Getting the Banned Back Together

The Daddying Blog's 6th Annual Books To Read with Your Kids

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide & FREE Book Giveaway

By Scott Beller

Daddying blog Editor

IMAGE: c/o New York Public Library

To kick off the 2025 holiday season of giving, I'll try to keep the up-front part of this post short and sweet because the next part is bountiful and even sweeter. A cornucopia awaits your browsing eyes, and overflows with stories, knowledge and truth, fresh perspectives, adventures, laughter and tears, and historical lessons everyone can and should embrace.

Never.

But still, here we are in the year 2025, and book banning is on the rise. It's an old tool used by repressive regimes to distort reality, destroy independent thought, and bend a population to their will. The good news is that it's a strategy that rarely works for very long.

The even better news is there are amazing people hard at work educating our kids and combating book bans nationwide. Organizations like PEN America, EveryLibrary, and FirstBook are fighting to empower teachers, librarians, parents, and students while improving literacy and preserving our kids' right to access age-appropriate books wherever they want. And they are winning in court.

Yes, it may take time, but the truth has a way of finding the light. One of those truths is that there are many, many more truth warriors than book banners.

We hope you and your kids will find a good book or two from our 2025 Holiday Gift Guide below. Happy holidays and thoughtful shopping to you and yours – keep READING with the kids, read banned books, and, as always...

Daddy on!

MORE LITERACY HEROES:

Brooklyn Public Library's Books Unbanned Project: Allows students across the country to borrow banned books from its eBook collection

BookTrust.org: Provides students in Title I elementary schools the opportunity to choose and keep their own books—at no cost to their families.

The Librarians, selected for DOC NYC’s Winner’s Circle after winning 18 festival awards including Best Documentary at Sarasota, Dallas, and Bentonville film festivals. The Librarians world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is now playing across the country in over 120 theaters.

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Daddying Books to Read With Your Kids

2025 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 recommend you read and discuss them together, over and over again.

BONUS BOOKS:

One for parents to read with or without the kids:

Poems of Parenting by Loryn Brantz

And one recommended 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

Wherever possible, we've linked books for purchase either directly from author websites or from an online bookseller, like BookShop.org, that supports independent bookstores. None of the links to purchase books from the Guide are affiliate links, i.e., DCG/Daddying blog is NOT compensated for any clicks, so, please, shop away to support authors and indie bookstores!

Thanks again to all our generous author friends who have donated books for our annual FREE book giveaway (you can enter at bottom of the Gift Guide), especially returning authors like Brad Meltzer, Anna Gilchrist, and Justin Roberts!

OK now it's time to dig in – Happy Thanksgiving and happy hunting!

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

1. GIVEAWAY BOOKS: I Am Billie Jean King* , I Am Mr. Rogers, I Am Dolly Parton, I Am John Lewis, and We Are the Beatles, all signed by Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos

2. GIVEAWAY BOOKS: I'll Be Your Polar Bear by Justin Roberts, illustrated by Chuck Groenink

3. GIVEAWAY BOOKS (3-book bundle): I Know My Rights coloring book, The Extraordinary Day of Daffodil Grey and Daffodil Grey and the Colorful Parade by Anna Gilchrist

4. Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos's Ordinary People Change the World series

5. Giant-Sized Butterflies on My First Day of School by Justin Roberts, illustrated by Paola Escobar; The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade illustrated by Christian Robinson; and The Great Henry Hopendower illustrated by Deborah Hocking

6. Night Creatures: Firefly: An uplifting and lyrical story of light, hope, and wonder by Robert MacFarlane, illustrated by Luke Adam Hawker

7. Girls on the Rise by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Loveis Wise

8. More Bears! by Kenn Nesbitt and Troy Cummings

9. There Are No Silly Questions: More than 200 Weird and Wacky Questions, Expertly Answered! by Mike Rampton, illustrated by Guilherme Karsten

10. Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat

11. Millie Fleur Saves the Night by Christy Mandin

12. Smooches, Moo, Baa, La La La!, Hippos Go Berserk, and so many more by Sandra Boynton

13. Growing Home by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Terry and Eric Fan

14. How to Read A Book by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

15. The Everything Trail by Meg Fleming, illustrated by Chuck Groenink

16. Others: A Story For All of Us (preorder) by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Charles Santoso

17. A Family Is A Family Is A Family* by Sara O’Leary and Qin Leng

18. Humble Pie and the rest of the Food Group series by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald

19. Attack of the Underwear Dragon and Return of the Underwear Dragon by Scott Rothman, illustrated by Pete Oswald

20. The Noise Inside Boys: A Story About Big Feelings, by Pete Oswald

21. Odder: An Otter's Story (picture book version) by Katherine Applegate; illustrated by Charles Santoso

22. Islandborn* by Junot Díaz, illustrated by Leo Espinosa

23. My Papa Has a Red Mustache by Leo Espinosa and The Creature of Habit by Jennifer E. Smith, illustrated by Leo Espinosa

24. Dragons Love Tacos, Those Darn Squirrels, and Robo-Sauce by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri

25. Dory Fantasmagory: Center of the Universe by Abby Hanlon

26. Sharice's Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman* by Sharice Davids and Nancy K. Mays, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

27. Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer

28. Aquamanatee by Ben Clanton, illustrated by Cassandra Federman

29. I Love You Mucho Mucho and The Helping Sweater by Rachel Más Davidson

30. Ho'onani: Hula Warrior by Heather Gale, illustrated by Mika Song

31. Daddy, Papa, and Me* by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson

32. My Princess Boy* by Cheryl Kilodavis, illustrated by Suzanne DeSimone

33. Tenacious: Fifteen Adventures Alongside Disabled Athletes by Patty Cisneros Prevo, illustrated by Dion Mbd

34. The Very, Very Far North and Just Beyond the Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-el, illustrated by Kelly Pousette

35. I Got You by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice

36. Wind is A Dance by Debra Kempf Shumaker, illustrated by Josée Bisaillon

37. The Littlest Yak by Lu Fraser, illustrated by Kate Hindley

38. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, illustrated by Dan Santat

39. The Map of Good Memories by Fran Nuño, illustrated by Zuzanna Celej and translated by Jon Brokenbrow

40. Explosion at the Poem Factory by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Mark Hoffmann; and When Aidan Became a Brother*  illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

41. Curious George by H.A. Rey

42. Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

43. Stronger Than by Nikki Grimes and Stacy Wells, illustrated by E.B. Lewis

44. Julián Is a Mermaid* by Jessica Love

45. Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson

46. Germs (the Good, the Bad, and the Friendly) by John Devolle

47. The Wild Robot on the Island: An Illustrated Picture Book Adaptation by Peter Brown

48. Milo is Missing Something and Harold Hates to Hibernate by Vern Kousky

49. Alfie Explores A to Z: A Seek-And-Find Adventure by Jeff Drew

50. Why Not? and Maybe, by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Gabriella Barouch; Noticing and Trying, illustrated by Elise Hurst

51. Llama Llama Red Pajama book series by Anna Dewdney

52. Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by Steve McCarthy

53. We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorelland Frane Lessac

54. The Questioneers series by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

55. The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone, illustrated by Michael Smollin

56. Grandfather Tang's Story* by Ann Tompert, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker

57. Shy Spaghetti & Excited Eggs by Marc Nemiroff and Jane Annunziata

58. Dumpling Soup* by Jama Kim Rattigan, illustrated by Lillian Hsu

59. Change Sings: A Children's Anthem by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Loren Long

60. Save the Earth series by Bethany Stahl

61. And Tango Makes Three* by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

62. My Powerful Hair by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Steph Littlebird

63. This Is My Daddy! by Mies van Hout

64. Big by Vashti Harrison

65. The Story of Ferdinand* by Munro Leaf

66. Before She Was Harriet* by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome

67. Stella Brings the Family* by Miriam B. Schiffer, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown

68. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale series, The Pigeon Won't Count to 10, and Because by Mo Willems

