The document provides summaries of 14 classic novels: - Anne of Green Gables follows the lively orphan Anne who is adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, who joins dwarves on a quest. - National Velvet is about a girl named Velvet Brown whose passion is horses and dreams of competing in the Grand National horse race. - A Little Princess follows Sara Crewe, a wealthy girl sent to a boarding school in London who falls into poverty but remains imaginative.

1. Novel Response Classics(Think you don’t like the classics?)

2. Anne of Green Gables“One thing’s for certain, no house that Anne’s in will ever be dull.” That’s what Marilla Cuthbert says about Anne, the lively red-headed orphan she and her brother Matthew adopt. For decades, girls have agreed, eagerly reading every book in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s series that chronicles Anne’s coming of age.

3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. TolkienThe Hobbit" is a tale of high adventure, undertaken by a company of dwarves in search of dragon-guarded gold. A reluctant partner in this perilous quest is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving unambitious hobbit, who surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and skill as a burglar. Encounters with trolls, goblins, dwarves, elves and giant spiders, conversations with the dragon, Smaug, and a rather unwilling presence at the Battle of Five Armies are just some of the adventures that befall Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals of children's fiction. Written by Professor Tolkien for his own children, "The Hobbit" met with instant critical acclaim .

4. National Velvetby Enid BagnoldOne of the most popular horse stories ever written. Velvet Brown, a girl whose passion in life was horses. When she won a notorious and unwanted piebald in a village lottery, Velvet began to dream. And, since the breathless imagination of youth sees no obstacles as insuperable, Velvet's thoughts turned to the greatest race in the world-the Grand National. Edition features illustrations by Paul Brown, famous for his drawings and paintings of horses.

5. A Little Princessby Frances Hodgson BurnettSara Crewe is a very intelligent, polite, and creative young girl. Born to a wealthy soldier in India, Sara was brought all the way to London in Victorian-era England for a formal education and to escape the inevitable hardships of India such as disease. At the upscale boarding school, Sara is forced to tolerate the haughty, disdainful headmistress, Miss Minchin. It only gets worse for poor Sara Crewe when a distressing event unfolds to leave her impoverished and at the mercy of the jealous Miss Minchin. Sara undergoes numerous trials as she humbly allows herself to be subjected to servitude, but with the help of several dear friends (both seen and unseen), she remains as proud and unwavering and imaginative as ever, proving to all that anyone can be A Little Princess.

6. Murder on the Orient Expressby Agatha ChristieOne of Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries, Murder on the Orient Express was inspired by two real-life crimes and the author’s own experience being stranded on the Orient Express during Christmas of 1931. While traveling to Paris, a wealthy American is stabbed to death in his cabin on the Orient Express. With the train stuck in a snowdrift, there is no easy escape for the killer. Fortunately, detective Hercule Poirot is aboard and launches a clever investigation into the curious assortment of passengers, of whom each seems to have a motive.

7. Out of the Dustby Karen HesseThis intimate novel, written in stanza form, poetically conveys the heat, dust and wind of Oklahoma along with the discontent of narrator Billy Jo, a talented pianist growing up during the Depression. Unlike her father, who refuses to abandon his failing farm ("He and the land have a hold on each other"), Billy Jo is eager to "walk my way West/ and make myself to home in that distant place/ of green vines and promise." She wants to become a professional musician and travel across the country. But those dreams end with a tragic fire that takes her mother's life and reduces her own hands to useless, "swollen lumps."

8. Treasure Islandby Robert Lewis StevensonWhen an old sea captain appears at the inn that Jim Hawkins' family owns, a series of events begins that sends Jim into one of the most classic adventures in children's literature. Jim holds the keys to the treasure of the late Captain Flint, which attracts the attention of many pirates, including a certain Long John Silver. From taverns in England to exotic islands, Jim, the pirates, and some helpers from home all travel to find this elusive treasure. Young Jim finds that it is hard to look for a treasure when people want you dead—and you never know who to trust!

9. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark TwainWhat does a young boy do when he witnesses a murder but is terrified the murderer will come after him and kill him if he tells anyone what he saw? This terrible quandary is just one of the trials young Tom Sawyer and his friend Huckleberry Finn face after they see a man killed. On top of this worry about being attacked by the murderer, Tom has to deal with a meddlesome aunt, an ornery teacher, and a pretty girl who does not respond to his schoolboy affection. Quite an adventure for a boy who started his summer trying to get out of having to whitewash a picket fence! Fans

10. 1984by George OrwellWritten in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions—a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.

