Recommended reading from our family library
many of the older books can be found online for free or on Amazon for very little!
We follow a Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling
For more info visit www.Amblesideonline.org (this one has a great list of pre-K books)
We also enjoy utilizing Laura Ingalls Little House Books as curriculum through The Prairie Primer https://cadroncreek.com/shop/prairie-primer/
Also we LOVE old historic tunes and ballads. Contemplator.com is a great resource for finding new ones to learn
Child not reading independently yet? We love Teach your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons
Fiction:
A note here. I prefer historical fiction as the medium through which to teach and entertain children. I do however prefer older books. The language is better, the stories and culture presented much more wholesome. Most of these books date from 1880-1970.
For Younger Children (ages 3-8):
The Billy & Blaze Series
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Billy & Blaze
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Blaze Fins The Trail
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Blaze And The Gypsies
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Blaze And The Gray Spotted Pony
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Blaze Shows The Way
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Blaze And The Lost Quarry
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Blaze And The Forest Fire
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Blaze Find Forgotten Roads
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Blaze And Thunderbolt
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Blaze And The Mountain Lion
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Blaze And The Indian Cave
Jim Forest early readers - fantastic for boys
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Jim Forest And Ranger Don
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Jim Forest And Dead Man's Peak
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Jim Forest And The Flood
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Jim Forest And The Bandits
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Jim Forest And The Mystery Hunter
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Jim Forest And Lone Wolf Gulch
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Jim Forest And Phantom Crater
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Jim Forest And The Ghost Town
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Jim Forest And Lightning
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Jim Forest And The Plane Crash
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Jim Forest And The Trapper
Stories by Albert Payson Terhune
(mostly collie books but some others too)
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Syria from the Saddle (1896)
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Lad: A Dog (1919)
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Bruce (1920)
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Buff: A Collie (1921)
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His Dog (1922)
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Black Gold (1922)
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Black Caesar's Clan (1922)
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Further Adventures of Lad (1922) Republished as Dog Stories Every Child Should Know (1941)
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The Pest (1923)
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Lochinvar Luck (1923)
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The Amateur Inn (1923)
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Grudge Mountain (1923) Republished as Dog of the High Sierras (Grosset & Dunlap)
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Treve (1924)
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The Heart of a Dog (1924)
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Wolf (1925)
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The Faith of a Collie (1949)
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My Friend the Dog (1926)
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Gray Dawn (1927)
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The Luck of the Laird (1927) Republished as A Highland Collie (1950)
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Collie to the Rescue (1940)
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Lad of Sunnybank (1929)
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A Dog Named Chips (1931)
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The Way of a Dog (1932)
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Dog of the High Sierras (1951)
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Wallace: Glasgow's Immortal Fire Dog (1961)
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Black Gold (1922)
Stories by Jim Kjelgaard
(dog books and historical adventure etc)
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Forest Patrol (1941)
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Rebel Siege (1943)
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Big Red (1945)
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The Fangs of Tsan-Lo (1945)
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Buckskin Brigade (1947)
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Snow Dog (1948)
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Kalak of the Ice (1949)
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A Nose for Trouble (1949)
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Wild Trek (1950)
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Chip the Dam Builder (1950)
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Irish Red, Son of Big Red (1951)
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Fire-hunter (1951)
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The Explorations of Pere Marquette (1951)
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Trailing Trouble (1952)
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Outlaw Red, Son of Big Red (1953)
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The Spell of the White Sturgeon (1953)
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The Coming of the Mormons (1953)
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Haunt Fox (1954)
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Cracker Barrel Trouble Shooter (1954)
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Lion Hound (1955)
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The Lost Wagon (1955)
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Desert Dog (1956)
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Trading Jeff and his Dog (1956)
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Wildlife Cameraman (1957)
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Cochise, Chief of Warriors (1957)
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Double Challenge (1957)
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We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run (1957)
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Wolf Brother (1957)
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Swamp Cat (1957)
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Rescue Dog of the High Pass (1958)
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The Land is Bright (1958)
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The Black Fawn (1958)
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The Story of Geronimo (1958)
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Hi Jolly (1959)
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Stormy (1959)
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Ulysses & his Woodland Zoo (1960)
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Boomerang Hunter (1960)
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The Duck-footed Hound (1960)
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Tigre (1961)
