EE: Classics

[Nathan]

I've been trying to get more classics read. I have an aversion to them because I dislike having to figure out what they're saying if the language is too old. But I'm trying!

It's also hard because there are differing ideas about what "classic" means, especially modern classics.

Does anyone have favorite classics that aren't too hard to understand?

[Adriana]

is a more "modern" classic. I guess... it's one of my favorites.
is pretty good actually if you take the time to read it.
I liked this book oddly so you might enjoy it too.

[Nathan]

I read Of Mice and Men and The Pearl last year and wasn't too impressed by them. My dad has said that he thought The Red Pony was good when he was young. Maybe I'll give that one a try!

I want to read The Grapes of Wrath but I'm intimidated by how long it is! Same with most of Dickens, actually.

I'm trying to read Jane Eyre right now too. Have you read that one?

[Josiah]

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a good one. No author has ever had a greater command of the English language than Charles Dickens, so one who's interested in classics might also want to consider some of his other young-adult novels, including Oliver Twist and Great Expectations.

Anything written by Frances Hodgson Burnett is bound to be good. The Secret Garden and A Little Princess are probably her two most famous classics, but Little Lord Fauntleroy is an enduring standby as well, and Frances Hodgson Burnett has a number of other good books.

I've never read Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge, but I would definitely recommend giving it a try. It's considered one of the first true classics of the English language written with children in mind.

The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting and the many books that followed it in the series, including The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (winner of the 1923 Newbery Medal), are all excellent, but if you were to decide to read them, I'd caution you to make sure you find unabridged copies of the original books. Decades after they were first written, publishers decided to censor parts of the story they found to be racially insensitive, both text and illustrations. I was able to get my hands on an unabridged edition of The Story of Doctor Dolittle and didn't find anything I considered significant enough to warrant the censorship imposed on later editions, but those interested in the series should be aware that recent reprintings are not the same books as the originals.

[Adriana]

My mother loved The Little Prince when she was young and it's really hard for my mother to like any book other than Nora Roberts...

[Josiah]

Ah, yes, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a legitimate classic. It was one of my mother's favorite stories, too. There are multiple English translations of the book, though, so it's probably worth the time to research it and see which translation is best.