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Adapted or Abridged

So, first question: what exactly is the difference between "abridged" and "adapted"? They're similar in concept, but it's a straight-forward answer. If it's just shortened, but all the language is from the original, that's an abridgment. An adaptation is not merely abridged, but has been rewritten in different (often age-appropriate) language. 

We have a love-hate relationship with these sorts of books. While we don't generally encourage the reading of abridged editions, we do understand that some parents want to expose their kids to great stories before they're old enough to read the real thing. Sometimes, these can be brilliantly retold, good enough to be considered literature in their own right, and authors like Rosemary Sutcliff, Alfred Church, and Padraic Colum spent most of their careers creating books like this. William Shakespeare's plays have also often been adapted by authors like Charles & Mary Lamb or E. Nesbit. Because they don't usually have the same title as the originals, we often don't label them as adapted or abridged in our database entries; if they do share the title, we'll list it as "retold".

Many adapted books of today are NOT these books, often hastily-rewritten, mass-produced adaptations that really oughtn't use the title of the original. Sure, the main plot points are there, but classics are more than just bare bones plots; part of what makes a book great is the quality of the author's expression, the wit and grace he or she uses to tell their tale. An abridged or heavily edited version almost always demolishes the poetry of the original and presents classic stories as simple bullet-point collections of incidents. For us, if the book does not clearly state the name of the editor/adapter, we'll generally avoid carrying it.

That said, if you intend to have your kids read the original later on, these could provide a decent introduction to provide some familiarity before jumping into Great Expectations or The Iliad. Sometimes reading the classics can be confusing during the first few encounters, and having some knowledge of the general plot, characters, and theme beforehand can be useful (though remember that, in an adaptation, you're getting the editor's interpretation of the theme rather than the theme itself).

Abridgements can be a bit tricky, because they're not always labeled as such. Some huge books, like Les Misérables or Count of Monte Cristo, bear some cutting here and there and a good abridgement makes them more accessible. For others, like Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels, some publishers have elected to make editorial cuts that they chose not to declare as abridgments, but they're not the full originals. We do our best to make these cuts obvious (see a list here).

With all that said, most of the abridged and adapted classics we have in stock are listed below. Some of them are valuable for their illustrations alone (particularly the Little Unicorn books, with full-color pictures by the Brothers Hildebrandt) or their value as collector's items, but we would encourage you not to consider these your final exposure to the titles. There are riches that await!

