In 1940, when Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' The Yearling was published with illustrations by N.C. Wyeth as part of Scribners' juvenile Illustrated Classics series, the "legendary editor" Maxwell Perkins told the author, "Most of the best books in the world are read by both children and adults. This is a characteristic of a great book, that it is both juvenile and adult, and that is the thing that assures it a long life."
Quoted in N.C. Wyeth: A Biography by David Michaelis published by Alfred A. Knopf, 1998, from a document in the Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections at Princeton University Library.
In other words, some of the best books in the world are
Not Just Kid Stuff!
Terrific books for older teens and adult readers - old and new favorites you won’t want to miss from the YA (young adult) collection of the Southwest Harbor Public Library.
- The Fire Eaters by David Almond
- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
- Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
- Hope was Here by Joan Bauer
- Tithe a Modern Fairy Tale by Holly Black
- The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter
- The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
- Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
- Calico Bush by Rachel Field
- Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher
- Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman
- Wise Child by Erica Furlong
- Juniper by Erica Furlong
- Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
- Stained by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
- Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
- The Rifle by Gary Paulson
- The Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck
- Clockwork by Richard Peck
For those who enjoy long fantasy books, authors Pullman, Rowling, and Tolkien are highly recommended!
Librarian, Susan Plimpton says, "I love to recommend books from this section and there are many, many more so please ask!"