Back when I started homeschooling, we had a historical fiction reading emphasis. While that has it merits, I found there to be more benefits to a classic literature reading emphasis.
Classics are written by writers who really know what they are doing. My oldest son recently showed me a page from The Last of the Mohicans. As I read the page, I was blown away by the complexity of the sentence structure and the richness of the vocabulary used. After I read the page I handed the book back to my son and told him that that was awesome writing! The writer had beautifully crafted those paragraphs. This is typical in classic literature.
I believe that learning to write well is important. By continually reading classic literature, my children are exposed to excellent models of good writing. My children also grow their vocabulary as they encounter words rarely found in modern books.
I compiled a list of classic reading books for my son who is heading into middle school. His reading skills have blossomed and he is ready to tackle more and more classic literature. I’ve organized the list in two ways. The first list has all of the books listed by the lexile level. I find this to be a little more accurate than the grade level in most cases. The second list is how I’ve organized the list for my son.
If you click on the link for each book it will take you to Amazon where you will find out more about the book.
Organized by Lexile Level
Lexile levels are determined by analyzing portions of a book. This formula looks at the sentence length and vocabulary used in the book. Sometimes it can vary greatly from the grade level measurement. On this list below GL stands for grade level and LL stands for lexile level. I found that looking at both measures were helpful in choosing reading books at an appropriate level. Children’s lexile levels can vary, but these are the levels of the middle 50th percentile for each grade, as reported by Lexile.com. 25% of kids will have lower lexile levels and 25% will have higher lexile levels.
6th grade: 665-1000
7th grade: 735-1065
8th grade: 805-1100
Where the Red Fern Grows: GL 6.4, 700LL
The Two Towers (Lord of the Rings series, 2nd book): GL 8.4, 810LL
I, Robot: GL 7.1, 820LL
The Silver Chair (6th in series): 840 LL
Johnny Tremain: GL 5.3, 840LL
The Witch of Blackbird Pond: GL 6.9, 850LL
The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle: GL 7.1, 860LL
The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings series book 1): GL 8.1, 860LL
Prince Caspian (4th in series): GL 5.6, 870LL
The Gift of the Magi: GL 6.1, 870LL
The Last Battle (7th in series): 890LL
Shiloh: GL 5.7, 890LL
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Tolkien: 890LL
Roll of Thunder Hear Me Cry: GL 6.9, 920LL
The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings series book 3): GL 9.0, 920LL
Peter Pan: GL 6.2, 920LL
The Count of Monte Cristo: GL 6.3, 930LL
Rip Van Winkle: GL 6.4, 930LL
A Little Princess GL 5.5, 930LL
Adventures of Tom Sawyer: GL 5.9, 950LL
The Three Musketeers: GL 8.1, 960LL
That Hideous Strength (C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy book 3): GL 9.0, 960LL
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (5th in series): GL 5.5, 970LL
I Am David: GL 7.1, 980LL
The Black Arrow: GL 7.6, 980LL
Anne of Green Gables: GL 5.9, 990LL
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: GL 5.9, 990LL
Kidnapped: GL 8.9, 990LL
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: GL 7.1, 990LL
Understood Betsy: GL 6.3, 1000LL
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: GL 6.9, 1000LL
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County: GL 7.4, 1000LL
The Hobbit: GL 6.6, 1000LL
Journey to the Centre of the Earth: GL 7.9, 1000LL
Island of the Blue Dolphins: GL 5.5, 1000LL
Captains Courageous: GL 5.9, 1020LL
Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy book 1): GL 8.1, 1020LL
Perelandra (C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy book 2): GL 8.6, 1020LL
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: GL 8.1, 1030LL
Uncle Tom’s Cabin: GL 7.5, 1050LL
The Time Machine: GL 7.1, 1070LL
Around the World in Eighty Days: GL 8.5, 1070LL
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court: GL 5.1, 1080LL
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: GL 8.1, 1080LL
Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl: GL 5.9, 1080LL
A Christmas Carol: GL 8.6, 1080 LL
The Mysterious Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: GL 6.9, 1090LL
The Hound of the Baskervilles: GL7.5, 1090LL
Across Five Aprils: GL 5.5, 1100LL
Treasure Island: GL 7.1, 1100LL
The Call of the Wild: GL 7.3, 1120LL
The Prince and the Pauper: GL 8.4, 1160LL
War of the Worlds: GL 8.1, 1170LL
Just So Stories: GL 6.9, 1190LL
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm: GL 8.9, 1190LL
Swiss Family Robinson: GL 8.9, 1260LL
Tarzan of the Apes: GL 8.7, 1270LL
Little Women: GL 7.9, 1300LL
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood: GL 7.5, 1300LL
The Incredible Journey: GL 8.1, 1320LL
Gulliver’s Travels: GL 8.8, 1330LL
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: GL 8.9, 1340LL
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – 8th
Julius Caesar by Shakespeare – 8th
Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare – 8th
Our List
This is how I’m grouping the books for my son. I like to mix some easier ones with some more difficult ones. He typically has two books going at once. One book is easier and he reads it on his own. I don’t check comprehension or do anything related to the book. For the more challenging book, he learns new vocabulary words before reading and I check his comprehension after he reads. As he progresses through this list, he will be starting to use some of the Excellence in Literature guides to futher explore different classic books. The guides provide internet links about the author, time period, interesting facts related to the story, etc.
