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Literature & Adult Fiction

The value of a book lies in the author's ability to convey meaning. This is the most basic—and in recent years most overlooked—fact about writing. Words on the page must tell us something or they're worthless. Experimenters are free to try new methods, but if the result is empty drivel their creation will end up just another misguided novelty.

Almost equally important is the value of the author's message. Anyone can understand a cheap romance novel or mystery thriller, but if there's a message it's typically trite. Paradise Lost takes more work, but the beauty of Milton's style and the depth of his perception and observations on human (and divine, and demonic) nature have steeled readers to make the effort for centuries.

Which implies—reading is not merely for entertainment. The art of reading to empty the mind is not brand-new (as any perusal of titles in the Rare Old Books room of your local mega-bookstore will reveal), though with the increasing ease of publication it has grown. People have always looked to get the same experience from books that comes from watching a TV show. But there is a still better way.

Reading-to-Broaden-the-Soul is even older than reading-to-induce-a-comatose-state. Each person that comes by it makes the discovery in a different way, whether by hearing a line from a Keats poem, or finding a derelict copy of All Quiet on the Western Front on a discount shelf and reading the whole thing in an afternoon, or realizing that Aristophanes is still funny 2400 years later.

Reading the right books is good for us, but it's also enjoyment of the highest and best kind, and both for the same reason: reading great literature is dangerous. You don't get to leave the last page of Crime and Punishment unchanged. After hundreds of pages with David Copperfield it's a different You that peers back from the mirror. King Arthur will pull apart your insides and rearrange them with the violence of a medieval warlord.

You won't find a lot of rainbows and sunshine here. At least, you won't find them alone, certainly not without the lightning storms that always come first. You'll find humanity, with all the bloodshed and terror and sorrow and weakness and confusion of the race. But you'll also find joy and beauty and goodness and comfort, as much as any of those things are part of life.