11. Death Be Not Proudby John GuntherJohnny Gunther was only seventeen years old when he died of a brain tumor. During the months of his illness, everyone near him was unforgettably impressed by his level-headed courage, his wit and quiet friendliness, and, above all, his unfaltering patience through times of despair. This deeply moving book is a father's memoir of a brave, intelligent, and spirited boy.

12. ShaneThe cover illustration sets the stage—a lone rider on his horse travels a dirt road into a stark, compelling landscape. That rider is Shane; he is about to change the lives of a homesteader family—Joe Starrett, his wife, Marian and their son, Bob. It is young Bob who first spots Shane as he nears their property, and the child finds him fascinating—"He rode easily....Yet even in this easiness was a suggestion of tension. It was the easiness of a coiled spring, of a trap set." The Starrett family befriends Shane, and Bob's father asks him to stay on as a hired hand. But he warns his son not to become attached because some day Shane will move on.

13. Black BeautyEvery child loves a story about a horse, and Black Beauty remains one of the finest, most touching ever written. Set in Victorian London, the novel follows the shifting fortunes of a horse as he moves from owner to owner. Narrated by the noble Black Beauty himself, the tale offers an animal’s perspective of the world, and highlights the thoughtless, even cruel treatment animals endured during that period.

14. Hans Brinker or the Silver SkatesTen years prior to the beginning of the story, Raff Brinker fell off a dyke and was severely brain-damaged, leaving behind a wife and two children to care for him in a run-down hut that is soon known as "the idiot's cottage". Shunned by most of their neighbors, the Brinker family struggle to make ends meet due to that fact that none of them have the slightest idea where Raff concealed their life savings. Fifteen year old Hans has prematurely become the man of the house, sacrificing his school work in the attempt to look for work, whilst his little sister Gretel continually worries that she cannot love her father as a daughter should; nursing her pointless guilt in a way that only 19th century females of literature know how.

15. Tom SawyerThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one great book. This book is about a young boy who loves adventures. One important aspect of the book is the setting. This book is set in Mississippi along the Mississippi river. Most of Mark Twain's books are set in Mississippi because that's where he grew up and that's where a lot of important events in Twain's life took place. Another element that is important is the characters. Tom Sawyer, the main character, is such a vivid and important protagonist. He loves to have adventures and he can't stop getting into trouble. Also Tom is very clever. In one famous scene, Tom tricks his neighbors to paint a fence for him. He even gets them to pay him for the pleasure of doing it. Also many of the other characters in this book are very important to it. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a great book that everyone should read.

16. Prince and the PauperAfter the young Prince Edward VI of England and a peasant boy switch places, the "little king" tries to escape from a world in which he must beg for food, sleep with rodents, face ridicule, and avoid assassination. Meanwhile, the peasant, who is now the prince, dreads exposure and possible execution; members of the Court believe he has gone mad. As a result of the swap, both boys learn that social class, like so much of life, is determined by chance and random circumstance. Originally published in 1881, The Prince and the Pauper is one of Mark Twain's earliest social satires. With his caustic wit and biting irony, Twain satirizes the power of the monarchy, unjust laws and barbaric punishments, superstitions, and religious intolerance.

17. House of Dies DrearA huge, old house with secret tunnels, a cantankerous caretaker, and buried treasure is a dream-come-true for 13-year-old Thomas. The fact that it's reputedly haunted only adds to its appeal! As soon as his family moves in, Thomas senses something strange about the Civil War era house, which used to be a critical stop on the Underground Railroad. With the help of his father, he learns about the abolitionists and escaping slaves who kept the Underground Railroad running. While on his own, he explores the hidden passageways in and under the house, piecing clues together in an increasingly dangerous quest for the truth about the past. Newbery medalist Virginia Hamilton creates a heart-pounding adventure with this absorbing classic for older readers. (

18. Watership DownFiver could sense danger. Something terrible was going to happen to the warren - he felt sure of it. So did his brother Hazel, for Fiver's sixth sense was never wrong. They had to leave immediately, and they had to persuade the other rabbits to join them. And so begins a long and perilous journey of a small band of rabbits in search of a safe home. Fiver's vision finally leads them to Watership Down, but here they face their most difficult challenge of all...Published in 1972, "Watership Down" is an epic journey, a stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival against the odds.