If You Like Frankenstein…

This column is a request from my kid. They read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) in 9th-grade English class and really liked it. My kid is a great reader, but, in the past, has not been keen on “classics.” I have never even gotten them to read The Hobbit! The verbose and dated language that marks some older texts has been a turn off. And a lot of “classics” are romance/marriage focused, something that I know won’t hold the attention of my kid. So here is a highly curated list of literature that I hope will appeal to them, containing complex themes, elements of suspense or adventure, and writing that isn’t too dense.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1838)

I am a big fan of Dickens. My favorite is Bleak House (spontaneous combustion, yo!), but I think Oliver Twist may be a better entry point for the reluctant. Regardless of what Dickens you are reading, if you ever feel stuck or bored, follow the advice of my college advisor and read it aloud. The comedy will likely come racing off the page. Oliver is an orphan who escapes the workhouse where he was raised and joins a group of pickpockets led by Fagin.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898)

I had to include one horror novel is this list to follow Frankenstein. A governess is hired by the uncle of two children, Flora and Miles. She sees strange apparitions on the estate of the house, but none of the residents seems to notice. She tries to protect the children from their influence. Full of creepiness and gothic moods.

Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf (1928)

This novel is hard to describe but enchanting to read. It follows the life of Orlando from his time as a boy in the Elizabethan court to life as a woman and poet in the 20th century. It is during his time as ambassador to Constantinople that Orlando’s gender changes, a shift accepted by the character. I also loved the Sally Potter film adaptation, starring Tilda Swinton.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952)

Ellison’s first novel depicts the life of a Black man in America, facing racism at every turn. The unnamed narrator tells of his youth in the South and time attending a all-Black college. He is expelled from the college and moves to New York City. There he joins a Black nationalist group, the Brotherhood. His role in the Brotherhood shifts from initiate to leader to pariah as the organization changes.