Recommendations based on The Family Under the Bridgeby Natalie Savage Carlson

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

  1. The Story of Doctor Dolittle

    by Hugh Lofting
    A doctor's magical adventures with animals and his quest to save a distant land.

    John Dolittle , MD, is a respected physician and quiet bachelor living with his spinster sister Sarah in the small English village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. His love of animals grows over the years ... (Wikipedia)

  2. The Yearling

    by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
    A young boy's struggles to come to terms with the harsh realities of life in the rural south.

    Young Jody Baxter lives with his parents, Ora and Ezra "Penny" Baxter, on a small farm in the animal-filled central Florida backwoods in the 1870s. His parents had six other children before him, but ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

    by Jean Lee Latham
    A young man's struggle to gain knowledge and self-confidence, inspiring a revolution in navigation.

    In Revolutionary War–era Salem, Massachusetts, a young Nat Bowditch, the smallest member of a sea-faring family, astounds his schoolteacher with his talent for mathematics. He dreams of someday ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Lassie Come-Home

    by Eric Knight
    A loyal collie travels hundreds of miles to return to her beloved family, facing many dangers along the way.

    A beloved classic gets a beautiful new look. Lassie is Joe's prize collie and constant companion. But when Joe's father loses his job, Lassie must be sold. Three times she escapes from her new owner, ... (Goodreads)

  5. Book of a Thousand Days

    by Shannon Hale
    A lady's maid and her mistress are locked in a tower for seven years. The maid's journal tells of their struggles and eventual escape.

    Dashti, a mucker from steppes of the Eight Realms, begins a diary as she looks for a job after her mother dies of illness. Eventually, she finds and accepts a position as the new maid of Lady Saren, ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Fever 1793

    by Laurie Halse Anderson
    A young girl's fight for survival in the midst of a deadly fever epidemic in Philadelphia.

    An epidemic of fever sweeps through the streets of 1793 Philadelphia in this novel from Laurie Halse Anderson where "the plot rages like the epidemic itself" ( The New York Times Book Review ). ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. Johnny Tremain

    by Esther Forbes
    A young apprentice's journey of bravery, patriotism and heroism during the American Revolution.

    The story begins on July 23, 1773, in the Boston silversmith shop of elderly Ephraim Lapham, where Johnny is a promising 14-year-old apprentice. It is understood that someday he will marry Mr. ... (Wikipedia)

  8. The Sign of the Beaver

    by Elizabeth George Speare
    A young boy left alone in the wilderness befriends a Native American and learns survival skills.

    The Sign of the Beaver tells the story of 13-year-old Matt James Hallowell, an 18th-century American settler. He and his father build a log cabin in the wilderness of Maine, then Matt is left alone ... (Wikipedia)

  9. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

    by Hugh Lofting
    Doctor Dolittle, a veterinarian, sets sail on a series of adventures with his animal friends.

    The novel begins when Tommy Stubbins, the narrator of the story, finds a squirrel injured by a hawk. Matthew Mugg, the cat's meat man, informs him to get help from Doctor Dolittle, who can speak the ... (Wikipedia)

  10. The Hundred Dresses

    by Eleanor Estes
    A story of bullying and kindness, teaching a lesson of compassion and acceptance.

    The book centres on Wanda Petronski, a poor and friendless Polish-American girl. Her teacher, although outwardly kind, puts Wanda in the worst seat in the classroom and does not say anything when her ... (Wikipedia)

  11. National Velvet

    by Enid Bagnold
    A young girl named Velvet trains a horse to win the Grand National race, defying gender norms and societal expectations.

    National Velvet is the story of a 14-year-old girl named Velvet Brown, who trains and rides her horse, named The Piebald, to victory in the Grand National steeplechase . The novel focuses on the ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Shiloh

    by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
    A young boy finds a stray dog and wants to keep him, but faces challenges from his family and the dog's original owner.

    The novel is set in the small town of Shiloh, West Virginia, ,[nb 1], where an eleven-year-old boy named Marty Preston finds a stray beagle named Shiloh wandering in the hills near his house. Shiloh ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Sounder

    by William H. Armstrong
    A poor African American family in the 19th century struggles to survive and keep their dignity intact. Their loyal dog, Sounder, provides comfort and hope.

    The black sharecropper's family is poor and hungry. The father and his dog, Sounder, go hunting each night, but the hunting is inadequate. The family subsists on fried corn mush, biscuits, and milk ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Because of Winn-Dixie

    by Kate DiCamillo
    A girl's journey of self-discovery and healing, as she finds friendship in an unlikely companion.

    Kate DiCamillo's beloved, best-selling debut novel is now available in a paperback digest edition. Kate DiCamillo's first published novel, like Winn-Dixie himself, immediately proved to be a keeper—a ... (Goodreads)

  15. Where the Red Fern Grows

    by Wilson Rawls
    A young boy embarks on an adventure with his beloved hunting dogs, learning valuable life lessons.

