CLASSIC LITERATURE
• A classic usually expresses some artistic quality--an expression of
life, truth, and beauty.
• A classic stands the test of time. The work is usually considered to
be a representation of the period in which it was written; and the work
merits lasting recognition. In other words, if the book was published
in the recent past, the work is not a classic.
• A classic has a certain universal appeal. Great works of literature
touch us to our very core beings--partly because they integrate
themes that are understood by readers from a wide range of
backgrounds and levels of experience. Themes of love, hate, death,
life, and faith touch upon some of our most basic emotional
responses.
• A classic makes connections. You can study a classic and discover
influences from other writers and other great works of literature. Of
course, this is partly related to the universal appeal of a classic. But,
the classic also is informed by the history of ideas and literature-whether unconsciously or specifically worked into the plot of the text.
Some examples follow…
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
A Stranger Came Ashore by Mollie Hunter
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Amos Fortune, Free Man
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
Dragonwings by Laurence Yep
Enchantress From the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Ghost Belonged To Me by Richard Peck
Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Horatio Hornblower Series by C.S. Lewis
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
Incident at Hawk's Hill by Allan W. Eckert
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
Island of the Blue Dolphin by Scott O'Dell
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
The Last Mission by Harry Mazer
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Irving Washington
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
M.C. Higgins the Great by Virginia Hamilton
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James and Christopher Collier
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
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National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
Poems by Robert Frost
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Shane by Jack Schaefer
Story of My Life by Helen Keller
To Be a Slave by Julius Lester
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Where the Lilies Bloom by Vera Cleaver
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The White Mountains by John Christopher
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
1. Classic Literature Reading List for Middle School
Students
By: LuAnn Schindler
Many middle school students enjoy the connection with a young adult novel, but classic
literature never goes out of style. Several humanities organizations have established a classic
literature reading list that emphasizes the importance of reading timeless books.
This list introduces new characters and alien worlds to the middle school set. Several of these
books are commonly taught in middle school English classes, so adding them to a summer
reading list can give your child an advantage when they come up during the school year.
Title
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
A Christmas Carol
A Day No Pigs Would Die
A Stranger Came Ashore
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A Wizard of Earthsea
A Wrinkle in Time
Across Five Aprils
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Amos Fortune, Free Man
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Call It Courage
The Call of the Wild
The Chocolate War
The Count of Monte Cristo
Daddy Long Legs
Diary of a Young Girl
Dragonsong
Dragonwings
Enchantress From the Stars
The Endless Steppe: Growing up in
Siberia
Fahrenheit 451
Frankenstein
The Ghost Belonged To Me
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
The Hobbit
The Horatio Hornblower Series
Author
Jules Verne
Charles Dickens
Robert Newton Peck
Mollie Hunter
Betty Smith
Ursula K. LeGuin
Madeleine L'Engle
Irene Hunt
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Mark Twain
Elizabeth Yates
Thornton Wilder
Armstrong Sperry
Jack London
Robert Cormier
Alexander Dumas
Jean Webster
Anne Frank
Anne McCaffrey
Laurence Yep
Sylvia Engdahl
Esther Hautzig
Ray Bradbury
Mary Shelley
Richard Peck
James Hilton
J.R.R. Tolkien
C.S. Forester
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Incident at Hawk's Hill
Ivanhoe
Island of the Blue Dolphin
Jacob Have I Loved
Johnny Tremain
Journey to Topaz
Julie of the Wolves
Kim
The Last Mission
The Last of the Mohicans
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Little Prince
Little Women
M.C. Higgins the Great
The Merry Adventures of Robin
Hood
My Brother Sam Is Dead
My Friend Flicka
Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass
National Velvet
The Outsiders
The Pigman
The Pilgrim's Progress
The Red Pony
Rifles for Watie
Robinson Crusoe
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Shane
Story of My Life
To Be a Slave
Treasure Island
The Upstairs Room
War of the Worlds
Where the Lilies Bloom
Where the Red Fern Grows
The White Mountains
The Yearling
Victor Hugo
Allan W. Eckert
Sir Walter Scott
Scott O'Dell
Katherine Paterson
Esther Forbes
Yoshiko Uchida
Jean Craighead George
Rudyard Kipling
Harry Mazer
James Fenimore Cooper
Irving Washington
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Louisa May Alcott
Virginia Hamilton
Howard Pyle
James and Christopher Collier
Mary O'Hara
Frederick Douglass
Enid Bagnold
S.E. Hinton
Paul Zindel
John Bunyan
John Steinbeck
Harold Keith
Daniel Defoe
Mildred D. Taylor
Jack Schaefer
Helen Keller
Julius Lester
Robert Louis Stevenson
Johanna Reiss
H.G. Wells
Vera Cleaver
Wilson Rawls
John Christopher
Marjorie Kinnan
Rawlings
2. Older Classics for Children
The following titles commonly appear on lists of classic children's literature. Most have been
issued in several different editions, offering a range of illustration styles from which to
choose.
