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Children & Young Adult Reading — page 24
1,392 public-domain children & young adult reading books, summarised. Page 24 of 29.
Tales of the Toys, Told by Themselves
Frances Freeling Broderip
In a long-forgotten nursery closet, the forgotten playthings of generations past awaken to share their histories, revealing the hidden lives of those who once held them dear. Through the voices of these discarded objects, a tapestry of childhood joy, hardship, and moral growth unfolds.
The Adventures of Lightfoot the Deer
Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess
The Green Forest harbors both the terror of the hunt and the promise of new beginnings for its most graceful inhabitant. Amidst the shifting seasons, an elegant stag navigates the perils of human encroachment to find his place within the wild.
The Girl Warriors: A Book for Girls
Adene Williams
This story follows a group of schoolgirls as they form a pact to overcome their personal failings, turning the abstract idea of "duty" into a series of small, daily victories. It is a quiet, earnest portrait of childhood transition, centered on the struggle to balance the joys of youth with the weight of…
The Nursery, February 1878, Vol. XXIII, No. 2: A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers
Various
This collection of mid-Victorian tales and verses serves as a gentle bridge between the nursery and the natural world, inviting the youngest readers to find wonder in the mundane activities of childhood. It captures a bygone domestic rhythm, where the simple pleasure of a pet or a game of pretend is elevated to a…
The Young Pilgrim: A Tale Illustrative of "The Pilgrim's Progress"
A. L. O. E.
A modern, earnest retelling of a classic allegory, this narrative translates the spiritual trials of adulthood into the familiar, immediate struggles of childhood. It frames the complex journey toward faith as an accessible path for young readers.
Aunt Kitty's Tales
Maria J. (Maria Jane) McIntosh
A warm, observant guide for young readers, this collection of tales centers on the moral development of children who learn to temper their impulses with reflection, generosity, and truth.
Courage: A story wherein every one comes to the conclusion that the Courage in question proved a courage worth having
Ruth Ogden
Courage finds her namesake in a sturdy harbor lighter and learns that the true weight of her name rests not in heroic deeds, but in the steadfastness of love under trying skies.
Dorothy's House Party
Evelyn Raymond
A young girl finds a new home and decides to share her joy by hosting a house party that turns into an unexpected adventure for everyone involved.
Kristy's Rainy Day Picnic
Olive Thorne Miller
A housebound girl spends a dreary afternoon listening to a series of moral and adventurous tales, discovering that even the most disappointing days can hold unexpected treasures of human kindness and resilience.
Our Young Folks—Vol. I, No. II, February 1865: An Illustrated Magazine for Boys and Girls
Various
This collection offers a vibrant, immersive time capsule of 1865, blending moral instruction, natural history, and adventurous tales designed to capture the imagination of the post-Civil War generation.
Right End Emerson
Ralph Henry Barbour
A spirited, classic tale of schoolboy rivalry, where the true test of grit happens as much behind a store counter as it does on the gridiron.
Stories of Heroic Deeds for Boys and Girls: Historical Series - Book II
James Johonnot
Noble examples of courage and integrity serve as the foundation for this collection of historical narratives, designed to inspire young minds through the study of human character.
The Extraordinary Adventures of Poor Little Bewildered Henry, Who was shut up in an Old Abbey for Three Weeks: A Story Founded on Fact
Anonymous
A toddler, separated from his family by a stranger’s cruel deception, finds himself lost and alone in an ancient, ivy-covered abbey for three weeks. This narrative explores his survival through the lens of faith and providence.
Vinzi: A Story of the Swiss Alps
Johanna Spyri
HOOK A young boy finds his true calling in the resonance of mountain music, despite his father’s desperate wish for him to become a simple farmer.
A Loyal Little Red-Coat: A Story of Child-life in New York a Hundred Years Ago
Ruth Ogden
In the shadow of the American Revolution, a young Loyalist girl and a runaway circus performer find their lives intertwined, navigating the deep divides of a nation struggling to define its new identity.
