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
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...
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
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
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.
Skellig /
Almond, David,
Paper Book
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 crumbling garage and encounters a strange being who changes his world forever.
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
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
This collectable hardcover edition will feature a beautiful cover and deluxe packaging, including color interior text and illustrations! From the bestselling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda comes the story of a boy,...
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...
M. C. Higgins, the great.
Hamilton, Virginia,
Paper Book
Now available in this summer reading program edition, this Newbery Award-winning novel tells the story of M.C. Higgins, who saves his home and family from the slag heap of an Ohio strip mine when two strangers enter his life.
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?
Five children and it /
Nesbit, E.
Paper Book
While exploring the environs of their summer home, five brothers and sisters find a Psammead, or Sand-fairy, in a nearby gravel pit- "Its eyes were on long horns like a snail's eyes, and it could move them in and out like telescopes; it had ears like a bat's ears, and its tubby body was shaped like...
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-Exupâery, 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
The 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition of Madeleine L'Engle's ground-breaking science fiction and fantasy classic, now a major motion picture. Fifty years ago, Madeleine L'Engle introduced the world to A Wrinkle in Time and the wonderful and unforgettable characters...
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.      Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when he's finally able to save up enough money for...
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
This beloved Newbery Medal-winning novel by bestselling author Katherine Paterson is a modern classic of friendship and loss. This paperback edition is rack size.  Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until...
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...
The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread
DiCamillo, Kate.
Paper Book
The beloved author of Because of Winn-Dixie enlightens us with a tale of adventure, despair, love, and soup. 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...

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