Books like

Books like The Day You Begin

12 books with a reading profile close to The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson. Practical, inward-looking and clear-cut; an easy read.

1

The Running Dream

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Also practical and inward-looking · inspirational, narrative

Jessica Carlisle, a track star who loses her leg below the knee following a bus accident, faces the abrupt end of her identity as an athlete.
2

Corduroy

by Don Freeman

Also practical and clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Corduroy is a small bear in green overalls who lives on a shelf in a crowded department store.
3

The Polar Express

by Chris Van Allsburg

Also practical and clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

On Christmas Eve, a young boy waits in bed for the sound of reindeer bells, only to find a steam engine idling in front of his house.
4

Love You Forever

by Robert Munsch

Also practical and inward-looking · inspirational, narrative

This story follows the life of a mother and her son through the various stages of his development.
5

Maniac Magee

by Jerry Spinelli

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Jeffrey Lionel Magee is an orphaned runaway with legendary athletic abilities who settles in the racially divided town of Two Mills.
6

Touching Spirit Bear

by Ben Mikaelsen

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Cole Matthews, fifteen, is a violent young offender who has been sentenced to a Native-inspired form of justice called Circle Justice.
7

Fish in a Tree

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Also inward-looking and clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Ally Nickerson has reached the sixth grade by using distractions and bad behavior to hide her inability to read.
8

Esperanza Rising

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Esperanza Ortega lives a life of luxury on her family’s ranch in Aguascalientes, Mexico, until her father’s sudden death and the destruction of her home by her uncles forces a sudden escape.
9

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

by Mitch Albom

Also inward-looking · inspirational, narrative

Annie is a young woman whose life was changed by an accident at Ruby Pier, the amusement park where Eddie, the hero of Albom's first novel, spent his life.
10

The Last Sin Eater

by Francine Rivers

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Set in the 1850s Appalachian Mountains, the narrative follows Cadi Forbes, a young girl burdened by the guilt of her sister’s death.
11

The Runaway Bunny/Goodnight Moon

by Margaret Wise Brown

Also practical and inward-looking · narrative, accessible

In this compilation of two classic children’s stories, Margaret Wise Brown focuses on the physical and emotional security of home.
12

There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

by Louis Sachar

Also practical and clear-cut · narrative, accessible

Bradley Chalkers is the worst kid in fifth grade, a liar and bully who sits alone in the back of the class and has no friends.

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