Recommended Reading

Choosing appropriate reading materials can be difficult for learners and teachers. When you are trying to choose text to read in a different language, you may feel overwhelmed. Reading should be interesting and the level should not be too difficult. If you or your students are looking up words from every sentence, the reading level is too high. Here are a number of recommended reading lists that may help you choose some suitable reading for pleasure or study purposes. These include popular English authors and books in many genres, age-appropriate titles, blogs, magazines, newspapers and translated classics.
Suggested Fiction Authors for English Learners
These authors are recommended by English language teachers. These writers typically use language that is straightforward and concise. The typical ages or genres that these authors write for are shown in brackets. Author names are shown in alphabetical order by last name (so “Smith, John” is “John Smith”).

• Atwood, Margaret (adult)
• Blume, Judy (children and young adult)
• Carle, Eric (children)
• Clark, Mary Higgens (adult, mystery)
• Cleary, Beverly (children)
• Cousins, Lucy (children)
• Dahl, Roald (children and families)
• Hemingway, Ernest (adult)
• King, Stephen (thriller)
• Lowry, Lois (young adult)
• Steel, Danielle (romance)
• Steinbeck, John (adult)
• Seuss, Dr. (children)
• Tan, Amy (adult)
• White, E.B. (children and adults)

Age 0-3 (Fiction) 
This list includes suggested pictures books that children can look at with parents or caregivers. These titles are suitable for reading aloud. They help children learn the names of letters, numbers, colours, animals, and everyday objects. These books are also useful for introducing the rhythm of English.

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin and Eric Carle
• But not the hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton
• Chicka Chicka 1,2,3 by Bill Martin, Jr. and Michael Sampson
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault
• Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam McBratney
• Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins
• Is your mama a llama? by Deborah Guarino
• Mother Goose Collections of Nursery Rhymes
• Mouse Paint by Ellen Walsh
• Peek-a Who? by Nina Laden
• Red is Best by Kathy Stinson
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

Age 4-7 
These books are recommended for reading aloud to children. They are also suitable for early readers. Many of these books contain repetition and rhyme.

• A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hobermann
• Alligator Pie (poems) by Dennis Lee
• Amelia Bedelia series by Peggy Parish
• Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthall
• Biggest, Strongest, Fastest (non-fiction) by Steve Jenkins
• Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak
• Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
• Corduroy by Don Freeman
• Don’t Let the Pigeon series by Mo Willems
• Dr. Seuss (series) by Dr. Seuss (Green Eggs and Ham, Fox in Sox, Hop on Pop, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish)
• If you give a Mouse series by Laura Numeroff
• Jillian Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman
• Punctuation takes a vacation by Robin Pulver
• Spotty, Stripy, Swirly: What are the patterns? by Jane Brocket
• The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
• Where the Sidewalk Ends (poems) by Shel Silverstein
• Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
• Yo! Yes by Chris Raschka

Age 8-12 (Chapter Books)
These are popular chapter books for young readers. Many of these can be enjoyed by all ages and are fun to read aloud.

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
• Dear Dumb Diary (diary series) by Jim Benton
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid (diary series) by Jeff Kinney
• Fudge (series) by Judy Blume
• Goosebumps (mystery) by R.L. Stine
• Harry Potter series (fantasy) by J.K. Rowling
• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
• Journey Through Oz by L. Frank Baum
• Little House on the Prairie (series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Magic Treehouse (series) by Marie Pope Osborne
• Nancy Drew (mystery series) by Carolyn Keene
• Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume
• Ramona (series) by Beverly Cleary
• Stuart Little by E.B. White
• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
• The BFG by Roald Dahl
• The Dragon’s Egg by Alison Baird
• The Hardy Boys (mystery series) by Franklin W. Dixon
• The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White

Age 13-17
Some of these books are assigned in high school classes, but all can be enjoyed for pleasure. These are books that teens recommend.

• A Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Peterson
• Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
• Emily of New Moon by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (non-fiction) by Sean Covey
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• The Diary of Anne Frank (non-fiction) by Anne Frank
• The Giver by Louis Lowry
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Anne Brashares
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyers

Adult (Fiction)
These are popular English novels from many different genres that appeal to many adult readers. Some of these are taught in high school and post-secondary school courses. English learners may want to look for abridged versions of these books if the reading level is too high.

• Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
• Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
• Bridget Jones’s Diary Helen Fielding
• Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
• Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• Mysteries by Agatha Christie
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
• Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
• The Pearl by John Steinbeck
• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Classics 
Many English learners want to read the classics. Classics are works of literature that “stand the test of time”. Classics remain on best-seller lists for many years, and often became even more popular after the author’s death. The classics may be more enjoyable for language learners who have seen the movie or read the book in translation. The language used in classic literature is often old-fashioned. Some of the words and expressions are rarely used anymore. Language learners may want to look for abridged classics. These are books that have been rewritten in easier and more modern English. You can find most of these titles free as audiobooks and ebooks because they are in the public domain. Classics that were written for children can be enjoyed by all ages.

• 1984 by George Orwell
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• Aesop’s Fables by Aesop
• A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (for all ages)
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (for all ages)
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
• Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Smith (for all ages)
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri (for all ages)
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (for young people and adults)
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
• Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (for all ages)
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Tess of the d’Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (for all ages)
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (for all ages)
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Works of Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Popular Books That Have Been made into Movies
Some people prefer to read the original story in a book before watching the film adaptation. Other people watch the film and never read the book. Some English learners prefer to watch a movie first before reading the book. If readers are familiar with the characters and plot, they may understand the book more easily.

• Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (for all ages)
• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (for all ages)
• Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling
• Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
• Jaws by Peter Benchley
• My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
• Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (for all ages)
• Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
• Star Wars by George Lucas
• The Bourne Trilogy by Robert Ludlum
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• The English Patient by Micheal Ondatche
• The Firm by John Grisham
• The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende (for all ages)
• The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
• The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (for all ages)
• Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
• White Fang by Jack London

Non-fiction for Adults 
This list includes a variety of popular non-fiction books. Non-fiction includes books such as biographies, memoirs, cookbooks, self-help titles, and information books.

• Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
• A Room of One’s Own by Virgina Woolf
• Chicken Soup for the Soul (series) by a variety of authors
• Conversations with J.K. Rowling by J.K. Rowling and Lindsey Fraser
• Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
• How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Marley and Me, John Grogan
• Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray
• Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
• The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
• What Colour is your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles
• What to Expect When you’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel

Guided Readers 
Guided readers are books with simplified text for English learners. Some are original stories and others are abridged versions of classics. Abridged classics designed for adult literacy or young reader programs are also useful for English learners.

• Abridged Classics
• Cambridge English Readers
• Good Reads (adult literacy)
• Macmillan Readers
• Oxford Graded Readers
• Penguin Readers

Popular English Magazines
Here are some popular English magazines. These magazines are only available in some countries. You can also find reading content from these magazines online.

• Better Homes and Gardens
• Business Today
• Car and Driver
• Chatelaine
• Chickadee (for children)
• Cosmopolitan
• Glamour
• Good Housekeeping
• GQ
• Mary Glasgow Magazine (for English learners)
• Maxim
• Men’s Health
• National Geographic
• Owl (for children)
• People
• Popular Science
• Radio Times
• Reader’s Digest
• Rolling Stone
• Sports Illustrated
• The New Yorker
• Time
• Today’s Parent
• TV Week
• Vogue
• Women’s Health

Popular English Newspapers
These are some of the most popular English newspapers in circulation. Some of these may be available online.

• Chicago Tribune (US)
• Daily Mirror (UK)
• Daily News (US)
• Daily Sports (Japan)
• Daily Star (UK)
• Daily Telegraph (UK)
• Financial Times (UK)
• Herald Sun (Australia)
• Los Angeles Times (US)
• National Post (Canada)
• The Courier-Mail (Australia)
• The Daily Mail (UK)
• The Daily Telegraph
• The Denver Post (US)
• The Economist (UK)
• The Gazette (Canada)
• The Globe and Mail (Canada)
• The Guardian (UK)
• The New York Times (US)
• The Observer (UK)
• The People’s Daily (China)
• The Seattle Times (US)
• The Sun (UK)
• The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
• The Times (UK)
• The Times of India (India)
• The Vancouver Sun (Canada)
• The Wall Street Journal (US)
• The Washington Post (US)
• Toronto Star (Canada)
• USA Today (US)

Classics Traslated into EnglishSome English learners like reading translations of classic texts. This includes poetry, plays, novels and non-fiction. Learners may already have read the books or seen the adapted films in their own language. Since they are familiar with the plot, characters or other content they may find these works enjoyable in English too.

• One Thousand and One Nights (Arabic)
• The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz (Arabic)
• The Qu’ran (Arabic)
  
• Journey to the West by Wu Ch’eng-en (Chinese)
• Outlaws of the Marsh by Shi Mai’an (Chinese)
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong (Chinese)
• The Art of War (non-fiction) by Sun Wu (Chinese)
• The Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin (Chinese)
• The Tao of Power (non-fiction) by Lao Tzu (Chinese)
  
• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Dutch)
  
• Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (French)
• Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (French)
• Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (French)
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (French)
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Sainte-Exupéry (French)
• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (French)
• The Stranger by Albert Camus (French)
  
• All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (German)
• Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann (German)
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri (German)
• The Castle by Franz Kafka (German)
  
• Aesop’s Fables credited to Aesop (Greek)
• Odyssey (poem) by Homer (Greek)
• Oedipus the King (play) by Sophocles (Greek)
• The Hippocratic Corpus (non-fiction) by Hippocrates (Greek)
• The Histories (non-fiction) by Herodotus (Greek)
• The Republic (philosophy) by Plato (Greek)
  
• The Bible (Hebrew and Greek)
  
• Mahabharata by Ved Vyasa (Indian)
• My Experiments with Truth by Gujarati (Indian)
• Ramayana by Maharshi Valmiki (Indian)
• The Puranas by Indian writers (Indian)
• Volumes of Poetry by Rabindranath Tagore (Indian)
  
• If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Valino (Italian)
• The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (Italian)
• The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio (Italian)
• The Divine Comedy by Dante (Italian)
• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (Italian)
  
• Poetry and Prose by Rumi (Persian)
  
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Portuguese)
  
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Russian)
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Russian)
• Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (Russian)
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Russian)
• The Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulgakov (Russian)
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Russian)
  
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Spanish)
• La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas (Spanish)
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Marquez (Spanish)

Popular Blogs 
Here are some popular English blogs that have stood the test of time.

• Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things
• Freakonomics: The hidden side of everything
• The Huffington Post: Liberal commentary on American news
• Johnchow dot com: Internet marketing
• Lifehacker: Tips and Downloads for Getting Things Done
• Mashable: Top social media news
• PostSecret: Real-life confessions submitted by postcard
• The Big Picture: News stories in photographs (with captions to read)
• The Consumerist: Consumer affairs blog
• Techcrunch: Reviews and breaking news on technology
• Treehugger: Green news and solutions
• Twitter’s Official Blog: Hashtags and special events to watch for on twitter
• Zen Habits: Finding simplicity in the daily chaos of life

The above works selected for EnglishClub by Tara Benwell