Healthful Sports for Boys
A. R. (Alfred Rochefort) Calhoun
For the young reader seeking to master the outdoors, this guide turns every season into a playground, offering practical blueprints for building kites, managing sail boats, and organizing a neighborhood baseball club.
Karl Krinken, His Christmas Stocking
Susan Warner
A lonely boy discovers that the objects in his modest Christmas stocking hold secret histories, revealing the quiet lives and spiritual resilience of those who are often overlooked by the world.
The Adventures of a Bear, and a Great Bear Too
Alfred Elwes
This is a cautionary tale about a bear who lacks the one virtue that makes any life bearable: good temper. It is a story of appetites, anger, and the social consequences of selfishness.
The Story of Noah's Ark
E. Boyd (Elmer Boyd) Smith
A weary patriarch faces skeptical neighbors, labor strikes, and a menagerie of unruly creatures in this witty, illustrated retelling of an ancient survival story.
Lill's travels in Santa Claus Land, and other stories
Ellis Towne
This collection of tales explores the hidden moral landscapes of childhood, where imaginary lands, petty rivalries, and sudden transgressions test the boundaries of a young person’s character.
Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories
Mrs. (Elizabeth) Turner
Moral instruction meets rhythmic, no-nonsense verse in this collection of cautionary tales. Designed to steer nineteenth-century children away from accidents, mischief, and gluttony, these stories promise swift consequences for every misstep.
The Blossoms of Morality: Intended for the Amusement and Instruction of Young Ladies and Gentlemen
M. (Arnaud) Berquin
This collection of moral tales serves as a manual for virtue, blending didactic storytelling with reflections on the conduct, education, and spiritual development of young people in the early nineteenth century.
The Mornin'-Glory Girl
Alice M. (Alice Maud) Winlow
A spirited, imaginative foster child brings light to a homestead on the Canadian frontier, where the daily rhythms of chores and schoolhouse life bloom into small, profound miracles.
The Wishing Moon
Louise Dutton Fillmore
A young girl and a boy from opposite sides of the tracks navigate a small town’s suffocating social hierarchies, finding that true connection requires more than just desire—it demands the courage to wait.
A New Story Book for Children
Fanny Fern
This collection of vignettes and biographical sketches serves as a bridge between the intimate world of childhood and the broader, often turbulent landscape of the nineteenth century. It is a compassionate exploration of human character, resilience, and the quiet sanctity of home.
Aunt Kitty's Stories
Various
Little Bo-peep and her wandering sheep share space with cautionary tales of children who play with fire, creating a collection that blends lighthearted nonsense with the stern moral lessons of a bygone era.
Castle Blair: A Story of Youthful Days
Flora L. (Flora Louisa) Shaw
A group of spirited children in rural Ireland struggle against the harsh authority of a rigid estate agent, only to find their world transformed by a cousin who teaches them the power of grace.
Jasper
Mrs. Molesworth
The comfort of a life of privilege vanishes overnight, forcing a sheltered family to confront the realities of loss, hard work, and the consequences of their own selfishness.
Pages for Laughing Eyes
Unknown
This collection of stories and verses captures the gentle, domestic world of turn-of-the-century childhood, where the simple joys of play, nature, and family life take center stage. Through a series of vignettes, it portrays the small triumphs and mishaps of young ones as they navigate their daily chores, games,…
The Evolution of "Dodd": A pedagogical story giving his struggle for the survival of the fittest, tracing his chances, his changes, and how he came out
William Hawley Smith
The struggle for an individual to find their way in a rigid world is rarely as honest, messy, or hard-won as in this narrative of a boy fighting the very institutions designed to shape him.
The Magical Land of Noom
Johnny Gruelle
When a pair of children build a makeshift flying machine and drift to the moon, they trigger a chaotic, whimsical odyssey that pulls their entire family into a battle against a sour, shape-shifting magician.