69. Eyes That Speak to the Stars and Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna & Dung Ho

70. When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball* by Mark Weakland, illustrated by Daniel Duncan

71. The Catalogue of Hugs by Joshua David Stein and Augustus Heeren Stein, illustrated by Elizabeth Lilly

72. Cold by Tim McCanna, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki

73. The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet by David L. Harrison, illustrated by Kate Cosgrove

74. Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress* by Christine Baldacchino and Isabelle Malenfant

75. Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? and The Lorax* by Dr. Seuss

76. The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics by Susan Hood and illustrated by Christiane Engel

77. If You Give A Moose A Muffin series by Laura Numeroff and Felica Bond

78. I Am Jazz* by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas

79. The Truth About the Couch by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Liniers

80. Story Rug (pre-order) and If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall

81. The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López

82. Neither* by Airlie Anderson

83. How Was That Built?: The Stories Behind Awesome Structures by Roma Agrawal

For Older Elementary Kids (Ages 8-12):

1. Ban This Book: A Novel by Alan Gratz

2. When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman

3. The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill (Young Reader's Edition) by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch

4. How to Read A Book by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Melissa Sweet; and J vs. K illustrated by Jerry Craft

5. The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass

6. The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes

7. The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln

8. Lost Evangeline by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Sophie Blackall; Flora & Ulysses illustrated by K. G. Campbell; The Hotel Balzaar illustrated by Júlia Sardà; The Puppets of Spelhorst illustrated by Julie Morstad; and Ferris

9. Pocket Bear, Odder: The Novel, Crenshaw, and The One and Only Ivan series by Katherine Applegate

10. Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar

11. Finding Lost by Holly Goldberg Sloan

12. The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri

13. Chris Makes a Friend and Melissa (previously published as George)* by Alex Gino

14. A Sea of Lemon Trees by María Dolores Águila

15. The 1619 Project: Born on the Water* by Nikole Hannah-Jones

16. Little Woodchucks: Offerman Woodshop's Guide to Tools and Tomfoolery by Nick Offerman and Lee Buchanan

17. School For Thieves by Peter Burns

18. The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman

19. Amazing Grapes by Jules Feiffer

20. Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You* by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

21. Coach series (preorder for December 23, 2025) by Jason Reynolds

22. Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

23. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

24. Spy School Blackout by Stuart Gibbs

25. Lightlark Saga series by Alex Aster

26. Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio* by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Raul Colon

27. A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation by Pablo Cartaya

28. The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon by Grace Lin

29. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

30. The New Girl: A Graphic Novel by Cassandra Calin

31. The Boy At the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf

32. Safe Harbor by Padma Venkatraman

33. MacKenzie's Last Run by Gayle Rosengren

34. Octopus Moon by Bobbie Pyron

35. Grow Up, Luchy Zapata by Alexandra Alessandri

36. The School for Invisible Boys (The Kairos Files) by Shaun David Hutchinson

37. Penny Draws A Best Friend series by Sara Shepard

38. And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps

39. A Story of Whoa by Chris Corbett, illustrated by Richardo Galvao

40. The Academy and The Academy II: The Journey Continues by TZ Layton

41. The Curse of Eelgrass Bog by Mary Averling

42. New Kid* series by Jerry Craft

43. The Wild Robot series by Peter Brown

44. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy: Racism, Injustice, and How You Can Be a Changemaker*  by Emmanuel Acho

45. Popcorn by Rob Harrell

46. The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

47. Carter Reads the Newspaper* by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Don Tate

48. Stella By Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

49. The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

50. A Duet For Home and The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser

51. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

52. Lost Boys* by Darcey Rosenblatt

53. The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett

54. Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968* by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

55. Barbed Wire Baseball: How One Man Brought Hope to the Japanese Internment Camps of WWII* by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Yuko Marissa Shimizu

