In our Core Classics® Series, we present stories loved for generations in abridged versions for young readers, faithful to the style, plot, and themes of the originals. These books include an informative introduction, which provides context and background information to the story that follows, notes about the author, and glossed vocabulary for immediate reference throughout the book.
Some of these titles can be used with our History & Geography (CKHG) and are used in our Language Arts (CKLA) programs. Looks for those titles to learn more about the units.
NOTE: Due to permissions there are some titles that are not available for free download. These titles can be purchased in our Bookstore.
These titles are included in the 2023 Core Knowledge Sequence at the following grade levels:
Grade 4:
- Gulliver’s Travels
- King Arthur and the Round Table (CKLA Unit 3: King Arthur and the Round Table)
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
- Robinson Crusoe
- Robin Hood
- Treasure Island
Grade 5:
- Don Quixote
- Little Women
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (CKLA Unit 5: A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
- Sherlock Holmes
Grade 6:
- The Iliad and the Odyssey
(CKLA Unit 4: The Iliad, the Odyssey, and Other Greek Stories; CKHG Unit 2: Ancient Greece and Rome) - The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
(CKLA Unit 5: The Tragedy of Julius Caesar; CKHG Unit 2: Ancient Greece and Rome)
Grade 7:
- Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (CKLA Unit 3: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
- The Tempest (CKLA Unit 2: The Tempest)
- The Time Machine (CKLA Unit 4: The Time Machine)
Grade 8:
- Frankenstein (CKLA Unit 2: Frankenstein)
- The Importance of Being Earnest (CKLA Unit 7: The Importance of Being Earnest) (for purchase only)
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (CKLA Unit 3: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass)
- The Squatter and the Don (CKLA Unit 6: The Squatter and the Don)
Additional titles in the Core Classics series recommended for use in Grades 6–8:
- Anne of Green Gables
- A Christmas Carol
- Twelfth Night (for purchase only)