{"description":"Grade-by-grade reading lists from kindergarten to twelfth grade, drawn only from works in this library and placed within each work's stated grade range.","note":"The sequence follows the general pattern of classical Christian schools: nursery rhymes, fables, fairy tales and Bible stories in the early grades; myths, Greek, Roman and medieval stories in the logic years; and the Great Books and theology in the rhetoric years. These are suggestions, not any publisher's or school's official list. Core titles are the main reading for the year; Stretch titles suit stronger readers or extra time.","levels":[{"id":"elementary","label":"Elementary","grades":"K–5"},{"id":"junior-high","label":"Junior High","grades":"6–8"},{"id":"high-school","label":"High School","grades":"9–12"}],"grades":[{"grade":0,"label":"Kindergarten","level":"elementary","url":"/reading-lists/kindergarten/","intro":"Kindergarten: Bible stories, nursery rhymes and fables read aloud, with simple picture books that build a love of language.","core":[{"work":"the-bible","title":"The Bible","author":"Anonymous","url":"/works/the-bible/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"Bible stories read aloud lay the foundation for everything a classical Christian school teaches."},{"work":"psalm-23","title":"Psalm 23","author":"Attributed to David","url":"/works/psalm-23/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"A short psalm of trust in God as shepherd, often memorized by young children."},{"work":"the-real-mother-goose","title":"The Real Mother Goose","author":"Blanche Fisher Wright (illustrator); traditional rhymes","url":"/works/the-real-mother-goose/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"Traditional nursery rhymes train the ear for rhythm and rhyme, the first step in the grammar stage."},{"work":"aesops-fables","title":"Aesop's Fables","author":"Aesop","url":"/works/aesops-fables/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Short fables, each ending in a plain moral, begin a child's training in virtue."},{"work":"a-childs-garden-of-verses","title":"A Child's Garden of Verses","author":"Robert Louis Stevenson","url":"/works/a-childs-garden-of-verses/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"Stevenson's poems of childhood are made for reading aloud and memorizing."},{"work":"the-tale-of-peter-rabbit","title":"The Tale of Peter Rabbit","author":"Beatrix Potter","url":"/works/the-tale-of-peter-rabbit/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A small, beautifully written story about disobedience and its consequences."},{"work":"make-way-for-ducklings","title":"Make Way for Ducklings","author":"Robert McCloskey","url":"/works/make-way-for-ducklings/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A gentle picture book about a family's care and the kindness of a city."},{"work":"caps-for-sale","title":"Caps for Sale","author":"Esphyr Slobodkina","url":"/works/caps-for-sale/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A patterned folk-style tale that invites young listeners to join in."},{"work":"mike-mulligan-and-his-steam-shovel","title":"Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel","author":"Virginia Lee Burton","url":"/works/mike-mulligan-and-his-steam-shovel/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A story of hard work, faithfulness and an old friend who is not cast aside."}],"stretch":[{"work":"the-little-house","title":"The Little House","author":"Virginia Lee Burton","url":"/works/the-little-house/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A picture book about change over time, a first taste of history."},{"work":"winnie-the-pooh","title":"Winnie-the-Pooh","author":"A. A. Milne","url":"/works/winnie-the-pooh/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"Milne's gentle humor rewards reading aloud to the whole family."},{"work":"little-bear","title":"Little Bear","author":"Else Holmelund Minarik","url":"/works/little-bear/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"An easy reader of warm family stories for children beginning to read on their own."}]},{"grade":1,"label":"First Grade","level":"elementary","url":"/reading-lists/grade-1/","intro":"First grade: easy readers alongside richer read-alouds, with fables, fairy tales and Bible stories.","core":[{"work":"the-bible","title":"The Bible","author":"Anonymous","url":"/works/the-bible/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"Continuing Bible stories, read aloud and retold, build biblical literacy year by year."},{"work":"aesops-fables","title":"Aesop's Fables","author":"Aesop","url":"/works/aesops-fables/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Fables are short enough for new readers and teach a clear lesson in virtue."},{"work":"frog-and-toad-are-friends","title":"Frog and Toad Are Friends","author":"Arnold Lobel","url":"/works/frog-and-toad-are-friends/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"An easy reader about loyal friendship that first graders can read themselves."},{"work":"owl-at-home","title":"Owl at Home","author":"Arnold Lobel","url":"/works/owl-at-home/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"Gentle, funny easy-reader stories that build reading confidence."