Author
Alcott, Louisa May
Barrie, J.M.
Baum, L. Frank
Bond, Michael
Brink, Carol Ryrie
Burnett, Frances Hodgson
Carroll, Lewis
Collodi, Carlo
Defoe, Daniel
Dickens, Charles
Farley, Walter
Forbes, Esther
Frank, Anne
Gannett, Ruth Stiles
Gipson, Fred
Golding, William
Grahame, Kenneth
Kipling, Rudyard
Knight, Eric
Lewis, C.S.
Lindgren, Astrid
Milne, A. A.
Montgomery, L. M.
Norton, Mary
Pearce, Philippa
Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan
Sewell, Anna
Speare, Elizabeth G.
Spyri, Johanna
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Tolkien, J.R.R.
Travers, P. L.
Twain, Mark
Verne, Jules
White, E. B.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Tolkien, J.R.R.
Travers, P. L.
Title and Date
Little Women. c1868
Peter Pan. c1904
The Wizard of Oz. c1902
A Bear Called Paddington. c1958
Caddie Woodlawn. c1935
The Secret Garden. c1911
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. c1866
Adventures of Pinocchio. c1833
Robinson Crusoe. c1836
A Christmas Carol. c1844
The Black Stallion. c1941
Johnny Tremain. c1943
The Diary of a Young Girl. c1952
My Father's Dragon. c1948
Old Yeller. c1956
Lord of the Flies. c1954
The Wind in the Willows. 1907
The Jungle Book. 1894
Lassie Come-Home. c1940
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. c1950
Pippi Longstocking. c1945
Winnie-the-Pooh. c1926
Anne of Green Gables. c1908
The Borrowers. c1953
Tom's Midnight Garden. c1958
The Yearling. c1938
Black Beauty. 1877
The Witch of Blackbird Pond. c1958
Heidi. c1884
Treasure Island. c1884
The Hobbit
Mary Poppins. c1934
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. c1876
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. c1873
Charlotte's Web. c1952
Little House in the Big Woods. c1932
The Hobbit
Mary Poppins. c1934
Twain, Mark
Verne, Jules
White, E. B.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. c1876
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
c1873
Charlotte's Web. c1952
Little House in the Big Woods. c1932
3. Contemporary Classics
The following books are highly regarded by children's literature specialists, as well as being
popular with children - two qualities that make them likely to stand the test of time.
Author
Adams, Richard
Alexander, Lloyd
Babbitt, Natalie
Blume, Judy
Burnford, Sheila
Cleary, Beverly
Cormier, Robert
Creech, Sharon
Curtis, Christopher Paul
Dahl, Roald
DiCamillo, Kate
Farmer, Nancy
Fitzhugh, Louise
Gantos, Jack
Hamilton , Virginia
Jacques, Brian
Juster, Norton
Konigsburg, E. L.
LeGuin, Ursula
L'Engle, Madeline
Lowry, Lois
Lowry, Lois
MacLachlin, Patricia
Myers, Walter Dean
North, Sterling
Paterson, Katherine
Paulsen, Gary
Pierce, Tamora
Rasking, Ellen
Rawls, Wilson
Rockwell, Thomas
Rowling, J.K.
Sachar, Louis
Soto, Gary
Staples, Suzanne Fisher
Title and Date
Watership Down. c1972
The Book of Three. c1964
Tuck Everlasting. c1975
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. c1972
The Incredible Journey. c1961
Ramona the Pest. c1968
The Chocolate War. c1974
Walk Two Moons. c1994
The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963.
c1995
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. c1964
Because of Winn-Dixie. c2000
A Girl Named Disaster. c1996
Harriet the Spy. c1964
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. c1998
M.C. Higgins, the Great. c1974
Redwall. c1986
The Phantom Tollbooth. c1961
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.
Frankweiler. 1967
The Wizard of Earthsea. c1968
A Wrinkle in Time. c1962
The Giver. c1982
Number the Stars. c1989
Sarah, Plain and Tall. c1985
Scorpions. c1988
Rascal. c1963
Bridge to Terabithia. c1977
Hatchet. c1987
Alanna: The First Adventure. c1983
The Westing Game. c1978
Where the Red Fern Grows. c1961
How to Eat Fried Worms. c1973
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
c1998
Holes. c1998
Baseball in April, and Other Stories.
c1990
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind. c1989
Taylor, Mildred D.