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Hidden Trail (1962)
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Fawn in the Forest & other Wild Animal Stories (1962)
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Two Dogs & a Horse (1964)
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Furious Moose of the Wilderness (1965)
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Dave and his Dog, Mulligan (1966)
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Coyote Song (1969)
Stories by Marguerite Henry
(mostly historical fiction horse books)
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Auno and Tauno: a Story of Finland, illus. Gladys Rourke Blackwood (1940)
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Dilly Dally Sally, illus. Gladys Rourke Blackwood (1940)
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Birds at Home, illus. Jacob Bates Abbott (1942)
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Geraldine Belinda, illus. Gladys Rourke Blackwood (1942)
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Their First Igloo On Baffin Island, illus. Gladys Rourke Blackwood (1943)
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A Boy and a Dog, illus. Diana Thorne and Ottilie Foy (1944)
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Justin Morgan Had a Horse, illus. Wesley Dennis (1945)
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The Little Fellow, illus. Diana Thorne (1945)
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Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman, illus. Lawrence Dresser (1945)
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Always Reddy, illus. Wesley Dennis (1947); also published as Shamrock Queen
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Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin, by Henry and Wesley Dennis (1947) – about the artist Benjamin West, OCLC 300163
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Misty of Chincoteague, illus. Wesley Dennis (1947)
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King of the Wind: the Story of the Godolphin Arabian, illus. Wesley Dennis (1948)
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Little-or-Nothing from Nottingham, illus. Wesley Dennis (1949)
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Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague, illus. Wesley Dennis (1949)
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Born To Trot, illus. Wesley Dennis (1950) – about the Standardbred line
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Album of Horses, illus. Wesley Dennis (1951)
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Brighty of the Grand Canyon, illus. Wesley Dennis (1953)
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Justin Morgan Had a Horse (revised), illus. Wesley Dennis (1954)
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Wagging Tails: Album of Dogs, illus. Wesley Dennis (1955)
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Cinnabar, the One O'Clock Fox, illus. Wesley Dennis (1956)
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Misty, the Wonder Pony, by Misty, Herself, illus. Clare McKinley (1956) – picture book
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Black Gold, illus. Wesley Dennis (1957) – about the horse Black Gold
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Muley-Ears, Nobody's Dog, illus. Wesley Dennis (1959)
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Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio, illus. Lynd Ward (1960); also published as The Wildest Horse Race in the World – featuring the Palio di Siena horserace
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All About Horses, illus. drawings by Wesley Dennis and photos (1962)
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Five O'Clock Charlie, illus. Wesley Dennis (1962)
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Stormy, Misty's Foal, illus. Wesley Dennis (1963)
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Portfolio of Horse Paintings, illus. Wesley Dennis, "with commentary by Marguerite Henry" (1964), LCCN 64-22279
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White Stallion of Lipizza, illus. Wesley Dennis (1964) – about the Vienna Spanish Riding School
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Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West, illus. Robert Lougheed (1966) – about Wild Horse Annie and American mustang conservation
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Dear Readers and Riders (1969); also published as Dear Marguerite Henry
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Stories from Around the World, edited and with an introduction by Marguerite Henry (1971)[17]
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San Domingo, the Medicine Hat Stallion, illus. Robert Lougheed (1972); also published as Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion (1977) and adapted for television under that title by Ed Friendly (1978) – set in Pony Express-era Wyoming, LCCN 77-83915
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The Little Fellow (revised), illus. Rich Rudish (1975)
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A Pictorial Life Story of Misty, drawings by Wesley Dennis (1976)
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One Man's Horse, illus. Wesley Dennis, "with famous paintings and prints by selected artists" (1977) – selections from Born to Trot (1950), LCCN 77-10080
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The Illustrated Marguerite Henry, illus. Wesley Dennis, Robert Lougheed, Lynd Ward, Rich Rudish (1980) – biographical material about these four of her illustrators, with selections from their work, LCCN 80-52017
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Our First Pony, illus. Rich Rudish (1984)
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Misty's Twilight, illus. Karen Haus Grandpre (1992)
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Album of Horses: a pop-up book, illus. Ezra N. Tucker (1993)
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Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley, illus. Bonnie Shields (1996)
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My Misty Diary, illus. Bill Farnsworth (1997)
Stories by Jack O'Brien
(dog books and historical adventure)
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Jack O'Brien: Silver Chief, Dog of the North
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Jack O'Brien: Silver Chief to the Rescue
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Jack O'Brien: The Return of Silver Chief
Stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder
(Historical novels based on her childhood)
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Little House in the Big Woods (1932) — named to the inaugural Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list in 1958
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Farmer Boy (1933) — about Almanzo Wilder growing up in New York
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Little House on the Prairie (1935)
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On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)[a]
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By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939)[a]
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The Long Winter (1940)[a]
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Little Town on the Prairie (1941)[a]
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These Happy Golden Years (1943)
Stories by G.A Henty
(historical adventure)
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A Search for a Secret1867
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The March to Magdala1868
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All But Lost, Volumes I, II and III1869
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Out on the Pampas: The Young Settlers1871
