Sterling Classics

Update: Unfortunately, Sterling has let these titles fall out of print. As that detracts from our favorite aspect of the series (uniformity), we have decided to discontinue ordering the few that are left new, though we will continue to purchase nice used copies. Limited titles still available!

The Sterling Classics series offers something most comparable series don't—uniformity. Each handsome hardcover volume is illustrated in black and white by Scott McKowen, with full-color dust jacket art by the same. Thick pages with clearly printed text make these excellent books for kids, able to withstand years of use by multiple young readers.

Each classic text is unabridged, so you don't need to worry whether your children are getting the "whole story." Attractive "Ex Libris" pages allow kids (or their parents) to personalize their copy. Because these books are affordable and pleasing to the eye, we're hoping to make them a standard choice for those wanting to collect a quality children's library.

None of the content is particularly objectionable in any of these titles, though philosophically and thematically some of them will be over most kids' heads (particularly Frankenstein and Dracula). Also, while McKowen's artwork is surprisingly adaptable, there are titles for which it seems less well-suited—the volume of stories by Poe, for instance.

Despite these (minor) drawbacks, this is unreservedly one of the best children's classics series we've seen. Each volume is durable and attractive (both to kids and their parents) and surprisingly affordable. We also appreciate the publishers have chosen not to dilute the offerings with non-classic or substandard material the way many other publishers have. Sterling Classics are highly recommended!

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.
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Parent Categories
24 Items found Print
Active Filters: 6th grade (Ages 11-12)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Sterling Classics
by Jules Verne, translated by Lewis Page Mercier and illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Sterling Classics
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$14.95
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Sterling Classics
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Sterling Classics
by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Anne of Avonlea
Sterling Classics
by L. M. Montgomery, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Anne of Green Gables
Sterling Classics
by L. M. Montgomery, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Around the World in Eighty Days
Sterling Classics
by Jules Verne, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Adventure for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Black Beauty
Sterling Classics
by Anna Sewell, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Christmas Carol
Sterling Classics
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Grimms' Fairy Tales
Sterling Classics
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 4th-8th grade
Heidi
Sterling Classics
by Johanna Spyri, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Sterling Classics
by Jules Verne, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Science Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Jungle Book
Sterling Classics
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Little Women
Sterling Classics
by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Peter Pan
Sterling Classics
by J. M. Barrie, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Pinocchio
Sterling Classics
by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Pollyanna
by Eleanor Porter, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Reprint from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Secret Garden OSI
Sterling Classics
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann David Wyss, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 6th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Treasure Island
Sterling Classics
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Reprint from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-7th grade
1923 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Wind in the Willows
Sterling Classics
by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Sterling Classics
by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)