Introduction
Recommended Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve is a collection of outstanding literature for children and adolescents. The recommended titles reflect the quality and the complexity of the types of material students should be reading at school and outside of class.
Search List
Search the online database for titles using specific criteria.
Search Categories
Explanation of the search categories used in the online database.
Literary Genres
Explanation of the genres used in the online database.
Classifications
Explanation of the classifications used in the online database.
Awards
Explanation of and links to the home sites of the awards noted
in the online database.
Connections to Standards
Gives background of content standards and how titles in the online
database are linked to them.
Cultural Designations
Explanation of the cultural designations used in the online database.
District Selection Policies
Information about selection policies and Web resources.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answers to the questions most commonly asked.
Acknowledgments
A list of the many individuals who worked on this project.
The 2001 list updates and replaces two earlier documents published by the California Department of Education (CDE) - Recommended Readings in Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Eight (1996) and Recommended Literature: Grades Nine Through Twelve (1990). These separate lists have been combined into one new and comprehensive list spanning kindergarten through grade twelve and have been updated in the following ways:
- All titles have been annotated.
- Appropriate contemporary titles written over the last decade have been added to make the list more comprehensive, expanding options for classroom teachers, librarians, and students.
- Titles no longer in print or not readily accessible in schools and libraries have been noted or deleted.
- Among the considerations for selection of titles for this list were opportunities for standards-aligned instruction.
The 2001 list includes 2,700 fully annotated titles in the six languages most commonly spoken by California students.
The development of Recommended Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve was coordinated by the CDE with the assistance of many individuals: teachers, library consultants from school and public libraries, administrators, curriculum planners, college professors, and parents.
Recommended Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve is kept current in the following ways:
- Award-winning titles are added to the database annually. (Please see the Awards section above.)
- In 2004, the list underwent a comprehensive review and update resulting in the addition of approximately 500 new titles, and language in annotations which identify potentially controversial material.
Titles added after the initial printing of the literature list in 2001 can be downloaded (DOC; 478KB; 132pp.).
The Recommended Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (2001) printed document is for sale. To order, call CDE Press at 1-800-995-4099 or send an e-mail and ask for publication #001553.
View links to lists of authors and titles of previously published literature lists.