Uchida, Yoshiko
Watkins, Yoko Kawashima
Yep, Laurence
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. c1976
Journey to Topaz. c1971
So Far From the Bamboo Grove. c1986
Dragonwings. c1975
4. Classic Reading—Recommended Books
Author
Louisa May Alcott
William Armstrong
Jane Austin
Lynne Reid Banks
Frank Baum
Ray Bradbury
Charlotte Brontë
Emily Brontë
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Willa Cather
Geoffrey Chaucer
Agatha Christy
Joseph Conrad
Stephen Crane
Daniel Defoe
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
George Eliot
Ralph Ellison
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Esther Forbes
Anne Frank
William Gibson
Fred Gipson
William Golding
Kenneth Grahame
Bette Greene
John Gunther
Alex Haley
Thomas Hardy
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
S. E. Hinton
Irene Hunt
Aldous Huxley
Daniel Keyes
Rudyard Kipling
John Knowles
Harper Lee
Title
Little Women
Sounder
Pride and Prejudice
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Wizard of Oz
Fahrenheit 451
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
The Secret Garden
My Ántonia
The Canterbury Tales
Murder on the Orient Express
Heart of Darkness
The Red Badge of Courage
Robinson Crusoe
A Christmas Carol
Great Expectations
A Tale of Two Cities
Silas Marner
Invisible Man
The Great Gatsby
Johnny Tremain
The Diary of a Young Girl
The Miracle Worker
Old Yeller
Lord of the Flies
The Wind in the Willows
Summer of My German Soldier
Death Be Not Proud
Roots
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
The Scarlet Letter
A Farewell to Arms
For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Old Man and the Sea
The Outsiders
Across Five Aprils
Brave New World
Flowers for Algernon
The Jungle Book (Books I and I)
A Separate Peace
To Kill a Mockingbird
Madeleine L’Engle
C. S. Lewis
Jack London
Lois Lowry
Patricia MacLachlan
Herman Melville
Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Margaret Mitchell
L. M. Montgomery
Scott O’Dell
George Orwell
George Orwell
Alan Paton
Robert Newton Peck
Wilson Rawls
Erich Maria Remarque
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
J. D. Salinger
Jack Schaefer
William Shakespeare
George Bernard Shaw
Mary Shelley
Sophocles
Armstrong Sperry
John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
Robert Lewis Stevenson
Robert Lewis Stevenson
Jonathan Swift
J. R. R. Tolkien
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Jules Verne
Alice Walker
Edith Wharton
E. B. White
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Thornton Wilder
Richard Wright
Richard Wright
Johann David Wyss
Paul Zindel
A Wrinkle in Time
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Call of the Wild
The Giver
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Moby-Dick
The Crucible
Death of a Salesman
Gone With the Wind
Anne of Green Gables
Island of the Blue Dolphins
1984
Animal Farm
Cry, The Beloved Country
A Day No Pigs Would Die
Where the Red Fern Grows
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Little Prince
The Catcher in the Rye
Shane
Romeo and Juliet
Pygmalion
Frankenstein
Antigone
Call It Courage
The Grapes of Wrath
Of Mice and Men
The Pearl
The Red Pony
Kidnapped
Treasure Island
Gulliver’s Travels
The Hobbit
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
The Color Purple
Ethan Frome
Charlotte’s Web
Little House on the Prairie
Our Town
Black Boy
Native Son
The Swiss Family Robinson
The Pigman
Additional Lists of Classics….
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
Lord of the Flies
William Golding
Andersonville
MacKinlay Kantor
The Moffats
Eleanor Estes
The Black Arrow
Robert Louis Stevenson
Mutiny on the Bounty
Charles Nordhoff
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway
The Call of the Wild
Jack London
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens
A Day No Pigs Would Die
Robert Newton Peck
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
Dracula
Bram Stoker
The Red Badge of Courage
Stephen Crane
Lord of the Rings (Series)
J.R.R. Tolkien
Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley
The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Good-Bye Mr. Chips
James Hilton
The Sea Wolf
Jack London
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Victor Hugo
A Separate Peace
John Knowles
Ivanhoe
Sir Walter Scott
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
Jane Austen, Her Complete Novels
Jane Austen
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson
The Last of the Mohicans
James Fenimore Cooper
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Betty Smith
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
White Fang
Jack London
Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte