“Beginner Classics”
By Adalyn Lowe
I’m sort of ambivalent to the idea that reading classics has levels. I suppose it makes sense— some books are easier to understand than others. But a book wasn’t written with intent to be beginner (well, perhaps Little Golden Books), and readers shouldn’t feel as if there’s some stepping stones to get to some “summit”, so to speak. Levels imply something, the very best thing, being found at the top. But wonderful literature (classics specifically) can be found at any point in the reading journey.
I’ve written another article about classics— in which I state that everyone should read classics for a greater perspective on the world and the people living in it. I was in contention with these very sorts of books for ages. I found them boring, and difficult to understand. I didn’t understand how people could call them funny, or walk away with any profound feeling besides confusion.
So dear reader, I am here today to tell you what to start with. You don’t have to take my suggestions. You could go off on your own whim. But I think I’ve done a pretty good job with my list. Personally, I would take my suggestions.
If there are such things as reading levels, I suppose you’d have to start with children’s books. I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with reading children’s books— they usually provide a great deal of optimism (note I say usually) and hopefully some lovely characters. Plus, when you’re trying to break into a daunting new reading territory, it’s nice to start somewhere slow.
a. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy M. Montgomery— Since I cracked open this story in elementary school, Anne’s optimism and appreciation for life has been something I’ve strived to honor. It’s a lesson many of us could strive to learn— she creates paradise through her own imagination and wonderful perception of the world. If you love her as much as I do, she has eight books you can continue reading!
b. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster— I know several boys, who claim they never read, who adore this book. That should say something. It follows this apathetic boy named Milo into a phantom tollbooth, which spits him out into this imaginary land he must reconcile, joined by a dog called Tock, and the Humbug. He encounters a multitude of creatures along the way, humorous, yes, but ultimately revealing of the human experience as a whole. Everytime I’ve read it, from a fourth grader to a senior in high school, I get something completely different out of it. I think that’s a mark of excellent literature. It grows with you.
c. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren— Goodness, our second red-headed little girl on this list with plaited hair. Is that a mark of good literature? Pippi Longstocking is genuinely loads of fun— wonderfully spunky, and persistent on her hijinks. Any child who read this is sure to wish for some ounce of freedom, just as she has. Plus, she has an excellent theme song.
I’ve decided to move through the “age ladder” for our “reading levels”, and I’ve landed on high school literature. Yes, the very books you may have slogged through! I am now asking you to consider giving them another chance. Don’t worry, if you read them on their own, there will be no accompanying assignments.
a. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald— Oh yes, what else to begin this list other than the quintessential high school novel. I adore this story. I believe it’s so readable, and the characters are just strange enough to keep you completely hooked. In this age, the contrast between decadence in the upper class and struggles of the people is especially poignant, and there’s so much to take from this story.
b. Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry— This is a play, which may be preferable to some of you readers. It follows an African-American family living in Southern Chicago, struggling to get out of a difficult financial situation. While hoping to move, they struggle with their identity, racism, and their own family. Each of the characters are so incredibly well-written! Please read.
c. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton— Again, what sort of list would it be without THE book. I cannot name a single middle schooler who wasn’t completely enamored with at least one character from this movie. Personally, I was a Cherry sort of girl. But besides their attractiveness, there are wonderful themes of community and family throughout the story. I think it shows some of the greatest examples of love found in modern literature.
Here are my miscellaneous recommendations. They don’t necessarily have a category, but I want to recommend them anyways. Some of you may have read these in high school, but for my own sake, please pretend you didn’t. Thanks in advance.
a. 1984 by George Orwell— I tore through this book this summer. I thought it was entirely poignant for these times. Orwell’s prose is extremely readable, and manages to convey a simple, yet thought-provoking message.
b. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne— This book got me truly back into classics. I think it’s so funny how this rich guy just decided to travel around the world in eighty days, literally just to spite his friends. It’s not very long, so you can finish it quite quickly (hopefully in under eighty days!). It’s humorous in all the very best ways.
c. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte— I couldn’t finish this list without my very favorite book of all time. Sure, the length might make it seem daunting, but it’s so incredibly readable. There’s only ever a few characters in a scene at once, so it’s not very difficult to keep track of everyone (looking at you Jane Austen). Plus, Jane is incredibly funny and so atypically courageous. It’s a wonderful read, and I believe you can get so much out of it.
If you want to try reading more advanced novels, so to speak, I would recommend looking up correlated courses on YouTube. For many popular classics, like The Odyssey, you can easily find accompanying classes to help you understand the material better. There’s nothing wrong with using outside resources to help you familiarize yourself with the text more!
Hopefully this list was helpful! I highly encourage you to read classics— it’s so good for you to broaden your literary perspective across time periods. I think where people get mixed up is that “classics” isn’t a genre. You need to find your niche within the classics, like you would modern literature.
This is in no way an excellent, comprehensive list of reads, just some easily accessible books. If you truly want to read more classics, the possibilities are limitless.
