CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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Small Town and Rural Life: Selected Books for Children and Teens

Compiled by Megan Schliesman

Books showing small town and rural life speak to the realities of many children and teens’ lives here in Wisconsin and around the country. Most of the books on this list are works of contemporary realism offering a perspective on small town, rural, or country life. A few also include elements of magical realism as long as a small town or rural setting is an essential element of the story.

Books for PreK-Grade 3

Journey of the Midnight Sun
by Afzal, Shazia
Illustrated by Aliya Ghare. Orca, 2022. 32 pages. Ages 3-6

Farmhouse
by Blackall, Sophie
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Little, Brown, 2022. 40 pages. Ages 4-9

Nana in the Country
by Castillo, Lauren
Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Clarion/HarperCollins, 2024. 40 pages. Ages 3-6

Farm
by Cooper, Elisha
Illustrated by Elisha Cooper. Orchard/Scholastic, 2010. 48 pages. Ages 4-8

Sleep Tight Farm: A Farm Prepares for Winter
by Doyle, Eugenie
Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. Chronicle, 2016. 28 pages. Ages 3-7

The Last Stand
by Eady, Antwan
Illustrated by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey. Alfred A. Knopf/Penguin Random House/Random House, 2024. 40 pages. Ages 6-9

Country Road ABC: An Illustrated Journey Through America’s Farmland
by Geisert, Arthur
Illustrated by Arthur Geisert. Houghton Mifflin , 2010. 62 pages. Ages 3-8

The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
by Harrington, Janice N.
Illustrated by Shelley Jackson. Farrar Straus Giroux/Melanie Kroupa Books, 2007. 32 pages. Ages 5-8

The Old Truck
by Pumphrey, Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey
Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey. Norton, 2020. 40 pages. Ages 18 months - 4 years

Town Is by the Sea
by Schwartz, Joanne
Illustrated by Sydney Smith. Groundwood, 2017. 48 pages. Ages 6-9

One Boy Watching
by Snider, Grant
Illustrated by Grant Snider. Chronicle, 2022. 52 pages. Ages 4-7

Being Home
by Sorell, Traci
Illustrated by Michaela Goade. Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2024. 32 pages. Ages 4-8

Books for Grades 4-8

The Only Black Girls in Town
by Colbert, Brandy
Little, Brown, 2020. 355 pages. Ages 9-12

Moo
by Creech, Sharon
Joanna Cotler Books, 2016. 278 pages. Ages 9-12

The Outsmarters
by Ellis, Deborah
Groundwood/House of Anansi, 2024. 245 pages. Ages 9-13

Answers to Dog
by Hautman, Pete
Candlewick, 2024. 233 pages. Ages 10-13

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer
by Jones, Kelly
Illustrated by Katie Kath. Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. 216 pages. Ages 8-11

Quagmire Tiarello Coudn't Be Better
by Larsen, Mylisa
Clarion/HarperCollins, 2024. 234 pages. Ages 10-14

A Handful of Stars
by Lord, Cynthia
Scholastic Press, 2015. 192 pages. Ages 9-12

The Season of Styx Malone
by Magoon, Kekla
Random House/Wendy Lamb Books, 2018. 297 pages. Ages 9-12

Roll
by Miller, Darcy
Harper, 2017. 206 pages. Ages 8-12

South of Somewhere
by Miller, Kalena
Albert Whitman, 2024. 282 pages. Ages 9-12

The Higher Power of Lucky
by Patron, Susan
Illustrated by Matt Phelan. Atheneum/Richard Jackson Book, 2006. 134 pages. Ages 8-11

Moonpenny Island
by Springstubb, Tricia
Illustrated by Gilbert Ford. Balzer + Bray, 2015. 292 pages. Ages 8-12

Maizy Chen's Last Chance
by Yee, Lisa
Random House, 2022. 276 pages. Ages 8-12

Books for Grades 9-12

Fire from the Sky
by Astot, Moa Backe
Levine Querido, 2023. 205 pages. Age 14 and older

All That I Can Fix
by Chan, Crystal
Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse, 2018. 314 pages. Age 13 and older

A Little Wanting Song
by Crowley, Cath
Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. 272 pages. Age 13 and older

Unclaimed Baggage
by Doll, Jen
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2018. 379 pages. Age 13 and older

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
by Ferguson, Jen
HarperCollins/Heartdrum, 2022. 360 pages. Age 14 and older

Ask the Passengers
by King, A. S.
Little, Brown, 2012. 293 pages. Age 13 and older

Bittersweet in the Hollow
by Pearsall, Kate
Penguin Random House/Putnam, 2023. 373 pages. Age 13 and older

Orbiting Jupiter
by Schmidt, Gary D.
Clarion, 2015. 183 pages. Age 14 and older

Dress Codes for Small Towns
by Stevens, Courtney
HarperTeen, 2017. 337 pages. Age 13 and older

Full Service
by Weaver, Will
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2005. 231 pages. Age 12 and older

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.

Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.