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 Wizard of Oz /
Baum, L. Frank
Paper Book
After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great wizard in order to return to Kansas.

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

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...

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

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963 /
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
Fifty years ago, Roald Dahl created a world that captured the imagination of millions of readers, and a boy who captured their hearts. Now featuring an introduction by award-winning author Jon Scieszka, this special edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is perfect for longtime Roald Dahl fans...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Harriet, the spy
Fitzhugh, Louise.
Paper Book
Soon to be an Apple TV+ animated series starring Golden Globe nominee Beanie Feldstein and Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch, it's no secret that Harriet the Spy is a timeless classic that kids will love! Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The wind in the willows /
Grahame, Kenneth,

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
What begins as a simple game of hide-and-seek quickly turns into the adventure of a lifetime when Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy walk through the wardrobe and into the land of Narnia. There they find a cold, snow-covered country frozen in eternal winter by the evil White Witch. All who challenge...

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
This beloved 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 told from young Anna's point of view, Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of how Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton comes...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Winnie-the-Pooh
Milne, A. A.
Paper Book
Celebrating 100 years of one of the most beloved icons of children's literature, Winnie-the-Pooh! Since 1926, Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends--Piglet, Owl, Tigger, and the ever doleful Eeyore--have endured as the unforgettable creations of A.A. Milne, who wrote this book for his...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Shiloh /
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds,
Paper Book
Marty will go to any lengths to rescue the sweet beagle Shiloh from his cruel owner in this Newbery Medal-winning perennial bestseller by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, the first in a series. Marty Preston is exploring the hills behind his family's home when he chances upon a beagle-...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The Borrowers
Norton, Mary.
Paper Book
A enchanting and enduring children's classic, The Borrowers is the award-winning tale of three tiny people who are big heroes. The Clock family--Homily, Pod, and their fourteen-year-old daughter, Arrietty--are tiny people who live underneath the kitchen floor of an...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

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.

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Bridge to Terabithia /
Paterson, Katherine.
Paper Book
Now a major motion picture from Disney, starring Josh Hutcherson and Zooey Deschanel! Discover the beloved Newbery Medal-winning story by bestselling author Katherine Paterson, a modern classic of friendship and loss.  Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

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...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

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 when...

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
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...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

All-of-a-kind family
Taylor, Sydney
Paper Book
Meet the All-of-a-Kindnbsp;nbsp;Family -- Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertie -- who live with their parents in New York City at the turn of the century. Together they share adventures that find them searching for hidden buttons while dusting Mama's front parlor and visiting with...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Charlotte's web /
White, E. B.
Paper Book
Since its publication in 1952, "Charlotte's Web" remains one of the most cherished children's stories of all time. Now this classic is available with an adorable gold-tone necklace and spider web charm. A new generation of readers will delight in this heartwarming tale of friendship, hardship, and...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Little women /
Alcott, Louisa May,
Paper Book
The illustrations for this series were created by Scott McKowen, who, with his wife Christina Poddubiuk, operates Punch & Judy Inc., a company specializing in design and illustration for theater and performing arts. Their projects often involve research into the visual aspects of...

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
Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.

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
A darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment Stanley Yelnat's family has a history of bad luck, so he isn't too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a boys' juvenile detention center, Camp Green Lake. There is no lake - it has been dry for over a hundred years - and it...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)


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