Children's Book Suggestions | ClassicsUnpublished

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...

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.

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,...

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...

The mouse and the motorcycle /

Cleary, Beverly.

Paper Book

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. ...

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...

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...

The wind in the willows

Grahame, Kenneth,

Paper Book

"A classic as a classic ought to look... . The illustrations wonderfully fulfill Grahame's nostalgic vision of life on the River Bank." - School Library Journal, starred review

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...

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 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...

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.

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...

Winnie-the-Pooh

Milne, A. A.

Paper Book

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 son, Christopher...

Shiloh /

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds,

Paper Book

Marty will do anything to save his new friend Shiloh in this Newbery Medal-winning novel from Phillis Reynolds Naylor. 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...

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...

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...

Bridge to Terabithia /

Paterson, Katherine.

Paper Book

The classic Newbery Award-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 practicing all summer so he can...

The Westing game /

Raskin, Ellen.

Paper Book

When an eccentric millionaire dies mysteriously, 16 very unlikely people are gathered together for the reading of the will--and what a will it is. A Newbery Medal-winning novel.

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...

Esperanza rising

Ryan, Pam MuÃ±oz.

Paper Book

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. Esperanza Rising joins the Scholastic...

The little prince

Saint-ExupeÌry, 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...

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...

The boxcar children

Warner, Gertrude Chandler

Paper Book

Four brave siblings were searching for a home - and found a life of adventure! Join the Boxcar Children as they set out on their own in the first book in this illustrated chapter book series beloved by generations of readers. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are brothers and...

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...

Little house in the big woods;

Wilder, Laura Ingalls,

Paper Book

Based on the real-life adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Big Woods is the first book in the award-winning Little House series, which has captivated generations of readers. This edition features the classic black-and-white artwork from Garth Williams. Little House in...

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...

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...

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<...

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.

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....

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...

Roll of thunder, hear my cry /

Taylor, Mildred D.

Paper Book

The story of one African-American family fighting to stay together and strong in the face of brutal racist attacks, illness, poverty, and betrayal in the Deep South of the 1930s.

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Children's Book Suggestions | ClassicsUnpublishedShare

Children's Book Suggestions | ClassicsUnpublished