Animal Farm

By George Orwell

    The animals on Manor Farm work long hours with little food under Mr. Jones, who is often drunk. One day, Old Major, a prize boar who has lived to a long age, calls the animals together after dark. He tells them that their human overlords do no work while taking away the fruits of the animals' efforts. He says that he was dreamt of a future in which man does not interfere and animals work for themselves. He says that although he will not live to see the Rebellion, he knows that it will happen and that any two-legged creature should be feared. The animals learn a song called "Beasts of England", which speaks of the day when animals roam free.

    A short while later, after Old Major's death, Mr. Jones's men forget to feed the animals for the entire day and when they start to help themselves, take out their whips. Enraged, the animals rebel, establishing Animal Farm and 7 commandments by which all animals should abide. They ensure that no animal will ever become like a human. At first, all seems to go well. The pigs, being the smartest, take over the day to day operations with Snowball and Napoleon at the helm. The farm becomes much more efficient and the animals prosper, even defeating human attackers who attempt to retake the farm thanks to Snowball's brilliant tactics. The general human response is to pretend that the animals have become cannibals and the farm is disorderly.

The Princess Bride (abridged)

The Princess Bride (abridged)

By William Goldman, original book by S. Morgenstern

    Buttercup is a young girl living on a farm with a farm boy named Westley who always says "As you wish" at a command. She is also one of the 20 most beautiful people on Earth, but she doesn't really care about that. One day, the Count and Countess come to take a look at the supposedly high-quality cows on the farm. When she sees the Countess flirting with Westley, she is overcome with a fit of sudden jealousy and falls in love with him. She tells him so that night and is afraid she has ruined everything when Westley shows up to tell her he is leaving. He says he is going to go to America to make a new life there and will send for her when he is ready. They share a heartfelt goodbye, and from that day on, Buttercup starts to fuss over personal hygiene so much she becomes the most beautiful person alive. But one day, she receives news that his ship was captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who kills all captives. She vows never to love again.

    For the next few chapters, we learn about Prince Humperdinck, prince of Florin, Buttercup's city. He is an excellent hunter and spends lots of time in his Zoo of Death, where he keeps all sorts of creepy animals to kill. His father, King Lotharon, is getting old, and it is about time for Humperdinck to find a wife. So he invites the princess of Guilder, their rival neighbor city, but discovers that she is bald. His closest lieutenant, Count Rugen, leads him to Buttercup, whom he demands as his bride. Buttercup says she can't love him, but Humperdinck tells her there will be no love involved, so she agrees.

A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time

By Madeleine L’engle

Read in 9th grade

Meg Murry is not a normal 14-year-old girl. Ever since her father disappeared on the pretense of work, she has been a troublesome, unwilling girl at school. None of the children like her, and adults believe she is foolish for believing her father is alive. She has three brothers. The twins are normal, but Charles Wallace, just a baby, is different. He is super smart, and can somehow sense things others can’t. One day, he takes Meg up the hill to the haunted house, where three eccentric old ladies live. They speak of a tesseract, and they know where Meg’s father is. They “tesser” through the universe to a planet just outside of a certain “Black thing” that their father is fighting. There, the three women’s identities are revealed.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
By Kate Dicamillo
Read in 6th Grade
Edward Tulane is a beautiful china doll, kindly cared for by a girl who loves him dearly. But he doesn't return her adoration. He simply sees her as the one who takes care of him, and so he finds her ok. Then one day, he is thrown off of a ship, and is adrift at sea for many days, until he is fished out by a poor fisherman. He lives a far less elegant life, but he is grateful to be alive. Then one day, the couple's daughter, a mean girl who regards Edward with contempt, throws him away. And here, he begins to feel. Sharp pain at leaving his friends. He is picked up from the dump by a hobo, whom he travels with for a long time, now battered and just a vestige of what he was. Then, of course, everything changes again. The hobo is caught on a train by a policeman, who throws Edward out. And his heart cracks just a little more.

Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels
By Jonathan Swift
Read in 8th Grade
Gulliver is an ordinary Englishman who goes sailing on an expedition. One day, his ship is destroyed in a storm, and he floats to an island while clinging to life on a piece of wood. There, he falls into a deep sleep. When he wakes up, he finds that he is in a country/island inhabited by the tiny people of Lilliput. They have bound him to the ground, and are attempting to speak to him. Despite their initial fear of him, he is treated well, and eventually, he becomes loved by their people for his services in defeating their enemy. However, he has enemies in court, who turn the king against him. He manages to escape and eventually gets back to England when he is picked up by a ship in the ocean. Despite his terrible ordeal, the sea calls to him, and he leaves once more. This time, the ship is blown off course, and ends up off an island. Gulliver is left behind from a scouting expedition, and finds the island inhabited by giants this time, instead of minions.

The Red Pony

The Red Pony
ByJohn Steinbeck
Read in 8th Grade
Jody lives on a farm with his parents and Billy Buck and has been waiting for a horse of his own for a while. Then finally, one day, his father comes home with a red pony, a trick horse from a bankrupt show. Jody cares for it with all his heart, waiting for the day he can finally ride it. But, after it is accidentally left in the rain, the pony comes down with a severe illness and dies. Soon after, a nearby farmer has a pregnant horse and Jody's father, knowing how well he cared for his pony, buys the colt for Jody. So the pregnant horse comes to the farm to have her colt. For a while, all seems good, and Jody can't wait for his colt. Then, as the horse goes into labor, Billy Buck reveals that there is something wrong. The baby horse isn't turned the right way.

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre
By Charlotte Brontë
Read in 7th Grade
Jane lives with her detestable aunt and cousins. Her apparently lowly parents died shortly after her birth, and she was taken in by her uncle. As his dying wish, he told her aunt to take care of Jane. However, jealous of her husband's affection for Jane, her aunt only maintains her to the lowest of standards, and she is constantly bullied by her cousins. One day, a man named Mr. Brocklehurst arrives from an educational facility to take her away. There, she learns much and becomes rather content. Eventually, she finds a job as a governess at Thornfield Hall, owned by a certain Mr. Rochester. She finds that he is very rich, but is almost never home. Then one day, she meets him on an icy day when he falls off his horse, without a clue as to who she is. Although she does not realize it, he has a deep affection for her.

The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath
By John Steinbeck
Read in 8th Grade
One of Steinbeck's more difficult books, this book explores the troubles of farmers in 1930s Midwest. What was once fertile land cultivated for generations is now desolate and being taken over by conglomerate banks. Tom Joad, recently freed from prison, finds that his family has already been evicted. With no home and nowhere to stay, they sell everything and join the Dust Bowl migration to California. But when they get there, they find that all the rumors of good wages all wrong. The Californians hate the "Okies", who work for just a few cents to a pound of picked fruit/cotton. Few survive the test of these times, and many starve, head back, or die. But the Joads get luck after luck, and just barely, they survive.

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice
By Jane Austen
Read in 8th Grade
In the countryside of Britain, there lived a family named Bennet. Mrs.Bennet's only wishes were for her 5 daughters to marry well, for Mr.Bennet's estate was entailed to an entirely removed cousin. And their fortunes seem to turn up, for an affluent man by the name of Bingley soon arrives, and develops an affinity for the eldest daughter. His friend, however, despite being even richer than he, is a very proud man, rather uncivil. In fact, he, believing that Jane doesn't return Mr.Bingley's love, convinces his friend to leave her.

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables

By L.M. Montgomery

Read in 8th Grade

Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert led a relatively quiet life - until Anne arrives at Green Gables. The old couple had wanted a boy to help them but they got Anne. Despite her rather sad upbringing at an orphanage, the Cuthbert mold her into a respectable, smart young woman, though not without some bumps along the way.
But none of them are ready for the final curve that life puts in their path. Anne wins a scholarship for college, and the whole town rejoices. This is good, because the Cuthbert finances are in a precarious state. They have all their money in one bank that is rumored to be shaky.