56. The School for Good and Evil collection by Soman Chainani

57. The Space We're In by Katya Balen

58. When You Trap a Tiger* by Tae Keller

59. Nano by Jess Wade and Melissa Castrillon

60. Black Frontiers: A History of African American Heroes in the Old West* by Lillian Schlissel

61. Concealed* by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

62. The Gray City by Torben Kuhlmann

63. The Superteacher Project and The Fort by Gordon Korman

64. Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

65. The Girl Who Rowed the Ocean and The Boy Who Biked the World by Alastair Humphreys

66. To Night Owl from Dogfish* by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

67. The Math Inspectors series by Daniel Kenney and Emily Boever

68. The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell

69. Stories For Boys Who Dare To Be Different by Ben Brooks

70. All the Wrong Questions mystery series by Lemony Snicket

71. The Flag of Childhood: Poems From the Middle East* compiled by Naomi Shihab Nye

72. My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness by Georgia Heard, illustrated by Isabel Roxas

73. The Mighty Miss Malone* by Christopher Paul Curtis

74. Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart

75. We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

76. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

For Middle School+:

1. Night* by Elie Wiesel

2. They Called Us Enemy* by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott, illustrated by Harmony Becker

3. Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser, translated by Hildegarde Serle

4. Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King

5. The Poisoned King and Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie

6. Candace, the Universe, and Everything by Sherri L. Smith

7. I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

8. Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin

9. Fake Chinese Sounds by Jing Jing Tsong

10. Refugee by Alan Gratz

11. Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation by John Lewis

12. Westfallen by Ann and Ben Brashares

13. What Happened to Rachel Riley?  by Claire Swinarski

14. The Assignment by Liza Wiemer

15. The Beatles Anthology: 25th Anniversary Edition by The Beatles

16. We'll Prescribe You a Cat and We'll Prescribe You Another Cat by Syou Ishida, translated by E. Madison Shimoda

17. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West* by Gregory Maguire

18. Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay

19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower* by Stephen Chbosky

20. A World Worth Saving and Too Bright to See* by Kyle Lukoff

21. Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

22. The Book of Dust trilogy by Philip Pullman

23. Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation* by Ari Folman and David Polonsky

24. Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America by Sean Sherman, Kate Nelson, and Kristin Donnelly

25. We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time by José Andrés

26. Into the Rapids by Ann Braden

27. The Lantern of Lost Memories by by Sanaka Hiiragi

28. You've Found Oliver by Dustin Thao

29. We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman

30. The Leaving Room by Amber McBride

31. The Best At It* by Maulik Pancholy

32. The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity by Steven Strogatz

33. Low Orbit by Kazimir Lee

34. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* by Sherman Alexie

35. Out of My Dreams by Sharon M. Draper

36. Once by Morris Gleitzman

37. The Ship We Built* by Lexie Bean

38. Whale Eyes by James Robinson

39. Obie Is Man Enough* by Schuyler Bailar

40. The Horrible Bag of Terrible Things by Rob Renzetti

41. The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon

42. The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner

43. Persepolis: The Story of A Childhood* by Marjane Satrapi

44. When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

45. The Benefits of Being an Octopus* by Ann Braden

46. All American Boys* by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely; Ain't Burned All the Bright, illustrated by Jason Griffin

47. Lily and Dunkin* by Donna Gephart

48. The Poet X* by Elizabeth Acevedo

49. Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare by Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy, illustrated by Tim Foley

50. Stories From A Stranger by Hunter Prosper

51. Cemetery Boys* Aiden Thomas

52. The House in the Cerulean Sea and Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

53. Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

54. What If?, What If? 2 and How To by Randall Munroe

55. Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

56. The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table by Sam Kean

57. Scarlet Morning by N.D. Stevenson

58. Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery

59. Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

60. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

61. The Gilded Ones series by Namina Forna

62. The Magic Fish* (Graphic Novel) by Trung Le Nguyen

63. The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan

64. Call Us What We Carry: Poems* by Amanda Gorman

65. Posted by John David Anderson

66. The Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

67. Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca

68. The Last Cuentista* by Donna Barba Higuera

69. The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Brett Helquist

70. Everything Sad Is Untrue: (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri

71. I Must Betray You* by Ruta Sepetys

72. This One Summer*  by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

73. The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez by Jasminne Paulino

74. Glitch Girl! by Rainie Oet

75. Drained by Marc Daniel Acriche

76. A Twisted Tale series by Liz Braswell and Farrah Rochon

77. The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

78. Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre* by Carole Boston Weatherford

