Great Kids' Novels that Adults Should Read (or Re-read)

Just because you're a grownup doesn't mean you have to stop reading children's books. Here's a list of books that are just as entertaining and thought-provoking for adults as they are for kids. And if you read one of these when you were younger, give it another chance. It'll hit differently through adult eyes.

*This list is limited to children's novels and doesn't include Young Adult or picture books.

Updated October 31, 2023
M
McCracken County Public Library McCracken County Public Library
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Great Kids' Novels that Adults Should Read (or Re-read)

Just because you're a grownup doesn't mean you have to stop reading children's books. Here's a list of books that are just as entertaining and thought-provoking for adults as they are for kids. And if you read one of these when you were younger, give it another chance. It'll hit differently through adult eyes.

*This list is limited to children's novels and doesn't include Young Adult or picture books.

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Tuck everlasting
Babbitt, Natalie
Paper Book
The beloved children's classic with more than more than 10 million copies sold. From Newbery Honor and E. B. White Award-winning author Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting is a spellbinding modern-day masterpiece about immortality, friendship, and growing up that's...
Coraline
Gaiman, Neil.
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal-winning author Neil Gaiman's modern classic, Coraline--also an Academy Award-nominated film "Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house...." When Coraline steps through a door to find another...
The Westing game
Raskin, Ellen
Paper Book
A Newbery Medal Winner "A supersharp mystery...confoundingly clever, and very funny." -Booklist, starred review A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric...
The house with a clock in its walls
Bellairs, John
Paper Book
A haunting gothic tale by master mysery writer John Bellairs--soon to be a major motion picture starring Cate Blanchett and Jack Black! "The House With a Clock in Its Walls will cast its spell for a long time."--The New York Times Book Review When Lewis...
Holes
Sachar, Louis
Paper Book
Stanley Yelnats tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment and redemption.
Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NIMH
O'Brien, Robert C.
Paper Book
"Thoroughly engrossing, thought-provoking fantasy." --School Library Journal (starred review) Some extraordinary rats come to the aid of a mouse family in this "treasure of a book" (The Times, London), the Newbery Medal-winning classic by notable children's...
M. C. Higgins, the great
Hamilton, Virginia
Paper Book
Discover this transcendent middle grade masterpiece about a young black boy whose quiet rural live in the Appalachian Mountains begins to change--winner of the Newbery Medal, the National Book Award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Mayo Cornelius Higgins sits on his...
From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Konigsburg, E. L.
Paper Book
A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) Run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with E. L. Konigsburg's beloved classic and Newbery Medal­-winning novel From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler! When Claudia decided to run away, she...
The house at Pooh Corner
Milne, A. A.
CD
TIGER COMES TO THE FOREST and other storiesStory 1 In which a house is built at Pooh Corner for Eeyore Story 2 In which Tiger comes to the forest and has breakfast Story 3 In which Tiger is unbounced Story 4<...
Pippi Longstocking
Lindgren, Astrid
Paper Book
The beloved story of a spunky young girl and her hilarious escapades.   Tommy and his sister Annika have a new neighbor, and her name is Pippi Longstocking. She has crazy red pigtails, no parents to tell her what to do, a horse that lives on her porch, and a pet monkey named...
The little prince
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de
Paper Book
OVER 140 MILLION COPIES SOLD The beloved classic story about a young prince's travels through space--a profound philosophical tale about loneliness and loss, and love and friendship. A pilot crashes in the Sahara Desert and...
A wrinkle in time
L'Engle, Madeleine
Paper Book
As seen on Stranger Things, discover the ground-breaking, bestselling science fiction and fantasy classic that has delighted readers for over 60 years! NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER * TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF ALL TIME * NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM...
Where the red fern grows : the story of two dogs and a boy
Rawls, Wilson
Paper Book
A School Library Journal Top 100 Childrens Novel An NPR Must-Read for Kids Billy has long dreamt of owning not one^ but two^ dogs. So when heâe(tm)s finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own âe" Old Dan and Little Ann âe" heâe(tm)s ecstatic. It doesnâe(tm)t...
Bridge to Terabithia
Paterson, Katherine.
Paper Book
This beloved Newbery Medal-winning novel by bestselling author Katherine Paterson is a modern classic of friendship and loss. This paperback edition is rack size.  Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until...
The phantom tollbooth
Juster, Norton
Paper Book
With almost 5 million copies sold 60 years after its original publication, generations of readers have now journeyed with Milo to the Lands Beyond in this beloved classic. Enriched by Jules Feiffer's splendid illustrations, the wit, wisdom, and wordplay of Norton Juster's offbeat fantasy are as...
The giver
Lowry, Lois
Paper Book
Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and...
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