4.25 avg rating — 1,844 ratings

"More than almost anyone else I can think of, Jim Henson's cheerful outlook on life has inspired me to keep pursuing my own creative endeavors."

4.14 avg rating — 59,134 ratings

"Specifically, "A Christmas Carol" is a great story about redemption and changing your ways even after a lifetime of error."

3.73 avg rating — 6,558 ratings

"Between the totally empowering idea that women can do whatever they want regardless of what society might think, I also loved the contrast between Nellie and Elizabeth, how Nellie was focused on her goal but Elizabeth was much more focused on her experience. A great reminder that there's no wrong way to do things, and sometimes reaching the goal and the route you took to get there are equally enjoyable."

4.16 avg rating — 202,626 ratings

"Chan talks with refreshing honesty about the modern Christian culture and how it holds us back from doing the things that truly matter in life--caring and providing for those in need, demonstrating the love of Christ through actions not words, and focusing our lives on spreading the Holy Spirit."

4.01 avg rating — 21,427 ratings

"The book that inspired this list. Hope might not always be optimistic, but she always holds on to her name and her desire to be a force for good in the world."

4.17 avg rating — 1,294,257 ratings

"Another redemption story, with several characters going through reversals that see their outlooks on life changed for the better, all set on a peaceful, ever-changing moor, where the characters' internal changes are reflected as the winter becomes the spring and summer."

4.19 avg rating — 809,608 ratings

"I don't think I'd ever cried in happiness over the ending of a book until this one. Juliet and her correspondents are charming and desperate for hope and cheer in a post-war England. The ending is so blindingly brilliantly happy that I kind of get choked up just thinking about it."

3.98 avg rating — 83,219 ratings

"Even an Assistant Pig Keeper can make a difference and save the kingdom. Sometimes we all should be reminded of that."

4.08 avg rating — 213,597 ratings

"Like all mouse hero books, what I love about this one is that the size of the hero is no object--at least not to him. Despereaux knows he's going to become a knight, even if no one else believes him, and his belief is what gets him through to the end."

4.39 avg rating — 2,873,646 ratings

"Actually quite a bleak read, I chose this book because of the love that surrounds Liesl, and the love she chooses to build for herself after the war's end. (Can't say anything else because spoilers!)"

3.88 avg rating — 1,011,592 ratings

"For me, this book is about the slow redemption of Sydney Carton, and the idea that sometimes, even though your single heroic action will cost you everything, it will make no change in the state of the world. The ripples are small, not world-wide, but the people--person--Sydney cares for will be forever affected by his final act."

3.96 avg rating — 194,399 ratings

"Despite a shipwreck, having to hide her identity, losing her brother to the sea, and falling in love with her boss, Viola still wants to go on living, and her determination to stay alive pays off at the end of the play."

4.26 avg rating — 6,872,371 ratings

4.14 avg rating — 128,999 ratings

4.05 avg rating — 314,977 ratings

4.62 avg rating — 261,296 ratings

4.58 avg rating — 41,804 ratings

4.23 avg rating — 324,224 ratings

3.86 avg rating — 88,081 ratings

3.97 avg rating — 155,724 ratings

3.90 avg rating — 2,573 ratings

4.04 avg rating — 9,243 ratings