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

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: Animal Stories, Around the World in 80 Days, Arabian Nights, Ballet Stories, Frankenstein, Greek Myths, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Heidi, Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Last of the Mohicans, The Odyssey, The Phantom of the Opera, The Red Badge of Courage, The Roman Myths, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Story of King Arthur & His Knights, The War of the Worlds

(Reviewed by Jenny Phillips)