This volume recommends some 500 positive, heart-warming stories for young readers―stories of the human spirit and what it can accomplish; stories of loving families surviving crises in positive ways; historical tales full of quick-witted people (especially girls); fairy tales with strong women; true stories of survival; and more. These gentle and uplifting reads span every genre―from science fiction and fantasy, to mysteries, realistic fiction, biographies, and nonfiction. They are Accelerated Reader titles, Reading Counts titles, and Junior Library Guild selections. Primarily intended for grades 5 to 9, this is a list of reading suggestions for the young adult who wants a great read but does not want to be offended. Grades 5-9. Prompted by a New York Times Book Review article with the title A Good Book Should Make You Cry, whose premise is that language arts teachers love depressing books and YA award winners are full of bad habits and behavior, McDaniel disproves that notion with 500 recommended titles. Here readers will find books with divorce, drug use, attempted suicides, and more but they all meet the criteria the author has set by being either inspiring, heartwarming, or in some way uplifting. Hand this to adults who want to feel comfortable choosing a read-aloud or gift. Its also useful for book club recommendations and homeschoolers. Arranged by genres, the entries include full bibliographic information, an annotation, and a description of why the book fits the gentle criteria. –Renee McGrath, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. The author has collected 500 “inspiring reads” in an effort to counteract what she sees as a glut of depressing books for readers in grades 5 through 9. The books in this annotated bibliography were published within the last 10 years and in McDaniel’s opinion are inspiring and heartwarming. Entries are divided by genre (“Picture Books,” “Fantasy,” “Biography,” to name a few) and then arranged alphabetically by author. Typical bibliographic information with grade levels, a plot summary, and “Gentle Criteria” (the rationale for including the title) appear in each entry. Each book’s inclusion in Accelerated Reader, Reading Counts, or Junior Literary Guild and any awards won are indicated. There are several indexes—title, author, subject, and series. Although many of the titles she includes do have depressing plot elements, McDaniel has done an admirable job of offering readers an alternative and giving librarians a nice collection development tool. Grades 5-9. --Shelley Glantz “Prompted by a New York Times Book Review articles with the title A Good Book Should Make You Cry, whose premise is that language arts teachers love depressing books and YA award winners are full of bad habits and behavior, McDaniel disproves that notion with 500 recommended titles, Here readers will find that books with divorce, drug use, attempted suicides, and more but they all meet the criteria the author has set by being either inspiring, heartwarming, or in some way uplifting. Hand this to adults who want to feel comfortable choosing a read-aloud or gift. It's also useful for book club recommendations and homeschoolers. Arranged by genres, the entries include full bibliographic information, an annotation, and a description of why the book fits the gentle criteria.” ― School Library Journal “McDaniel has done an admirable job of offering readers an alternative and giving librarians a nice collection development tool.” ― Booklist “In her preface to this extremely useful source, school librarian McDaniel defines 'gentle reads' as stories that promote admirable qualities and traits such as leadership and courage…Mc Daniel's annotations are concise yet engaging, and give a good sense of what each book is about without giving away too much of the plot. This excellent reference is geared toward school librarians, and teachers, but public librarians, parents and even teens will find it to be a very helpful alternative to the widely available bibliographies of Christian fiction for youth.” ― VOYA “…Each featured book includes bibliographical information, a summary of the story, the criteria she used to include the book in the 'gentle' category, a notation of special awards, and whether or not the book is an Accelerated Reader, Reading Counts, or Junior Library Guild book. This is a fascinating book and resource to which I will refer often when choosing new titles for my shelves. Recommended. ” ― Choice “ Gentle Reads provides an excellent overview of a variety of books children will enjoy. . .” ― Christian Library Journal “This will be a useful addition to the professional shelf.” ― ARBA Deanna J. McDaniel is a Library Media Specialist, Genoa Middle School, Westerville City Schools, Ohio, with more than 30 years' library experience and a freelance researcher for Web Feet (Thomson Gale).