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
Doomed to - or blessed with - eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can. When ten-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret, the Tucks take her home and explain why living forever at one age...
Coraline
Gaiman, Neil.
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal-winning author Neil Gaiman's modern classic, Coraline--also an Academy Award-nominated film "Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house...." When Coraline steps through a door to find another...
Harriet the spy
Fitzhugh, Louise.
Paper Book
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.
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
In the land of Ingary, such things as spells, invisible cloaks, and seven-league boots were everyday things. The Witch of the Waste was another matter. After fifty years of quiet, it was rumored that the Witch was about to terrorize the country again. So when a moving black castle, blowing dark...
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...
Danny the Champion of the World
Dahl, Roald
Paper Book
The secret garden
Burnett, Frances Hodgson
Paper Book
Celebrate an unforgettable classic with this gorgeous hardcover edition, including full-color illustrations. This beautiful hardcover edition includes Tasha Tudor's iconic illustrations in full color, making it the perfect collector's edition or a wonderful gift for young readers. ...
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...
Bud, not Buddy
Curtis, Christopher Paul.
Paper Book
Hit the road with Bud in this Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning classic about a boy on a journey 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...
The Egypt game
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley.
Paper Book
When Melanie Ross and April Hall begin to play the Egypt Game, everyone thinks it’s just a game until strange things begin happening to the players. Has the Egypt Game gone too far?
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase Wolves of Willoughby Chase Series, Book 1
Aiken, Joan.
Paper Book
Wicked wolves and a grim governess threaten Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia when Bonnie's parents leave Willoughby Chase for a sea voyage. Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. The servants are dismissed, the furniture...
The chocolate touch
Catling, Patrick Skene.
Paper Book
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
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-Exupery, Antoine De
Paper Book
The adventures of a little prince who visited our world from his own tiny planet. In the exquisite imagery of this fairy tale, the poet-writer shares with children something of the mystic's vision and wisdom of life--New York Public Library. Full-color and b&w illustrations.
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 : 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...
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,...
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
The fortieth anniversary edition of 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...
The phantom tollbooth
Juster, Norton
Paper Book
"Comes up bright and new every time I read it . . . it will continue to charm and delight for a very long time yet." --Phillip Pullman, New York Times bestselling author of His Dark Materials  With almost 5 million copies sold in the 60 years since it was published, generations of...
The giver
Lowry, Lois
Paper Book
The Giver, the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the...

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