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
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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.
CD
New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman spins a tale of wonder, dark secrets, and bravery that inspired the new 3-D stop-motion animated picture When coraline explores her new home, she finds a door. through the door is another house just like her own...except that it's...
Harriet the spy
Fitzhugh, Louise.
Paper Book
It's no secret that Harriet the Spy is a timeless classic that kids will love! Every day can be an adventure if you just look carefully enough! Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best...
The Westing game
Raskin, Ellen.
Paper Book
NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER * Ellen Raskin's unforgettable, timeless classic continues to be cherished by young readers of each new generation. "Great fun for those who enjoy illusion, word play, or sleight of hand." --The New York Times Book Review A...
Skellig
Almond, David
Paper Book
The bestselling story about love, loss and hope that launched David Almond as one of the best children's writers of today. Winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread children's book of the Year Award. When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness,...
The house with a clock in its walls
Bellairs, John
Paper Book
John Bellairs, the name in Gothic mysteries for middle graders, wrote terrifying tales full of adventure, attitude and alarm. For years, young readers have crept, crawled, and gone bump in the night with the unlikely heroes of these Gothic novels: Lewis Barnavelt, Johnny Dixon, and Anthony Monday....
Howl's moving castle
Jones, Diana Wynne.
Paper Book
This entrancing classic fantasy novel is filled with surprises at every turn. An international bestseller, this much-loved book is the source for the Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature. Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to...
Holes
Sachar, Louis
Paper Book
This groundbreaking classic is now available in a special anniversary edition with bonus content. Winner of the Newbery Medal as well as the National Book Award, HOLES is a New York Times bestseller and one of the strongest-selling middle-grade books to ever hit shelves!
Danny the champion of the world
Dahl, Roald
Paper Book
"A true genius . . . Roald Dahl is my hero" - David Walliams Danny lives in a caravan with his father, the most marvellous and exciting father any boy ever had. All the land around them belongs to Mr Victor Hazell, a rich snob with a great glistening beery face...
The secret garden
Burnett, Frances Hodgson
Paper Book
Celebrate an unforgettable classic with this gorgeously repackaged edition, featuring the timeless art of Tasha Tudor. Just in time for the movie adaptation starring Colin Firth and Julie Walters! This beautiful hardcover edition includes Tasha Tudor's iconic illustrations in...
Mrs Frisby and the rats of Nimh
O'Brien, Robert C.
Paper Book
They are not like other rats. They work at night, in secret . . . Time is running out for Mrs Frisby. She must move her family of mice before the farmer destroys their home. But her youngest son, Timothy, is too ill to survive the move. Help comes in the unexpected...
Five Children and It (Vintage Classics)
Nesbit, E..
Paper Book
Read the ultimate classic comforting coming of age fantasy story. 'Don't you know a sand-fairy when you see one?' I dare say you have often thought about what you would do if you were granted three wishes. The five children - Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane...
The wolves of Willoughby Chase
Aiken, Joan
Paper Book
Can you go a little faster? Can you run? Long ago, at a time in history that never happened, England was overrun with wolves. But as Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia discover, real danger often lies closer to home. Their new governess, Miss Slighcarp, doesn't seem at all nice. She...
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.
Paper Book
"In that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing." This is the second classic children's story collection by A.A.Milne about Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. In this highly popular volume Pooh meets the...
Pippi Longstocking
Lindgren, Astrid
Paper Book
 The beloved story of a spunky young girl and her hilarious escapades. "A rollicking story."--The Horn Book 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...
The little prince
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de
Paper Book
A pilot, stranded in the Sahara desert after a crash, comes in contact with a captivating and extraordinary stranger, who recounts his journey from planet to planet in search of what is most important in life. For over seventy years Antoine de Saint-Exupery's classic tale of childhood innocence has...
A wrinkle in time
L'Engle, Madeleine
Paper Book
Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child. We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts. When Charles and Meg Murry go searching through a 'wrinkle in time' for their lost father, they find...
Where the red fern grows : the story of two dogs and a boy
Rawls, Wilson.
Paper Book
A loving threesome, they ranged the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee country. Old Dan had the brawn. Little Ann had the brains, and Billy had the will to make them into the finest hunting team in the valley. Glory and victory were coming to them, but sadness waited too. Where the Red Fern...
Island of the Blue Dolphins
O'Dell, Scott
Paper Book
Scott O'Dell's Newbery Medal-winning classic is a gripping tale of survival, strength, and courage. Based on the true story of a Nicoleño Indian girl living alone on an island off the coast of California, Island of the Blue Dolphins has captivated readers for generations. On San Nicolas...
Bridge to Terabithia
Paterson, Katherine.
Paper Book
Thisis the story of a special friendship between a two lonely children, Jess and Leslie. Together they create an imaginary land called Terabithia, which they reach by swinging over a creek on a rope. In this wonderland they seek escape from the difficulties of the real world and also learn how to...
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
In Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal-winning classic, twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind his fragile community. Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic....
The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread
DiCamillo, Kate.
Paper Book
The beloved author of Because of Winn-Dixie enlightens us with a tale of adventure, despair, love, and soup. Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called...

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