79. A Long Pitch Home* by Natalie Dias Lorenzi

80. They Both Die At the End* by Adam Silvera

81. Spy x Family series* by Tatsuya Endo

82. The Pants Project* by Cat Clarke

83. Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov, translated by Boris Dralyuk

84. Radiant by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson 

    
    

For High Schoolers+

1. GIVEAWAY BOOK: Devoted: The Story of a Father's Love for His Son by Dick Hoyt with Don Yaeger

2. GIVEAWAY BOOK: No Greatness Without Goodness: How a Father's Love Changed a Company and Sparked a Movement by Randy Lewis

3. Anvil of God (Book 1 of The Carolingian Chronicles) by the late J. Boyce Gleason, my first boss friend, and a regular Daddying blog contributor

4. To Kill A Mockingbird* by Harper Lee – perpetually is in the crosshairs of those who would ban it from classrooms rather than allow this classic to spark open, honest, and, importantly, educational discussions about systemic social issues.

5. The Viper: A Zig & Nola Novel by Brad Meltzer

6. They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-1945 by Milton Mayer

7. What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

8. Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis edited by Kelly Hayes

9. The Round House by Louise Erdrich

10. Finding My Way: A Memoir by Malala Yousafzai

11. Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid

12. I, Medusa by Ayana Gray

13. Nineteen Minutes* by Jodi Picoult was the most commonly banned book in 2024.

14. SOLD* by Patricia McCormick though published almost 20 years ago, is still all too timely. It was, however, the 2nd-most banned book in the 2024-25 school year. It tells the story of Lakshmi, a 13-year-old girl in Nepal who is sold into prostitution. "The powerful, poignant, bestselling National Book Award Finalist gives voice to a young girl robbed of her childhood yet determined to find the strength to triumph."

15. 1984* by George Orwell is the most banned book of all time.

16. The Boys in the Light: An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival, Faith, and Brotherhood by Nina Willner

17. Women's Hotel by Daniel M. Lavery

18. Hazelthorn by CG Drews

19. The Uncool: A Memoir by Cameron Crowe

20. Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America by Beth Macy

21. A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim

22. The Anthony Bourdain Reader: New, Classic, and Rediscovered Writing by Anthony Bourdain

23. There Is No Antimemetics Division: A Novel by qntm (internet handle of Sam Hughes)

24. Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach

25. James by Percival Everett

26. Faltas* by Cecilia Gentili

27. The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey

28. We Do Not Part by Han Kang, translated by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris

29. Parable of the Sower* by Octavia E. Butler

30. Water Moon: A Novel by Samantha Sotto Yambao

31. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

32. Gender Queer: A Memoir* by Maia Kobabe

33. Sisters in the Wind and Firekeeper's Daughter* by Angeline Boulley

34. Alchemised by SenLinYu

35. Entitlement: A Novel by Rumaan Alam

36. Brimstone and QuickSilver by Callie Hart

37. We Are Legion (We Are Bob) Bobiverse: Book 1 by Dennis E. Taylor

38. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library: A Novel by Michiko Aoyama

39. Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

40. The Handmaid's Tale* by Margaret Atwood

41. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out* by Susan Kuklin

42. Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre

43. When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson

44. Thirteen Reasons Why* by Jay Asher

45. The Nickel Boys* and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

46. Built From the Fire: The Epic Story of Tulsa's Greenwood District, America's Black Wall Street by Victor Luckerson

47. Clap When You Land* by Elizabeth Acevedo

48. Mexican Whiteboy* by Matt de la Peña

49. Nevada: A Novel by Imogen Binnie

50. The Last Murder at the End of the World: A Novel by Stuart Turton

51. We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I: A Palestinian Memoir by Raja Shehadeh

52. Out of Darkness* by Ashley Hope Pérez

53. Twenty-Four Seconds from Now: A Love Story by Jason Reynolds

54. The Boys in The Boat and Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown

55. Felix Ever After* by Kacen Callender

56. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

57. The Sellout by Paul Beatty

58. Shakespeare for Squirrels: A Novel and Fool by Christopher Moore

59. The Family Experiment by John Marrs

60. People Kill People* by Ellen Hopkins

61. The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss

62. Orbital: A Novel by Samantha Harvey

63. The Haters* by Robyn Harding

64. Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice

65. Saints of the Household by Ari Tison

66. Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb

67. The Hollow and the Haunted by Camilla Raines

68. The Sun and Her Flowers* by Rupi Kaur

69. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue* by V.E. Schwab

70. Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews

71. The God of Small Things* by Arundhati Roy

72. This Book Is Gay* by Juno Dawson

73. Man o' War* by Cory McCarthy

74. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close*  by Jonathan Safran Foer

75. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings* by Maya Angelou

76. Fences* by August Wilson

77. A Place for Us: A Memoir* by Brandon J. Wolf

78. A Court of Thorns and Roses* series by Sarah J. Maas

79. Monday's Not Coming* by Tiffany D. Jackson

80. The Treeline: The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth by Ben Rawlence

81. The Hate U Give* by Angie Thomas

82. Dear Martin* by Nic Stone

83. Fahrenheit 451* and Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

84. A House Between Earth and the Moon: A Novel by Rebecca Scherm

85. Beloved* by Toni Morrison

86. Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre* by Brandy Colbert

87. A Court of Thorns and Roses* series by Sarah J. Maas

88. Klara and the Sun: A novel by Kazuo Ishiguro

89. Highfire by Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer

90. Out of Darkness* by Ashley Hope Pérez

91. Lucky* by Alice Sebold

92. Hey, Brown Girl by Janay Harden

93. The Carnival at Bray* by Jessie Ann Foley

94. The Midnight Library* and The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

95. Looking for Alaska* by John Green

96. Middle of the Night: A Novel by Riley Sager

97. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

98. On Writing by Stephen King

WE'RE GIVING AWAY GREAT BOOKS FROM OUR 2025 Holiday Gift Guide!

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Daddying Film Festival & FORUM 2026

Call for Entries Open Through December 8th!

Fifty-Seven countries and counting! The 5th annual Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) welcomes film and video submissions, including TikToks and Instagram reels, from students (3rd-graders through undergrads), Dads/Granddads, dad figures, and indie filmmakers worldwide! Submit videos/films on D3F's FilmFreeway page through Monday, December 8. Send us your daddying films/videos and help us celebrate the importance of positively involved Dads/dad figures!

We're rolling out D3F 2026 Official Selection announcements – YOUR film/video could be next!

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Scott Beller is the proud, imperfect crew Dad of two teen, mighty girls, imperfect partner of their rock-star mom/regatta chaperone, a truth teller, purveyor of banned books, former youth soccer and basketball championship coach, retired part-time driving instructor, late-night filmgoer, Editor of the Daddying blog, and Director of Communications for DCG and the Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F). He's a seasoned writer and PR agency veteran with more than 35 years of experience helping organizations of all sizes and individuals reach audiences and tell their stories. Prior to launching his own creative communications consultancy in 2003, he led PR teams with some of the world’s most respected agencies, including The Weber Group and Fleishman-Hillard. As a consultant, he’s helped launch two other parenting advocacy nonprofits with DCG founder Allan Shedlin, REEL Fathers and Dads Unlimited. His first book, Beggars or Angels, was a ghostwritten memoir for the nonprofit Devotion to Children's founder Rosemary Tran Lauer. He is formerly known as "Imperfect Dad" and Head Writer/Editor for the Raising Nerd blog, which supports parents in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and creative problem solvers. He earned his BA in Communications from VA Tech so many years ago. You can follow him and his frequently salty language on Instagram and BlueSky.