Coming-of-Age Classics

More for Ages 11-13

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Here's a list of beloved time-tested novels and often-controversial classics that have become reading rites of passage.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain

Tom Sawyer lives near the Mississippi River with his Aunt Polly and spends his days getting into such adventures as seeing a murder in a graveyard, running away to Jackson's Island, looking for treasure,...

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

In Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the effects of racial hatred and violence are viewed by a girl whose father defends a black man accused of rape in a small Alabama town.

The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

When ten-year-old Mary Lennox is sent to live with her mysterious uncle after the death of her parents, little does she realize the changes that will take place within herself. An invalid cousin, a crabby...

Waves

by Sharon Dogar

"Dogar will make more than a glancing impression on teens with this elaborately structured debut, encompassing grief, suspense, romance, and emotional bonds so intense they slip past the usual boundaries...

Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls

This classic about a 10-year-old boy growing up in the Ozark mountains with his inseparable pair of coonhounds will warm the hearts of young and old alike.

The Yearling

by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

A young boy living in the Florida backwoods is forced to decide the fate of a fawn he has lovingly raised as a pet. This book is a Pulitzer Prize winner.

The Giver

by Lois Lowry

Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he...