Classic Starts Series

I am not a fan of abridged classics for older children or adults, but I highly recommend many of the Classic Starts series only for younger readers. My children have loved reading them, and they are wholesome, classic stories that will prepare and excite readers for reading the full versions one day. The series is written by different writers and includes varying levels of descriptive language, a variety and complexity of sentence structures, and elevated vocabulary.

Books in this series we recommend: A Little Princess, Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Secret Garden, The Three Musketeers, Little Women (note: contains mild romantic feelings), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, White Fang, The Call of the Wild, The Story of King Arthur, Moby Dick, The Swiss Family Robinson, Anne of Avonlea, The Wind in the Willows, The Jungle Book, The Prince and the Pauper, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Pollyanna, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, Little Men, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Anne of Green Gables (note: contains mild romantic feelings), The Time Machine, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

Books in this series that did not make the list (because they contain profanity or taking God’s name in vain): The Man in the Iron Mask

Books in this series that we have not yet reviewed: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, The Story of King Arthur & His Knights, The Red Badge of Courage, The War of the Worlds, Heidi, Around the World in 80 Days, Arabian Nights, Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Phantom of the Opera, The Last of the Mohicans, Animal Stories, Ballet Stories, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, The Odyssey, Greek Myths, The Roman Myths

(Reviewed by Jenny Phillips)