Good Reads - Classics

We have a "new", longer list of Classics! New additions are highlighted in yellow. Pick up a book from the list below at your local library branch. Click on the title of the book to go directly into the Library Catalog.

Frances Hodgson Burnett
A Little Princess
Sara Crew comes to Miss Minchin’s school as a very rich little girl who likes to imagine she is a princess. When her money suddenly disappears, she is forced to become a servant to the girls who used to be her friends. In spite of her hardships, Sara continues to pretend to be a princess. This is a wonderful, old-fashioned story with a fairy-tale ending.

Natalie Babbitt
Tuck Everlasting
What would it be like to live forever? After meeting the Tuck family, who will never die, Winnie Foster will have to make the most difficult decision of her life. Will she choose to stay mortal or will she follow the Tucks into eternity?

L. Frank Baum
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
After a twister carries Dorothy Gale far from her home in Kansas, she must travel through Oz to ask the powerful Wizard for help. With Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and her little dog Toto, Dorothy must defeat the Wicked Witch of the West before she will see her home again. If you enjoy the 1933 classic movie, you will love this story from which it is taken.

John Christopher
The White Mountains
This gripping tale is set in a time when Tripods, enormous alien machines, rule Earth. At age twelve, every boy and girl is Capped, giving control of their minds to the Tripods. How three boys struggle to flee the Capping Ceremony and retain mastery of their own thoughts makes an exciting science fiction story. The White Mountains is the first in a series of three books.

Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Poor Charlie Bucket loves Wonka chocolate. But his family can only afford to buy him one candy bar a year. When he stumbles upon a rare Golden Ticket, Charlie has a chance to visit Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory and see its wonders for himself. Afterwards, his life will never be the same!

Robert McCloskey
Homer Price
Homer Price is a pretty ordinary boy who lives in the pretty ordinary town of Centerburg, somewhere in the Midwest, sometime in the middle of the twentieth century. In these six humorous tales, Homer acquires a pet skunk named Aurora, captures some bank robbers and finds a diamond bracelet in a doughnut. Modern readers will laugh out loud at Homer’s anything-but-ordinary escapades.

Seuss, Dr.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go

Starting kindergarten? Getting married? Whatever your age or circumstance, you will glean “shiny pearls of wisdom” about what lies ahead. Unavoidable pitfalls are rhythmically addressed as well as Dr. Seuss encourages you to dream your wildest dreams!

Blume, Judy
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Called by some one of the best children’s books in American Literature, this book never disappoints! Peter Hatcher is nine years old and his little brother Fudge is almost three. You will instantly understand the feelings of a kid who puts up with a little brother or sister. The happy ending is sure to please and this classic book is a must read for every young reader!

This book has delighted many generations of children and their parents since 1938. It’s a story of a simple house painter who is sent a male penguin from the great Admiral Drake. Soon the fun begins when a female penguin arrives and the Popper’s bungalow is full of little baby penguins.

In the great green room a little bunny is being tucked away in bed. “Goodnight room, goodnight moon.” Page by page, item by item, little bunny says goodnight. This bedtime children’s book has lulled generations of readers and listeners for 60 years, and many more years to come.

Here is a story within a story. Join Bastian as he reads the strange book that draws him, and the reader, into the doomed world of Fantastica. It’s a land full of dragons, giants, monsters, and magic. Read and be drawn deeper and deeper into the enchanted world of Fantastica. The adventure begins with the turning of the first page.

This is a story about a boy and his dog. When that old, ugly, yellow dog showed up out the nowhere, Travis wanted to run him off. But little brother Arliss took a real liking to that dog. And when old Yeller’s luck runs out, Travis realizes too just how much he has come to love that old, ugly, yellow dog.

This is a story based on actual events; it’s a story of the brave children of Riswyk, Norway that was once occupied by the Germans. The children smuggled thousands of pounds of gold bullion down a mountain on their sleds to a waiting ship bound for the United States. Day after day they made their way past the Nazis guards until one final daring confrontation.

Laura Ingalls’ story begins in 1871, where Laura, at the age of four, lives with her Pa, her Ma, and her sisters, Mary and Carrie, and Jack, the dog. Pioneer life was fun and exciting for Laura living with her family in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. This is the first of nine books that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote in her heartwarming Little House series.

This Victorian melodrama contains all the hallmarks of classic British children’s novels – absent or brutal adults, brave and resourceful children and hair-raising adventures. If you liked Lemony Snickett’s Series of Unfortunate Events, you will love The Wolves of Willowby Chase.

