Enduring Children's Classics, and the Illustrators we love
Milo’s life is boring until he passes through a tollbooth that takes him to a fantasy land full of witty wordplay and realizes that life is what you make of it. It is quirky and offbeat and my son adored it!
Written by Norton Juster
Illustrated by Jules Feiffer
Originally Published 1961
Last year we read the 2020 Newbery Honor recipient Scary Stories for Young Foxes which became an instant winner in our reading lives. This second book did not disappoint, with new twists and incredible world building set within eight haunting stories that my son loved.
Written by Christian McKay Heidicker
Illustrated by Junyi Wu
Published 2022
A Santa Claus origin story with a “found family” theme that my son found utterly intriguing.
Full of fantasy and adventure, it has already become something of a modern classic of middle-grade literature.
Written by Matt Haig
This version illustrated by Chris Mould
Originally Published 2015
This story gets underway in early Spring on a windy morning as two siblings walk the beach sands on the island of Chincoteague off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland and spot a mysterious mare.
One of those stories about wanting one thing and receiving another, it is also a story about family, friendship, and the bonds between humans and animals.
Written by Marguerite Henry
This version illustrated by Wesley Dennis
Originally Published 1947
My son LOVED this story about found friendship and having the courage to follow your convictions.
Mostly set in Paris (although the story begins in London) it is about a girl who is searching for lost family and finds a secret world on the rooftops surrounding Notre Dame cathedral and beyond. It is magical and otherworldly…a fantastic middle-grade read!
Written by Katherine Rundell
This version illustrated by Terry Fan
Originally Published 2013
I get so excited when my son names an old classic as one of his top ten! He loved the character of Peter, as well as Grandfather‘s change from grumpy recluse to a charitable member of society and, it being set in the Swiss Alps, made this book especially intriguing to him.
Written by Johanna Spyri
This version illustrated by Susan Hellard.
Please note this book linked here is only part one. I have included another link to part two below.
Originally Published 1880
I rarely use abridged versions for read-aloud but chose to do so with “Musketeers” as the original has some adult themes and my son really wanted to read it, having already grown familiar with our four heroes through various other mediums. Happily, this was a great version that did not feel “abridged”.
Full of mystery and action, it did not disappoint!
By Alexandre Dumas
This version is translated, edited and abridged by Jacques Le Clerq
Illustrated by Norman Price and E.C. Swearingen.
Illustrated Library Edition, 1950
Original was published 1844
Getting my son into a book series outside of ‘Wings of Fire‘ has proved no easy task, but I found delightful success after bribing him to read two chapters of this book and see if it works for him, and it did! He was totally hooked! He read all six that were available and is anxiously awaiting the next in the series: City Spies: Europa
Five kids from around the world have special skills that allow them to become spies where adults cannot.
By James Ponti
So far there are 7 books in the series, with the newest one releasing on February 10. 2026)
Not illustrated.
First in series (pictured here) published 2021
If you have read this far through this post than you will know that to get my son to read anything on his own outside of the Wings of Fire series took bribery.
I think what he loves about it is the theme of “found family”, and being accepted for who you are, which really speaks to him. In addition to that, these books are full of adventure, danger, secret history and high fantasy.
I have read this series through to book 13 and they are gripping and well-dialogued, even for an adult reader. The world-building is top notch. One note: they are a bit on the violent side at times, (although I found the first book in the series the heaviest on violence). The characters are dragons and their world is tough at times which is how they learn to depend and trust each other.
By Tui T. Sutherland
So far there are 16 books in the series, with the newest one, The Hybrid Prince, releasing on March 3. 2026)
Not illustrated, but there are graphic novelizations that are illustrated by Mike Holmes.
First in series (not pictured here) published 2012
This book is similar to Watership Down but not as sad and with a very full and gripping plot of its own. We follow a group of animals who band together to escape the land they currently live on (which is being developed) and head towards the safety of a nature reserve. My son was smitten and, once the story took off, did not want me to stop reading. It is the first in a series of five books and we plan to read the second in the series, In the Grip of Winter, during the cold season this year.
By Colin Dann
Illustrated by
First in series of five. Originally published 1979
Thirteen-year-old Brian is flying out to meet his father when the plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness, and Brian is the sole survivor.
Resources are limited, but luckily he has the hatchet that his mother gifted him. It is a survival story that kept both of us riveted from the first page!
By Gary Paulsen
Illustrated by Drew Willis
And the #1 read of 2025 is:
My son loved this book so much. The Harpy, the Red Bull and King Haggard infiltrated his imagination so much so that it became part of his pretend play for a while (the ultimate sign that a book is a success in this house!). The deeper theme and message of the novel might have been lost to a boy my son’s age, but the plot is so full of interesting characters and events that for now, even taken at surface level, this story utterly fascinated him.
By Peter S. Beagle
The version pictured here is not illustrated, but the edition we read was illustrated by Mel Grant
Not part of my son’s top twelve, but still “stand out” reads he greatly enjoyed!