},{"work":"mouse-soup","title":"Mouse Soup","author":"Arnold Lobel","url":"/works/mouse-soup/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A clever mouse outwits a weasel with stories, showing the power of storytelling."},{"work":"the-bears-on-hemlock-mountain","title":"The Bears on Hemlock Mountain","author":"Alice Dalgliesh","url":"/works/the-bears-on-hemlock-mountain/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A short chapter book about courage, with a refrain young readers remember."},{"work":"winnie-the-pooh","title":"Winnie-the-Pooh","author":"A. A. Milne","url":"/works/winnie-the-pooh/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A classic read-aloud full of friendship and gentle wit."},{"work":"a-childs-garden-of-verses","title":"A Child's Garden of Verses","author":"Robert Louis Stevenson","url":"/works/a-childs-garden-of-verses/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"More Stevenson poems to read aloud and commit to memory."},{"work":"the-blue-fairy-book","title":"The Blue Fairy Book","author":"Andrew Lang","url":"/works/the-blue-fairy-book/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Lang's collection of classic fairy tales, where good and evil are clearly drawn."},{"work":"my-fathers-dragon","title":"My Father's Dragon","author":"Ruth Stiles Gannett","url":"/works/my-fathers-dragon/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"An imaginative adventure about a boy's clever rescue of a baby dragon."}],"stretch":[{"work":"the-house-at-pooh-corner","title":"The House at Pooh Corner","author":"A. A. Milne","url":"/works/the-house-at-pooh-corner/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"The second Pooh book, for families who finished the first."},{"work":"just-so-stories","title":"Just So Stories","author":"Rudyard Kipling","url":"/works/just-so-stories/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Kipling's playful origin tales delight the ear when read aloud."},{"work":"the-courage-of-sarah-noble","title":"The Courage of Sarah Noble","author":"Alice Dalgliesh","url":"/works/the-courage-of-sarah-noble/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A short historical story of a girl who keeps up her courage in colonial Connecticut."}]},{"grade":2,"label":"Second Grade","level":"elementary","url":"/reading-lists/grade-2/","intro":"Second grade: first chapter books and American history stories, with fairy tales and continued Bible reading.","core":[{"work":"the-bible","title":"The Bible","author":"Anonymous","url":"/works/the-bible/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"Bible stories continue, with more of the narrative read and retold by the children."},{"work":"the-courage-of-sarah-noble","title":"The Courage of Sarah Noble","author":"Alice Dalgliesh","url":"/works/the-courage-of-sarah-noble/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A brief colonial-era story about keeping up courage in hard places."},{"work":"sam-the-minuteman","title":"Sam the Minuteman","author":"Nathaniel Benchley","url":"/works/sam-the-minuteman/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"An easy reader that introduces the opening of the American Revolution."},{"work":"keep-the-lights-burning-abbie","title":"Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie","author":"Peter and Connie Roop","url":"/works/keep-the-lights-burning-abbie/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A true story of a lighthouse keeper's daughter who keeps her duty through a storm."},{"work":"little-house-in-the-big-woods","title":"Little House in the Big Woods","author":"Laura Ingalls Wilder","url":"/works/little-house-in-the-big-woods/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"Pioneer family life, work and faith, told for young readers."},{"work":"the-house-at-pooh-corner","title":"The House at Pooh Corner","author":"A. A. Milne","url":"/works/the-house-at-pooh-corner/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"Gentle humor and friendship in a read-aloud classic."},{"work":"my-fathers-dragon","title":"My Father's Dragon","author":"Ruth Stiles Gannett","url":"/works/my-fathers-dragon/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A short adventure chapter book that young readers can tackle on their own."},{"work":"the-velveteen-rabbit","title":"The Velveteen Rabbit","author":"Margery Williams","url":"/works/the-velveteen-rabbit/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A tender story about love that makes something real."},{"work":"andersen-fairy-tales","title":"Fairy Tales (Selection)","author":"Hans Christian Andersen","url":"/works/andersen-fairy-tales/","minGrade":2,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Andersen's literary fairy tales, which often close with Christian consolation."},{"work":"grasshopper-on-the-road","title":"Grasshopper on the Road","author":"Arnold Lobel","url":"/works/grasshopper-on-the-road/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"An easy reader in which Grasshopper meets creatures who let one habit swallow everything else."