The love of a boy for his great coon dog transcends time, hardship and oppression in the pre-Civil Rights era of the American South.

After reading about Sherlock Holmes, Freddy the pig sets himself up in the detective business. He and his animal friends solve a series of mysteries on the Bean farm and even hold a trial in the barn. There are twenty-six titles in all in this delightful series about Freddy.

Long before there was Junie B. Jones, Ramona Quimby was entertaining young readers with her irrepressible spirit and hilarious escapades. Ramona’s interactions with her older sister Beezus, her parents and her beloved teacher Miss Binney will have you laughing out loud.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle knows all about children, what they like, what they don’t like and how to help them with their behavior problems. So parents send their picky eaters, quarrelers and selfish kids to her. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle always has a solution and her solutions always work, with plenty of laughs along the way!

Tale of Little Bub, an ordinary work horse who becomes one of the greatest stallions of all time.

A tale of a centuries old band of wild ponies who live on an island off the coast of Virgiinia, specifically the mysterious Phantom and her gentle colt Misty.

Meg and Charles Wallace, along with their friend Calvin set off on a perilous quest to find their scientist father. Their search takes them through space to a planet whose inhabitants are controlled by IT.

The adventures of four children as the go through the War Drobe into Narnia on a quest to rid the country of the Witch and her followers.

Sarah answers an advertisement for a wife placed by a Midwestern farmer with two children. At first, she’s homesick for the ocean, and Caleb and Anna create an “ocean” of their own to make her comfortable with them.

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard think they have found the perfect, safe place for their ducklings to swim and grow. . . Boston’s Public Garden!

Sal and her mother set off in search of blueberries at the same time as a mother bear and her cub. Sal and Baby Bear wind up following the wrong mothers when they become engrossed in eating berries.

Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children has a serious problem and the rats of NIMH come up with a brilliant solution.

Survival tale of 12-year-old Karana and her sick brother who are abandoned on an island off the coast of California.

Housekeeper Amelia Bedelia takes her instructions quite literally, and the results are interesting and hilarious messes.

Billy Coleman and his two coonhound pups relentlessly try to tree the elusive ghost coon, successfully winning the coon hunt contest. After the dogs bravely fight a mountain lion, a grieving Billy finds comfort in the legend of the sacred red fern growing over the grave of his dogs.

When Max put on his wolf suit and became a wild thing, his mother sent him to his room, where he declared the rumpus to start. Adventures ensued, and he got back to his room just in time for supper.

Story of a horse in 19th century England, recounting his experiences with good masters and bad masters.

Forced to leave her sunny Caribbean home for a bleak Connecticut colony, spirited Kit, who isn’t your average Puritan maid, must defend herself against accusations of witchcraft.

After being abandoned by their mother somewhere in the middle of Connecticut, the four Tillerman children search for a family member who will help them stay together.

Four orphans take shelter in an old train boxcar during a storm. They were determined to make it their own, and turned it into a cozy home. First of the Boxcar Children Mysteries.

Affectionate pig Wilbur befriends Charlotte, the spider who lives in the rafters above his pen. He is devastated to learn he’s destined to become the farmer’s Christmas dinner until Charlotte steps in to help him.

Adventures of debonair mouse Stuart Little, when he set out to find his dear friend, a bird who had stayed in his family’s garden.

Through the tollbooth lays a strange land and a series of even stranger adventures in which Milo meets some of the most logically, illogical characters ever.

The bear is back in a beautifully packaged two volume edition of these timeless classics which introduce new generations to the world of Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Set in Mississippi at the height of the 1930’s Depression, this is the unforgettable story of a family’s struggle against prejudice and discrimination.


