Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

 

Rating: Clean

Audience: Jane Eyre is pretty dark, so I'd probably say ninth grade and up.  There is some foul language. Nothing racy happens, though Jane does have to turn down an offer to become Mr. Rochester's mistress.

Plot: After a miserable childhood, orphan Jane Eyre takes up a post as a governess at Thornfield Hall.  The master of the hall, Mr. Rochester, intrigues Jane, but things are not always what they seem, and Mr. Rochester has a secretive past that will compromise their relationship . . .

What makes it great?

From the description above, Jane Eyre sounds like a soap opera, but it isn't just about the drama.  The best part of the book is how boss-awesome Jane is as she gains her independence, keeps her integrity, and transcends the boundaries placed on her by gender and social class.  Now that's more like it!

It also has just the right amount of creepiness to thrill you without actually freaking you out, so if you are wimp like me, it is perfect.

P.S. If you aren't going to read it because you hated Wuthering Heights, don't worry, I hate Wuthering Heights too.  Jane is a heroine you will like and her story actually has a happy ending. 

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Rating: Cleanest

Audience:  Anyone. I think I read it in second grade.

Plot:  Everyone is probably familiar with Little House on the Prairie, but it is actually a whole series.  Little House in the Big Woods is the first book (and the best in my opinion) and tells the story of Laura's family living in a small cabin in the big snowy woods of Wisconsin.  They tap maple syrup from trees, have run-ins with bears, and listen to stories by the fireside at night. One of my favorite scenes is when Laura and her family travel by sleigh to their grandparents house for a big dance and Christmas party. Laura's dad plays the fiddle, and ever since reading this book in elementary school, I've wanted to go to a Christmas party with dancing and fiddle music. (If anyone knows of any, let me know).

What makes it great?

This book is enchanting.  Laura has a magical childhood in the Big Woods and it is fun to see it all from her perspective.  This is also a fun book to read around Christmas time since so many of the best scenes involve the snowy Wisconsin wonderland. 

Holes by Louis Sachar

Rating: Cleanest

Audience:  Fourth grade and up (though younger readers can enjoy).  I don't remember there being anything troublesome to watch out for.

Plot: Holes is about a boy named Stanley Yelnats  (whoa-ho, you see what he did there? S T A N L E Y Y E L N A T S), who has rotten luck thanks to a curse put on his ancestor.  After he is charged with a crime he did not commit, he is sentenced to time at "Camp Green Lake," a youth correctional facility in the middle of the desert.  The boys at Camp Green Lake dig holes in the desert every day. The counselors say it is to build character, but Stanley guesses that the warden is using the boys to search for something buried in the desert. Stanley soon discovers that he has to solve the mystery and right history to free himself and break his family's curse.

What makes it great?

Everything. When I was in elementary school, all the sixth graders were polled on their favorite book and Holes won with flying colors.  The plot is weird (in a good way), the characters are weird (in a better way), and the whole book is one big puzzle.  At first you don't see how everything fits together, but by the end, you're jumping up and down yelling "IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!"

A word on the movie:  The movie is great.  It's one of those few movies that actually follows the book, so I can highly recommend both.