}],"stretch":[{"work":"just-so-stories","title":"Just So Stories","author":"Rudyard Kipling","url":"/works/just-so-stories/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Kipling's rich vocabulary stretches young listeners."},{"work":"the-blue-fairy-book","title":"The Blue Fairy Book","author":"Andrew Lang","url":"/works/the-blue-fairy-book/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Longer fairy tales for stronger readers."},{"work":"sarah-plain-and-tall","title":"Sarah, Plain and Tall","author":"Patricia MacLachlan","url":"/works/sarah-plain-and-tall/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":2,"reason":"A short, quiet novel about a frontier family and a new mother."},{"work":"psalm-23","title":"Psalm 23","author":"Attributed to David","url":"/works/psalm-23/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"A psalm worth memorizing, if it was not learned earlier."}]},{"grade":3,"label":"Third Grade","level":"elementary","url":"/reading-lists/grade-3/","intro":"Third grade: fairy tales, Greek myths retold for children, first Narnia books and classic animal stories.","core":[{"work":"the-bible","title":"The Bible","author":"Anonymous","url":"/works/the-bible/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"Reading through Bible history in order gives children the big story of Scripture."},{"work":"grimms-fairy-tales","title":"Household Stories (Grimm's Fairy Tales)","author":"Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm","url":"/works/grimms-fairy-tales/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"The Grimms' household tales, a staple of the grammar years."},{"work":"a-wonder-book","title":"A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys","author":"Nathaniel Hawthorne","url":"/works/a-wonder-book/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":6,"reason":"Hawthorne's retellings of Greek myths for children, an introduction to the ancient world."},{"work":"the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe","title":"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe","author":"C. S. Lewis","url":"/works/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Lewis's beloved story of sacrifice and redemption in Narnia."},{"work":"charlottes-web","title":"Charlotte's Web","author":"E. B. White","url":"/works/charlottes-web/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"A story of friendship, loyalty and the seasons of life."},{"work":"farmer-boy","title":"Farmer Boy","author":"Laura Ingalls Wilder","url":"/works/farmer-boy/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Hard work and family life on a nineteenth-century New York farm."},{"work":"little-house-on-the-prairie","title":"Little House on the Prairie","author":"Laura Ingalls Wilder","url":"/works/little-house-on-the-prairie/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"The Ingalls family's pioneer life on the Kansas prairie."},{"work":"the-burgess-bird-book-for-children","title":"The Burgess Bird Book for Children","author":"Thornton W. Burgess","url":"/works/the-burgess-bird-book-for-children/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Nature study through stories about common birds."},{"work":"stuart-little","title":"Stuart Little","author":"E. B. White","url":"/works/stuart-little/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"E. B. White's tale of a small mouse who sets out bravely into the world."},{"work":"just-so-stories","title":"Just So Stories","author":"Rudyard Kipling","url":"/works/just-so-stories/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Kipling's tales reward reading aloud and build vocabulary."}],"stretch":[{"work":"the-princess-and-the-goblin","title":"The Princess and the Goblin","author":"George MacDonald","url":"/works/the-princess-and-the-goblin/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"George MacDonald's fairy tale of courage, faith and trust."},{"work":"the-magicians-nephew","title":"The Magician's Nephew","author":"C. S. Lewis","url":"/works/the-magicians-nephew/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"The Narnia story of creation and temptation."},{"work":"christ-legends","title":"Christ Legends","author":"Selma Lagerlöf","url":"/works/christ-legends/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Lagerlöf's legends of Christ's birth and life, made for reading aloud."},{"work":"the-adventures-of-pinocchio","title":"The Adventures of Pinocchio","author":"Carlo Collodi","url":"/works/the-adventures-of-pinocchio/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"A puppet learns honesty and obedience the hard way."}]},{"grade":4,"label":"Fourth Grade","level":"elementary","url":"/reading-lists/grade-4/","intro":"Fourth grade: Greek heroes, Robin Hood, the medieval world and more Narnia, with poems to memorize.","core":[{"work":"the-bible","title":"The Bible","author":"Anonymous","url":"/works/the-bible/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"Continued Bible history and memory work."},{"work":"kingsley-the-heroes","title":"The Heroes; or, Greek Fairy Tales for My Children","author":"Charles Kingsley","url":"/works/kingsley-the-heroes/","minGrade":4,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Kingsley's retellings of Perseus, the Argonauts and Theseus for children."