The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) and The Power-House (1916) are two of the most famous and influential thrillers written by Scottish novelist, historian, and politician John Buchan. Featuring his iconic protagonist, Richard Hannay, these gripping novellas essentially invented the modern espionage and "man-on-the-run" thriller genre, laying the groundwork for everything from James Bond to Alfred Hit…
The story revolves around the Bennet family, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their five daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. Because their estate is entailed and can only pass to a male heir (their cousin Mr. Collins), Mrs. Bennet is desperate to marry off all her daughters to secure their financial futures.
Ethan Frome and Other Stories typically pairs Edith Wharton’s most famous, bleakly tragic novella, Ethan Frome (1911), with a curated selection of her finest short fiction (such as "The Triumph of Night," "The Last Asset," or "The Other Two"). While Wharton is world-renowned for her glittering, razor-sharp social satires of New York high society (like The Age of Innocence), Ethan Frome showca…
Colonel Munro’s two daughters, Cora and Alice Munro, are traveling under British escort to join their father at Fort William Henry. They are guided by Magua, a Huron scout who is secretly working for the French and holds a deep, personal grudge against Colonel Munro. Unknown to the party, Magua is leading them into a trap. They are rescued in the wilderness by Natty Bumppo (also known as H…
The Old Curiosity Shop is a classic serialized novel written by Charles Dickens and published between 1840 and 1841. Originally released in Dickens's weekly magazine Master Humphrey's Clock, the story became a massive, unprecedented literary sensation, with contemporary readers in New York reportedly crowding the docks shouting for incoming ships to learn the fate of its beloved protagonist.c
The Spook's Blood (published in the United States as The Last Apprentice: The Spook's Blood) is the seventh installment in Joseph Delaney's dark, thrilling fantasy-horror series, The Wardstone Chronicles (also known as The Spook's Apprentice series). Published in 2011, this terrifying dark-fantasy novel continues the perilous training of young Thomas Ward as he faces ancient evils, blood-drinki…
Gladiator Clash: Battle the Mightiest is an action-packed children's historical-fantasy adventure novel written by Chris Blake (published under the pen name Danica Davidson or as part of the Time Hunters series team). Released around 2013, it is part of the popular Time Hunters series, which follows ordinary kids hurled into historical eras on mythical, high-stakes quests.
Gulliver's Travels (originally titled Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships) is a satirical masterpiece written by Anglo-Irish author and clergyman Jonathan Swift, published in 1726. Framed as a travel memoir, the novel follows the fantastic voyages of Captain Lemuel Gulliver. Beneath its whimsic…
Love's Labour's Lost is an early comedic play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1594 and 1595. Known for its witty wordplay, sparkling repartee, and unusual, bittersweet ending, the play satirizes scholarly pretension, romantic infatuation, and the foolishness of trying to deny human nature through rigid oaths.
Secret of the Night Ponies is a historical middle-grade adventure novel written by Joan Hiatt Harlow and published in 2009. Set against the rugged, windswept shores of Newfoundland in 1965, the novel blends an exciting tale of animal rescue and youthful courage with themes of friendship, compassion, and standing up against cruelty.