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The Young Franc-Tireurs and Their Adventure in the Franco-Prussian War1872
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The March to Coomassie1874
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The Young Buglers, A Tale of the Peninsular War1880
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The Cornet of Horse: A Tale of Marlborough's Wars1881
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In Times of Peril: A Tale of India1881
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Facing Death, The Hero of the Vaughan Pit – A Tale of the Coal Mines1882
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Winning His Spurs: A Tale of the Crusades (aka Boy Knight)1882
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Friends Though Divided: A Tale of the Civil War1883
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Jack Archer: A Tale of the Crimea1883
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Under Drake's Flag: A Tale of the Spanish Main1883
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By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War1884
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With Clive in India: The Beginnings of an Empire1884
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In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce1885
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St. George For England: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers1885
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True to the Old Flag: A Tale of the American War of Independence1885
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The Young Colonists: A Tale of the Zulu and Boer Wars1885
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The Dragon and the Raven, or The Days of King Alfred1886
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For Name and Fame: To Cabul with Roberts1886
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The Lion of the North: A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus and the Wars of Religion1886
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Through the Fray: A Tale of the Luddite Riots1886
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Yarns on the Beach: A Bundle of Tales1886
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The Bravest of the Brave, or, With Peterborough in Spain1887
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A Final Reckoning: A Tale of Bush Life in Australia1887
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The Sovereign Reader: Scenes from the Life and Reign of Queen Victoria1887
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The Young Carthaginian, A Story of the Time of Hannibal1887
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With Wolfe in Canada: The Winning of a Continent1887
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Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden1888
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For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem1888
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Gabriel Allen M.P.1888
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In the Reign of Terror: The Adventures of a Westminster Boy1888
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Orange and Green: A Tale of the Boyne and Limerick1888
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Sturdy and Strong: How George Andrews Made His Way1888
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Captain Bayley's Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of California1889
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The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt1889
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The Curse of Carne's Hold: A Tale of Adventure, Volumes I and II1889
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The Lion of St. Mark: A Story of Venice in the Fourteenth Century1889
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The Plague Ship(1889)
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Tales of Daring and Danger, Five Short Stories1890
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By Pike and Dyke: A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic1890
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One of the 28th: A Tale of Waterloo1890
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With Lee in Virginia, A Story of the American Civil War1890
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The Boy Knight: A Tale of the Crusades
(the American title for Winning His Spurs)1891 -
By England's Aid: The Freeing of the Netherlands, 1585–16041891
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By Right of Conquest: With Cortez in Mexico1891
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Chapter of Adventures: Through the Bombardment of Alexandria aka The Young Midshipman (USA)1891
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A Hidden Foe, Volumes I and II1891
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Maori and Settler: A Tale of the New Zealand War1891
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Those Other Animals(1891)
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The Dash For Khartoum: A Tale of the Nile Expedition1892
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Held Fast for England: A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar (1779–83)1892
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The Ranche in the Valley(1892)
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Redskin and Cowboy: A Tale of the Western Plains1892
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Beric the Briton: A Story of the Roman Invasion1893
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Condemned as a Nihilist: A Story of Escape from Siberia1893
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In Greek Waters: A Story of the Grecian War of Independence (1821–1827)1893
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Rujub, the Juggler, Volumes I, II and III1893
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Dorothy's Double: The Story of a Great Deception, Volumes I, II and III1894
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A Jacobite Exile: Being the Adventures of a Young Englishman in the Service of Charles XII of Sweden1894
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Saint Bartholomew's Eve: A Tale of the Huguenot Wars1894
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Through the Sikh War: A Tale of the Conquest of the Punjab1894
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In the Heart of the Rockies: A Story of Adventure in Colorado1895
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When London Burned: A Story of Restoration Times and the Great Fire1895
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Woman of the Commune: A Tale of Two Sieges of Paris
(aka Cuthbert Hartington, A Girl of the Commune,Two Sieges and Two Sieges of Paris1895 -
Wulf The Saxon: A Story of the Norman Conquest1895
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A Knight of the White Cross: A Tale of the Siege of Rhodes1896
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Through Russian Snows: A Story of Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow1896
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The Tiger of Mysore: A Story of the War with Tippoo Saib1896
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At Agincourt: A Tale of the White Hoods of Paris1897
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On the Irrawaddy: A Story of the First Burmese War1897
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The Queen's Cup, A Novel, Volumes I, II and III1897
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With Cochrane the Dauntless: A Tale of the Exploits of Lord Cochrane1897
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Colonel Thorndyke's Secret (aka The Brahmin's Treasure (USA))1898