},{"work":"tanglewood-tales","title":"Tanglewood Tales","author":"Nathaniel Hawthorne","url":"/works/tanglewood-tales/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"More Greek myths retold by Hawthorne, a bridge to the ancient world."},{"work":"the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood","title":"The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood","author":"Howard Pyle","url":"/works/the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Howard Pyle's lively version of the English outlaw legends."},{"work":"the-door-in-the-wall","title":"The Door in the Wall","author":"Marguerite de Angeli","url":"/works/the-door-in-the-wall/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"A boy in medieval England learns patience and courage after illness."},{"work":"prince-caspian","title":"Prince Caspian","author":"C. S. Lewis","url":"/works/prince-caspian/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"The second Narnia adventure, about faithfulness when others doubt."},{"work":"the-voyage-of-the-dawn-treader","title":"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader","author":"C. S. Lewis","url":"/works/the-voyage-of-the-dawn-treader/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"A Narnia voyage in which a selfish boy is changed by Aslan."},{"work":"heidi","title":"Heidi","author":"Johanna Spyri","url":"/works/heidi/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"A Swiss orphan's story of joy, forgiveness and faith."},{"work":"black-beauty","title":"Black Beauty","author":"Anna Sewell","url":"/works/black-beauty/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"A horse's own story, which teaches kindness to animals."},{"work":"paul-reveres-ride","title":"Paul Revere's Ride","author":"Henry Wadsworth Longfellow","url":"/works/paul-reveres-ride/","minGrade":4,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Longfellow's narrative poem, a favorite for recitation."}],"stretch":[{"work":"the-wind-in-the-willows","title":"The Wind in the Willows","author":"Kenneth Grahame","url":"/works/the-wind-in-the-willows/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Grahame's rich prose about friendship along the river."},{"work":"the-princess-and-curdie","title":"The Princess and Curdie","author":"George MacDonald","url":"/works/the-princess-and-curdie/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"MacDonald's sequel about courage and discernment."},{"work":"the-jungle-book","title":"The Jungle Book","author":"Rudyard Kipling","url":"/works/the-jungle-book/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Kipling's stories of Mowgli and the law of the jungle."},{"work":"alices-adventures-in-wonderland","title":"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland","author":"Lewis Carroll","url":"/works/alices-adventures-in-wonderland/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Carroll's word play and logic puzzles for sharp young minds."}]},{"grade":5,"label":"Fifth Grade","level":"elementary","url":"/reading-lists/grade-5/","intro":"Fifth grade: the Iliad and Shakespeare retold for children, adventure classics, and the transition to longer books.","core":[{"work":"the-bible","title":"The Bible","author":"Anonymous","url":"/works/the-bible/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"Bible reading and memory work continue."},{"work":"black-ships-before-troy","title":"Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad","author":"Rosemary Sutcliff","url":"/works/black-ships-before-troy/","minGrade":5,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Sutcliff's retelling of the Iliad prepares students for Homer."},{"work":"colum-the-golden-fleece","title":"The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles","author":"Padraic Colum","url":"/works/colum-the-golden-fleece/","minGrade":5,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Colum's retelling of Jason, the Argonauts and other Greek heroes."},{"work":"tales-from-shakespeare","title":"Tales from Shakespeare","author":"Charles and Mary Lamb","url":"/works/tales-from-shakespeare/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"Charles and Mary Lamb's prose retellings, a first meeting with Shakespeare's plots."},{"work":"the-hobbit","title":"The Hobbit","author":"J. R. R. Tolkien","url":"/works/the-hobbit/","minGrade":5,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Tolkien's adventure of an unlikely hero, courage and greed."},{"work":"treasure-island","title":"Treasure Island","author":"Robert Louis Stevenson","url":"/works/treasure-island/","minGrade":5,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Stevenson's pirate adventure, a model of storytelling."},{"work":"a-christmas-carol","title":"A Christmas Carol","author":"Charles Dickens","url":"/works/a-christmas-carol/","minGrade":5,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Dickens's tale of repentance and generosity."},{"work":"the-silver-chair","title":"The Silver Chair","author":"C. S. Lewis","url":"/works/the-silver-chair/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"A Narnia quest about remembering and obeying Aslan's signs."