Recommendations based on The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Talesby Chris Van Allsburg

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Interrupting Chicken

    by David Ezra Stein
    A young chicken's imaginative bedtime stories, with a few interruptions along the way.

    Awarded a 2011 Caldecott Honor!, A favorite joke inspires this charming tale, in which a little chicken's habit of interrupting bedtime stories is gleefully turned on its head. It's time for the ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Three Pigs

    by David Wiesner
    A retelling of the classic tale with a twist, where the pigs take control of their story and create their own destiny.

    The story starts with three pigs who decided to build a house. However, two of the three pigs love to play. The other is very responsible and hardworking. He advised the other two pigs to build a ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Home of the Brave

    by Katherine Applegate
    A young Sudanese refugee struggles to adapt to life in America after fleeing his war-torn homeland.

    Kek comes from Africa. In America he sees snow for the first time, and feels its sting. He's never walked on ice, and he falls. He wonders if the people in this new place will be like the winter – ... (Goodreads)

  4. This Is Not My Hat

    by Jon Klassen
    A small fish steals a hat from a big fish and tries to get away with it. But can he?

    A small fish has stolen a hat from a big sleeping fish, and boasts about how easy it will be for him to get away with the theft, because the big fish will not wake up any time soon and maybe not even ... (Wikipedia)

  5. A Tale Dark & Grimm

    by Adam Gidwitz
    A humorous and thrilling retelling of classic Grimm fairy tales.

    In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest ... (Goodreads)

  6. Jumanji

    by Chris Van Allsburg
    A magical board game unleashes wild animals and jungle hazards into the real world.

    The game under the tree looked like a hundred others Peters and Judy had at home... But they were bored, restless and looking for something interesting to do... so they thought they'd give Jumanji a ... (Goodreads)

  7. Among the Brave

    by Margaret Peterson Haddix
    A dystopian future where kids are sent to secret camps to protect them from an oppressive government.

    The fifth book starts off directly where the last book had ended, from the point of view of Trey, Luke's friend from Hendricks' School for Boys. After Luke Garner (Lee Grant) leaves Smits Grant, the ... (Wikipedia)

  8. The Halloween Tree

    by Ray Bradbury
    A group of children embark on an adventure through time, exploring the origins of Halloween.

    A group of eight boys set out to go trick-or-treating on Halloween , only to discover that a ninth friend, Pipkin, has been whisked away on a journey that could determine whether he lives or dies. ... (Wikipedia)

  9. His Last Bow

    by Arthur Conan Doyle
    Sherlock Holmes's last case involving a German spy and a peace treaty.

    'His Last Bow', the title story of this collection, tells how Sherlock Holmes is brought out of retirement to help the Government fight the German threat at the approach of the First World War. The ... (Goodreads)

  10. Pink and Say

    by Patricia Polacco
    A powerful story of friendship and courage between two Civil War soldiers.

    The story begins during the times of the Civil War. Sheldon Russell Curtis or "Say", a white Union Soldier is badly wounded on the battlefield. He tries to escape with an injured leg, but cannot due ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Mockingbird

    by Kathryn Erskine
    A young girl with Asperger's syndrome navigates the aftermath of her brother's death and seeks closure through a school play.

    The book centers around a school shooting. The main character is a 10-year-old girl with autism named Caitlin Smith who is preoccupied with drawing and dictionaries. Her older brother Devon has just ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Gregor the Overlander

    by Suzanne Collins
    A young boy's heroic quest to save his family and the world of Underland.

    Eleven-year-old Gregor is left home alone in his family's New York City apartment to watch his sister and grandmother. When Gregor's baby sister Boots falls through an old air duct grate in the ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Ghost Story

    by Jim Butcher
    A group of elderly men, who share a dark secret, are being haunted by a vengeful ghost. They must confront their past to save their future.

    Immediately following the events of, Changes, , Harry finds himself between life and the afterlife, where he is informed that there has been an "irregularity" with his death and is given the option ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Wonderstruck

    by Brian Selznick
    Two stories from different eras intertwine, revealing hidden connections between a deaf girl and a runaway boy.

    Ben’s story starts in Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in June 1977. He was born deaf in his left ear. Ben’s mom, Elaine, was the town librarian, but died in a car crash. He now lives with his aunt and uncle ... (Wikipedia)

  15. Season of Mists

    by Neil Gaiman
    A supernatural journey through various mythologies and realms, a quest to reclaim a lost soul.

    This collection begins with an Endless family meeting, wherein Desire taunts Morpheus about his intolerant treatment of a former lover, the African queen 'Nada' ("Nada" is "Nothing" in Spanish ), ... (Wikipedia)

  16. The Kindly Ones

    by Neil Gaiman
    A dark fantasy featuring a morally ambiguous protagonist on a quest to save his family.