	We have a "new", longer list of Classics! New additions are highlighted in yellow. Pick up a book from the list below at your local library branch. Click on the title of the book to go directly into the Library Catalog. Frances Hodgson Burnett A Little Princess Sara Crew comes to Miss Minchin’s school as a very rich little girl who likes to imagine she is a princess. When her money suddenly disappears, she is forced to become a servant to the girls who used to be her friends. In spite of her hardships, Sara continues to pretend to be a princess. This is a wonderful, old-fashioned story with a fairy-tale ending. Natalie Babbitt Tuck Everlasting What would it be like to live forever? After meeting the Tuck family, who will never die, Winnie Foster will have to make the most difficult decision of her life. Will she choose to stay mortal or will she follow the Tucks into eternity? L. Frank Baum The Wonderful Wizard of Oz After a twister carries Dorothy Gale far from her home in Kansas, she must travel through Oz to ask the powerful Wizard for help. With Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and her little dog Toto, Dorothy must defeat the Wicked Witch of the West before she will see her home again. If you enjoy the 1933 classic movie, you will love this story from which it is taken. John Christopher The White Mountains This gripping tale is set in a time when Tripods, enormous alien machines, rule Earth. At age twelve, every boy and girl is Capped, giving control of their minds to the Tripods. How three boys struggle to flee the Capping Ceremony and retain mastery of their own thoughts makes an exciting science fiction story. The White Mountains is the first in a series of three books. Roald Dahl Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Poor Charlie Bucket loves Wonka chocolate. But his family can only afford to buy him one candy bar a year. When he stumbles upon a rare Golden Ticket, Charlie has a chance to visit Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory and see its wonders for himself. Afterwards, his life will never be the same! Robert McCloskey Homer Price Homer Price is a pretty ordinary boy who lives in the pretty ordinary town of Centerburg, somewhere in the Midwest, sometime in the middle of the twentieth century. In these six humorous tales, Homer acquires a pet skunk named Aurora, captures some bank robbers and finds a diamond bracelet in a doughnut. Modern readers will laugh out loud at Homer’s anything-but-ordinary escapades. Seuss, Dr. Oh, the Places You’ll Go Starting kindergarten? Getting married? Whatever your age or circumstance, you will glean “shiny pearls of wisdom” about what lies ahead. Unavoidable pitfalls are rhythmically addressed as well as Dr. Seuss encourages you to dream your wildest dreams! Blume, Judy Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Called by some one of the best children’s books in American Literature, this book never disappoints! Peter Hatcher is nine years old and his little brother Fudge is almost three. You will instantly understand the feelings of a kid who puts up with a little brother or sister. The happy ending is sure to please and this classic book is a must read for every young reader! Atwater, Richard Mr. Popper’s Penguins This book has delighted many generations of children and their parents since 1938. It’s a story of a simple house painter who is sent a male penguin from the great Admiral Drake. Soon the fun begins when a female penguin arrives and the Popper’s bungalow is full of little baby penguins. Brown, Margaret Wise Goodnight Moon In the great green room a little bunny is being tucked away in bed. “Goodnight room, goodnight moon.” Page by page, item by item, little bunny says goodnight. This bedtime children’s book has lulled generations of readers and listeners for 60 years, and many more years to come. Ende, Michael The Neverending Story Here is a story within a story. Join Bastian as he reads the strange book that draws him, and the reader, into the doomed world of Fantastica. It’s a land full of dragons, giants, monsters, and magic. Read and be drawn deeper and deeper into the enchanted world of Fantastica. The adventure begins with the turning of the first page. Gipson, Fred Old Yeller This is a story about a boy and his dog. When that old, ugly, yellow dog showed up out the nowhere, Travis wanted to run him off. But little brother Arliss took a real liking to that dog. And when old Yeller’s luck runs out, Travis realizes too just how much he has come to love that old, ugly, yellow dog. McSwigan, Marie Snow Treasure This is a story based on actual events; it’s a story of the brave children of Riswyk, Norway that was once occupied by the Germans. The children smuggled thousands of pounds of gold bullion down a mountain on their sleds to a waiting ship bound for the United States. Day after day they made their way past the Nazis guards until one final daring confrontation. Wilder, Laura Ingalls Little House in the Big Woods Laura Ingalls’ story begins in 1871, where Laura, at the age of four, lives with her Pa, her Ma, and her sisters, Mary and Carrie, and Jack, the dog. Pioneer life was fun and exciting for Laura living with her family in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. This is the first of nine books that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote in her heartwarming Little House series. Aiken, Joan The Wolves of Willowby Chase This Victorian melodrama contains all the hallmarks of classic British children’s novels – absent or brutal adults, brave and resourceful children and hair-raising adventures. If you liked Lemony Snickett’s Series of Unfortunate Events, you