The Pansy Magazine, January 1886
Various
This mid-winter periodical offers a window into the earnest, industrious, and deeply devout spirit of 1880s American youth culture.
The Secret of the Sundial: Madge Sterling Series, #3
Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt
A teenage sleuth follows her intuition into a decaying mansion, only to uncover a family mystery linked to a long-lost fortune and a wayward son.
The Story of the Big Front Door
Mary Finley Leonard
A warm-hearted neighborhood tale, this story follows a group of children who learn that their home’s welcoming front door is a symbol of the kindness and service they owe to those around them.
The Sun Maid: A Story of Fort Dearborn
Evelyn Raymond
A young girl’s survival and growth mirror the rise of a legendary American city, weaving personal resilience into the tapestry of the frontier.
Dew Drops, Vol. 37, No. 09, March 1, 1914
Various
This collection of short stories, lessons, and anecdotes serves as a moral guidebook for early 20th-century children. Through tales of temptation, duty, and kindness, it reinforces the Christian virtues of obedience, self-restraint, and neighborly love.
Hold Up Your Heads, Girls! Helps for Girls, in School and Out
Annie H. Ryder
Handsome is that handsome does—hold up your heads, girls!" This Victorian-era guidebook offers a blend of pragmatic advice and idealistic encouragement to young women transitioning from the schoolroom to the responsibilities of adult life.
Little Mittens for The Little Darlings: Being the Second Book of the Series
Aunt Fanny
This collection of moralistic vignettes and cozy family anecdotes serves as a gentle, mid-nineteenth-century bridge between children’s play and their spiritual education. Written with an affectionate, conversational tone, the book invites young readers to find joy in simple obedience, domestic order, and the quiet…
Mary's Meadow, and Other Tales of Fields and Flowers
Juliana Horatia Ewing
A gentle collection of stories and garden-themed correspondence, this work celebrates the quiet, transformative power of tending to the earth and the beauty of sharing one's harvest with the world.
Our Little Brazilian Cousin
Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
HOOK Follow the adventures of a young Brazilian boy as he explores the lush Amazonian wilderness and discovers the vast, vibrant wonders of his native land.
The Pansy Magazine, April 1886
Various
This collection of short stories, educational sketches, and correspondence captures the moral instruction and domestic life of Victorian-era American youth. It functions as both a literary miscellany and a cultural mirror of 1880s Sunday school pedagogy.
The rocky island, and other similitudes
Samuel Wilberforce
The soul’s journey through a dangerous world is depicted here as a perilous voyage, where faith serves as the only compass against the crashing storms of temptation and the encroaching darkness of the unknown.
Tommy Tregennis
Mary Elizabeth Phillips
The golden sands of a Cornish seaside town hold a world that is at once vast and fragile for a young boy discovering the limits of his own small life.
Vacation Camping for Girls
Jeannette Augustus Marks
This guide provides practical instruction for young women venturing into the wilderness, emphasizing self-reliance, physical health, and the mastery of outdoor living. It demystifies the complications of camp life through a blend of technical advice and character-building philosophy.
What We Saw in Egypt
Anonymous
This mid-nineteenth-century travelogue offers a Victorian window into the wonders of Egypt, framed by the awe of a family experiencing the ancient world through the lens of their Christian faith.
A Busy Year at the Old Squire's
C. A. (Charles Asbury) Stephens
A chronicle of rural Maine life, this narrative captures the ingenuity, resilience, and quiet adventures of a nineteenth-century farming family through the changing seasons.
Billy To-morrow Stands the Test
Sarah Pratt Carr
High school politics, a mysterious late-night woods stranding, and a sudden arson plot test a teenage boy’s honor in turn-of-the-century Puget Sound.
Janet Hardy in Radio City
Ruthe S. Wheeler
Two teenage performers navigate grueling film shoots, wild mountain fires, and corporate sabotage as their Hollywood talents earn them a shot at national radio stardom.