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A March on London: Being a Story of Wat Tyler's Insurrection1898
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With Frederick the Great: A Tale of the Seven Years War1898
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With Moore at Corunna: A Tale of the Peninsular War1898
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Among Malay Pirates; A Tale of Adventure and Peril(1899)
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On the Spanish Main: A Tale of Cuba and the Buccaneers(1899)
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At Aboukir and Acre: A Story of Napoleon's Invasion of Egypt1899
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Both Sides the Border: A Tale of Hotspur and Glendower1899
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The Golden Cañon and The Stone Chest, or The Secret of Cedar Island,
(The Stone Chest is a filler title, not by Henty) (2-in-1 book)1899 -
The Lost Heir1899
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Under Wellington's Command: A Tale of the Peninsular War1899
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In the Hands of the Cave Dwellers1900
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No Surrender! A Tale of the Rising in La Vendée1900
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A Roving Commission, or, Through the Black Insurrection at Hayti1900
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Won by the Sword: A Story of the Thirty Years War1900
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In the Irish Brigade: A Tale of War in Flanders and Spain1901
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John Hawke's Fortune: A Story of Monmouth's Rebellion1901
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Out With Garibaldi: A Story of the Liberation of Italy1901
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Queen Victoria: Scenes from her Life and Reign1901
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With Buller in Natal: A Born Leader1901
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At the Point of the Bayonet: A Tale of the Mahratta War1902
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To Herat and Cabul, A Story of the First Afghan War1902
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With Roberts to Pretoria: A Tale of the South African War1902
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The Treasure of the Incas: A Tale of Adventure in Peru1903
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With Kitchener in the Soudan, A Story of Atbara and Omdurman1903
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With the British Legion: A Story of the Carlist Wars1903
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Through Three Campaigns: A Story of Chitral, Tirah, and Ashantee1904
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With the Allies to Pekin: A Story of the Relief of the Legations1904
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Gallant Deeds, Five Short Stories1905
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By Conduct and Courage: A Story of Nelson's Days1905
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In the Hands of the Malays1905
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Among the Bushrangers from A Final Reckoning1906
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Indian Raid, An from Redskin and Cowboy1906
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Cast Ashore from With Clive in India1906
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Charlie Marryat from With Clive in India1906
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Cornet Walter from Orange and Green1906
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A Highland Chief from In Freedom's Cause1906
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The Two Prisoners from A Soldier's Daughter1906
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The Young Captain from With Clive in India1906
Stories by Jerry West (Andrew Svenson)
(The Happy Hollisters is children's adventure series and has an old style collie prominently featured)
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# 1 The Happy Hollisters
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# 2 The Happy Hollisters on a River Trip
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# 3 The Happy Hollisters at Sea Gull Beach
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# 4 The Happy Hollisters and the Indian Treasure
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# 5 The Happy Hollisters at Mystery Mountain
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# 6 The Happy Hollisters at Snowflake camp
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# 7 The Happy Hollisters and the Trading Post Mystery
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# 8 The Happy Hollisters at Circus Island
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# 9 The Happy Hollisters and the Secret Fort
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#10 The Happy Hollisters at the Merry-Go-Round Mystery*
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#11 The Happy Hollisters and Pony Hill Farm*
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#12 The Happy Hollisters and the Old Clipper Ship
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#13 The Happy Hollisters at Lizard Cove
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#14 The Happy Hollisters and the Scarecrow Mystery
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#15 The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Totem Faces
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#16 The Happy Hollisters and the Ice Carnival Mystery
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#17 The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery in Skyscraper City
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#18 The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Little Mermaid
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#19 The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery at Missile Town
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#20 The Happy Hollisters and the Cowboy Mystery
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#21 The Happy Hollisters and the Haunted House Mystery
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#22 The Happy Hollisters and the Secret of the Lucky Coins
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#23 The Happy Hollisters and the Castle Rock Mystery
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#24 The Happy Hollisters and the Cuckoo Clock Mystery
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#25 The Happy Hollisters and the Swiss Echo Mystery
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#26 The Happy Hollisters and the Sea Turtle Mystery
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#27 The Happy Hollisters and the Punch and Judy Mystery
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#28 The Happy Hollisters and the Whistle Pig Mystery
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#29 The Happy Hollisters and the Ghost Horse Mystery
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#30 The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Golden Witch
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#31 The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Mexican Idol
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#32 The Happy Hollisters and the Monster Mystery
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#33 The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Midnight Trolls
Stories by Jack O'Brien stopped here
(dog books and historical adventure)
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Jack O'Brien: Silver Chief, Dog of the North
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Jack O'Brien: Silver Chief to the Rescue
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Jack O'Brien: The Return of Silver Chief