},{"work":"the-horse-and-his-boy","title":"The Horse and His Boy","author":"C. S. Lewis","url":"/works/the-horse-and-his-boy/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"A Narnia story of providence on a journey north."},{"work":"the-secret-garden","title":"The Secret Garden","author":"Frances Hodgson Burnett","url":"/works/the-secret-garden/","minGrade":3,"maxGrade":5,"reason":"A neglected garden and two lonely children brought back to life."},{"work":"gettysburg-address","title":"The Gettysburg Address","author":"Abraham Lincoln","url":"/works/gettysburg-address/","minGrade":5,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"Lincoln's short speech, often memorized and recited."}],"stretch":[{"work":"little-women","title":"Little Women","author":"Louisa May Alcott","url":"/works/little-women/","minGrade":5,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Alcott's novel of four sisters growing in character."},{"work":"the-story-of-my-life","title":"The Story of My Life","author":"Helen Keller","url":"/works/the-story-of-my-life/","minGrade":5,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"Helen Keller's own account of learning language."},{"work":"the-adventures-of-tom-sawyer","title":"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer","author":"Mark Twain","url":"/works/the-adventures-of-tom-sawyer/","minGrade":5,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Twain's comic picture of boyhood on the Mississippi."},{"work":"anne-of-green-gables","title":"Anne of Green Gables","author":"L. M. Montgomery","url":"/works/anne-of-green-gables/","minGrade":5,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"An imaginative orphan finds a home on Prince Edward Island."}]},{"grade":6,"label":"Sixth Grade","level":"junior-high","url":"/reading-lists/grade-6/","intro":"Sixth grade: the start of the logic stage, with Greek and Roman myth and history, Arthurian legend and allegory.","core":[{"work":"the-bible","title":"The Bible","author":"Anonymous","url":"/works/the-bible/","minGrade":0,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"Students begin to read Scripture more closely and ask how its parts fit together."},{"work":"the-trojan-war","title":"The Trojan War","author":"Olivia Coolidge","url":"/works/the-trojan-war/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Coolidge's clear retelling of the whole Trojan cycle."},{"work":"bulfinch-age-of-fable","title":"The Age of Fable","author":"Thomas Bulfinch","url":"/works/bulfinch-age-of-fable/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"Bulfinch's handbook of classical myth, a reference for allusions in later reading."},{"work":"the-eagle-of-the-ninth","title":"The Eagle of the Ninth","author":"Rosemary Sutcliff","url":"/works/the-eagle-of-the-ninth/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Sutcliff's novel of Roman Britain."},{"work":"the-bronze-bow","title":"The Bronze Bow","author":"Elizabeth George Speare","url":"/works/the-bronze-bow/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"A young Jewish rebel in Galilee meets Jesus and learns to let go of hatred."},{"work":"the-story-of-king-arthur-and-his-knights","title":"The Story of King Arthur and His Knights","author":"Howard Pyle","url":"/works/the-story-of-king-arthur-and-his-knights/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Pyle's Arthurian tales of chivalry and loyalty."},{"work":"adam-of-the-road","title":"Adam of the Road","author":"Elizabeth Janet Gray","url":"/works/adam-of-the-road/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"A minstrel's son travels thirteenth-century England."},{"work":"the-pilgrims-progress","title":"The Pilgrim's Progress","author":"John Bunyan","url":"/works/the-pilgrims-progress/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Bunyan's allegory of the Christian life, a classic of English prose."},{"work":"a-midsummer-nights-dream","title":"A Midsummer Night's Dream","author":"William Shakespeare","url":"/works/a-midsummer-nights-dream/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":10,"reason":"An accessible Shakespeare comedy for a first full play."},{"work":"early-christian-creeds","title":"The Early Christian Creeds","author":"Various","url":"/works/early-christian-creeds/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":12,"reason":"The ancient creeds, from the Old Roman Symbol to Nicaea and Chalcedon, central to catechesis."}],"stretch":[{"work":"robinson-crusoe","title":"Robinson Crusoe","author":"Daniel Defoe","url":"/works/robinson-crusoe/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"Defoe's castaway learns self-reliance and turns to God."},{"work":"the-last-battle","title":"The Last Battle","author":"C. S. Lewis","url":"/works/the-last-battle/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"The final Narnia book, about faithfulness to the end."},{"work":"the-swiss-family-robinson","title":"The Swiss Family Robinson","author":"Johann David Wyss","url":"/works/the-swiss-family-robinson/","minGrade":6,"maxGrade":8,"reason":"A shipwrecked family's ingenuity and faith."},{"work":"the-hobbit","title":"The Hobbit","author":"J. R. R. 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