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Classic books to read online free

Full classic novels you can read right here, free, one chapter at a time. They are sorted by reading level, easiest first (A2), so English learners always know where to start. Every book is the complete original text with a short quiz at the end. No account needed.

A2 · The easiest

Simple English and short chapters. The gentlest place to start a whole book.

The King of the Golden River

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The Little Lame Prince

The Adventures of Pinocchio

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Railway Children

A Little Princess

The King of the Golden RiverJohn Ruskin (1851)Five short chapters, about nine thousand words in all. The shortest whole book on the site, and the gentlest way to find out what reading a book with chapters feels like.A2 · 33p · ~1hRead →Alice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll (1865)A short, whimsical classic with simple sentences and famous scenes. One of the friendliest classics for English learners.A2-B1 · 96p · ~2hRead →The Little Lame PrinceDinah Craik (1875)Ten chapters of about three thousand words each, in plain and warm English. A whole novel-shaped story that never gets difficult.A2 · 99p · ~2hRead →The Adventures of PinocchioCarlo Collodi (1883)Thirty-six chapters of about a thousand words each: every chapter is the length of one short story, so nothing you read in a sitting is longer than what you are used to.A2 · 142p · ~3hRead →The Wonderful Wizard of OzL. Frank Baum (1900)Plain, warm English and a story almost everyone already knows, which makes it easy to follow. A gentle first novel for A2 to B1 readers.A2-B1 · 143p · ~3hRead →The Railway ChildrenE. Nesbit (1906)Simple, kind and episodic, with short chapters. A good A2 to B1 read.A2-B1 · 216p · ~4hRead →Black BeautyAnna Sewell (1877)Short chapters and plain, first-person English make this one of the easiest classics. A gentle A2 to B1 read.A2-B1 · 217p · ~4hRead →A Little PrincessFrances Hodgson Burnett (1905)Warm and simple, with a heroine easy to root for. A gentle A2 to B1 read.A2-B1 · 241p · ~4hRead →HeidiJohanna Spyri (1881)Plain, sunny English and short chapters. One of the easiest classics, good for A2 to B1.A2-B1 · 332p · ~6hRead →

B1 · Intermediate

Comfortable once you read confidently at B1.

Around the World in Eighty Days

The Secret Garden

Peter PanJ. M. Barrie (1911)A famous, playful story most readers already half know. Some sentences ramble, so it suits a confident B1 reader.B1 · 171p · ~3hRead →Around the World in Eighty DaysJules Verne (1873)A fast, clear adventure with short chapters and constant momentum. A good B1 read.B1 · 228p · ~4hRead →The Secret GardenFrances Hodgson Burnett (1911)Warm and gentle, mostly simple English with a little Yorkshire dialect. A comforting B1 read.B1 · 293p · ~5hRead →

B1 to B2 · A step up

A little richer in language, for when you want a challenge.

The Call of the Wild

The Time Machine

The Wind in the Willows

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Anne of Green Gables

The Call of the WildJack London (1903)Short and gripping, with vivid, punchy scenes. A strong page-turner for B1 to B2 readers.B1-B2 · 116p · ~2hRead →The Time MachineH. G. Wells (1895)Short, fast and famous. The sentences are a little richer than a fairy tale, a good step up for confident B1 to B2 readers.B1-B2 · 118p · ~2hRead →The Wind in the WillowsKenneth Grahame (1908)Gentle and funny, but the prose is lyrical and a little richer, best for B1 to B2.B1-B2 · 212p · ~4hRead →The Adventures of Tom SawyerMark Twain (1876)Funny and lively, but written with 1800s vernacular, so it reads best at B1 to B2.B1-B2 · 254p · ~5hRead →Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery (1908)Charming and funny. Anne's speeches are flowery, so it reads best at B1 to B2.B1-B2 · 371p · ~7hRead →

This shelf is growing. New public-domain classics are added over time, each with its own quiz.

Total beginner?

Start with short A1 stories

30 tiny fables and fairy tales with audio read-along, before a full novel.

Short English stories →

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The 12-month classics challenge

One classic a month, a daily page goal, a tracker, and a quiz for each.

Browse the 12 classics →

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