Introduction by Eli Evans, with C. Hollis Crossman
Formerly home educated and now father of five, Eli loves discovering amazing books, new and old, and is an artistic curator at heart. The owner and manager of Exodus since 1998, his focus is on offering thoughtful and well-written books that inspire the imagination and promote creativity and diligence while living for God. Read more of his reviews here.
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Adapted or Abridged
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Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10)
Action Bible Expanded Edition
by Sergio Cariello
from David C. Cook
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$32.99
Adventures of Ulysses
by Bernard Evslin
from Scholastic Inc.
Greek Mythology for 4th-6th grade
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Farm Graphic Novel
by George Orwell, Adapted and Illustrated by Odyr
from Mariner Books
for 3rd-Adult
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Around the World in 80 Days (abridged)
by Jules Verne, abridged by Hilda Young, illustrated by Gianni Demo
from World Distributors (Manchester)
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
by Edith Nesbit
from Yesterday's Classics
Shakespeare/Drama for Children for 4th-8th grade
$13.95
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
by Edith Nesbit
from Living Book Press
Shakespeare/Drama for Children for 4th-8th grade
$15.99
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Racehorse for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$14.99
Beowulf
by Michael Morpurgo
from Walker Books
for 3rd-8th grade
Beowulf
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Beowulf
by Michael Morpurgo
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-8th grade
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Beowulf the Warrior
by Ian Serraillier
from Bethlehem Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.95
Beowulf: A Hero's Tale Retold
by James Rumford
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
Black Ships Before Troy
by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee
from Frances Lincoln
Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$22.99
Black Ships Before Troy
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Laurel-Leaf Books
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Boxcar Children #01 - Graphic Novel
by Gertrude Chandler Warrner (creator), Shannon Eric Denton (adapter), Mike Dubisch (illustrator)
from Albert Whitman & Company
for 1st-4th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Canterbury Tales
by Barbara Cohen & Trina Schart Hyman
from William Morrow & Company
Medieval Literature for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$17.50 (1 in stock)
Canterbury Tales (adapted)
by Geoffrey Chaucer, simplified by Michael West and illustrated by Victor Ambrus
from Longman
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Chaucer for Children
by Mrs. H.R. (Mary) Haweis
from Cheapest Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$14.99
Chaucer for Children
by Mrs. H.R. (Mary) Haweis
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$21.95
Chaucer for Children
by Mrs. H.R. (Mary) Haweis
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Greeks
by F. J. Gould
from Yesterday's Classics
Greek History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$11.95
Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Romans
by F. J. Gould, Reteller
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$11.95
Children's Shakespeare
by E. Nesbit
from Henry Altemus Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Pop-Up Book
by Ian Fleming, abridged by Albert G. Miller, illustrated by Gwen Gordon and Dave Chambers
from Random House
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Christy - Young Readers Edition
by Catherine Marshall, adapted by Anna Wilson Fishel
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Comic Book Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
Fir from Timber Frame
for 4th-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Comic Book Shakespeare - The Tempest
by William Shakespeare & Simon Graves
New edition from Timber Frame
for 4th-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
CS: The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
by Howard Pyle
Abridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Sterling Classic Starts (Location: SER-SCS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Dangerous Journey
by Oliver Hunkin (abridger)
from Eerdmans
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$25.00
David Copperfield (adapted)
by Charles Dickens; retold by Clare West
from Oxford University
for 3rd-6th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
DK Classics: Black Beauty (adapted & annotated)
by Anna Sewell, illustrated by Victor Ambrus
from DK Children
for 4th-8th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Doctor Dolittle and His Friends
by Hugh Lofting; adapted by Polly B. Berends, Leslie Bricusse
from Random House
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Don Quixote and the Windmills
by Miguel Cervantes, retold by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 2nd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
ECL: Gulliver's Travels (abridged)
by Jonathan Swift, illustrated by Don Irwin
for 3rd-8th grade
in Educator Classic Library (Location: VIN-ECL)
Eyewitness Classics: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (adapted & annotated)
by Jules Verne
from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Eyewitness Classics: Odyssey (adapted & annotated)
by Homer
1st edition from DK Children
for 3rd-8th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
Father Brown Reader
by G. K. Chesterton adapted by Nancy Carpenter Brown
1st edition from Hillside Education
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$12.95
Father Brown Reader II
by G. K. Chesterton adapted by Nancy Carpenter Brown
fir from Hillside Education
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$14.95
Favorite Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Donald Lynch
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
First Book of Tales of Ancient Araby
First Books
by Charles Mozley
from Franklin Watts
for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Gilgamesh (retold)
by Bernarda Bryson
from CreateSpace
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$24.95
Gilgamesh the Hero
by Geraldine McCaughrean
from Eerdmans
for 4th-8th grade
$20.00
Gilgamesh the King
by Ludmila Zeman
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-4th grade
$8.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Key Graphic Novel
by George MacDonald, adapted and illustrated by Stephen Hesselman
from Rabbit Room Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$29.99
Hear It Read It: Treasure Island
from Sourcebooks
for 1st-4th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Heidi's Friends (adapted)
by Johanna Spyri, illustrated by Sergio Leone
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Iliad (retold)
by Homer & Barbara Leonie Picard
from Oxford University
for 4th-8th grade
Iliad (retold)
Kingfisher Epics
by Nick McCarty, Victor G. Ambrus
from Kingfisher
for 4th-6th grade
Iliad (retold)
by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee
from Frances Lincoln
Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
Iliad (retold)
Kingfisher Epics
by Nick McCarty, Victor G. Ambrus
from Kingfisher
for 4th-6th grade
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)
Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare
by Willam Shakespeare, retold by Rosie Dickens and illustrated by Christa Unzer
from Usborne
for 2nd-5th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
In Search of a Homeland
by Penelope Lively & Ian Andrew
from Frances Lincoln
Picture Book/Mythology for 4th-8th grade
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress
by Geraldine McCaughrean
from Overlook Press
for 2nd-7th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Jungle Book (adapted)
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Don Daily
from Applesauce Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Kersti and Saint Nicholas (adapted)
by Hilda Van Stockum, Revised and Adapted by the Author's Family
from Boissevain Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Last Quest of Gilgamesh
by Ludmila Zeman
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-4th grade
$8.95 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Les Miserables (adapted)
Stepping Stones: A Chapter Book
by Victor Hugo, Adapted by Monica Kulling
from Random House
Historical Fiction for 1st-4th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Little Pilgrim's Progress
by Helen Taylor
from Moody Press
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$11.99
Little Pilgrim's Progress
by Helen Taylor, illustrated by Joe Sutphin
from Moody Press
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$34.99
Lost Prince of Samavia (abridged)
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
from Bob Jones University Press
Action Adventure for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.50
Man in the Iron Mask Graphic Novel
by Roy Thomas, Hugo Petrus (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), June Chung (colorist)
from Marvel Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote
by Marcia Williams (adapted from Miguel de Cervantes)
1st edition from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Moby-Dick (retold)
by Herman Melville, presented by Jane Needle, illustrated by Patrick Benson
1st edition from Candlewick Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Moby-Dick (retold)
by Herman Melville, presented by Jane Needle, illustrated by Patrick Benson
1st edition from Candlewick Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
More Tales from Shakespeare
by Marcia Williams
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
Mr. William Shakespeare's Plays
by William Shakespeare presented by Marcia Williams
from Walker Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
Much Ado About Nothing for Kids
Shakespeare Can Be Fun
by Lois Burdett
from Firefly Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
Nutcracker
by E. T. A. Hoffmann
from Harcourt, Brace & World
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Odyssey (retold)
Puffin Classics
by Geraldine McCaughrean retells Homer
Puffin Classics from Puffin Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$6.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Odyssey (retold)
by Barbara Leonie Picard
from Oxford University
for 3rd-4th grade
Odyssey (retold)
Kingfisher Epics
by Alan Baker, Robin Lister
from Kingfisher
for 4th-6th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
Odyssey Graphic Novel
by Homer, adapted by Gareth Hinds
from Candlewick Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$18.99
Odyssey of Homer
by Alfred J. Church (reteller), illustrated by John Flaxman
from Macmillan
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Oliver Twist (abridged)
by Charles Dickens, abridged by Leslie Baxter and illustrated by Christian Birmingham
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
Percy Jackson's Greek Gods
by Rick Riordan
from Disney-Hyperion
for 4th-8th grade
$12.99
Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes
by Rick Riordan
from Disney-Hyperion
for 4th-8th grade
$12.99
Peter Pan (abridged)
by J. M. Barrie, abridged by Vic Parker and illustrated by Claudia Venturini
from Viking Press
Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Picture Bible
by Iva Hoth & Andre Le Blanc
from Cook Communications
for 4th-6th grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$24.99
Pilgrim's Progress (adapted)
by Written by Anna Trimiew, illustrated by Drew Rose
from Great Commission Publications
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 1st-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Pilgrim's Progress (retold)
by Written by Tim Dowley, Illustrated by Steve Smallman
from Candle Books
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 1st-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls
by W.H. Weston (reteller), Plutarch
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Revenge of Ishtar
by Ludmila Zeman
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-4th grade
$8.95 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Robin of Sherwood
by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman
from Harcourt, Brace & Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Robinson Crusoe Written Anew for Children
by James Baldwin
from Yesterday's Classics
for 2nd-4th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$11.95
Romeo and Juliet - The Young Reader's Shakespeare
by Adam McKeown (Retold by), illustrated by Peter Fiore
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Saint George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
from Little, Brown & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade
1985 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Selection from The Canterbury Tales
by Selina Hastings, illustrated by Reg Cartwright
from Henry Holt and Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Shakespeare Stories II
by Leon Garfield
1st American Ed from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (retold)
by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman
from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-6th grade
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (retold)
by Michael Morpurgo
from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-6th grade
Stage full of Shakespeare Stories
by William Shakespeare, Retold by Angela McAllister, Illustrated by Alice Lindstrom
from Quarto Knows
for 2nd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
Stand Up, Mr. Dickens
by Charles Dickens, edited and abridged by Edward Blishen, illustrated by Jill Bennett
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Stories from Shakespeare
by Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by Antony Maitland
First Edition from Margaret K. McElderry Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Stories from Shakespeare
by Marchette Chute
from Collier Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Stories from Shakespeare
by Retold by Nicola Baxter, Illustrated by Jenny Thorne
from Barnes & Noble
for 2nd-4th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
Stories from Shakespeare
by Marchette Chute
from World Publishing Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Stories from the Faerie Queene
by Edmund Spenser, retold by Jeanie Lang and illustrated by Rose Le Quesne
from CreateSpace
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$7.50
Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
Myth & Legend for 2nd-5th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$9.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Stories of Roland Told to the Children
by H. E. Marshall
from Yesterday's Classics
for 2nd-5th grade
$9.95
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