These are some of the best poems, novels, plays and philosophical treatises ever written. Hopefully you'll find some enjoyment, though if it's not all as "fun" as you expected, try adjusting your expectations before starting a burn pile. Hopefully, you'll grow a little with each Boo Radley, Romeo Montague, Esther Summerson, Starbuck, and Rose of Sharon Joad you encounter.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
Did you find this review helpful?
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84 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Trade Paperback, New Books & Materials
All the Small Poems and Fourteen More
by Valerie Worth
from Sunburst Book
Lyrical Poetry for Preschool-4th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$9.99 $5.00 (5 in stock)
American History in Verse
by Burton Stevenson
from Bob Jones University Press
Poetry for 3rd-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$11.00
Ancient World Echoes
Copper Lodge Library
by Compiled by Jennifer Courtney
from Classical Conversations
for 3rd-5th grade
in Classical Conversations (Location: CUR-CC)
$14.95
Angel Knew Papa and the Dog
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
from Rabbit Room Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.99
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin
by Marguerite Henry & Wesley Dennis
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Blue Birds
by Caroline Starr Rose
Dgs from Puffin Books
Narrative Poetry / Novel-In-Verse for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Boy
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Boy on the Wooden Box
by Leon Leyson
Reprint from Atheneum
for 4th-8th grade
Christopher Award
in Holocaust (Location: HISW-20WW2H)
$9.99
Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Reader's Edition)
by William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer
from Rocky Pond Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.99
Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
2015 Newbery Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Award, National Book Award
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
Chasing Space for Young Readers
by Leland Melvin
from Amistad Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR)
$7.99
Children of Noisy Village
by Astrid Lindgren
from Puffin Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Children of Odin
by Padraic Colum
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$10.99
Chronicles of Narnia - Quality Softcover Boxed Set
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$90.93
Classic Poetry
by Michael Rosen & Paul Howard
Reprint from Candlewick Press
for 1st-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$15.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Comet in Moominland
Moomintrolls Book #1
by Tove Jansson
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Courage to Run
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Daughters of the Faith (Location: SER-DAU)
$8.99
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Yearling
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$19.99
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths - Audio CD
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Yearling
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$25.00 $14.00 (1 in stock)
Diamond of Darkhold
Book of Ember #4
by Jeanne DuPrau
from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Eyes on Jungle Doctor
Jungle Doctor #10
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Faerie Gold
Classics for Young Readers
by Kathryn Lindskoog & Ranelda Mack Hunsicker
from P&R Publishing
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 4th-8th grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$17.99
Finn Family Moomintroll
Moomintrolls Book #2
by Tove Jansson
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Flower Fables
by Louisa May Alcott
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
$5.99
Girl From Yamhill
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99
Gone Fishing
by Tamara Wissinger, Illustrated by Matthew Cordell
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry (Location: POET-GEN)
$6.99
Graven Images
by Paul Fleischman
from Candlewick Press
for 4th-7th grade
1983 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Greek Myths
by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Edouard Sandoz
from Houghton Mifflin
Greek Mythology for 4th-6th grade
$10.99
Hans Christian Andersen: The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories
by Hans Christian Andersen, Translated by Erik Christian Haugaard
1983 Anchor Books Edition from Anchor Books
for 2nd-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$25.00
Happy Times in Noisy Village
by Astrid Lindgren
from Bethlehem Books
Family Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.95
Harp and Laurel Wreath
by Laura M. Berquist
from Ignatius Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry Anthologies (Location: POET-ANTH)
$24.95 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Hiawatha
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1st edition from Puffin Books
Poetry for 4th-8th
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - Softbound Boxed Set
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 4th-12th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$72.00
Homes in the Wilderness
by William Bradford
from Purple House Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$9.99
Homesick: My Own Story
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
Autobiography for 4th-8th grade
1983 Newbery Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Iliad Graphic Novel
by Homer, adapted by Gareth Hinds
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$17.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Inside Out & Back Again
by Thanhha Lai
Reprint from HarperCollins
Narrative Poetry / Novel-In-Verse for 4th-8th grade
2012 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Joyful Noise
by Paul Fleischman
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-6th grade
1989 Newbery Medal winner
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$6.99
Jungle Doctor Meets Mongoose
Jungle Doctor's Animal Stories #6
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor on Safari
Jungle Doctor #8
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor Pulls a Leg
Jungle Doctor #12
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor's Africa
Jungle Doctor #7
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor's Hippo Happenings
Jungle Doctor's Animal Stories #4
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor's Rhino Rumblings
Jungle Doctor's Animal Stories #5
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Language of Flowers
by Kate Greenaway
from Dover Publications
for all ages
in Poetry Anthologies (Location: POET-ANTH)
$6.95
Last Book In The Universe
by Rodman Philbrick
from Blue Sky press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Letters to Children
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Autobiographical Letters for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$16.00
Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
from Harvest House
Fantasy for 3rd-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$11.99 $7.50 (2 in stock)
Little White Farm House in Iowa
Precious Memories Book 1: The First 10 Years
by Carol Brands
from Inheritance Publications
for 4th-9th grade
in Inheritance Fiction (Location: FIC-WH03)
$9.00
Little Yellow Farm House in Iowa
Precious Memories Book 2: Years 11-17
by Carol Brands
from Inheritance Publications
for 4th-9th grade
in Inheritance Fiction (Location: FIC-WH03)
$9.00
Lost Names
by Richard E. Kim
2nd edition from University of California Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$23.95
May B.
by Caroline Starr Rose
from Yearling
Narrative Poetry / Novel-In-Verse for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99
Moominland Midwinter
Moomintrolls Book #5
by Tove Jansson
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Moominpappa at Sea
Moomintrolls Book #7
by Tove Jansson
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Moominpappa's Memoirs
Moomintrolls Book #3
by Tove Jansson
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.56
Moominpappa's Memoirs
Moomintrolls Book #3
by Tove Jansson
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Moominsummer Madness
Moomintrolls Book #4
by Tove Jansson
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Moominvalley in November
Moomintrolls Book #8
by Tove Jansson
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Night Before Christmas - Coloring Book
by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by John O'Brien
81st edition from Dover Publications
for 3rd-5th grade
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
$4.99
Old World Echoes
Copper Lodge Library
by Compiled by Jennifer Courtney
from Classical Conversations
for 3rd-5th grade
in Classical Conversations (Location: CUR-CC)
$14.95 $10.00 (2 in stock)
One Crazy Summer
by Rita Williams-Garcia
Reprint from Amistad Press
for 4th-7th grade
2011 Newbery Honor Book, National Book Award, Coretta Scott King Award, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy
by Karen Foxlee
from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems
by Donald Hall
from Oxford University
for 2nd-5th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$12.95
People of Sparks
Book of Ember #2
by Jeanne DuPrau
Reprint from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein
by Jennifer Rozines Roy with Ali Fadhil
from Clarion Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Pocahontas
by Joseph Bruchac
from Harcourt
for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Poetry for the Grammar Stage - Anthology
by Laura Bateman, Dayna Grant
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$18.40 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Poetry for the Grammar Stage - MP Teacher Guide
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$18.85 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Poetry for the Grammar Stage - MP Teacher Guide (old)
1st edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-6th grade
$10.00
Ranch of the Golden Flowers
by Constance Lindsay Skinner
from Bethlehem Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.95
Rapunzel
by Paul Zelinsky
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1998 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Rooster Crows
by Maud & Miska Petersham
Fir from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-4th grade
1946 Caldecott Medal winner
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$7.99
Seven Little Australians
by Ethel Turner
from Akasha Classics
for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.99
Star-Spangled Banner
by Peter Spier
from Yearling
American History for 2nd-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$10.99
Tales from Moominvalley
Moomintrolls Book #6
by Tove Jansson
Reprint from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 1st-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Tales of Troy and Greece
by Andrew Lang
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
$16.95
Tanglewood Tales
Copper Lodge Library
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
from Classical Conversations
for 3rd-6th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$11.99
Trojan War
by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Edouard Sandoz
from Houghton Mifflin
Mythology for 4th-6th grade
$9.99
Two-Minute Mysteries
by Donald J. Sobol
Reprint from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-7th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.99
Ugly: A Memoir
by Robert Hoge
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Visit to William Blake's Inn
by Nancy Willard
1st edition from Harcourt Children's Books
for 1st-4th grade
1982 Newbery Medal, 1982 Caldecott Honor Book
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$9.99
Water Buffalo Days
by Huynh Quang Nhuong
from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Waterless Mountain
by Laura Adams Armer
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
1932 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
When Stars Are Scattered
by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$12.99
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