Children's Book Suggestions | Classics

Are you a parent or grandparent looking for a childhood favorite to share with kids in your life? Here are a few of our most frequently-requested classic children's books for readers in Grades 3-7.

If you're looking for picture books for younger readers, check out the Classics shelf in our Picture Book Topics section.

A note for caregivers: Some adults are surprised when they return to old favorites and discover forgotten elements that are out-of-step with their modern values. It's often helpful to revisit classic books by re-reading or doing a little research online before sharing them with your child, so you're prepared to answer questions any questions they may have and provide historical context when necessary.

Updated August 21, 2024
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
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Tuck everlasting
Babbitt, Natalie
Paper Book
Introduced by Gregory Maguire, a special 40th Anniversary Edition of 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...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The wonderful Wizard of Oz
Baum, L. Frank
Paper Book
Theyre off to read the Wizard--the original, imaginative American tale written by Frank L. Baum just over a century ago. All the beloved characters are here, along with the splendid Emerald City and the heartwarming motto: "Theres no place like home."

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The secret garden
Burnett, Frances Hodgson
Paper Book
Celebrate an unforgettable classic with this paperback edition featuring the timeless art of Tasha Tudor. Just in time for the movie adaptation starring Colin Firth and Julie Walters! This gorgeous paperback includes Tasha Tudor's iconic illustrations, an extended author biography,...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Alice's adventures in Wonderland
Carroll, Lewis
Paper Book
Lewis Carroll's timeless classic brought to life by one of the most revered children's book illustrators of our time! Suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The mouse and the motorcycle
Cleary, Beverly.
Paper Book
In this imaginative adventure from Newbery Medal-winning author Beverly Cleary, a young mouse named Ralph is thrown into a world of excitement when a boy and his shiny toy motorcycle check in to the Mountain View Inn. When the ever-curious Ralph spots Keith's red toy motorcycle, he vows to...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963 : a novel
Curtis, Christopher Paul.
Paper Book
During one of the most important times in the civil rights movement, one unforgettable family goes on a road trip in this Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree, from author Christopher Paul Curtis, recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. ...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Charlie and the chocolate factory
Dahl, Roald.
Paper Book
From the author of The BFG and Matilda! Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Harriet, the spy
Fitzhugh, Louise.
Paper Book
This special 50th Anniversary Edition of the classic and ground-breaking coming-of-age novel, Harriet the Spy, includes tributes by Judy Blume, Meg Cabot, Lois Lowry, Rebecca Stead, and many more, as well as a map of Harriet's New York City neighborhood and spy route and original...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The wind in the willows
Grahame, Kenneth
Paper Book
Since its beginnings as a series of stories told to Kenneth Grahame's young son, The Wind in the Willows has gone on to become one of the best-loved children's books of all time. The timeless story of Toad, Rat, Mole, and Badger has delighted readers of all ages for more than eighty years....

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Misty of Chincoteague
Henry, Marguerite
Paper Book
On an island off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her--that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can't live without...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

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...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe
Lewis, C. S.
Paper Book
When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are sent to stay with a kind professor who lives in the country, they can hardly imagine the extraordinary adventure that awaits them. It all begins one rainy summer day when the children explore the professor's rambling old house. When they come across a...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Pippi Longstocking
Lindgren, Astrid
Paper Book
Astrid Lindgren's story of feisty, red-haired Pippi has been given a sparkling new translation by award-winning Tiina Nunnally and engaging pictures by acclaimed Lauren Child.

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Sarah, plain and tall
MacLachlan, Patricia.
Paper Book
"Did Mama sing every day?" Caleb asks his sister Anna. "Every-single-day," she answers. "Papa sang, too." This Newbery Medal–winning book is the first of five books in Patricia MacLachlan's chapter book series about the Witting family. Set in the late nineteenth century and...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Winnie-the-Pooh
Milne, A. A.
Audiobook

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Shiloh
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds.
Paper Book
When Marty Preston comes across a young beagle in the hills behind his home, it's love at first sight -- and also big trouble. It turns out the dog, which Marty names Shiloh, belongs to Judd Travers, who drinks too much and has a gun -- and abuses his dogs. So when Shiloh runs away from Judd to...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The Borrowers
Norton, Mary.
Paper Book
This is the classic story--read and loved by children all over the world--of Pod, Homily, and their daughter, Arrietty, who live under the kitchen floor in a quiet, half-empty house and get their livelihood by borrowing from the “human beans.” “Delectable fantasy.”--...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Island of the Blue Dolphins
O'Dell, Scott
Paper Book
Far off the coast of California looms a harsh rock known as the island of San Nicholas. Dolphins flash in the blue waters around it, sea otter play in the vast kep beds, and sea elephants loll on the stony beaches. Here, in the early 1800s, according to history, an Indian girl spent...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

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. Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke,...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

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...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Where the red fern grows
Rawls, Wilson
Paper Book
For fans of Old Yeller and Shiloh, Where the Red Fern Grows is a beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man's best friend. This special edition includes new material, including a note to readers from Newbery Medal winner and Printz Honor winner Clare...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Esperanza rising
Ryan, Pam Muñoz.
Paper Book
**CELEBRATING 25 YEARS IN PRINT!** A modern classic for our time and for all time―this beloved, award-winning bestseller resonates with fresh meaning for each new generation. Perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo, Christopher Paul Curtis, and Rita Williams-Garcia. ...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The little prince
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de
Paper Book
This beloved, world-famous allegorical classic about a young prince on a quest for knowledge is an essential read for every home library. Combining Richard Howard's translation with restored original full-color art, this definitive English-language edition of The Little Prince will capture...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Charlotte's web
White, E. B.
Paper Book
Don't miss one of America's top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS's The Great American Read. This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This paperback edition includes...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Little women
Alcott, Louisa May
Paper Book
Now a major motion picture starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep! Discover Louisa May Alcott's enchanting tale of the March sisters for yourself with this beautiful keepsake edition of Little Women! The quintessential...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

The Black Cauldron
Alexander, Lloyd.
Paper Book
The Newbery Medal-winning second book in Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain series, The Black Cauldron--the inspiration for Disney's 1985 cult animated film. In the land of Prydain, evil is never far away. Arawn, Lord of the Land of Death, has been building an...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

A wrinkle in time
L'Engle, Madeleine.
Paper Book
A movie tie-in edition of A Wrinkle in Time, now a major motion picture--with an introduction by director Ava DuVernay. In 1962, Madeleine L'Engle debuted her novel A Wrinkle in Time, which would go on to win the 1963 Newbery Medal. Bridging science and fantasy,...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Anne of Green Gables
Montgomery, L. M.
Paper Book
A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) Anne Shirley is unforgettable, and this beautifully packaged edition of L.M. Montgomery's classic novel is as memorable as its heroine. When Anne Shirley arrives at Green Gables, she surprises everyone: first of...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Hatchet
Paulsen, Gary.
Paper Book
This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared--and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newbery Honor. Hatchet has also been nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read....

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Holes
Sachar, Louis
Paper Book
10th Anniversary Edition Louis Sachar received great recognition for his groundbreaking story of Stanley Yelnats - a boy with a history of bad luck. AsSchool Library Journalpredicted in their starred review of the book when it was first published, "Kids will loveHoles." A...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Roll of thunder, hear my cry
Taylor, Mildred D.
Paper Book
NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER * The timeless classic with cover art by two-time Caldecott Honor Award winner Kadir Nelson! "[Taylor] writes not with rancor or bitterness of indignities, but with pride, strength, and respect for humanity."--The New York Times Book Review ...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)


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