    An old man named Billy Colman rescues a redbone hound under attack by neighborhood dogs. He takes it home with him so that its wounds can heal. In light of this event, he has a flashback to when he ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Strawberry Girl

    by Lois Lenski
    A young girl and her family face the challenges of living on a rural farm in the 1940s.

    The land was theirs, but so were its hardships Strawberries – big, ripe, and juicy. Ten-year-old Birdie Boyer can hardly wait to start picking them. But her family has just moved to the Florida ... (Goodreads)

  17. River Secrets

    by Shannon Hale
    A young girl's quest to uncover secrets of the magical river that runs through her town.

    The story begins as the main character, Razo, watches a meeting. The king and queen of Bayern speak with a Tiran ambassador and agree they should exchange ambassadors to promote peace between the two ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm

    by Betty MacDonald
    A family of mischievous animals learn lessons in kindness, responsibility and self-control.

    Ms. Piggle-Wiggle's left her upside-down town house and has moved to a farm in the country. With the help of her cows and pigs and horses, she's still curing girls and boys of their bad habits. So ... (Goodreads)

  19. 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)

  20. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

    by Doreen Cronin
    A group of cows learn to type, and use it to negotiate better living conditions with their farmer.

    Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears Click, clack, MOO. Click, clack, MOO. Clickety, clack, MOO. But Farmer Brown's problems REALLY begin when his cows start ... (Goodreads)

  21. All-of-a-Kind Family

    by Sydney Taylor
    Five sisters navigate life in early 1900s New York, learning lessons in love and family.

    Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertrude are five sisters growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1912. The book follows them through a year of their childhood, as they deal with mundane ... (Wikipedia)

  22. The Things We Cannot Say

    by Kelly Rimmer
    A family saga that explores the power of love and the sacrifices we make for those we cherish. A story of hope, resilience, and the unbreakable bond of family.

    Kelly Rimmer, the, USA TODAY, bestselling author of, Before I Let You Go, returns with a powerful and life-affirming novel about the legacy of war and its impact on one memorable family. Told through ... (Barnes & Noble)

  23. Stone Fox

    by John Reynolds Gardiner
    Young boy braves the elements to save his family's farm, with the help of a wise old man and an enigmatic dog.

    John Reynolds Gardiner's classic action-packed adventure story about a thrilling dogsled race has captivated readers for more than thirty years. Based on a Rocky Mountain legend, Stone Fox tells the ... (Goodreads)

  24. Grandfather's Journey

    by Allen Say
    A Japanese man moves to America, but misses his homeland. His grandson later moves to Japan and feels the same way.

    A young man from Japan , during the Meiji era , crosses the Pacific Ocean and explores the United States. He finds that of all the places he has seen, he likes coastal California best because of the ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Henry Huggins

    by Beverly Cleary
    A young boy's everyday adventures in a small town, meeting friends and facing challenges.

    In the first novel from Newbery Award-winning author Beverly Cleary, boys and girls alike will instantly be charmed by an average boy whose life is turned upside down when he meets a lovable puppy ... (Goodreads)

  26. Julie of the Wolves

    by Jean Craighead George
    A young girl's journey to find her true identity, guided by a pack of wolves.

    Julie/Miyax (My-yax) is an Inuk girl torn between modern Alaska and the old Inuit tradition . After her mother's death, she is raised by her father Kapugen (Kah-Pue-Jen). In his care, Miyax becomes ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The Witch of Blackbird Pond

    by Elizabeth George Speare
    A young girl's struggles to find her place in a Puritan Connecticut town.

    In April 1687, 16-year-old Katherine Tyler (known throughout the story as Kit Tyler) leaves her home in Barbados after her grandfather dies and a 50-year-old man tries to marry her. She relocates to ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Catherine, Called Birdy

    by Karen Cushman
    An adolescent girl's story of rebellion, seeking freedom in a restrictive society.

    The following is a description of the novel as it appears on the cover: "[T]he fourteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, ... (Wikipedia)

  29. D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths

    by Ingri d'Aulaire
    A captivating collection of timeless myths and legends from Ancient Greece.

    Here are the gods, goddesses, and legendary figures of ancient Greece–mighty Zeus, with his fistful of thunderbolts; gray-eyed Athena, goddess of wisdom; Helios, the sun; greedy King Midas--lavishly ... (Goodreads)

  30. My Side of the Mountain

    by Jean Craighead George
    A young boy runs away to the Catskill Mountains, where he learns to survive on his own and befriends a falcon.

    Sam Gribley is a 12-year-old boy who intensely dislikes living in his parents' cramped New York City apartment with his eight brothers and sisters. He decides to run away to his great-grandfather's ... (Wikipedia)