will love The Wolves of Willowby Chase. Armstrong, William A. Sounder The love of a boy for his great coon dog transcends time, hardship and oppression in the pre-Civil Rights era of the American South. Brooks, Walter R. Freddy the Detective After reading about Sherlock Holmes, Freddy the pig sets himself up in the detective business. He and his animal friends solve a series of mysteries on the Bean farm and even hold a trial in the barn. There are twenty-six titles in all in this delightful series about Freddy. Cleary, Beverly Ramona the Pest Long before there was Junie B. Jones, Ramona Quimby was entertaining young readers with her irrepressible spirit and hilarious escapades. Ramona’s interactions with her older sister Beezus, her parents and her beloved teacher Miss Binney will have you laughing out loud. MacDonald, Betty Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle knows all about children, what they like, what they don’t like and how to help them with their behavior problems. So parents send their picky eaters, quarrelers and selfish kids to her. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle always has a solution and her solutions always work, with plenty of laughs along the way! Marguerite Henry Justin Morgan Had a Horse Tale of Little Bub, an ordinary work horse who becomes one of the greatest stallions of all time. Marguerite Henry Misty of Chincoteague A tale of a centuries old band of wild ponies who live on an island off the coast of Virgiinia, specifically the mysterious Phantom and her gentle colt Misty. Madeleine L’Engle A Wrinkle In Time Meg and Charles Wallace, along with their friend Calvin set off on a perilous quest to find their scientist father. Their search takes them through space to a planet whose inhabitants are controlled by IT. C.S. Lewis *The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe* The adventures of four children as the go through the War Drobe into Narnia on a quest to rid the country of the Witch and her followers. Patricia MacLachlan *SarahPlain and Tall* Sarah answers an advertisement for a wife placed by a Midwestern farmer with two children. At first, she’s homesick for the ocean, and Caleb and Anna create an “ocean” of their own to make her comfortable with them. Robert McCloskey *Make Way for Ducklings* Mr. and Mrs. Mallard think they have found the perfect, safe place for their ducklings to swim and grow. . . Boston’s Public Garden! Robert McCloskey Blueberries for Sal Sal and her mother set off in search of blueberries at the same time as a mother bear and her cub. Sal and Baby Bear wind up following the wrong mothers when they become engrossed in eating berries. Robert O’Brien Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children has a serious problem and the rats of NIMH come up with a brilliant solution. Scott O’Dell Island of the Blue Dolphin Survival tale of 12-year-old Karana and her sick brother who are abandoned on an island off the coast of California. Peggy Parish Amelia Bedelia Housekeeper Amelia Bedelia takes her instructions quite literally, and the results are interesting and hilarious messes. Wilson Rawls Where the Red Fern Grows: the Story of Two Dogs and a Boy Billy Coleman and his two coonhound pups relentlessly try to tree the elusive ghost coon, successfully winning the coon hunt contest. After the dogs bravely fight a mountain lion, a grieving Billy finds comfort in the legend of the sacred red fern growing over the grave of his dogs. Maurice Sendak Where the Wild Things Are When Max put on his wolf suit and became a wild thing, his mother sent him to his room, where he declared the rumpus to start. Adventures ensued, and he got back to his room just in time for supper. Anna Sewell Black Beauty Story of a horse in 19th century England, recounting his experiences with good masters and bad masters. Elizabeth George Speare The Witch of Blackbird Pond Forced to leave her sunny Caribbean home for a bleak Connecticut colony, spirited Kit, who isn’t your average Puritan maid, must defend herself against accusations of witchcraft. Cynthia Voight Homecoming After being abandoned by their mother somewhere in the middle of Connecticut, the four Tillerman children search for a family member who will help them stay together. Gertrude Chandler Warner The Boxcar Children Four orphans take shelter in an old train boxcar during a storm. They were determined to make it their own, and turned it into a cozy home. First of the Boxcar Children Mysteries. E.B. White Charlotte’s Web Affectionate pig Wilbur befriends Charlotte, the spider who lives in the rafters above his pen. He is devastated to learn he’s destined to become the farmer’s Christmas dinner until Charlotte steps in to help him. E.B. White Stuart Little Adventures of debonair mouse Stuart Little, when he set out to find his dear friend, a bird who had stayed in his family’s garden. Juster, Norton The Phantom Tollbooth: Special 35th Anniversary Edition Through the tollbooth lays a strange land and a series of even stranger adventures in which Milo meets some of the most logically, illogical characters ever. Milne, A.A. Winnie the Pooh/ The House at Pooh Corner: 75th Anniversary Editions The bear is back in a beautifully packaged two volume edition of these timeless classics which introduce new generations to the world of Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Taylor, Mildred Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: 25th Anniversary Edition Set in Mississippi at the height of the 1930’s Depression, this is the unforgettable story of a family’s struggle against prejudice and discrimination.

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