Classics That 8- to 12-Year-Olds Say Are Worth Reading Today

These books all come highly recommended by the Greatess review team. Grab them for your young readers today.

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

You know the story — a mischievous boy who never wants to grow up has adventures with pirates, fairies, lost boys, and the Darling family.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg,

Claudia and her brother Jamie run away from their suburban home in Connecticut to New York City to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They become obsessed with solving an art history mystery and being part of an even bigger adventure than they expected.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

This book provides an even more complex look at Dorothy’s journey to find home and the friends she meets along the way.

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss

The Swiss Family Robinson survives a shipwreck and finds themselves stranded on a tropical island with nothing but their ship of supplies, survival skills, and sense of humor. Adventures abound for this family as they deal with the dangers of island life.

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin

This 1945 Newbery Honor book shares Wanda’s story. This girl wears the same faded dress every day but tells everyone she has a hundred dresses at home.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Even though it is a long book, it is full of action, mutiny, adventure, and loot. This fast-paced story also reveals profound lessons about the human spirit through legendary characters like Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver.

For plenty more great classic reads and reviews, check out Greatess.

The Places That Inspired The Classics

As is often the case, the world world serves as inspiration for some of the greatest fiction ever written. Here are two locations that inspired the classic novels we love, and a bit of the history behind them.

Ingalls Homestead in De Smet, South Dakota (Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder)

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was born into a pioneer family. As early settlers to the Dakotas, her family faced the hardships of pioneering life, which served as the setting for her Little House on the Prairie series of children's books. The books were published between 1932 and 1943, and a television series was later produced during the 1970s and early 1980s based on the books. For fans of either the books or the series, you can still visit Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in De Smet, South Dakota to this very day.

The Spaniards Inn in London, England ('Ode to a Nightingale' by John Keats)

Located between Hampstead and Highgate in London, England, on the edge of Hampstead Heath near Kenwood House, lies Spaniards Road, and more to the point, the Spaniards Inn. This unassuming inn is a Grade II listed building, and for very good reason. Not only is it rumored to have served as inspiration for the John Keats classic Ode to a Nightingale (Keats is said to have been inspired by the sound of the birds in the inn’s garden) but it’s also been mentioned in both Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers and Bram Stoker's Dracula.

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