Daddying blog is not compensated for clicks, so, please, shop away to support indie bookstores!

Thanks to all our authors who, like Brad, have provided books for our giveaway. We greatly appreciate your generosity during this season of giving. Happy holidays and thoughtful shopping to you and yours – keep READING and Daddy on!

Books for Younger Kids (Pre-K and Under 8):