    The Penultimate volume to the phenomenal Sandman series: distraught by the kidnapping and presumed death of her son, and believing Morpheus to be responsible, Lyta Hall calls the ancient wrath of the ... (Goodreads)

  17. Flotsam

    by David Wiesner
    A boy discovers a camera with mysterious photographs, inspiring a journey of exploration.

    The book has no words , but is told through pictures. A boy is at the beach and finds an old camera. He takes the film to get it developed, and sees photos of fantastical undersea cities and ... (Wikipedia)

  18. It's a Book

    by Lane Smith
    A humorous exploration of the power of books and the joys of reading.

    Playful and lighthearted with a subversive twist that is signature Lane Smith,, It's a Book, is a delightful manifesto on behalf of print in the digital age. This satisfying, perfectly executed ... (Goodreads)

  19. Diary of a Worm

    by Doreen Cronin
    A humorous look at life as a worm, with adventures and lessons to be learned.

    #1 New York Times Bestseller! This hilarious picture book from the bestselling, acclaimed author-illustrator team of Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss tells the adventures of a worm through his daily ... (Barnes & Noble)

  20. Not a Box

    by Antoinette Portis
    A playful story of a rabbit's creative imagination, transforming a simple box into a world of adventure.

    A box is just a box... unless it's not a box. From mountain to rocket ship, a small rabbit shows that a box will go as far as the imagination allows. Inspired by a memory of sitting in a box on her ... (Goodreads)

  21. Small Great Things

    by Jodi Picoult
    A gripping story of racism and justice, exploring the intersections of power and privilege.

    #1, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race,, Small Great ... (Barnes & Noble)

  22. The Last Nude

    by Ellis Avery
    A fictionalized account of the relationship between painter Tamara de Lempicka and her muse, Rafaela Fano, set in 1920s Paris.

    Set primarily in 1920s Paris, The Last Nude is told through two perspectives: a young Italian-American named Rafaela Fano, and the Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka . Rafaela, a 17-year-old ... (Wikipedia)

  23. The Road to Woodbury

    by Robert Kirkman
    The prequel to "The Walking Dead" series, following the rise of the Governor and the creation of Woodbury.

    The book focuses on Lilly and her path to Woodbury, Georgia , a rural town that is barricaded and walled off to separate the living from the undead. It seems to be the perfect sanctuary. Life appears ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Island of Fire

    by Lisa McMann
    Twins discover they have elemental powers and must save their island from destruction by an evil force.

    The fate of Artimé is at stake - and an unlikely alliance could redeem it - in book three in the New York Times bestselling Unwanteds series. The magical world of Artimé is gone. The Unwanteds have ... (Goodreads)

  25. Storm Front

    by Jim Butcher
    A wizard detective investigates a mysterious magical murder in modern Chicago.

    Dresden is hired by a Monica Sells to find her husband Victor Sells, an amateur magician who has been acting oddly. Later that day, he gets a call from Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, director of the ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Island of Silence

    by Lisa McMann
    Second book in the "Unwanteds" series. Alex and his friends journey to a hidden island to rescue a magical creature.

    The second book in the middle-grade dystopian fantasy series that, Kirkus Reviews, calls “The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter,” by, New York Times, bestselling author Lisa McMann. Following the ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. Gone

    by Lisa McMann
    A teenage boy wakes up one day to find that everyone over the age of 15 has disappeared. Chaos ensues as he and other kids struggle to survive.

    Things should be great for Janie—she has graduated from high school and is spending her summer with Cabel, the guy she’s totally in love with. But deep down she’s panicking about how she’s going to ... (Barnes & Noble)

  28. The Long Winter

    by Laura Ingalls Wilder
    A family's courageous struggle to survive a harsh winter in the American frontier.

    On a hot August day in the 1880s, at the Ingallses' homestead in Dakota Territory , Laura offers to help Pa stack hay to feed their stock in the winter. As they work, she notices a muskrat den in the ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Inkheart / Inkspell / Inkdeath

    by Cornelia Funke
    A bookbinder and his daughter can bring characters from books to life, but at a cost. Adventure ensues as they navigate the consequences.

    In Inkheart , the twelve-year-old, Meggie , discovers that her father Mo , a professional bookbinder, has the unusual ability to transfer characters from books into the real world when he reads ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Zombies Vs. Unicorns

    by Holly Black
    A collection of short stories featuring either zombies or unicorns, showcasing the strengths and weaknesses of each mythical creature.

    It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong ... (Goodreads)