Sofia is an 8-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. On select Saturdays, Sofia will share her favorite books with kids! She is one of the most well-read elementary schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!
Dear readers,
It’s time for another recommendation from me, Sofia Martinez! Today I’ve decided to change things up a bit. Instead of just writing about one book, I’m going to write about my four favorite books in a series called Classic Starts.
First let me tell you a bit about the series. There are about 55 books in the Classic Starts series. I own about thirty of them and have borrowed some from the library. So I know a lot about the series. Classic Starts is a series that abridges classics and puts them in a language that the kids of today understand. If you do not know what classics are they are very well known books. They also have to be old. This book collection is recommended for ages 7-9. The Classic Starts books also have pictures.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
This book is about the world famous detective Sherlock Holmes. The book contains six shortened mysteries. My favorite one is called The Adventure of the Speckled Band. I don’t want to spoil the story so I’ll leave it at that. After reading the abridged version I moved on and started reading the original with my dad. The abridged version is easier to read and they took the real important parts into the story.
The Secret Garden
Mary is a rich girl but then everybody in her house dies of a sickness except for her. So she moves to Mr. Craven’s house. When Mary discovers there is a secret garden she sets out to find it. She meets two boys that help her take care of the garden. One of them is Mr. Craven’s son.
Pollyanna
My third favorite book in the series is Pollyanna. When Pollyanna’s father dies she goes to live with her Aunt Polly. Aunt Polly is harsh to Pollyanna. Pollyanna keeps herself happy by playing a game that her father taught her, the just be glad game.
Little Women
I love this one so much I even watched the play and the movie (before the pandemic). Little Women is about the four March sisters. They are poor but have a kind heart. For example, one Christmas they give their breakfast to a family who couldn’t afford it. They face many challenges.
I love this series because it lets you experience classics that you would usually have to be older to read. It also gives you a good idea of what the original is about. You can also try out many without having to read a million pages to find out if you want to read the original version when you are older.
I have made a chart including most of the books that I’ve read under a few categories. I want to make it easier for you to find which books you might like. Don’t forget there are plenty more in the series.
| Adventure |
| Anne of Green Gables |
| The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes |
| Little Women |
| Pollyanna |
| The Secret Garden |
| The Adventures of Robin Hood |
| The Three Musketeers |
| Robinson Crusoe |
| Journey to the Center of the Earth |
| Treasure Island |
| Moby-Dick |
| The Swiss Family Robinson |
| The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn |
| Gulliver’s Travels |
| The Call of the Wild |
| White Fang |
| The Last of the Mohicans |
| 20,000 Leagues under the Sea |
| Scary |
| Dracula |
| Frankenstein |
| Kindness |
| Little Women |
| Heidi |
| Five Little Peppers and How They Grew |
| Pollyanna |
| Survival |
| The Swiss Family Robinson |
| Robinson Crusoe |
| Around the World in 80 Days |
| Magic |
| Alice in Wonderland & Through the |
| Looking-Glass |
| Peter Pan |
| Pinocchio |
| Animal |
| Black Beauty |
| Anne of Green Gables |
| Heidi |
| White Fang |
| The Call of the Wild |
**Thank you, Sofia, for your continued brilliance. You inspire us!**
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