A classic book is a work of enduring excellence and has been popular for a long time.
Night by Elie Wiesel (European history, Holocaust, Jewish experience, loss and grief, survival)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Great Depression, overcoming obstacles, homelessness and poverty, friendships)
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (philosophy, cleverness, feelings and emotions)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (parents, siblings)
The Outsiders by SE Hinton (bullying, coming of age, individuality, siblings)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (courage, bravery, leadership, responsibility, justice and history, kindness and compassion)
Lord of the flies by William Golding (bullying, leadership, government allegory, aggression in World War I)
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (growing up, changes and new experiences, magic and the supernatural)
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Peterson (confronting and resolving fears, death)
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (adventure, dragons, fairies, mythical creatures)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (American Jazz Age, 1920s, Great Depression, confidence and self-esteem, individuality, romantic relationships)
The Pearl by John Steinbeck (character, cleverness, confidence, poverty)
Peter Pan by JM Barrie (growing up, creativity and imagination, pirates and swashbucklers, confidence, adventure)
I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (African American experience, coming of age, women's history and experiences)
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (fear, ghosts, monsters, vampires, responsibility, scientific experiments)
A study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (character and values, Europeans and Europeans in America, culture and diversity)
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Europeans in America, Holocaust, Jewish experiences, survival)
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller (nonfiction, overcoming obstacles, living with disabilities, historical figure)
Great Expectations by Charles DIckens (Britain during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1793-1815, Europeans in America, romantic relationships, manners and conduct)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (manners and conduct)
The Call of the Wild/White Fang by Jack London (Antarctica, westward exploration and expansion, courage and bravery, dogs, survival)
Animal Farm by George Orwell (Communism, adventure, farm animals, allegory)
The War of the Worlds by HG Wells (aliens & UFOs, bravery, survival, military)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (romantic relationship, siblings)
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