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
Paper Book
In Coraline's family's new flat there's a locked door. On the other side is a brick wall--until Coraline unlocks the door . . . and finds a passage to another flat in another house just like her own. Only different. The food is better there. Books have pictures that writhe and crawl...
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
A Newbery Medal Winner For over thirty-five years, Ellen Raskin's Newbery Medal-winning The Westing Game has been an enduring favorite. The Westing Game Deluxe Anniversary Edition Before writing The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin...
Skellig
Almond, David
Paper Book
David Almond's Printz Honor-winning novel celebrates its 10th anniversary! Ten-year-old Michael was looking forward to moving into a new house. But now his baby sister is ill, his parents are frantic, and Doctor Death has come to call. Michael feels helpless. Then he steps into...
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...
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
Danny champion of the world
Dahl, Roald.
Other
From the bestselling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG!  Danny has a life any boy would love--his home is a gypsy caravan, he's the youngest master car mechanic around, and his best friend is his dad, who never runs out of...
The secret garden
Burnett, Frances Hodgson
Paper Book
After her parents die in a cholera outbreak, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her uncle. His mansion on the Yorkshire moors is grand but unwelcoming and lonely, and the vast grounds are the only place Mary can go to find peace. As she explores every inch of them, she uncovers a...
Mrs. Frisby and the rats of Nimh
O'Brien, Robert C.
Paper Book
Some extraordinary rats come to the aid of a mouse family in this Newbery Medal Award-winning classic by notable children's author Robert C. O'Brien. Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, is faced with a terrible problem. She must move her family to their summer...
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...
Bud, not Buddy
Curtis, Christopher Paul.
Paper Book
The Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning classic about a boy who decides to hit the road to find his father--from Christopher Paul Curtis, recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.   It's 1936, in Flint, Michigan....
The Egypt game
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley.
Paper Book
The first time Melanie Ross meets April Hall, she's not sure they have anything in common. But she soon discovers that they both love anything to do with ancient Egypt. When they stumble upon a deserted storage yard, Melanie and April decide it's the perfect spot for the Egypt Game. Before long...
Five children and it
Nesbit, E.
Paper Book
When Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother go digging in the gravel pit, the last thing they expect to find is a Psammead - an ancient Sand-fairy! Having a Sand-fairy for a pet means having one wish granted each day. But the children don't realize all the trouble wishes can cause . . ....
The wolves of Willoughby Chase
Aiken, Joan
Paper Book
1832 - a period of English History that never happened. Good King James III is on the throne and the country is ravaged by wolves which have migrated through the newly-opened Channel Tunnel. When Sylvia and Bonnie (both orphans) fall into the hands of evil Miss Slighcarp, they must use all their...
The chocolate touch
Catling, Patrick Skene.
Paper Book
In this zany twist on the legend of King Midas and his golden touch, a boy acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch into chocolate! Kids will eat this up for summer reading or anytime! Can you ever have too much of your favorite food? John Midas is about to find out.......
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
Happy 90th birthday, to one of the world's most beloved icons of children's literature, Winnie-the-Pooh!  Return to the Hundred Acre Wood in A.A. Milne's second collection of Pooh stories, The House at Pooh Corner. Here you will rediscover all the characters you met...
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-Exupe ry, Antoine de
Paper Book
Now with the restored original artwork, the beloved classic story of a young prince's travels throughout space--a profound tale about loneliness and loss, and love and friendship. A pilot crashes in the Sahara Desert and encounters a strange young boy who calls himself the Little Prince....
A wrinkle in time
L'Engle, Madeleine
Paper Book
NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER * TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF ALL TIME * NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM DISNEY Read the ground-breaking science fiction and fantasy classic that has delighted children for over 60 years! "A Wrinkle in Time<...
Where the red fern grows
Rawls, Wilson.
Paper Book
Read the beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man's best friend. This edition also includes a special note to readers from Newbery Medal winner and Printz Honor winner Clare Vanderpool.   Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So...
Island of the Blue Dolphins
O'Dell, Scott
Paper Book
A young Indian girl learns the art of survival when she is stranded on an isolated Pacific island.
Listen and respond Bridge to Terabithia
Merrifield, Janice.
Other
The 40th anniversary edition of the classic Newbery Medal-winning title by beloved author Katherine Paterson, with brand-new bonus materials including an author's note by Katherine herself and a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Kate DiCamillo.  Jess Aarons has been...
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
Lois Lowry's The Giver is the quintessential dystopian novel, followed by its remarkable companions, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son. Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person...
The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread
DiCamillo, Kate
Paper Book
A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together in Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning tale.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 Roscuro,...

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