6th grade
Independent reading
- Shakespeare Stories by Garfield followed by BBC Shakespeare Collection videos
- Where the Red Fern Grows: GL 6.4, 700LL
- The Two Towers (Lord of the Rings series, 2nd book): GL 8.4, 810LL
- The Silver Chair (6th in series): 840 LL
- Johnny Tremain: GL 5.3, 840LL
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings series book 1): GL 8.1, 860LL
- Prince Caspian (4th in series): GL 5.6, 870LL
- The Gift of the Magi: GL 6.1, 870LL
- The Last Battle (7th in series): 890LL
- Shiloh: GL 5.7, 890LL
- The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings series book 3): GL 9.0, 920LL
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (5th in series): GL 5.5, 970LL
- The Hobbit: GL 6.6, 1000LL
- Island of the Blue Dolphins: GL 5.5, 1000LL
Reading with vocabulary and comprehension
- The Witch of Blackbird Pond: GL 6.9, 850LL
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Tolkien: 890LL
- A Little Princess GL 5.5, 930LL
- Adventures of Tom Sawyer: GL 5.9, 950LL
- The Three Musketeers: GL 8.1, 960LL
- Anne of Green Gables: GL 5.9, 990LL
- Journey to the Centre of the Earth: GL 7.9, 1000LL
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court: GL 5.1, 1080LL
- War of the Worlds: GL 8.1, 1170LL
7th grade
Independent reading
- Shakespeare Stories II by Garfield followed by BBC Shakespeare Collection videos – 7th
- The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle: GL 7.1, 860LL
- Roll of Thunder Hear Me Cry: GL 6.9, 920LL
- Peter Pan: GL 6.2, 920LL
- Rip Van Winkle: GL 6.4, 930LL
- The Count of Monte Cristo: GL 6.3, 930LL
- I Am David: GL 7.1, 980LL
- Understood Betsy: GL 6.3, 1000LL
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: GL 6.9, 1000LL
- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County: GL 7.4, 1000LL
- Just So Stories: GL 6.9, 1190LL
Reading with vocabulary and comprehension
- That Hideous Strength (C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy book 3): GL 9.0, 960LL
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: GL 5.9, 990LL
- Kidnapped: GL 8.9, 990LL
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: GL 7.1, 990LL
- Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy book 1): GL 8.1, 1020LL
- Perelandra (C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy book 2): GL 8.6, 1020LL
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: GL 8.1, 1030LL
- Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl: GL 5.9, 1080LL
- Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm: GL 8.9, 1190LL
- Tarzan of the Apes: GL 8.7, 1270LL
- Little Women: GL 7.9, 1300LL
8th grade
Independent Reading
- I, Robot: GL 7.1, 820LL
- The Black Arrow: GL 7.6, 980LL
- Captains Courageous: GL 5.9, 1020LL
- The Time Machine: GL 7.1, 1070LL
- Around the World in Eighty Days: GL 8.5, 1070LL
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: GL 8.1, 1080LL
- A Christmas Carol: GL 8.6, 1080 LL
- The Mysterious Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: GL 6.9, 1090LL
- The Hound of the Baskervilles: GL7.5, 1090LL
- Across Five Aprils: GL 5.5, 1100LL
- Treasure Island: GL 7.1, 1100LL
- The Call of the Wild: GL 7.3, 1120LL
Reading with vocabulary and comprehension
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin: GL 7.5, 1050LL
- The Prince and the Pauper: GL 8.4, 1160LL
- Swiss Family Robinson: GL 8.9, 1260LL
- The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood: GL 7.5, 1300LL
- The Incredible Journey: GL 8.1, 1320LL
- Gulliver’s Travels: GL 8.8, 1330LL
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame: GL 8.9, 1340LL
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream – 8th
- Julius Caesar by Shakespeare – 8th
- Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare – 8th
Thanks so much for this information. I am looking forward to also read some of these classics for the first time. Blessings!
Good list. You should also add the classic children’s book The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald. It’s the first book of a series, set in Utah in the 1890’s and loosely based on Fitzgerald’s childhood. Very well-written. I highly recommend it.
I just googled classic book list for middle school and it brought me here. So glad. My daughter is a voracious reader but her taste runs towards current pulpy fiction (magic, dragons, blah blah blah). A great list you’ve put together, thanks.
I love this list, have been looking for a reading guide for my middle schooler. What do you use or how do you determine the vocabulary words to learn before reading? Also do you have any suggestions besides the literacy guides for reviewing comprehension? Thank you for any help!
I’ve been using the vocabulary lists at vocabulary.com. My son likes their online learning set up. We just add the vocabulary list to their free online learning program for the book he is reading and he learns the vocabulary before he reads the chapters. My favorite way to assess comprehension is through discussion. This even works when I haven’t read the book because I have my son tell me the story. If there are missing parts of the storyline, I’ll stop and ask questions. We also discuss the hows and whys. I hope that helps.
We are major classic literature book lovers here! I love how you have two lists, one harder than the other, where you can push your son to read the next higher level and learn vocabulary and deeper comprehension skills. Do you also read the book when he is, to help with your discussions? Mostly I just try to keep my daughters in great books to satisfy they’re reading appetites, but don’t demand much of them. Then I save our discussions for our one read aloud usually relating to history.
Ideally, I would read the book. But time is limited and it often doesn’t happen. Some of the books I have read already and some I just ask him a lot of question about what happened in the story so I know the storyline.