US  Reading Level

ESL Reading Level (CEFR)

Title

Author

Synopsis

 5–6

A2

Black Beauty

Anna Sewell

Black Beauty, a handsome well-born, well-bred horse of the era before automobiles, narrates the story. He is initially owned by kind masters but is sold

 5–6

A2

English Fairy Tales

Joseph Jacobs

The book features a variety of traditional English tales, many of which delve into themes of magic, morality, and humor, showcasing characters such as cunning animals, foolish humans, and enchanted beings.

 5–6

A2

Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen 

H. C. Andersen

A collection of enchanting stories written in the early 19th century. This compilation includes beloved tales such as "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Princess and the Pea," among many others. 

 5–6

A2

Grimm's Fairy Tales

Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm

This anthology features a multitude of enchanting tales, including well-known stories like "Rapunzel" and "Hansel and Gretel," which delve into themes of morality, adventure, and the supernatural. 

 5–6

A2

Heidi

Johanna Spyri 

The story is about an orphan girl, Heidi, who has been sent to live with a lonely, angry man at the top of a mountain in the Swiss Alps. 

 5–6

B1

Jack and Jill

Louisa May Alcott

It takes place in a small New England town after the Civil War. The story of two good friends named Jack and Janey,

 5–6

B1

Little Lord Fauntleroy

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Is about a kind boy who discovers he is a British lord and heir to an estate. He moves from New York City to England to live with his grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt. 

 5–6

B1

Pollyanna

Eleanor H. Porter

The story revolves around the character Pollyanna Whittier, an optimistic young girl who approaches life with an unwavering positive attitude, which she refers to as her “glad game.” 

 5–6

B1

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is about a talkative, eleven-year-old girl named Rebecca. She is sent by her mother to live with her two aunts

 5–6

B1

Tanglewood Tales

Nathaniel Hawthorne

This is a collection of Greek myths retold for children and the book brings ancient myths to life with Hawthorne’s signature storytelling charm. The collection includes six famous myths from Greek mythology.

 5–6

A2

The Happy Prince and Other Tales

Oscar Wilde 

Contains five stories: "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Devoted Friend", and "The Remarkable Rocket".

 5–6

B1

The Light Princess

George MacDonald

A King and Queen who desperately wanted a child, and were eventually blessed with a baby girl. But while arranging their daughter's christening, the King forgets to invite his sister, Princess Makemnoit, a horrible witch. Out of spite, Makemnoit curses the Princess to live without gravity.

 5–6

B1

The Princess and the Goblin

George MacDonald

Eight-year-old Princess Irene lives in a society of sun dwellers and goblins …

 5–6

B1

The Railway Children

E. Nesbit

The story centers on the lives of three children whose comfortable, middle-class existance ends when their father has to go away

 5–6

B1

The Secret Garden 

Frances Hodgson Burnett

At the turn of the 20th century, Mary Lennox is a sickly and unloved 10-year-old girl, born in India to wealthy British parents who never wanted her and make an effort to ignore the girl. She is cared for by servants, who allow her to become a spoiled, aggressive, and selfish child.  After a cholera epidemic kills her parents and the servants, Mary is discovered alive but alone in the empty house.

 5–6

B1

The Secret of the Island

Jules Verne

A group of five American castaways—led by Cyrus Harding, an engineer—who find themselves stranded on an uncharted island after escaping from a Confederate prison during the American Civil War.

 5–6

B1

The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame

The story focuses on four animals - mole, rat toad, and badger and the adventures in the English countryside 

 5–6

B1

Through the Looking Glass

Lewis Carroll

 It tells of a young girl named Alice, who falls through a rabbit hole into a subterranean fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic (having human characteristics) creatures.

 5–6

B1

The King of the Golden River

John Ruskin

A moral fairy tale about two greedy brothers and their kind younger sibling.

5–6

B1

Old-Fashion Fairy Tales

Juliana Horatia Ewing

Telling tales, while utilizing traditional elements of fairy drama, offer new narratives that delve into timeless themes of virtue, morality, and the human experience.