Not only do good reading skills benefit students academically, but they are also a skill required for lifelong success. Reading develops vocabulary, increases attention span, and promotes stronger analytical thinking.
Above all, reading books mysteriously introduces you to a friend who stays with you for lifelong. Friends that are loyal to you, and never fail to encourage you, advise you, entertain you, and love you.
Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen
Here is a list of 12 classic books for young readers who wish to find a best friend and for everyone and anyone who aspires to get a habit/hobby of reading.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
by Mark Twain
The most beloved works of Mark Twain. It takes the reader along on a series of entertaining adventures.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)
by Mark Twain
The greatest American novels ever written, published in the U.K. in 1884, and the U.S. in 1885. It follows Mark Twain’s earlier novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). The story of Huckleberry Finn abounds with enduring lessons and images.
Little Women (1968)
by Louisa May Alcott
It follows the lives, loves, and tribulations of four sisters growing up during the American Civil War. Readers often identify in themselves one of the four sisters at various phases in their own lives.
The Secret Garden (1911)
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
An inspirational tale of transformation and empowerment. When Mary finds the key to a Secret Garden, the magical powers of transformation fall within her reach.
Black Beauty (1877)
by Anna Sewell
The autobiography of a horse.
Arabian Nights (1704)
By Anonymous
The stories and folks tales also referred to as One Thousand and One Nights. The Persian king marries and executes a succession of virgins. Scheherazade, to remain alive, decides to tell the king a tale so captivating and suspenseful, that he continues to postpone putting her to death night after night in order to hear the story’s conclusion.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1870)
by Jules Verne
This published sci-fi narrates how Captain Nemo pilots his vessel, the Nautilus, on an adventure in search of a sea monster that was sighted by a number of ships in 1866. While there were submarines in existence when the book was written, it took a feat of imagination for the writer to produce his vision of what an underwater craft would look like in the future.
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922)
by Hugh Lofting
Hugh first introduced us to the very special man who could talk to the animals and come to their aid. The book invites us to embark on the doctor’s fanciful adventures. This book won the Newbery Medal in 1923.
Oliver Twist (1838)
by Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist is classic Dickens with memorable characters, evocative descriptions, melodrama, and a plot thick with coincidence. Please enjoy reading this another masterpiece of English literature.
The Birchbark House (1999)
by Louise Erdrich
The story follows Omakayas, a girl from the Ojibwa tribe, as she nurses her family during a devastating smallpox epidemic and discovers a mysterious secret from her past.
Heidi (1880)
by Johanna Spyri
Unprepared to care for a small child, the grandfather regards her initial presence as an intrusion, but Heidi’s charm and intelligence win over her grandfather and the other inhabitants of the mountain village.
Charlotte’s Web (1952)
by E.B.White
A classic Newbery Honor award winner. The novel tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte.
P.S: If you are planning on getting your kid to read, I suggest you ask them to read just one page from any storybook/novel/ebook every night before bed.
The excitement will catch them midway, soon! Just like the Persian King in Arabian Nights 😎
